Good military/aviation books

[FlyAF]

Just finished " F-15C Eagle Units in Combat " by none other than our Steve Davies. Really good book that details select kills of the Eagle. The Desert Storm accounts were particularly interesting - never realized just how unreliable the AIM-7 was.

[ 15. May 2006, 17:44: Message edited by: FlyAF ]

[Guest nolanrthompson]

Check out the Dragon Lady books by Chris Pocock:

The U-2 Spyplane

The U-2 Spyplane: Toward the Unknown

The U-2 Spyplane: Toward the Unknown; A New History of the Early Years

I hadn't read any of these until I met him while we were at the RIAT last July. Pretty interesting stuff.

Nubby

70,000(+...?)

[ 15. May 2006, 16:17: Message edited by: nubbyzr600 ]

[Insubordinate & Churlish]

"My Secret War" (Richard Drury), again

"Skunk Works" (Ben Rich, Leo Janos)

"Born to Fly" (Shane Osborn)

"Fighter Wing: A Guided Tour of an Air Force Combat Wing" (Tom Clancy)

"Eye of the Viper: The Making of an F-16 Pilot" (Peter Aleshire), very well written and interesting

[ 15. May 2006, 18:43: Message edited by: C-130 Hopeful ]

[B52gator]

"The 11 Days of Christmas"

B-52s, Linebacker 2, SAC

Nuff said

[ClearedHot]

Originally posted by slyny:

"Unknown Rider" by Scott Anderson.

Scott was an F-16 pilot at the 148th in Duluth, MN. He was also a test pilot for Cirrus Design. Unfortunately he was killed while testing a Cirrus back in 1999. Super guy that also accomplished many significant things outside of aviation. The book is a quick read, but very well written and will keep you engaged.

Lando was a great guy, he was in my UPT class and some of those stories in the book are about stupid things I did. He used to walk around with a little notebook and write down all the funny crap that happened to us. Tragic story all around the way he died, not his fault. He never got to meet his son who was born a few months after he died. If you want to read another good book (albeit not about flying), try his first book “Distant Fires”.

[Guest TheBurt]

Rainman mentioned Chickenhawk and My Secret War. Two of my all time favorite books I've read and re-read since I was a young teenager. I kept a copy of My Secret War in my flight bag for several years. I found it in our public library when I was 15 and bought the paperback. The book rings true today, seems like nothing has changed or even gotten worse since he wrote it.

Chuckyc17, Piece of Cake was also one of my favorites. PBS did like a 12 Part Series back in the early 90's, I wonder if you can buy it on DVD somewhere?

Duane Cole has two classics for aerobatics:

"Of Lines and Symmetry"

"Roll About a Point"

[Guest Spitfire]

Flight of the Intruder (Coonts) - Naval aviation meets Vietnam politics...fictional novel based on real experiences by the author

I Flew for the Fuehrer (Knoke) - German Ace Heinz Knoke describes his involvement in multiple WWII campaigns...good account of daylight bombing and its effect on the German pilots

1000 Destroyed (Hall) - The life and times of the 4th fighter group - Eagle Squadron in WWII...lots of true stories about some amazing pilots and leaders

Fighting the Flying Circus (Rickenbacker) - Capt Eddie's WWI autobiography

Going Solo (Dahl) - Roald Dahl's sequel to Boy...details his experience as a Hurricane pilot in North Africa

"2" to these:

Jonathan Livingston Seagull

My Secret War

Stick and Rudder

Flyboys

[Chuck17]

Burt - Piece of Cake IS available on DVD. I have the 3 DVD set. Not bad!

FWIW:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004W5P...?v=glance&n=130

Chuck

[Guest Bullmastiff]

Chickenhawk by Robert Mason

I second that one... Really provides a deep look at life in Vietnam

[M2]

Originally posted by ChuckFlys17s:

For a GREAT novel...

Piece of Cake by Derek Robinson.

About a fictional RAF Hurricane squadron during the first year of WW2. Awesome book.

Chuck

I'll second that, and the video is pretty good, if you can get over the fact that they are flying Spits instead of Hurricanes! Still, some great flying sequences and worth owning. It was a Masterpiece Theater series a while back. Note that it does not really cover the entire book. For one, the original squadron commander (Ram), is only briefly introduced in the video. You learn a lot more about him and what he was doing with the squadron in the book. I would recommend both the book and the video.

I also second Spitfire's recommendation of 1000 Destroyed: The Life and Times of the 4th Fighter Group, it is one of my all-time favorite aviation books. Out of print but available used from Amazon. A must read.

Cheers! M2

[HerkDerka]

Dos on Chickenhawk. Absolutely. Hmmm, I think I've said that before.

Thud Ridge is also another good read.

Flight Of The Intruder and the sequel, The Intuders are both excellent reads definitely worth your time. Coonts does an incredible job.

Not to mention, if you email him he'll email you back. He's a good shit.

Another one of my favorites is Flyboys. Graphic, but an incredible read about the air war in the Pacific.

Finally, I know many have seen Band Of Brothers. But if you haven't read Ambrose's book, it's worth your time.

HD

[ 21. May 2006, 06:20: Message edited by: HerkDerka ]

[Guest Sammy]

"Dropping Iron in the Viper B-Course" (Greasy Side Up)

a great fictional read!

[Guest SnakeT38]

The life of a pilot can never be complete until he has read The Ravens, and then partied with the them. Had to be one of my best A-10 X-C's ever,

always "wondered" what I would have done in Vietnam, would have been a privilege.

https://www.ravens.org/

[B52gator]

Originally posted by SoNotToSpeak:

I highly suggest all of the Dale Brown novels (Flight of the Old Dog, for example) for all of you B-52 wannabes. Nothing entertains more than the "Megafortress."

Also another GREAT BUFF book..."The 11 Days of Christmas." BUFFs, SAC, and LINEBACKER II

[Guest SnakeT38]

From the other thread on this subject.

Super Hero

Member # 3773

posted 21 May, 2006 20:30

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The life of a pilot can never be complete until he has read The Ravens, and then partied with the them. Had to be one of my best A-10 X-C's ever,

always "wondered" what I would have done in Vietnam, would have been a privilege.

https://www.ravens.org/

[AFCS_Actuator]

Two great books about what Green Berets have been doing in OIF/OEF:

Masters of Chaos

The Hunt for Bin Laden

[Guest downinthegroove]

I have to admit, the books are astonishing on here. Some I have read and some not. A book that I would encourage EVERYONE to read is "Serenade to the Big Bird" by Bert Stiles. This is a FO's talk through a year of hell and letters home. A personal journey of growing up and being a warrior. A lost art. NOthing fancy, quick reading and intoxicating.

[Guest downinthegroove]

A P.S. of sorts....Stiles died before he ever knew his notes of life for this book were published or found. "Target Fixation" killed this young man.

[Guest Tony71]

I just finished "Solo" by Clyde Edgerton, starts with childhood flying, through upt, and his time in F-4's and OV-10's as a FAC in Nam. Good Book

[pintail21]

Forever a soldier is a good one, its not focused on aviation or any war in particular, but its a collection of stories from the library of congress veterans project, the only problem is the stories are only a few pages long. But very interesting none the less.

[M2]

Originally posted by Goin2UPT:

Two great books about what Green Berets have been doing in OIF/OEF:

Masters of Chaos

The Hunt for Bin Laden

Just got Masters of Chaos, as well as Not A Good Day To Die: The Untold Story of Operation Anaconda. Both look like they will be interesting. Robin Moore's The Hunt for Bin Laden was also a good read, but I found the constant references to Jack Idema amausing considering his later fame.

Thanks to everyone for some great reading suggestions, I only wish I had more time to read some of these great books.

Cheers! M2

[ClearedHot]

Originally posted by M2:

Just got Not A Good Day To Die: The Untold Story of Operation Anaconda.

A great work of fiction.

Originally posted by M2:

Both look like they will be interesting. Robin Moore's The Hunt for Bin Laden was also a good read, but I found the constant references to Jack Idema amausing considering his later fame.

Slightly embellished...Don't believe everything you read.

[ 01. June 2006, 07:38: Message edited by: ClearedHot ]

[M2]

CH

Concur with you on Moore's book; at least in Charlie Wilson's War, you knew there was going to be a high BS threshold...he is from Texas, y'know! A great read, but definitely embellished!

How does Not A Good Day To Die compare with Operation Anaconda: An Air Power Perspective?

Cheers! M2

[ClearedHot]

Not A Good Day To Die Misses a lot of key facts and places blame based on absolute ignorance. Naylor missed the mark.

[Guest Hydro130]

Not Aviation specific, but if you want to learn some perspctive (political, histories, etc) on the Mid East in general, I'll offer these suggestions:

Thomas Friedman's "From Beirut to Jerusalem" and "Longitudes and Attitudes" are some good pre-911 and post-911 backgrounds/commentaries.

For Iran, Kenneth Pollack's "The Persian Puzzle" is most fantastic -- very interesting read!

Cheers, Hydro