Helen Krasner

Helen Krasner learned to fly in 1997, and during the next couple of years obtained her Private Pilot's Licence for both fixed-wing and rotary aircraft. She has also reached solo standard on a flexwing microlight, and had a go at flying gliders and gyroplanes. She has flown in many different places, both in the UK and abroad, the latter including Europe, California, and Russia. In 2001 she and a co-pilot won the prestigious "Dawn to Dusk" flying competition, coming second in 2003; they also won the trophy for the best all-female competitors three times. In 2003 Helen qualified as a helicopter instructor, and for a number of years she combined teaching students to fly helicopters with a part time writing career. For the last few years she has earned her living mainly as a writer, writing primarily about aviation. She has had several books and numerous articles published, one of which was nominated in 2004 for an 'Aerospace Journalist of the Year' Award. Publications to which she has contributed include 'Todays Pilot' and 'Pilot' in the UK, 'HeliNews' and 'Australian Aviation' in Australia, and 'Global Aviation' in South Africa. She was also newsletter editor for the British Women Pilots' Association for five years. Since 2006, Helen has been writing a regular monthly column for the UK publication 'Flight Training News' (FTN), which is still continuing. Some of those articles have appeared in short collections as ebooks. This latest book includes a number of those previously published, and also many newer ones. Overall, it is a compilation of what Helen considers to be the best 60 of her FTN articles, all of which were originally published between 2006 and 2015. They have been divided in the book into four sections: Learning to Fly, Beyond the PPL, Just Helicopters, and Helicopter Instructing. It should be noted that there are a disproportionately large number of helicopter related articles, and Helen makes no apology for this, as she is primarily a helicopter pilot. This book should appeal to a wide cross-section of people - aviation enthusiasts and armchair flyers, Private Pilots, and also many who are involved in aviation as a career. It will be of particular interest to those who fly helicopters - or would like to. It is written in an informal, easy-to-read style, and explains complicated concepts simply and clearly. Despite covering some fairly technical issues, it is a book to be dipped into and enjoyed.

Between 2004 and 2006, David Thomas experienced a series of disasters in his life, culminating in being told that he only had a short time left to live. Rather than sinking into despair as many people would, he decided to fulfil his lifelong dream of living on a canal boat, while he still could. So he bought a narrowboat, LadyRiverMouse (an anagram of 'Live Your Dreams') with a view to spending the rest of his limited life cruising the canals and rivers of England. Naturally, he had to take the love of his life with him - a rather bad-tempered fluffy white prima donna of a cat called Cookie. Cookie was an indoor cat who had rarely been outside, never mind living on a boat, where according to David dogs are usually the pets of choice. Would it work out? David didn't know, but as he put it, "I wasn't going anywhere without my beloved Cookie". The remainder of the book is an account of the few years David spent travelling through the waterways of his native land. Many people live on boats; few cruise as extensively as David did - to London, along the Thames, up to Wales, then tackling the wild and often desolate rivers of North West England. A beginner to boating when he started, David learned much as time went on, mainly by having numerous - and often hair-raising - adventures. So did Cookie, who contrived to get lost, fall in the water on a number of occasions, and generally use up most of her cat's nine lives. Finally David met Helen, a helicopter instructor, writer, and - most importantly - cat lover. They fell in love, and David's life began to change yet again, leading to the eventual sale of LadyRiverMouse and a new life in the Peak District for David and Cookie. David knows about boating, has an eye for detail, and is also an astute observer of his fellow men and women, both on and off the waterways. Therefore this book will clearly be of interest to those who have ever travelled on the canals or done any other boating, anyone who loves travel of any type, or simply the armchair traveller who enjoys reading about others' adventures. But "Travels With Cookie" is more than just another boating or travel book. It is a tale of bereavement and divorce, of terminal illness and despair, and finally of romance, a seemingly miraculous cure, and a new life. Hence it should appeal to anyone who likes human interest stories of any type. And of course - as Cookie herself would tell you if she could speak - it is a must for cat lovers

The Helicopter Pilot's Companion is essential reading for those who are considering training to be a helicopter pilot, those currently undertaking training and those who have recently gained their Private Pilot's Licence for helicopters. Written in a clear, no-nonsense style, it covers a whole range of subjects concerning rotary aviation including common myths about flying helicopters, choosing a flying school and an instructor, the basics of rotary aerodynamics, and all practical aspects of learning to fly helicopters. Issues are examined that are important when the new helicopter pilot has gained his, or her, licence and is able to fly along, including flying with passengers, coping with challenging weather and dealing with emergencies. In addition, the author provides useful advice to those readers who are considering becoming professional helicopter pilots.