The year was 1947. For most Americans, the challenges of World War II lay safely behind them. But for Don Jones, a young man from Michigan, 1947 was the year he took his first step toward achieving his childhood dream of becoming a pilot. He became an aviation cadet in the Army Air Corps. A year later he graduated as a Second Lieutenant and a pilot in the newly founded United States Air Force. Flying in those days was primitive by today's standards. At first, the aircraft he flew were tired, rundown, hand-me-downs from the ...
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The year was 1947. For most Americans, the challenges of World War II lay safely behind them. But for Don Jones, a young man from Michigan, 1947 was the year he took his first step toward achieving his childhood dream of becoming a pilot. He became an aviation cadet in the Army Air Corps. A year later he graduated as a Second Lieutenant and a pilot in the newly founded United States Air Force. Flying in those days was primitive by today's standards. At first, the aircraft he flew were tired, rundown, hand-me-downs from the war, with minimal navigation equipment, and even less navigational aids available on the ground to guide them. As the author recalls, young pilots were often left to their own devices flying solo while learning the basics of flying, or as he likes to call it "learning by trial and terror". But over the years, as the sophistication of the aircraft he flew increased, so did his skills and abilities. So much so, that near the end of his Air Force career, he flew a combat tour in Vietnam in the F-100 Super Sabre, a supersonic single engine jet fighter. Part memoir and part survival guide for young pilots, this fascinating and eminently readable book is rich with historical photographs and is a must read for aviation enthusiasts, aviation historians, and more importantly, our next generation of young pilots.
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