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On Extended Wings : An Adventure in Flight
Author is an award-winning poet. This is her pilot narrative of learning to fly and earning her Private Pilot's license.
307 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1985
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88 people want to read
About the author
Diane Ackerman
71 books1,107 followersDiane Ackerman has been the finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Nonfiction in addition to many other awards and recognitions for her work, which include the bestsellers The Zookeeper’s Wife and A Natural History of the Senses.
The Zookeeper’s Wife, a little known true story of WWII, became a New York Times bestseller, and received the Orion Book Award, which honored it as, "a groundbreaking work of nonfiction." A movie of The Zookeeper’s Wife, starring Jessica Chastain and Daniel Brühl, releases in theaters March 31st, 2017 from Focus Features.
She lives with her husband Paul West in Ithaca, New York.
The Zookeeper’s Wife, a little known true story of WWII, became a New York Times bestseller, and received the Orion Book Award, which honored it as, "a groundbreaking work of nonfiction." A movie of The Zookeeper’s Wife, starring Jessica Chastain and Daniel Brühl, releases in theaters March 31st, 2017 from Focus Features.
She lives with her husband Paul West in Ithaca, New York.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 19, 2020
As a fan of flying, I truly appreciated the lovely deep way she narrates her own desire to follow Icarus into the empty skies. Great writing and profound thinking, while always keeping it real.
March 15, 2009
Ackerman is truly a delight, an eclectic personality who exults in sampling nature from all perspectives as a participant. On Extended Wings is her personal attempt to learn how to fly. "The pilot's seat is one of the few places on earth where one's life is truly one's own; there are no hideouts, compromises, misgivings, victims, benefactors. In a cavalcade of minute, urgent decisions, you must choose your fate."
She decided to learn how to pilot a plane not because it may or may not be dangerous or because she's afraid, but in spite of her fear, "because there are things you can learn about the world only from 5,000 feet above it."
Along the way she muses about nature and life in the most charming prose. She has a terrible time learning to land and her descriptions of the process can be quite harrowing. (What do you expect from one who rides on the back of alligators -- more in an upcoming issue.)
Our changing attitude toward flying is reflected in the change of aircraft names. Just getting a hunk of metal into the sky no longer carries with it the sense of exploit and risk that it used to; so no longer are planes given docile names like Sopwith Camels, Cubs, Fledglings and Pups. Now they are called Stallions, Vikings, Vampires and Shrikes to reinforce the sense of adventure.
The book also articulates a great deal about teaching and the process of learning. It can be sad, too. Her last flight instructor, who had successfully coaxed her into solo flight, was killed in a light plane crash. This is a beautiful memoir, written by a poet who lovingly uses language to create haunting images.
She decided to learn how to pilot a plane not because it may or may not be dangerous or because she's afraid, but in spite of her fear, "because there are things you can learn about the world only from 5,000 feet above it."
Along the way she muses about nature and life in the most charming prose. She has a terrible time learning to land and her descriptions of the process can be quite harrowing. (What do you expect from one who rides on the back of alligators -- more in an upcoming issue.)
Our changing attitude toward flying is reflected in the change of aircraft names. Just getting a hunk of metal into the sky no longer carries with it the sense of exploit and risk that it used to; so no longer are planes given docile names like Sopwith Camels, Cubs, Fledglings and Pups. Now they are called Stallions, Vikings, Vampires and Shrikes to reinforce the sense of adventure.
The book also articulates a great deal about teaching and the process of learning. It can be sad, too. Her last flight instructor, who had successfully coaxed her into solo flight, was killed in a light plane crash. This is a beautiful memoir, written by a poet who lovingly uses language to create haunting images.
January 10, 2025
Somewhere in her mid 30s Diane Ackerman, already an accomplished poet, author, scuba diver and naturalist, was drawn skyward - lured by the exhilaration of flight. ‘On Extended Wings’ recounts the challenge and the exhilaration of her quest to earn her private pilot’s license. Interspersed with observations on life and nature, on clouds and landscapes, it is a richly satisfying account of the sheer joy of flight for all who love to shake loose the tethers that bind us to the earth and take to the sky - whether pilot or passenger.
November 15, 2011
Diane Ackerman is one of those Renaissance women who isn't afraid to try anything. Actually, she would probably say she *is* afraid (see page 7, "I don't feel particularly daring....."), but doesn't let that get in the way of her passion for learning. Luckily for us, she has a craving to document her many adventures with the natural world. This book is one of those documents.
As a student pilot, I loved reading this book. I could sympathize with her frustration at not "getting it" when she would learn a new concept, and I laughed many times at the typical flight instructor gems: "If you want to land, land; if you don't want to land, don't land; but don't do both at once." At the very least, I realized how lucky I was to have two incredibly competent and supportive flight instructors, compared to the monster she started out with.
Ackerman has an incredible way with words, sometimes capturing the mood and feeling so perfectly that you find yourself nodding your head in silent agreement, or shaking it in amazement at her uncanny ability to read your mind. She is a poet with a keen mind for science, and isn't afraid to weave beauty with physics into her sentences. Indeed, the two are inseparable in her eyes.
The reason I withheld one star in my review is because sometimes Ackerman gets carried away with her literary prowess by trying to shoe-horn very technical terms into a "pretty" wrapping. It seems forced at times. Perhaps this is because some concepts just don't lend themselves well to frilly speach. Perhaps this is because this is one of Ackerman's earlier works and her skills weren't as honed. Or perhaps I just didn't "get it" and another reader might. Luckily, these awkward moments were few and far between and were easily forgiven.
All in all, I highly recommend this book. If you are a student pilot, a Renaissance woman, or just a poet with a love of science, Ackerman's "On Extended Wings" is a lovely way to meet another like-minded soul.
As a student pilot, I loved reading this book. I could sympathize with her frustration at not "getting it" when she would learn a new concept, and I laughed many times at the typical flight instructor gems: "If you want to land, land; if you don't want to land, don't land; but don't do both at once." At the very least, I realized how lucky I was to have two incredibly competent and supportive flight instructors, compared to the monster she started out with.
Ackerman has an incredible way with words, sometimes capturing the mood and feeling so perfectly that you find yourself nodding your head in silent agreement, or shaking it in amazement at her uncanny ability to read your mind. She is a poet with a keen mind for science, and isn't afraid to weave beauty with physics into her sentences. Indeed, the two are inseparable in her eyes.
The reason I withheld one star in my review is because sometimes Ackerman gets carried away with her literary prowess by trying to shoe-horn very technical terms into a "pretty" wrapping. It seems forced at times. Perhaps this is because some concepts just don't lend themselves well to frilly speach. Perhaps this is because this is one of Ackerman's earlier works and her skills weren't as honed. Or perhaps I just didn't "get it" and another reader might. Luckily, these awkward moments were few and far between and were easily forgiven.
All in all, I highly recommend this book. If you are a student pilot, a Renaissance woman, or just a poet with a love of science, Ackerman's "On Extended Wings" is a lovely way to meet another like-minded soul.
January 28, 2008
A poet with a love for science and nature wonderfully describes her efforts to become a small plane pilot.
June 6, 2016
Borrowed from Mark. Score 9
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews