In the early 1940s, Wolfgang Langewiesche wrote a series of articles in Air Facts analyzing the various aspects of piloting techniques. Based on these articles, Langewiesches classic work on the art of flying was published in 1944.
Stick and Rudder was the first written analysis of the art of piloting and each article remains as valid today as on the day it was first published. It has long been on the "students must read" lists of many flight instructors and continues to be acclaimed for its accurate, intelligent, and critical analysis of flying; an analysis that is not presented in most modern flight school textbooks.
The basics are largely unchanging. The book therfore is applicable to large airplanes and small, old airplanes and new, and is of interest not only to the learner but also to the accomplished pilot and to the instructor himself. Today several excellent manuals offer the pilot accurate and valuable technical information. But Stick and Rudder remains the leading think-book on the art of flying. One thorough reading of it should be the equivalent of many hours of practice.