Good Flying Reads: Mid-Level Flying, and On Being a Ferry Pilot

Jason Blair pulls back the curtain on mid-level flying, in An Aviator’s Guide to Middle-Altitude Flying, while former ferry pilot Kerry McCauley weaves an engrossing tale in Ferry Pilot: Nine Lives Over the North Atlantic.

Julie Boatman

Friday, February 11, 2022 at 05:40 PM ET

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FLYING Editor-in-Chief Julie Boatman recently read two books, one by Jason Blair and the other by Kerry McCauley.

Key Takeaways:

The article reviews two aviation books: Jason Blair's "An Aviator's Guide to Middle-Altitude Flying" and Kerry McCauley's memoir, "Ferry Pilot."
Blair's guide offers practical insights for operating in the often-overlooked 10,000 to 25,000 ft altitude range, covering topics like descent planning and emergencies for general aviation pilots.
McCauley's "Ferry Pilot" is a thrilling but cautionary memoir detailing dangerous global ferry flights, which the article's author found highly entertaining but emphasized should be taken as "lessons learned" rather than a guidepost, especially for new pilots.

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Whenever I approach a new endeavor within the world of aviation, I not only scroll through YouTube for relevant content, but I also turn to the printed word.

Last fall, I had the opportunity to fly along on a ferry flight across the Atlantic in a TBM 940—getting a taste of extended flight in the mid-levels (10,000 ft to 25,000 ft msl) as well as learning the process for transiting over long stretches of open water.