An unexpectedly witty look at 75 years of Really Bad Ideas from the world of aviation: bombers to big to get off the ground, rocket planes that exploded on landing, planes for amateur pilots that even the pros could barely control, and so on. Gilbert's recountings of aerial catastrophe and near-catastrophe are extremely funny, but the mood is never just point-and-laugh . . . you could actually learn something in between fits of laughter.

About 1/3 of the aircraft in this book overlap with those covered by Bill Yenne in his large-format book of the same name. Aviation buffs with a perverse sense of humor will enjoy both. ( )