Novels featuring airline life

December 15, 2016 1:45 AM

I just finished reading Noah Hawley's excellent "Before the Fall", and the sections I most enjoyed were those focused on the lives of the pilots and stewardess. It brough back to me how much I loved the non-fiction book "Skyfaring", about the life of a civilian airline pilot, and also - in a slightly different key - the movie "Up In The Air". Any suggestions for novels - or, alternately, memoirs or movies - focusing on people who live their lives in airplanes and airports? Not particularly interested in military pilots, but novels that never actually leave the terminal would be OK. Thanks all!
posted by LingeringMoon to Media & Arts (19 answers total)

Best answer: The Business by Iain Banks has the central character spending huge amounts of time flying back and forth around the world (including in helicopters and private jets) and devotes some attention to the details of this - passports, how she occupies her time in the air, adjusting to altitude and climate changes etc.
posted by *becca* at 3:39 AM on December 15, 2016 [1 favorite]

Best answer: You might enjoy Coffee, Tea or Me?. I found the descriptions of the 60s lifestyle fantastic.
posted by jazh at 3:53 AM on December 15, 2016 [4 favorites]

Airport by Arthur Hailey. A novel focusing on the events of one night at a fictional Chicago airport from the perspectives of the different people involved (pilot, airport manager, air traffic control, etc.). It's older, written in the late 60s I think, so some things like the technology described are out of date, but I still enjoyed it.
posted by Bunny Boneyology at 4:23 AM on December 15, 2016 [4 favorites]

West with the Night by Beryl Markham (1942) is a classic. As are Night Flight (1931) and Wind, Sand and Stars (1939) by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Memoirs of solo pilots or cargo pilots, not commercial airlines though.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 6:23 AM on December 15, 2016

Best answer: Alain de Botton, A Week at the Airport. A writer-in-residence at Heathrow.
posted by matildaben at 6:34 AM on December 15, 2016

Other pilot stories:

The Lonely Sea and Sky by Francis Chichester details his trip from the UK to Australia and beyond in biplane, circa 1930.

"We" by Charles Lindbergh written just after his famous flight to Paris.

I was going to mention Antoine de Saint-Exupery as well.

Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters
by Chesley B. Sullenberger III, Jeffrey Zaslow

Fly me, I'm Freddie! Hardcover – 1980 About Freddie Laker of Laker Airlines and Skytrain.
by Roger Eglin

The Aviator, a movie about Harold Hughes. I'm pretty sure there was novel based on Hughes' life but I don't remember the title.
posted by SemiSalt at 6:36 AM on December 15, 2016

I assume you know that Up in the Air was a book first, but if you didn't, you do now!
posted by Ragged Richard at 6:41 AM on December 15, 2016

Something different: crime at JFK

The Lufthansa Heist: Behind the Six-Million-Dollar Cash Haul That Shook the World Hardcover – August 1, 2015
by Henry Hill (Author), Daniel Simone (Author)

There was also a big-time Air France Robbery. Don't know if there is a book about that one.
posted by SemiSalt at 6:46 AM on December 15, 2016

In The Unlikely Event is a recent book by Judy Blume that deals with a series of plane crashes near Newark airport in the 1950s, inspired by actual events. It deals more with the characters in the city the plane crashes affect, but does address at least one stewardess and one pilot's family, and includes some interesting background on commercial aviation in that time and place.

The Vicki Barr flight stewardess series is more of a stretch perhaps, but it's a young adult series along the lines of Nancy Drew, wherein the plucky heroine is a stewardess. Published in the late 40's and early 50's, these have a lot of detail about day to day lifestyle in the era, though whether that balances out the silly children's mystery aspect is a matter of taste I leave to your own judgement.
posted by the primroses were over at 6:53 AM on December 15, 2016

For a good look at the early days of airline travel, you might read "Fate Is the Hunter", by Ernest K. Gann. A pilot's-eye view of commercial aviation when it wasn't quite as routine and easy as it is now.
posted by Agave at 7:04 AM on December 15, 2016

Flight 232
posted by 7 Minutes of Madness at 7:40 AM on December 15, 2016

The movie The Terminal seems like an obvious one, as well as the book that inspired it, The Terminal Man.

Catch Me If You Can (book, movie) is not explicitly about air travel, per se, but both contain large segments set in airports since he spent a great deal of time impersonating an airline pilot.
posted by anderjen at 7:51 AM on December 15, 2016 [1 favorite]

I read and enjoyed "Love Me Anyway" by Tiffany Hawk.
posted by melissa at 8:24 AM on December 15, 2016

I loved reading the non-fiction book The Last of the Bush Pilots by Harmon Helmericks detailing how flights used to happen in the Alaskan bush and then explaining the change to more commercial travel over time.
posted by jessamyn at 8:49 AM on December 15, 2016

I don't even know why I remember this, but there is a book called Cabin Pressure you might enjoy. I haven't read it. I just remember the authors appearing on Carson waaaaay back in the day.
posted by a non mouse, a cow herd at 11:18 AM on December 15, 2016

Best answer: It's a very short podcast segment, but you'll enjoy the prologue interview with a stewardess in episode 556 of This American Life.
posted by nicebookrack at 11:48 AM on December 15, 2016

Best answer: Look into some Nevil Shute Norway, you won't be disappointed. He died a long time ago and now a lot of his stuff is out of print, unfortunately... but it seems that Kindle versions are available. Start with the last novels (like Trustee From The Toolroom) and work backwards.
posted by Rash at 5:35 PM on December 15, 2016

Response by poster: Thank you everyone for all of the great recommendations! That should keep me busy for quite a few long flights!
posted by LingeringMoon at 2:33 AM on December 16, 2016

Have you tried the John Nance novels? They're mostly about airline disasters/emergencies but they are very good reads. Hard to put down once you start one.
posted by james33 at 6:30 AM on December 16, 2016