Island in the Sky

Although this book is around 60 yrs old, at this time, the story is still vibrant and alive! The author, Ernest K. Gann, takes you into the heart of what being a pilot is. The comraderie, the love of flying, the risks taken and lenths they were willing to go to to save one of their own. The story is set during WWII when even airline pilots were called to duty, flying to support the war effort. When one of their own goes down in bad weather and an unknown location, they all come together to search for the crew with a "never say die" attitude. If you have a love of flying, if you understand what brings a pilot to the skies, then don't miss this book.

A story about non-combat pilots during WWII. Very much a story about man vs. nature. Gann also had a lot of things to say about the nature of pilots (men risking their lives in the air).

Island in the Sky, first published in 1944, is aviator Ernest Gann’s exciting, realistic novel of survival in the far north of Canada. The Corsair, a plane attached to the Army Air Transport Command during the Second World War, is forced to land after heavy icing of the wings makes the plane unflyable. The crew look to Dooley, the pilot for guidance in order to survive the frigid conditions, and from support bases and search aircraft, a rescue mission is mounted. Island in the Sky was the subject of a 1953 movie starring John Wayne.

Ranks with Saint-Exupery.