The Day of the Cheetah [Hardcover]

Dale Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 14, 1989

America's most advanced fighter plane is hijacked-and the greatest high-flying chase of all time begins...

"Terrific. Authentic and gripping." (The New York Times)

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Brown's third technothriller is based on a premise successfully developed a decade ago in Clive Thomas's Firefox : the theft of an advanced-design fighter. This time the year is 1996; the fighter is America's X-34 Dreamstar; and its secret is ANTARES: the interfacing of the pilot's nervous system and the aircraft's computer. The plane's hijack by its pilot, a KGB mole, sets the stage for a fast-moving spectrum of diplomatic and military measures to recover or destroy the prize without starting a world war. Ultimately the task falls to the Cheetah--an F-15 with its own updated avionics, but an "older, less intelligent cousin" of Dreamstar. Brown's action scenes are vivid; his descriptions of contemporary technology accurate; his projections into the near future of aircraft design convincing; and his characterization of the growing internal conflict in the mole has weight and substance. Among the book's flaws, however, is Brown's decision to depend heavily on characters first presented in Flight of the Old Dog , so that he frequently disrupts the narrative with references to the earlier mission. More seriously for a work of this genre, Brown seems at times almost bored with the fighter technology he is describing. Despite its drawbacks, however, this novel should be a strong contender in the summer's technothriller sweepstakes. $125,000 ad/promo; paperback rights to Berkley; BOMC featured selection; author tour.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Keith James, the hottest pilot at Dreamland, a secret Air Force base in the Nevada desert, is the only man fully qualified to fly Dreamstar , a highly maneuverable fighter flown by computer software linked to the pilot's brain. But in 1996, James, a Soviet mole trained from childhood in his alter ego, steals Dreamstar . The Cheetah , an experimental F-15 fighter, must hunt it down and destroy it. The hero is ace B-52 navigator Pat McLanahan from Brown's first novel, The Flight of the Old Dog, assisted by the Old Dog's crew. Aviation buffs will delight in the breathtaking dogfights and air strikes. One must overlook improbable details, e.g., a computer tracking every synaptic impulse in the nervous system, bomber types leading a fighter research effort. Those willing to fly in Brown's imaginative skies can enjoy an exhilarating high-tech adventure. BOMC featured selection.)-- Elsa Pendleton, Computer Sciences Corp., Ridgecrest, Cal.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 504 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Adult (July 14, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556111215
• ISBN-13: 978-1556111211
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #475,589 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Former U.S. Air Force captain Dale Brown is the superstar author of 21 action-adventure "techno-thriller" novels: FLIGHT OF THE OLD DOG (1987), SILVER TOWER (1988), DAY OF THE CHEETAH (1989), HAMMERHEADS (1990), SKY MASTERS (1991), NIGHT OF THE HAWK (1992), CHAINS OF COMMAND (1993), STORMING HEAVEN (1994), SHADOWS OF STEEL (1996), FATAL TERRAIN (1997), THE TIN MAN (1998), BATTLE BORN, (1999), WARRIOR CLASS (2001), WINGS OF FIRE (2002), AIR BATTLE FORCE (2003), PLAN OF ATTACK (2004), ACT OF WAR (2005), EDGE OF BATTLE (2006), STRIKE FORCE (May 2007), SHADOW COMMAND (2008) ROGUE FORCES (2009), EXECUTIVE INTENT (2010) and A TIME FOR PATRIOTS (May 2011). Fourteen of his novels have been New York Times best-sellers. He is also the co-author of the best-selling DREAMLAND techno-thriller series and writer and technical consultant of the Act of War PC real-time strategy game published by Atari Interactive and the Megafortress PC flight simulator by Three-Sixty Pacific. Dale's novels are published in 11 languages and distributed to over 70 countries. Worldwide sales of his novels, audiobooks and computer games exceed 12 million copies.

Dale was born in Buffalo, New York on November 2, 1956. He graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Western European History and received an Air Force commission in 1978. He was a navigator-bombardier in the B-52G Stratofortress heavy bomber and the FB-111A supersonic medium bomber, and is the recipient of several military decorations and awards including the Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, the Combat Crew Award, and the Marksmanship ribbon. Dale was also one of the nation's first Air Force ROTC cadets to qualify for and complete the grueling three-week U.S. Army Airborne Infantry paratrooper training course. He was also an Air Force instructor on aircrew life support and combat survival, evasion, resistance, and escape.

Dale supports a number of organizations to promote law enforcement, education, and literacy. He is a Life Member of the Air Force Association, U.S. Naval Institute, and National Rifle Association. He is a command pilot for Angel Flight West (www.angelflightwest.org), a group that donate their time, skills, and aircraft to fly medical patients free of charge. He is also a mission pilot with the Civil Air Patrol, flying a variety of missions in support of the U.S. Air Force and other federal agencies. He is a multi-engine and instrument-rated private pilot and can often be found in the skies all across the United States, piloting his Piper Aztec-E airplane. On the ground, Dale enjoys tennis, scuba diving, and soccer. Dale, his wife Diane, and son Hunter live near Lake Tahoe, Nevada.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Dale Brown's very best!, September 21, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Birmingham, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Day of the Cheetah (Paperback)

A classic techno-thriller! Much of the plot, concerning the theft of a high-tech experimental fighter plane was inspired by FIREFOX by Craig Thomas, as was the thought-controlled weapons systems and navigation. However, Dale Brown goes several steps better. The technicalities behind the Dreamstar aircraft are well explained without too much babble and could be feasible one day. The aerial dogfighting sequences, utilising a variety of aircraft(National Guard F-16s, Nicaraguan MiGs, Mexican F-20s and so on, and the 767 AWACS was an inspired idea!)and interesting locations in Central America are also first rate. I've only had a trial lesson in a light aircraft as a birthday present from my ever-patient wife, but I can still visualise the settings, manouvres and procedures described in his narrative as well as that day. This book would make a power-packed movie, so come on, Hollywood! If you like aircraft, thrills, future technology and fast paced action then this is the book for you. One minor point, there were two goofs - the B-1B bomber is known as the Lancer and not the Excalibur, and the B-2 stealth bomber is known as the Spirit and not the Panther, but considering this 1996-set book was written in 1988 the we can let Dale off the hook! The story also brings the McLanahan Timeline up to date, despite a few inconsistencies before the 'prequels' such as SKY MASTERS and HAMMERHEADS were written.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, December 14, 2002

By 

Evandro Souza (Curitiba, Brazil) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Day of the Cheetah (Paperback)

This is my second Dale Brown, and if i can describe this book in one word, the word is ACTION. THe descriptions of Dogfights are very good, and the plot is very good. THe only problem in this book is the date of the History .. 1996 .. and in the book the USSR still exists .. but we can forgive the autor .. because this book was writen in 1989.
Great Book ... must Read

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting Air Action, May 10, 2000

By 

Larry Eischen - See all my reviews

This review is from: Day of the Cheetah (Paperback)

Read the prologue carefuly-you'll need it later. because everything in this exciting thriller fits together like a jigsaw puzzle. From the top secret deep cover Russian training school to the chase through Nicaragua to the final fate of the Russian mole, this is a book that will keep you in its grip until your through it. Although I'm not up on the aviation terms, I found that I didn't get lost in technicalities as you do in some thrillers. Dale Brown writes a mean adventure novel even with the jargon. Besides they give you the glossary for tech terms BEFORE the story. Pick it up, you're in for an exciting time.