From 15,000-foot falls with unopened parachutes to forced night landings in unlit fields and bail-outs from burning planes, the lives of pilots are often exciting and occasionally harrowing, as this collection of stories dramatically illustrates. The book's theme is survival in the skies, and the key to that survival is "Lady Luck," according to the author. Admittedly a dangerous profession, flying is filled with unpredictable factors that affect the best and worst pilots with terrible impartiality. Don Tooker should know, he earned his navy wings in 1947 and has been flying ever since, surviving 133 combat missions over Korea and countless other adventures.

Several of the author's own experiences are included in the book, but many deal with pilots he has come to know during his long flying career. For example, there is the entertaining tale of two young Marine pilots, trained in the hottest fighter of the day, who attempt a cross-country jaunt in a dilapidated 1937 Piper Cub and barely escape with their lives. All the stories are true. Some are funny, others sad. The time covered is expansive, from combat in World War II and Korea up through the 1990s. The book will attract a broad audience of readers, especially those who love flying and good action stories.

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