Philip Handleman is no stranger when it comes to flying, or writing about flying as he has penned over 20 books about various subjects in aviation.
In his latest book, A Dream of Pilots, he takes a different approach and writes a children’s book about 21 of the world’s greatest airmen and women. Handleman takes the reader on an aviation journey though time, starting with the Wright brothers and ending with Alan Shepard, Jr.
Handleman offers insightful stories that capture the minds of young readers in order to remind the audience on why we started flying in the first place.
‘I thought it would be a wonderful thing to fill up a book that had all of the great pilots all wrapped in one between two covers and make it easy for a young person who was looking for the backgrounds of the luminaries of aviation,? said Handleman, who resides in Birmingham, but owns the 160 Sky Ranch, a private airstrip on Noble Rd. in Oxford Twp.
The story moves through a chid’s dream sequences after falling asleep on a ride home after his flying lesson. Throughout the dream, he encounters the 21 famous pilots Handleman writes about. After the child wakes up, he sees his flying instructor flying a jet airplane over his house.
The book’s cover features a Classic Piper Cup, which was the plane that Handleman’s first flight was in. ‘It’s a reminder of how deeply influenced we can be by a wonderful experience we had as a child,? he said.
The books pages are filled with illustrations from Craig Kodera, who, according to Handleman, is the world’s most famous aviation artist. Kodera does an illustration for each aviator, which includes depictions of their famous airplanes.
Handleman noted that the book wasn’t just about famous aviators; it was about providing inspiration for young people.
‘Every one of the 21 people had to face challenges in their personal lives and they succeeded in overcoming them in order to go on and achieve greatness in their chosen field of aeronautics,? he said.
Amelia Earhart had to overcoming gender biases, Benjamin Davis, Jr. overcoming racial preferences and Wiley Post overcoming losing an eye were some of the inspirational examples Handleman noted.
‘I think that there is a lesson there, that your dreams can come true, which is the second meaning of the book…the dream of aviation is the dream that anything is possible.?
According to Handleman, it took him several months to complete the necessary research. ‘Each of these individuals were very familiar to me…my parents would infuse (me) with (their stories) when I was growing up.?
He would sit and listen to ‘wonderful stories? about his mother climbing the fence at Cleveland Municipal Airport (now Hopkins International Airport) and sneaking in to see the National Air Races to see the great aviators of the Golden Age of Flight, from Charles Lindbergh to Jimmy Doolittle to Roscoe Turner.
His father was also involved in aviation, having served in the U.S. Army Air Forces in World War II in a non-pilot role.
His own love for flying began at the age of 12 after his parents took him for his first plane ride aboard a Piper Cup at a little grass airstrip outside Cleveland, Ohio.
Even with all that influence, he states that the biggest influence on his career has been his wife, Mary. ‘Without her support i wouldn’t be able to do any of these things. I call her, quite justifiably, my navigator in life and in flight,? he said.
Handleman hinted that his next project would focus on WWII aviation.
He will be signing copies of his book at the Birmingham Public Library on Monday, Dec. 7.