snoopyeast 229 Posted December 10, 2017 Little Toy Dog - Written by the two survivors of the RB-47 shootdown. Fulcrum - Soviet MiG pilot who stole a jet and defected. First Light - WWII Spitfire pilot. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flyusaf83 337 Posted December 11, 2017 It was done in this thread a few years ago, but I’ll put in a plug for “Bleeding Talent” by Tim Kane. Kane is a USAFA grad, was in intel officer for a few years, and then a successful entrepreneur. His ideas for revamping how the military handles things like assignments, promotions, and evaluations are very interesting. He basically wants to put market forces in how the military handles people, which he argues would result in less bleeding of talent in the officer ranks. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HerkFE 141 Posted December 11, 2017 I'm sure it's been mentioned in this thread but I'll mention it again. "Into The Mouth Of The Cat". Just read it a couple weeks ago. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DEVIL 196 Posted December 13, 2017 Failure is not an Option - Gene Kranz. Saw the guy talk at KOSH last year with all the Apollo astronauts, it was great, he still drove the conversation and was the clear leader, when he spoke people listened. Hero of the Republic. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brickhistory 700 Posted December 31, 2017 River of Doubt by Candace Millard About Teddy Roosevelt's post-presidency Amazon river discovery voyage. I knew he'd done such but figured it was a "gentleman's tour" complete with rest stops, etc so it wasn't too strenuous yet would make for a good drawing room story later on. Not at all. Truly a survival story. While the hero's of the book are largely Kermit, his son, and a Brazilian colonel who were the true brains and muscle, along with the Brazilian grunts, of the expedition, to be in your late 50s and battle it out in the jungle for several months utterly alone and in no contact with civilization is pretty bad-ass. It was a 50-50 on survival of the group. Excellent read, not overly dramatic. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DEVIL 196 Posted March 14, 2018 My Secret War, Richard S Drury, A1 pilot in 'nam. Quick read, talks about night dive bombing, uncle ho's trail, uniform standards, awards and decs writing, and retention issues. All of our favorite things. 1 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ayz33 19 Posted March 19, 2018 (edited) If you have Prime, "fighter pilot" by Robin Olds is free on audiobook collections under channels for prime. His memoirs and progression throughout his career through many airframes and how he dealt with certain types of "leadership" and other hardships in life Edited March 19, 2018 by ayz33 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
08Dawg 161 Posted March 20, 2018 Not aviation related directly, but military...I'm on Vol II of Rick Atkinson's Liberation Trilogy about WWII in Europe. Volume 1 (An Army at Dawn) covers the North African Campaign, while Vol II (The Day of Battle) covers Sicily and the Italian campaign. Highly recommended for WWII history buffs. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brickhistory 700 Posted March 24, 2018 On 3/20/2018 at 12:03 AM, 08Dawg said: Not aviation related directly, but military...I'm on Vol II of Rick Atkinson's Liberation Trilogy about WWII in Europe. Volume 1 (An Army at Dawn) covers the North African Campaign, while Vol II (The Day of Battle) covers Sicily and the Italian campaign. Highly recommended for WWII history buffs. 2!! Very good series. Separate but related is nearly anything by James Hornfischer. He writes USN in the Pacific during WWII stuff. Haven't read a bad one yet. In particular, "Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors" is amazing. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
08Dawg 161 Posted March 24, 2018 16 hours ago, brickhistory said: Separate but related is nearly anything by James Hornfischer. He writes USN in the Pacific during WWII stuff. Haven't read a bad one yet. In particular, "Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors" is amazing. Loved that one. Read it for a class in college. Very good! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ATIS 93 Posted April 1, 2018 For a pure fun aviators read: Fighter Pilot’s Heaven by Donald Lopez JR. Great short read on testing the early jets after WW2 up until Korea. The aviation related content is great, what I found more enjoyable was the old school mindsets and other concepts that we would in no way get away with today (some of that is good and bad). Also: Cheers to the F-16 folks that have been flying CAP over the PBI area all Easter weekend. Been lounging by the pool or getting my fly fishing bugs wet looking up every 5-10 minutes when you come around on the orbit. At least the weather has been good for ya. ATIS Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blue 82 Posted November 12, 2018 An Eagle Tells Flying Stories With Associated Drivel by John Murphy Enjoyable, relatively quick read. The book follows the author through his military flying career from the 50's to the 80's, including stints in Active Duty and ANG, flying everything from the C-7 to the F-105 and F-4. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1477276351/ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MountainHerc 16 Posted November 25, 2018 I’m not sure if this book has been posted on here, looked through and couldn’t find it. Just finished the audiobook and was pretty impressed. Goes into the air war in Vietnam from an F-4 pilots perspective. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Danger41 893 Posted November 26, 2018 With Amazon Prime, how do you guys get audiobooks? I can’t figure it out. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MountainHerc 16 Posted November 26, 2018 3 minutes ago, Danger41 said: With Amazon Prime, how do you guys get audiobooks? I can’t figure it out. Audible is linked with Amazon, so that’s what I use. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ayz33 19 Posted November 26, 2018 35 minutes ago, Danger41 said: With Amazon Prime, how do you guys get audiobooks? I can’t figure it out. You can choose the different book options(hard/soft cover/collectible/kindle) if the book has an audio version. There aren't free streamable books with prime on audible anymore, i think they got rid of them and replaced them with shows that probably won't interest you. if you have kindle unlimited 'some' books come with an audiobook version as well 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jice 93 Posted November 27, 2018 On 11/25/2018 at 8:15 PM, MountainHerc said: Audible is linked with Amazon, so that’s what I use. For a free option, most libraries have a digital media program where you can access their audiobooks with an app. Overdrive is a popular one. Normally just requires a current library card. I’ve got accounts with the Air Force and two local libraries and can usually find a given book and always one worth a listen. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
soupafly06 14 Posted November 28, 2018 I highly recommend "Lucky 666: The Impossible Mission that Changed the War In the Pacific" by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin. It's about a ragtag B-17 crew and their ultimate final mission together that lead to two MoHs (one for Jay Zeamer the pilot and the other for Joe Sarnoski the bombardier). Truly inspiring stuff about the B-17 crews in the theater they weren't really recognized for. I got to visit Sarnoski's grave at the Punch Bowl in HI this summer, very moving experience. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ayz33 19 Posted September 9 Anybody know of any modern books that are similar to Thud Ridge? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JustHangingOut 69 Posted September 9 I havent read Thud Ridge, but i recommend Dustoff 7-3. Written by a friend of mine who was one of the pilots on that mission in Afghanistan 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vito 61 Posted September 10 (edited) Best book I’ve read in years about UPT was, “If You Ain’t a Pilot”. By Ray Wright The most realistic book about UPT back in the day 1988, but also pretty funny and any Pilot can relate to it! Edited September 10 by Vito Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TreeA10 449 Posted September 10 Dragon's Jaw by Stephen Coonts and Barret Tillman. Cheating Death: Combat Rescues in Vietnam and Laos by George Marrett. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TreeA10 449 Posted September 10 49 minutes ago, Vito said: Best book I’ve read in years about UPT was, “If You Ain’t a Pilot”. By Ray Wright The most realistic book about UPT back in the day 1988, but also pretty funny and any Pilot can relate to it! I can personally vouch for the accuracy of that book since I'm in it. I personally thought more pages should have been dedicated to the outstanding work done by their T-38 Class Commander. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TreeA10 449 Posted September 10 The Vietnam Air War From The Cockpit by Dennis Ridnouer. War for the hell of It by Ed Cobleigh. I've been doing most of these through Amazon Prime Reading. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
go_cubbies22 24 Posted September 10 On 9/9/2019 at 1:33 PM, ayz33 said: Anybody know of any modern books that are similar to Thud Ridge? A Nightmare’s Prayer: A Marine Harrier Pilot’s War in Afghanistan was a pretty good read. https://www.amazon.com/Nightmares-Prayer-Marine-Harrier-Afghanistan/dp/1451608071/ref=nodl_ 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
