A Mild Form of Insanity: Recollections of a Helicopter Pilot Review

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(More customer reviews)I thought this would be sort of a chance for an old timer to pass on his wisdom to newly-minted pilots. That's why I got it...expecting to hear stories that would keep me out of trouble. It's not really that, but it's a worthwhile read for any aspiring pilot...or anybody who sits at their desk thinking they'd rather be getting paid for doing something "exciting". It's kind of the Seven Years in Tibet of flying helos, both stylistically ("lot of stuff happened, but it was all good adventure") and conceptually (Mike was there in the beginning).
For pilots...we have it good. Mike started flying airplanes because helicopters weren't widely in service at the time. And that time was when flying a copter wasn't completely figured out either. That alone is a pretty good story. When Mike leaves the military, the book takes what I thought of as a sort of aside into the political relationship between the Sultan of Oman and the adoo (I thought it was interesting that Mike chose not to capitalize "adoo"). There's some interesting flying, but it's mostly (and somewhat interesting) a bit of history. You do learn a bit about what it's like working away from home and family, although Mike's neglect in dealing more with this topic parallels its outcome.
The next chapter in Mike's career I thought was particularly useful (and, again, entertaining) for any Robbie-Ranger who wants to fly the fancy ship for a rich guy. Mike ends up doing that, and it really sounds like one of the most challenging of his jobs. He's faced with a pilot/boss who's more boss than pilot, putting Mike in what sounded to me like great opportunities to end his career in a crash or violation.
After this, the final chapters are anticlimactic, but also more realistic for aspiring pilots. Mike ends up back in the Middle East, this time flying for the oil companies. You get a better sense of his family life at the time, and how his earlier career choices affected him later on (eg, his experience in Oman led to the oil job, but limited him in model experience).
Overall, a great book. One of the few that I've read for fun since starting flight training. I read it in a matter of days and had a good time with it. Also ended up turning down a few pages that I'll go back to once I'm flying full-time.

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It takes a mild form of insanity to expose oneself to the rigours of helicopter flight in the midst of flying bullets -- at one point the author even had his toe shot off! -- but Mike Tuson's rich and varied experiences as a helicopter pilot constitute a very full, if somewhat precarious existence! This is not a manual on how to fly a helicopter, yet, in a very readable and exciting narrative form, it will introduce the reader to all the theory and essentials of flight regarding fixed wing aircraft as well as, and especially, helicopters. Apart from involving the reader in the escapades, narrow escapes and accidents in his flying life, the author examines the advantages of helicopters over fixed wing aircraft. Which, for example, is safer if the engine fails, or if the aircraft has to be ditched in the sea? This is a book for the layman as well as the experienced pilot. In either case it is an entertainining and enriching experience.

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