Once a Jock...Always a Jock!!: Recollections of the Flying

Once a Jock...Always a Jock!!: Recollections of the Flying Midshipmen

Definition: Jock n. INFORMAL, a pilot or astronaut, an abbreviation of jockey as in throttle jockey or jet jockey.
â€œOnce a Jock . . . Always a Jock!!â€ is a compilation of three hundred stories written by the first postwar generation of Naval Aviators who began their training in late 1945 as teenagers fresh out of high school. A 16-week Pre-Flight school started the clock running on a two-year contract where each future Navy pilot held the rank of Aviation Midshipman, USN. The clock was still running when they earned their gold wings and were assigned to fleet squadrons. These Flying Midshipmen flew every aircraft in the Navyâ€™s arsenal. Eventually they were sworn in as commissioned officers and went on to participate in every major aviation event from the Berlin Airlift, the Korean War, and the Cold War, to the conflict in Vietnam. A reader of these stories will discover what motivated 3,000 high school kids to fly for the Navy. They will learn what it was like to be a Flying Midshipman at the bottom of the pecking order aboard ship or as a pilot in an aircraft squadron.
Todayâ€™s young pilots will gain some useful knowledge about training mishaps and accidents that could have been avoided. They will be thrilled by accounts of My First Corsair Flight or My First Jet Flight or My First Cat Shot. They might reflect on the sobering story of Jesse Brown, the African-American who broke the color barrier in Naval Aviation the same year that Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in major league baseball.
Those who have flown as civilian or military pilots will discover themselves in the narrow escapes and the humor in the aftermath of bad judgment, and above all, in their great love of flying. They will learn what it is like landing a battle damaged fighter on an aircraft carrier in bad weather or guiding a blinded pilot to successful wheels-up landing. Reading these stories, veteran flyers may remember the long monotonous anti-submarine and maritime patrols that ended in moments of stark terror. Anyone who has ever sat in the left seat of a flying boat may be surprised to know that seaplane pilots had to supplement their flying skills with a firm knowledge of seamanship. They can read about it in Recollections of an Old PBM Pilot. Of course the book has stories for helicopter jocks and transport pilots and instrument pilots flying in all kinds of weather from the arctic to the tropics. For the poetry minded, there are some of those too. These stories should appeal to anyone who has ever dreamed about flying. And most important, 100% of the profits are directed to the Flying Midshipmen Endowment Fund to support the Youth Aviation Training Program aboard the USS Midway Museum in San Diego.
Country USA
Manufacturer USS Midway Museum
Binding Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate 2014-03-24
Format Kindle eBook

Country	USA
Manufacturer	USS Midway Museum
Binding	Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate	2014-03-24
Format	Kindle eBook

Once a Jock...Always a Jock!!: Recollections of the Flying Midshipmen

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