Former EAA Director Shares Aviation Experiences With Nine Lives

February 18, 2010 — Nine Lives – Adventures of a Lucky Pilot is a book that EAA Founder Paul Poberezny says “should be read by every pilot.” Written by EAA Director Emeritus Mal Gross, the book’s 520 pages create a memoir of Mal’s 50-plus years - 6,850 hours logged - of flight experience as a private pilot in a variety of general aviation airplanes. Through it all, Mal contends he’s been lucky more than a few times. “I have known many private pilots…who had more experience and skill than I had. Some survived, but some – whose luck ran out – didn’t. Many of the lucky ones recognized that luck had been with them, and stopped flying. Others, like myself, flew on, and continued to be lucky.”

Paul provided the book’s foreword, writing, “Nine Lives…is the most documented and interesting, as well as the most educational aviation story I have (ever) read. The author has woven into the book a lifetime of aviation experience and lessons learned. He describes in detail how he managed risk, and all who fly will benefit from his experience.”

Nine Lives includes 200 maps, illustrations, and photos, along with eight pages of full color. It’s now available online through EAA Aeronautica and, for a limited time, EAA members can get it for the EAA-member discounted price of $15.96. (Click here to order.) To learn more about the book, visit Mal’s Nine Lives website.