Black Hawk: The Story of a World Class Helicopter (Library of Flight)

I have been working on Black Hawk and its variants for 38 years. This is the best book you'll ever read to explain how the Hawk came to be, written by the man who oversaw the whole project. I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Leoni back in the day, and he is a gentleman of the highest order. He and his team came up with the best single main rotor helicopter on the planet, one that has influenced every helicopter since. Mr. Leoni deserves the title of "Father of the Black Hawk".

After my first copy of this book (given to me as a Christmas gift 10 years ago) suffered severe water damage recently, I was extremely disappointed to say the least and immediately ordered a new copy, for which I am now offering this review. As a former U.S. Army A-model Black Hawk crew chief this book is extremely important to me and I definitely suggest that if you are a current or former H-60 mechanic, crew chief or pilot--make this book a part of your reference library! Thanks, Mr. Leoni, for overseeing the design and development of such a great helicopter as well as for providing us with a such a fine historical account of the Black Hawk, truly a world class helicopter!

Ray is the Man, God bless him for his tireless efforts to this amazing machine.

My husband flew blackhawks in the Persian Gulf. He throughly enjoyed the book.

A wonderful book that truly tells the whole story from cradle to present of the H-60. Perfect balance of technical writing and story telling. Minor inaccuracies regarding some of the derivatives but to be expected and does not detract from the book as a whole. A must for anyone who has flown a Hawk.

I got this book as a gift for my husband, who has twice worked for Sikorsky Aircraft in their Black Hawk program. It was probably his favorite gift of the season. Since Ray Leoni was in charge of developing the Black Hawk, it is a real insider's look at the helicopter.Thanks, Amazon, for suggesting this book. My husband never requested it, but it was the perfect gift.

This is the book for every blackhawk driver out there. A must read for those really interested in our profession!!!

Must read for the rotor wing enthusiast

Having just finished reading this excellent book I only can recommend it. Gives lots of well-presented information on design decisions and the reasons which lead to them. The US Army UH-60 development and design contracts saved Sikorsky from going out of business. Meaning there was a lot at stake and the people there obviously did a great job. Read this book and you know what I mean!