This compendium of aviation lore teaches pilots to master each phase of a flight, sharpen their "feel" shrewdly, and handle their aircraft smoothly. For more than fifty years as airline captain and private pilot, Robert N. Buck has pursued the art of flying an aircraft ranging from open biplanes to 747s, from fighters to competition gliders. Out of his experience he has developed an approach to airmanship for all kinds of conditions and for all levels of pilots. He calls it "getting down to basics" and it is the substance of "The Art of Flying." Marshalling his own experiences and the best research in aerodynamics, meteorology, and accident prevention, Buck reviews the keys necessary to master each phase of a flight, from preparation to inflight assessments to the critical moments just before and after touchdown.