A Hundred Feet Over HellFlying With the Men of the 220th Recon Airplane Company Over I Corps and the DMZ, Vietnam 1968-1969
by Jim Hooper
From 1968-1969, a select group of aviators strapped into the cockpits of their two-seat, propeller-driven airplanes and went to war in Vietnam. As forward observers, they flew hundreds of feet above one of the deadliest battlefields in modern history, all in an airplane no larger than a small pickup truck. In the process, they saved the lives of thousands of American servicemen. They were pilots. They were heroes. They were the Catkillers. A different kind of hero in a different kind of war, they often made the difference between a soldier returning alive to his family or having the lonely sound of “Taps” played over his grave. Based on extensive interviews, and often in the men's own words, A Hundred Feet Over Hell puts the reader in the plane as this intrepid band of U.S. Army aviators calls in fire support for the soldiers and marines of I Corps. Learn More
A Fighter Pilot's Life from Thunderbolts to Thunderchiefs
by Jack Broughton, Foreword by Dr. Richard P. Hallion
Virtually a biography of the U.S. Air Force as experienced by one of its finest combat leaders, Rupert Red Two is an expertly crafted account of Broughton’s experience amidst the birth and coming of age of the U.S. Air Force. From his initial duty in postwar Germany as part of the American occupation, to air-to-air combat in Korea, to his command of the Thunderbirds and two combat tours in Vietnam, Broughton describes what it is to meet the enemy in the air—and to fly some of the best-known aircraft in combat. Including candid evaluations of American combat aircraft from a master pilot and thrilling recollections of almost three decades behind the stick, Rupert Red Two provides a rare glimpse at America’s evolution in the air from a man who helped guide it. Learn More
by Jack Broughton, Foreword by Dr. Richard P. Hallion
Virtually a biography of the U.S. Air Force as experienced by one of its finest combat leaders, Rupert Red Two is an expertly crafted account of Broughton’s experience amidst the birth and coming of age of the U.S. Air Force. From his initial duty in postwar Germany as part of the American occupation, to air-to-air combat in Korea, to his command of the Thunderbirds and two combat tours in Vietnam, Broughton describes what it is to meet the enemy in the air—and to fly some of the best-known aircraft in combat. Including candid evaluations of American combat aircraft from a master pilot and thrilling recollections of almost three decades behind the stick, Rupert Red Two provides a rare glimpse at America’s evolution in the air from a man who helped guide it. Learn More
The Memoir of an Israeli Fighter Pilot
by Iftach Spector
by Iftach Spector
A recently retired Israeli Air Force general and its second-highest-scoring fighter ace, Iftach Spector is one of Israel’s living legends. Throughout moments of supreme valor and unwelcome controversy, Spector was able to fulfill his dream of taking to the skies, all while stridently defending the nation he loved. In his vivid memoir Loud and Clear, Spector illuminates what it was like coming of age in the fledging Jewish state of Israel and how he defended both its territory and its conscience as he rose through the ranks as a fighter pilot. Loud and Clear a rich and reflective meditation on loyalty, on what is right and wrong in war, and on his dedication to the idea and reality of the state of Israel. Learn More
Naked in Da Nang
Naked in Da NangA Forward Air Controller in Vietnam
by Mike Jackson & Tara Dixon-Engel, Foreword by Frank Borman
FACs (forward air controllers) in Vietnam flew low and slow, searching for signs of an elusive enemy. Often they trolled themselves as bait for the NVA troops to try to shoot down. When a friendly unit made contact, having a FAC overhead made their day, because the FACs controlled the bomb-, rocket-, and napalm-laden fast movers, fighter jets, and attack aircraft whose ordnance often made the difference between life and death. They were regarded by many of their air force and naval aviator brethren as insane, suicidal, or both. In addition to the perils of enemy fire which ranged from lucky AK-47 shots to .51 caliber machine guns and SA-7 shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles, they had to watch out to keep from being blown up in a B-52 Arc-Light strike or knocked down by friendly artillery. Naked in Da Nang tells the brutally honest story of one such FAC pilot. It is a compelling portrait of the hopes, fears and motivations of the average American GI in Vietnam. Learn More
F-100 Super Sabre at War
Thomas E. Gardner
The first supersonic fighter in not just America but the world, the F-100 Super Sabre marked a real revolution in aircraft design. A celebration of this truly remarkable fighter, F-100 Super Sabre highlights the many firsts in a long and distinguished career: The Super Sabre preceded the Soviet Unions Mig-19 into the supersonic arena by as much as five months. It was the first operational jet fighter to exceed Mach I in level flight. And in its heyday the F-100 set a raft of speed and altitude records. This book is a fitting tribute to the fighter nicknamed "Hundert" or more affectionately, "The Hun"--an aircraft loved by nearly everyone who flew or tended her and respected by all. Learn More
Flying the SR-71 Blackbird
In the Cockpit on a Secret Operational Mission
by Col. Richard H. Graham, Foreword by Jay K. Miller
Able to fly at three times the speed of sound and at altitudes of over eighty thousand feet, the SR-71 Blackbird was the most technologically advanced, ahead-of-its-time aircraft to ever be produced. Nicknamed “Habu” by Okinawa locals who thought this strange and somewhat evil-looking plane was similar to their black Habu snake, SR-71 crews flew over 17,000 sorties from 1964 to 1989. Now, for anyone who has ever wondered what it’s like to fly the SR-71 on a secret Mach 3 reconnaissance mission, Flying the SR-71 Blackbird has the answer. Retired SR-71 pilot and squadron leader Richard Graham takes readers along on an operational mission that only a few Air Force pilots have ever experienced. Learn More
by Mike Jackson & Tara Dixon-Engel, Foreword by Frank Borman
FACs (forward air controllers) in Vietnam flew low and slow, searching for signs of an elusive enemy. Often they trolled themselves as bait for the NVA troops to try to shoot down. When a friendly unit made contact, having a FAC overhead made their day, because the FACs controlled the bomb-, rocket-, and napalm-laden fast movers, fighter jets, and attack aircraft whose ordnance often made the difference between life and death. They were regarded by many of their air force and naval aviator brethren as insane, suicidal, or both. In addition to the perils of enemy fire which ranged from lucky AK-47 shots to .51 caliber machine guns and SA-7 shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles, they had to watch out to keep from being blown up in a B-52 Arc-Light strike or knocked down by friendly artillery. Naked in Da Nang tells the brutally honest story of one such FAC pilot. It is a compelling portrait of the hopes, fears and motivations of the average American GI in Vietnam. Learn More
F-100 Super Sabre at WarThomas E. Gardner
The first supersonic fighter in not just America but the world, the F-100 Super Sabre marked a real revolution in aircraft design. A celebration of this truly remarkable fighter, F-100 Super Sabre highlights the many firsts in a long and distinguished career: The Super Sabre preceded the Soviet Unions Mig-19 into the supersonic arena by as much as five months. It was the first operational jet fighter to exceed Mach I in level flight. And in its heyday the F-100 set a raft of speed and altitude records. This book is a fitting tribute to the fighter nicknamed "Hundert" or more affectionately, "The Hun"--an aircraft loved by nearly everyone who flew or tended her and respected by all. Learn More
Flying the SR-71 BlackbirdIn the Cockpit on a Secret Operational Mission
by Col. Richard H. Graham, Foreword by Jay K. Miller
Able to fly at three times the speed of sound and at altitudes of over eighty thousand feet, the SR-71 Blackbird was the most technologically advanced, ahead-of-its-time aircraft to ever be produced. Nicknamed “Habu” by Okinawa locals who thought this strange and somewhat evil-looking plane was similar to their black Habu snake, SR-71 crews flew over 17,000 sorties from 1964 to 1989. Now, for anyone who has ever wondered what it’s like to fly the SR-71 on a secret Mach 3 reconnaissance mission, Flying the SR-71 Blackbird has the answer. Retired SR-71 pilot and squadron leader Richard Graham takes readers along on an operational mission that only a few Air Force pilots have ever experienced. Learn More
