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Stranger to the Ground Kindle Edition

by Richard Bach (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 162 ratings
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Richard Bach’s first book, Stranger to the Ground is above all else an insight into the character of a man whose great compulsion is to measure himself against storm and night and fear. On the surface it is the tale of a memorable mission of a young fighter pilot utilizing his skills in a lonely duel with death. Yet between the lines emerges the portrait of the airman as a breed, probing outward, but even more significantly, inward.
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  1. Print length
    193 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Scribner
  5. Publication date
    June 26, 2012
  6. File size
    5447 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Compellingly beautiful and masterfully told."--The New York Times Book Review. "A classic of the character of a man whose great compulsion to measure himself against storm and night and fear."--Gill Rob Wilson

From the Publisher

"Compellingly beautiful and masterfully told."--The New York Times Book Review.

"A classic of the character of a man whose great compulsion to measure himself against storm and night and fear."--Gill Rob Wilson

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B007MAMZKE
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Scribner; Revised edition (June 26, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 26, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 5447 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 193 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 162 ratings

About the author

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Richard Bach

Richard Bach

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Since Jonathan Livingston Seagull - which dominated the #1 spot on the New York Times Bestseller List for two consecutive years - Richard Bach has touched millions of people through his humor, wisdom and insight.

With over 60 million copies of his books sold, Richard Bach remains one of the world's most beloved authors. A former USAF fighter pilot, Air Force captain and latter-day barnstorming pilot, Bach continues to be an avid aviator-author, exploring and chronicling the joys and freedom of flying, reporting his findings to his devoted fans.

Recent books include Travels with Puff, which recounts Bach's journey from Florida to Washington state in his small seaplane, Puff, and Illusions II: The Adventures of a Reluctant Student, which incorporates Bach's real-life plane crash.

Life with my Guardian Angel, published in October, 2017, is his story of the way we can discover a startling source of inspiration in our daily lives.

Fans and readers can find more about Richard and his work at www.richardbach.com

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
162 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

David Kirk
5.0 out of 5 stars You Will Read This Many Times - I have
Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2011
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I first bought this book decades ago and recently purchased another as a gift to my adult son. True, this book is about flight and a man alone with his airplane on a night flight, but the story is really about relationships and trust. This is no macho book on fighter jets, but a man's reflection on many aspects of life as he flies through the night. He expresses amazing talent at bringing the plane to life, almost a living thing. As the flight progresses, the reader feels a part of the flight, a part of the pilot's life.

As the pilot shares experiences and feelings, readers will identify with their own feelings and experiences. This book is not a one-read book, but an experience to be relived periodically. Truely, a marvelous writing. Although always quicksand to compare books, I see similarities with "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance", another book that is not about the title, but about deeper meanings.
4 people found this helpful
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Flier1
5.0 out of 5 stars If you want to know what it's like to fly a jet fighter, this is the book for you.
Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2020
Verified Purchase
Aviation Classic. Richard Bach puts you in the jet fighter airplane with him. You see what he sees, you feel what he feels. If you haven't been a in a jet fighter before, you'll experience vicariously what few people ever have. I think anyone interested in aviation would enjoy this book. Although the airplane he flew was a little before my time, the book's detail and accuracy really brought me back; as he recounts his personal experiences in a single pilot airplane with Air Force flight training, formation flying, gunnery, flying only on the instruments, night flying, flying in airshows and the perilous night flight that generated the book in the first place.
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Wallace D. Greer
5.0 out of 5 stars Richard Bach's best work.
Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2013
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As a line driver myself, Bach has perfectly summarized the life of a Reserve Air Guard pilot. It also summarizes the magic of flying, and it's beauty. It also tackles themes of life, flight, decisions, and philosophy excellently. Additionally, it shows just how dangerous that era of flight/Cold War was. The F-84 was truly a bad bird for both the air and ground crews. Only an exceptional, and lucky pilot could have survived this seemingly simple night courier mission. One of the classics of aviation writing. Should be required reading for anyone who considers a military aviation career.
3 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for aviation buffs and pilots
Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2014
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I thoroughly enjoyed "Stranger to the Ground" though I had never piloted an aircraft before reading it. In fact, this book and his
"A Gift of Wings" inspired me to become a private pilot years later. It's a bit dated (who alive has even seen an F-84 or knows what it looked like except hard core airplane buffs?), but as Bach notes, all pilots share a common bond, and an F-22 or F-35 pilot will readily appreciate his contemplations as Bach pilots his jet to Europe in bad weather.

I once saw a TV documentary about modern aircraft carrier pilots; one pilot referred to "Stranger to the Ground" as if everyone, including the interviewer was familiar with the book. I would not be surprised if "Stranger to the Ground" was, officially or unofficially required reading, by all fighter pilots.
2 people found this helpful
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CAP
4.0 out of 5 stars Bach: Stranger to Ground
Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2019
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Nice technical read for one who has flown the same skies and also lived to tell about it. Spent 13 years in Germany and flew over many if the same bases, to which we no longer have airplanes.
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John Joss
5.0 out of 5 stars Bach's first and best book
Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2002
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Richard Bach's first book came to my attention when it was reviewed in the WALL STREET JOURNAL at first publication. I re-read it often. As a pilot with time in current fighters, I was stunned by the clarity and power of his depictions of flight. But one need not be a pilot to enjoy this work because it always remains 'grounded' (in the sense of structure and ideas, not literally).
STRANGER got me for a core reason not often discussed with respect to flying; the book meets this criterion resoundingly: it is totally honest. Why does this matter? Because flying, especially complex modern airplanes (the F-84F is not an easy airplane), is fundamentally an honest trade. Make a mistake or be unlucky and you may die suddenly.
9 people found this helpful
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John Stapleton
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for those who don’t belong on the ground
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2020
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The Fighter Pilot’s Bible. An exceptional read. Engaging, thoughtful, and funny. I first read this as a young pilot out of flight school. It was out of print for many, many years. I’m glad to have found it again!
3 people found this helpful
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PR
5.0 out of 5 stars Stranger to the Ground is a Classic flying story in ...
Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2014
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Stranger to the Ground is a Classic flying story in which you ride along with an Air National Guard Pilot as he makes a non-combat flight across France during the Berlin Airlift. During the flight the pilot's memories of his pilot training and past experience are shared. You'll feel the condensation on the inside of his oxygen mask and feel the erratic vibrations as you fly with him, As you make your final approach with him you'll be straining with him to get a glimpse of the approach lights.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Maneesh Joshi
5.0 out of 5 stars My fav book on Kindle
Reviewed in India on March 5, 2022
Verified Purchase
I cannot thank Amazon enough for including this book on Kindle. I have had the paperback edition for years and frequent readings have caused the binding to fray, the pages to crack and so on. And so when I saw it on Amazon Kindle, I did multiple double takes to confirm that one of my all time favourite books was indeed available on Kindle.

The original images in the book (of Bach walking to his aircraft with his helmet in one hand and the scarf at his neck, the main and aux instrument panels, the flight plan etc) have all been included faithfully. Even the frontispiece with 4 '84s in echelon left has been done well. The first Scribner ebook edition was launched in 2012 and it took 10 years to come here to Kindle. The wait was long but worth every ice crystal on the wings of the Thunderstreak in cloud and rain and hail.

The formatting is perfect and there are hardly any typos worth mentioning. All in all, an excellent rendition of the paperback.

Thank you so much, Scribner and Amazon for this gem from the past for aviation enthusists.
Customer image
Maneesh Joshi
5.0 out of 5 stars My fav book on Kindle
Reviewed in India on March 5, 2022
I cannot thank Amazon enough for including this book on Kindle. I have had the paperback edition for years and frequent readings have caused the binding to fray, the pages to crack and so on. And so when I saw it on Amazon Kindle, I did multiple double takes to confirm that one of my all time favourite books was indeed available on Kindle.

The original images in the book (of Bach walking to his aircraft with his helmet in one hand and the scarf at his neck, the main and aux instrument panels, the flight plan etc) have all been included faithfully. Even the frontispiece with 4 '84s in echelon left has been done well. The first Scribner ebook edition was launched in 2012 and it took 10 years to come here to Kindle. The wait was long but worth every ice crystal on the wings of the Thunderstreak in cloud and rain and hail.

The formatting is perfect and there are hardly any typos worth mentioning. All in all, an excellent rendition of the paperback.

Thank you so much, Scribner and Amazon for this gem from the past for aviation enthusists.
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Poncet
5.0 out of 5 stars la guerre froide en Europe par un pilote de national guard
Reviewed in France on November 22, 2019
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Ebook, je voulais lire ce récit d'un vol de nuit en F84F au dessus de l'Europe fait par l'auteur de Jonathan Livingstone le Goelan.
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RobRoy
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on August 3, 2017
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Good read 30 plus years ago , sill a great read today
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Renato Garcia
5.0 out of 5 stars Pra quem é do ramo
Reviewed in Brazil on October 6, 2017
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Sendo alguém que vive aviação, é muito fácil gostar de tudo. O autor dispensa comentários e sabe como cativar quem o lê...
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Ole Bjørsvik
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazingly well written. -- Better than Ernest K. Gann.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 22, 2012
Verified Purchase
This is perhaps the best aviation story written. Even the language in itself is marvellous. Richard Bach can play around with the grammar so you smile. And he can from time to time put 123(!) words before a comma, and your reaction is "Wow. That was well written!"
I know Ernest K. Gann is regarded as one of the best aviation authors ever. But when I read his The High and Mighty I was disappointed how flat the story (and it's characters) were told. I had to ask others, whether peoples mindset had changed that much since the fifties?
Richard Bach shows that it hadn't. Ernest K. Gann is perhaps the more famous. But Richard Bach is greater.
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