Perspective

The autobiography is related from the subjective first-person point of view as is typical for the form. Gann reflects upon his career and life with the knowledge of a master but he is able to present material from his early career with a surprisingly fresh voice. Thus, his recounting of the tribulations of flight school is simultaneously informative and humorous and notably lacks any condescending attitude toward being schooled in the basics of flight.

Gann's career spans a significant portion of aviation history and development and he is clearly a master of the subject. Nevertheless, the topic is presented without the haughty opinion of a master and is remarkably free of jargon and other technical issues. Indeed, the strength of the autobiography is found in the easy accessibility that it offers to a technical and complex subject. The reader is not expected to understand the intricacies of flight...