Buck, Rinker.
Flight of Passage. Hyperion,
1997. One of my favorite books of all time. A beautifully written memoir
of Rink Buck's flight across the United States with his older brother
Kernahan in 1966 in a PA-11 they'd rebuilt themselves. This is a story
about love--of flying, of Cubs, of brothers, and of the conflicted love
between two boys and their outrageous dad. I can't recommend it too highly.
Byars, Betsy. Coast to Coast. Delacorte, 1992.
I believe this is a children's book.
Christy, Joe. The Piper Classics. TAB
Books, 1988.
Clark, Bill. The Piper Indians. TAB
Books, 1988. Also has a nice summary of the history of the Piper tube
and fabric airplanes. The first chapter in the book would be of the most
interest to those involved with the early Pipers, both long and short-wing
versions. [Todd Chisum]
Erickson, George.
True North. Lyons Press, 2002. Dentist-turned-bush pilot flies
his PA-11 floatplane into the far reaches of the north.
Available at
Historic Aviation
and you may be able to find a used copy at
Amazon.
Francis, Devon. Mr. Piper and His Cubs. Iowa State
University Press, 1973. Flying Books, 1996. The latter has
an anonymous epilog and a tribute by William Piper Jr. I reckon this is
the "authorized biography," and it has the faults and virtues of a
company-sponsored book. (The 1996 edition was certainly sponsored, if not the
original.) The detail is there, but so is the unquestioning adoration
of "Mr. Piper" and the sometimes suspicious anecdotes. Did it really happen
that way? I don't know, but this is the best account we've got.
Glines, Carroll.
Those Legendary Piper Cubs - The prolific historian-author
recounts the Cub's history in war and peace in one of those handsome
oversized books from Schiffer. 176 pages, 250+ color and B&W photographs,
8½"x 11", hardcover book. $44.95
Available at
Historic Aviation and also at
Amazon.
Gordon, Joseph Furbee.
Flying Low: and shot down twice during
World War II in a spotter plane.
Hardcover; 220 pages, illustrated, bibliography, index
Retail Price: $27. The book is endorsed by Ken Wakefield, author of The Fighting
Grasshoppers and Lightplanes at War. [Walter Haan]
Love, Terry.
L-Birds: American Combat Liaison Aircraft of World War II.
Flying Books, 2001. A magazine-sized paperback.
Available at
Amazon.com and at
Historic Aviation.
Lyons, Sam -- see Jim Wheaton below
Moore, Don.
Low and Slow: A Personal History of a Liaison Pilot in World
War II. San Antonio Heights Publishing Co., 1999. Another wonderfully written
memoir, this one of unarmed air combat at 500 feet over Japanese lines.
(Why is it that Cub pilots write so beautifully, and Cub historians so
badly?) Includes a chapter on the Brodie Device.
Reviewed on this site
Peek, Chester. The First Cub.
Three Peaks Publishing, 1996?
(ISBN 1-886196-02-8). "This book is about the early Pipers up to the
E-2 Cub and the restoration of an E-2 Cub." [Todd Chisum]
Peperell, Roger. Piper Aircraft: The Development and History of Piper
Designs. Air-Britain, 1996. The first
third of this large and detailed book lays out what appears to be the
definitive account of the Cubs built by Taylor and Piper; the appendix
has some stuff on foreign licensees.
Phillips, Edward.
Piper: A Legend Aloft. Flying Books, 1993. From the J-3 to modern
low-wings; 400 photos, 170 pp.
Piper Aircraft Corporation.
J-3 Service Manual
-
Reprint of the original manual with all the drawings. 12 pages of
service information and 8 double fold out pages of drawings. 8½"x 11",
spiral bound. $10.95 
See the Warbird's Bookshelf
