Story of a navigator and his 41 missions in a Mosquito during WW2. Once you start reading you won’t be able to put it down.
Wheels
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Here are some of my current favorites.
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Mmmm…Gator on the Rise looks like something I’d be interested in reading…! Thanks!
For a public source book, it is very, very detailed and the amount of pictures is phenomenal. I was really impressed with it when I had gotten it. I had also bought the book on the Mi-28 Night Hunter. That is good but not as detailed in the writing as the Hokum series. Still though very interesting books on machines we normally don’t get to read about in the Western press.
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I just finished reading Black Aces High - a book about Tomcats in the Kosovo conflict.
I found it an interesting read, although probably partly because the locations come to life in my head - I did a KFOR peacekeeping tour in Kosovo in 2005 and visited the then-independent Montenegro for a holiday in 2012 so I’ve been to many of the places noted. Still, given that the book is about using F-14’s as bombers and airborne FACs, I imagine some may find it a worthwhile read while waiting for the DCS module. 
In all honesty, the author doesn’t seem to be very well versed in aviation or military aviation and has dumbed down / misunderstood a few things (a “mysterious phenomenon called “ground effect”, B-1 stealth bombers, etc.)…but he spent time onboard the carrier and got to interview the pilots and RIOs and all that material is good reading.
Available on Kindle for a few bucks so not a big investment
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Edit: I’d like to withdraw this item, “The Extinction Cycle Box Set” for this essentials list. After finishing the first 3 books in the series, I find that while entertaining, there is so much wrong with the military science that it has become laughable. F-22 Raptors as the USAF’s premier bomber, for instance. Not saying that they are not an interesting take on the genre, but that this crowd would probably take umbrage with much of the combat tactics, strategies, and equipment usage. Very Hollywood, to the point of being aggravating. There are a few moments when the main characters purposely place themselves in obviously precarious situations, especially after all that they’ve witnessed, as to be outright stupid. Could have been more.
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I loved World War Z, on that topic.
Solid, believable and totally NOT THE TERRIBLE MOVIE.
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I am thinking, this would make a good movie.
I read that book years ago myself and remember it to be one of the better modern air combat histories I’ve come across. Was actually thinking after viewing the HeatBlurr streaming video the other week of re-reading that book.
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Just finished this. Although he does get a little preachy in places and obviously wants this book to be a ‘business and life aid’ it was great reading about the actual kc135a and kc135r operations
Also kc135 pilots call kc10 extenders ‘gucci birds’ a fact that I hadn’t heard before and now will use till my death lol
Worth a look if your a tanker geek like me
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Currently reading this rather interesting work. Very detailed with plenty of information on the aircraft and the pilots who flew them in the Iran-Iraq war.
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It looks like Gumby took the photo.
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So lately I’ve taken to listening to audiobooks on my commute to and from work. I searched around and you get some free audiobooks with Amazon Prime, but I really didn’t like the free ones they offered. Audible is probably the biggest service, but I found the subscription + having to buy some books to be a little off-putting. So I’ve gone with Scribd, which might have a slightly more limited library, but it is monthly fee and all you can eat as it were.
A couple weeks ago, I listened to the whole Michael Crichton Airframe book. I had read it way back when it came out, and it was still a painful listen, but I got through it.
This week I started on World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks. Wow, what a sharp and superbly refined writing style this guy has. You know how sometimes dialogue will just suck you in and you feel like you can listen forever (ie: Every Quentin Tarentino movie ever)? This book has that. And what’s more, as an audiobook, it is somewhat unique in that it uses a full cast to read. So Chinese people sound Chinese. Middle-Easterners sound authentic. Americans sound American (loud and brash…lol).
The very first chapter is an interview with a Chinese doctor. It is read so well, and the story is so tight, I could have listened to that guy talk for days.
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Time to put Raven One back on that list.
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I got to read this all the time.
I am also a fan of Chicken Hawk.
Here’s another favorite
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Been really enjoying this book the last week or so.
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I just got done reading this. Very interesting, not only for the flying, but for the historical perspective and the gorgeous flowery language of yesteryear.
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