Reading Material

[fighterpfeif]

Get you hands on:

Hammer From Above Marine Air Combat Over Iraq
Shooter (about a Marine sniper in Iraq for the invasion, really good)
Thunder Run (Army I know, but it is just like Blackhawk Down, but in Baghdad)

 

[nittany03]

Boyd by Coram. Great Bio!!!

Good book but I get the feeling the author drank a little too much of the kool-aid when doing his research . . . it comes off as a biased account.

For those who want to explain the whole flight school thing to family or friends I recommend "To Be a U.S. Naval Aviator" by Jay Stout. Very current (2005) look at all the pipelines from API to wings. It's a little jet-centric but isn't as dated or melodramatic as this site's namesake.

 

[bunk22]

One of my personal favorites is "Over the Beach" by Zalin Grant. Great book on Naval Aviation of the USS Oriskany during 3 different deployments in Vietnam. It focuses on VF-162 and the 67 cruise more than anything. Good stuff. I would also recommend reading about FAC pilots during Vietnam. I truly believe their balls clanked when they walked. I have no titles being deployed right now. Try a search on the net and you will find it.

 

[nugget81]

Has anyone read "Fighter Combat: Tactics & Maneuvering" by Robert Shaw? I just picked that one up and was curious what others thought about it.

I'd recommend reading "Flags of Our Fathers" by James Bradley.