Veteran journalist and author of The Commandos Douglas Waller
chronicles his rare and intimate experience with the training program
for Navy pilots in this "engrossing saga that will likely become an
unofficial recruiting tool for naval aviation" (Publishers
Weekly).
Waller, who was granted permission to participate in the pilots'
grueling training regime, has written an absorbing behind-the-scenes
account of the physical and psychological trials endured by the most
specialized group of pilots in military history.
From his bird's-eye view in the passenger's seat, Waller follows pilot
trainees through two years of intense preparation. He offers vivid
illustrations from the fray: hair-raising aerial dogfights;
stomach-swallowing dive-bombing runs; high-speed tactical maneuvers
grazing the desert floor; and numerous nerve-twisting aircraft carrier
takeoffs and landings. In addition to his own experiences and those of
the group of trainees he joins, his research is based on interviews with
hundreds of other students and their instructors. Hurtling through the
air at death-defying speeds, these pilots-in-training struggle to
maintain their composure while withstanding conditions that are designed
to challenge them to the very limits of human endurance.
Waller's deftly drawn portraits of the men and women he encounters in
this singular culture of elite pilots are as satisfying as his adventure
narrative. The pilots, whose grit, determination, and mental agility
operate on an elevated threshold, come into sharp focus behind Waller's
keen lens: their aspirations, awe inspiring. Air Warriors combines an
examination of the modern Navy, recovering from past sex scandals, with
a portrayal of a privileged cadre of men and women whose ambition and
commitment coexist within a tightly knit group. Waller is able to
capture images of these pilots training, living, and fighting with an
acuity and intelligence that are often absent from Hollywood and
television treatments of this diverse and fascinating subculture.
Air Warriors takes us inside the cockpit and behind closed doors for
the real story of the making of a Navy pilot.
