The A2A Simulations Community

I am always looking for a good book on aviation related topics. I am currently reading "The Happy Bottom Riding Club: The Life and Times of Pancho Barnes"seems to be well researched and well written. Everyone has probably heard of Pancho from her place in the desert in the late forties and early fifties. She was quite a character and her life revolved around flying. She knew everyone involved in West coast aviation during the golden age and beyond. She was a force of nature always involved in some flying adventure or project. I got my copy from the library but you can purchase it for around $12. A good read in my opinion.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-hap ... OOK+EBooks



"Pancho Barnes was a force of nature, a woman who lived a big, messy, colorful, unconventional life. She ran through three fortunes, four husbands, and countless lovers. She outflew Amelia Earhart, outsmarted Howard Hughes, outdrank the Mexican Army, and out- maneuvered the U.S. government. In The Happy Bottom Riding Club, award-winning author Lauren Kessler tells the story of a high-spirited, headstrong woman who was proud of her successes, unabashed by her failures, and the architect of her own legend."

Her original Travel Air Mystery Ship is still around and was restored to airworthy (though not flown), but is kept squirreled-away from the public by a prolific private collector in the UK. http://www.legendofpanchobarnes.com/ind ... -no-longer

According to the book she loved that airplane and it was quite expensive for it's day. I think she payed around $12,500 plus $650 in extras.from the factory. She did eventually sell it because she couldn't afford it any longer.

Thanks for the reference... Will read this book.

One of my favorite characters of all time. See some of her in the movie The Right Stuff and also in a made for TV movie called Poncho Barnes http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095816/