By: Scott H. Gloodt
Independently published (2018)
The Beech 18 is easily one of the most legendary and storied of American aircraft. With a flying career that began before World War Two and saw the aircraft equally active between military and civilian operators for decades, one might be forgiven for thinking that anything that could be written about this machine already has been.
In 2018, “I’ll take the 18” was published by Scott H. Gloodt. Mr. Gloodt is an author and airline pilot with significant time at the controls of the Beech 18.
At over 300 pages, this book explores a bygone era of American aviation when the Beech 18 was the backbone of numerous small air transport companies across the nation from the 1950s to the early 1980s.
Through the length of the book, Mr. Gloodt brings across the nature of the air freight business as it was when he flew the Beech 18. Each aircraft in a company’s fleet was as much an individual as the pilots the company had on staff. Pilots had their favorite particular machine to fly as no two Beech 18s were equiped the same and no two flew exactly the same.
The author also makes clear that the Beech 18 was an aircraft that one did not stop flying until the wheel chocks were in place. It was a demanding, but dependable flying machine.
The life of the Beech 18 freighter pilots of the period was full of exhausting work schedules, strange and varied payloads along with high competition and deep camaraderie. This book brings that across on every page.
I can happily recommend this book with no reservations.
This link will take you to the official page of the book and author where you can order the book for yourself:
Pickled Wings 