Customer Reviews

Born to Fly: The Untold Story of the Downed American Reconnaissance Plane

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Born To Fly
By Shane Osborn
With Malcolm McConnell

Lt. Shane Osborn was the mission commander and pilot of the U.S. Navy EP-3E AIRES II reconnaissance aircraft when it was rammed by a Chinese F-8 Finback II fighter over the South China Sea on April 1, 2001 during a routine recon mission.
As the world knows, Osborn heroically managed to pull his severely damaged four-engine turboprop out of a near vertical, inverted dive and somehow keep it flying long enough to land on the F-8's home base at Lingshui Air Base on Hainan Island. It was there that he and his crew of 23 were imprisoned by the Chinese for 11 days before the U.S. issued a statement that it regretted the loss of the F-8 pilot and the emergency landing on Chinese soil.
This 262-page book, an "as told to" military writer Malcolm McConnell, is a quick read but one gets the impression it was sanitized by the U.S. Navy, if not higher ups. That's to be expected, of course, as the aircraft was on a sensitive electronic intelligence mission and the airplane was packed with cryptologic technicians and others on "special missions."
Osborn, as far as we know, is still in the Navy so you won't find any criticisms of fellow crewmen, superiors or political higher ups. Everyone performed magnificently, everyone was brave and the politicians are all magnificent individuals.
Nevertheless, it was worth reading, even though Osborn tends to be a little too kind to himself in telling his life story preceding the collision. There's quite a bit of detail about his early years and how successfully he endured the toughness of his Navy training.
He makes a special point to let you know that he could have flown jets if only the Navy had some openings (in the Navy's hierarchal system, land-based four engine transport pilots are only a step above helicopter drivers in aviation status).
The real meat of the book, the events leading up to the collision and the resultant terrifying attempt to save the aircraft, are what makes it worth the price of admission. Osborn also has an amazing memory as he was able to recount the day to day experiences of himself and the crew once they were under house arrest by the Chinese.
What's not mentioned is much of how the other crew members got along, especially those crypto techs who must have been shaking in their boots because of their highly sensitive knowledge of classified information, who suddenly found themselves at the mercy of the Chinese.
No, this is Shane Osborn's story alone, although he does credit a special few of his crewmen with exemplary behavior (he did make note that one female crewmember seemed to freeze up at a particularly bad time; take that for what it's worth).
Osborn was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions that day (other crewmen received Air Medals) and no one can deny that he deserved it. McConnell deserves proper credit for how well he interpreted Osborn's memories to give the reader a taste of what it was like in the cockpit of that beleaguered aircraft.
The Chinese mind games - in which they repeatedly tried to get the crew to admit they "rammed" the fighter - while exhausting, were to be expected. What's surprising is that there was no violence and only some mild threats ever made against them.
In fact, after the decision was made to allow them to go home, Osborn said he was congratulated by the Chinese base commander for his loyalty to his crew. The Chinese interrogators and guards even requested pictures of themselves with the crew.

Lt. Osborn describes his experience when his navy reconnaissance plane is struck by a Chinese fighter aircraft forcing Osborn to land his crippled plane in China. For eleven days the world watched as the Chinese asked the U.S. for an apology. This is the story from Lt. Osborn's view as he describes those eleven days in Chinese "captivity" with his crew of 23 officers and airmen. It's a fascinating story of the making of a naval aviator who is ultimately awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his courage and leadership during the ordeal. This is a story about the people who usually don't get a lot of publicity which makes you realize there is more to naval aviation than fighter pilots and aircraft carriers. In the end it's a timely story of standing up to adversity with honor, character and courage. Highly recommended.

"Born to fly" is somewhat of a life-story of Shane Osborn and his journey to becoming a Navy Pilot. Now I usually enjoy biographies of peoples' lives but this one did not fascinate me nearly as much. Much of the book was Mr. Osborn describing how a plane works and how he was taught to fly a plane. For me, I usually read books for pleasure, not for a lesson on the controls in an airplane.

Near the end of the book when Shane Osborn and his airplane crew collide with a Chinese fighter and have to land on a Chinese airport, the book becomes more interesting.

The whole story is very impressive and heroic, but at times can just feel somewhat boring. If you are considering a career in the military, ecspecially as a naval avaitor, this might be your book because it describes the long process to get there.

Born to Fly is destined to become a new aviation classic, in the same league as "The High and the Mighty" and "Island in the Sky." Lt. Shane Osborn is a true American hero, an inspiration to us all in these difficult times. Through his incredible flying skill and sheer gut-courage, Osborn saved his crew and his country's honor after a Chinese fighter collided with his EP-3 recon plane. We can all be proud of these fine young Americans. Read this book.

A family member got the book for me as a gift, and upon seeing the front cover of the book, something immediately just said "generic". However, that being said, I would actually recommend the book to someone who isn't intimately familiar with flying or the military. Despite the skittish storyline, it's actually a quite readable and inspirational book that will likely invoke a bit of patriotism.

Nevertheless, I think some people, especially professional aviators, might find it hard to like this book, even if they want to. To me, every page seemed to be written with the intent of someday being read in front of a camera for a bad made for TV movie...but maybe I'm just being overly critical. The story, in and of itself, is a great one (although covered almost in its entirety in the news), but I thought the literary qualities of "Born to Fly" just left much to be desired.

This book is an inspiring true story of how a Navy pilot and his crew safely landed a crippled plane after a mid-air collision with a Chinese fighter jet and the 11 days of captivity they endured together. The true meaning of honor, courage, strength and a bond between the mission commander and his crew that was unbreakable under pressure; is shown throughout the book. Easy to read and not loaded down with military jargon that no one understands. Highly recommended for those interested in a story that shows the best in the military when under pressure. True Americans!

LT Osborne failed to follow established Navy protocols when intelligence aircraft are crippled in flight. Intel Naval aviators are instructed to ditch their aircraft in the sea to prevent the adversary from recovering the Top Secret equipment aboard. Instead of ditching after regaining control of the aircraft he flies 20 additional miles to make a safe landing on the adversaries military airfield. The Navy under the pressure of the American public could not court marshal him instead they awarded him the DFC however in a move behind the scenes he was quietly "forced-out" of the Navy after the incident for giving up our countries intelligence collection methods and capabilities causing grave damage to the security of our nation.

This book has two parallel narratives. Scenes of that final, fateful, flight, spliced with tales of Osborne growing up in the midwest. Unfortunately, neither are very interesting. Sure, Shane worked hard and made all the right moves, but every personal anecdote ends along the lines of "...and that's where I learned to respect my elders." The book's high point is Osborne trying to control the badly dmaged P-3 after the collision. Once on the gound in China, however, the melodrama fizzles out. The descriptions of the "hardships" they endured are almost laughable....no cable, email is three days late, etc.

There are some glaring omissions here. Why were the Chinese concerned about these particular flights and what (if anything) did they learn by having our plane in their possesion.

I don't know who felt this book needed to be written. Anyone who even casually watched the news during this time, got the important details. I just get this picture of some publisher wanting to exploit this situation by printing exactly what the (American) public wants to hear.

This book is interesting for my students who are not prone to reading, especially the boys. It's an interesting story.

This book is very technical and was boring for my 6th graders to read. It was a fabulous book, however, just did not catch the interest of my students at that age level. What a story of a pilot who is the epitome of an American hero!