good historical account from actual pilots....very detailed which surprised me.
348916
good historical account from actual pilots....very detailed which surprised me  Gave it to my Dad who was in WWII as a flight engineer on the B17
4634379
I somehow thought this book would be stuffy and a bit boring or anylitical because it was written by a flight controller.  It is anything but!  Easy to read and humorous in many asides.  He tells a story of one of the coworkers riding a horse to work!  Very personal and also very good historical record of the events of the period
2562442
This account of a plane crash in New Guinea toward the end of WW II, gives the reader an account of a not very well-known episode of the war.  The survival of the plane occupants is extraordinary, & the heroics do those who saved them is true selflessness.  The structure of the account is a bit tedious as Zuckoff mixes historical data with the details of the plane crash.  This is no Unbroken in structure, organization, or sheer terror, but it is worthwhile for those who like history.
1306518
Really an interesting read...from my experience in civil aviation, I think this book is quite realistic, and the story keeps you wanting to continue reading.  I was deflated when the story ended, because I wanted the story to go along further toward the Pacific.  This book reminded me a lot of the great book by Rinker Buck, "Flight of Passage", from the perspective of flying a small general aviation airplane across the Southern United States east to west.
2486196
Contact! reads very much like a first-hand account of the first 15 years of aviation.  The two things I liked most about Contact! were 1) several photos taken by the author when he was a boy in France, during the early years of aviation and 2) references to obscure (and maybe forgotten) early aviators.  The writing was sometimes a bit slow.  (For example when the author recounts the events of air shows.)  There were some excellent appendices detailing the fatalities of early aviators, as well as lists of all the early aviators.  In addition, there were good graphics of the early machines to help the reader visual the makes.

The book is so rich in obscure names and events, that I kept my laptop at my side while I read, so that I could look up more background.  To his credit, Henry Serrano Villard covers the events as a contemporary.  Besides the freshness, that viewpoint also means that the author writes about events outside the conventional re-telling of early aviation that seems to be the norm.  (There are new stories here!)

If you have the patience for a somewhat dry book, then you will be rewarded with fresh insights and stories.
208000
of the Lexington's air crews in history's first
confrontation between opposing aircraft carriers.

This book in authentic. Written by a newsman
on board the Lexington during the action, it
names pilots, describes  actual missions and
air battles between our Grumman F3F and F4F
Wildcats among other planes inferior to the
faster and more maneuverable Japanese Zero
and describes how the American pilots managed
to give good account of themselves. Lt. Butch
O'Hare and his squadron mates are included.
You will not be cheated by this historical account.
4730914
I consider myself an aviation history buff, and this book did not disappoint me in it's historical content. What did annoy me greatly (to the point that I found myself yelling at the book) was the author's intense need to qualify the "Official" versus the "Actual" victory totals. Each air battle was well described and pulled me into the fight, only to have EVERY victory account followed immediately by the authors discount of the numbers. He relies heavily on Japanese loss records and unit strength reports to cut nearly in half the AVG kill claims. I do understand that some inflation of numbers may have occurred, but I feel that it is distracting to the narrative and flow of the story to end every recount with the authors disclaimer. It is as if the author is being paid for every AVG victory that he can discount.
 I feel that this information could be an overall disclaimer at either the beginning or at the end of the book, and would have allowed me to better enjoy the read.
 I could recommend this book, as long as you know what to expect.
535857
I liked this book because I think it did a really nice job of explaining how the SR71 system worked, at a checklist level of detail (what the pilots actually did when they followed all those checklists). Even if you're not a pilot, you can pick up a lot of interesting information about how complex it is to design, create, operate, and maintain a small fleet of high-tech planes like the Blackbird.

I found it to be a very interesting book, and would recommend it as an interesting story to anyone interested in aviation.
345972
I'm glad I choose this book to read.  I was really impressed how he shared not only the places and events that took place, but included the emotions that he and his fellow Airmen experienced.  My dad was a pilot in that time period, and it helps me better understand how he must have felt during that time of his life.  He never spoke about it, and this book helps fill that void a little bit.
4318097
This book provides an inside view of history with much more detail than is commonly known by today's  generation. It shows how these three Aviators lives continually intertwined through the Second World War and set the stage for t he structure of our military in today's complex environment. An excellent read for those interested (or involved) in military aviation, and American history.
4323309
This book was a much better read than I was expecting. All that the people went through as pilots was wonderful to read and learn about. Don't envy that time period, but enjoy learning from it. Fantastic book!!!
3095587
I have read little about German pilots.  I have more respect for what they went thru with their high command calling them worthless.  This book is about some excellent pilots.  Very good read.
965378
The details of the three squadrons (especially my brothers'375th) was the best account of activities at Little Waldon which I visited last year. It illustrates the extent of our pilot losses that I have not seen before.
4137212
As a non history buff (but an aircraft buff, pilot and antique aircraft builder and flier), I enjoyed this book about fliers and planes of WW1. It is about the gut feelings of those who flew and died in the beginnings of combat aircraft.  An insight of those who had guts that sometimes got disturbed by events around them.
4874942
Fabulous account--hard to put down.  I'm a retired Air Force officer and although I knew that the Wright brothers were credited as being the first to succeed in manned heavier-than-air flight I had no idea what they had gone through.  This was fascinating to me and I'm sure it will be also for any aviation enthusiast.
1357036
This book was a gift to my father who was a spotter in the L4's and L5's in Luzon.  There is virtually no record of the contributions of the brave pilots and spotters who radioed back important strategic sightings so that an artillary strike could be laid down more accurately.  They were also used to evac injured soldiers from the field to aid stations and hospitals which saved many lives.  My father, who actually LIVED this experience enjoyed the book tremendously.  He said it was very well-written.  If you want more information about what these pilots and spotters did, I suggest that you get the DVD, "L Bird:  The Little Plane That DID" so you can see how some of these planes landed and took off from ships that were NOT carriers.  You will not believe it!
2888415
Very interesting book, with lots of detail - this amazing airplane was not easy to fly!