Stick and Rudder: An Explanation of the Art of Flying is a book written in 1944 by Wolfgang Langewiesche

Wolfgang Langewiesche

Wolfgang Langewiesche aviator, author and journalist, is one of the most quoted authors in aviation writing. His book, Stick and Rudder , is still in print, and is considered a primary reference on the art of flying fixed-wing aircraft....

, describing how airplanes fly and how they should be flown by pilots. It has become a standard reference text for aviators.

Overview

Stick and Rudder was partially derived from a series of articles written by Langewiesche for Air Facts magazine, an aviation safety publication. The author explains, in straightforward language with a minimum of technical jargon, how aircraft fly

Aerospace engineering

Aerospace engineering is the primary branch of engineering concerned with the design, construction and science of aircraft and spacecraft. It is divided into two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering...

, and methods for flying them. The book covers the principles of lift

Lift (force)

A fluid flowing past the surface of a body exerts a surface force on it. Lift is the component of this force that is perpendicular to the oncoming flow direction. It contrasts with the drag force, which is the component of the surface force parallel to the flow direction...

 and the concept of angle of attack

Angle of attack

Angle of attack is a term used in fluid dynamics to describe the angle between a reference line on a lifting body and the vector representing the relative motion between the lifting body and the fluid through which it is moving...

, and describes the various modes of flight (glides

Gliding (flight)

Gliding flight is heavier-than-air flight without the use of thrust. It is employed by gliding animals and by aircraft such as gliders. The most common human application of gliding flight is in sport and recreation using aircraft designed for this purpose...

, stalls

Stall (flight)

In fluid dynamics, a stall is a reduction in the lift coefficient generated by a foil as angle of attack increases. This occurs when the critical angle of attack of the foil is exceeded...

, cruise flight

Cruise (flight)

Cruise is the level portion of aircraft travel where flight is most fuel efficient. It occurs between ascent and descent phases and is usually the majority of a journey. Technically, cruising consists of heading changes only at a constant airspeed and altitude...

, etc.), and goes on to treat a wide variety of flying topics, most of them related directly to safety and actual piloting of an aircraft.

The matter-of-fact and casual writing style of the author and the large amount of information compressed into a fairly compact volume have helped to make Stick and Rudder a continuing favorite of aviators and aviation instructors. The book was first published in 1944, and as of 2007 it was still in print, with some 250,000 copies sold.

The book has attracted criticism periodically, but the basic ideas put forth by Langewiesche have largely withstood the test of time, and many people in aviation continue to consider and recommend the book as a “must” for student pilots.