News Summary

• The fact that we regularly float six or seven miles above the Earth is worth our fascination and attention.
• A better way to dispel anxieties about flying might be to explore the feat of aviation.
• The six books below explain the art and science of piloting, and riding in, aircraft from a range of perspectives.
• They elucidate the marvel that is the contemporary air-transport system and bring to life the remarkable people whose struggles and triumphs brought it to fruition.
• The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe contrasts their boy-band glamour with a lautical hero: Chuck Yeager, who broke the sound barrier while secretly nursing broken ribs and later pushed a supersonic fighter beyond the edge of the atmosphere.