Customer Reviews

Heart of the Storm: My Adventures as a Helicopter Rescue Pilot and Commander

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The story Of Edward Fleming is a timely reminder of what a true american hero is.His story of a long and dangerous career is a testament to the people who put there lives in harms way not only in times of war put in the day to day operations of peace time service. A very good read for all.

A super story about real life heroes doing the daily business of protecting the nation both here and abroad. Col fleming tells it all as an oberver and a participant. His stories are not embellished for the reader, nor do they point to him as the central heroic figure. They do provide the reader with a look into a world that is boring and thrilling at the same time; deftly describing the tedium of daily squadron life as it gives way to the breakneck speed and physical demands of search and rescue over water.

This book is full of heroes... and a few malcontents, imcompetents and villains. He bravely steps up to describe the politics of the national guard. Where officers may be elevated for political reasons despite their shortcomings. His criticism is not couched in the whining of a man dissapointed by his leaders. It is a thoughtful observation of the things that go awry, even to the best of us. His determination to stay with his unit, then to move forward despite rejection, criticism and professional "second guessing" speak more about his character than the eagles on his shoulder or the ribbons on his chest.

Col Fleming reminds me of the ubiquitous "Old Sage" in every military unit. The Colonel or Master Sergeant who regailed there charges with the "old corps" stories of past glory and disappointment. These stories, often funny, sometimes tragic were tinged with morals and lessons to be learned and incorporated into the professional and personal lives of their young officers, NCOs and airmen. In an axiom that defines military men and women through time, the good ones learned there lessons from the Old Sage, the bad ones learned them the hard way.

Col Fleming has taken us all into his world and through his writing we come away with a deeper sense of gratitude and understanding for the people who stand in harm's way for us.

A Real Warrior sharing his world... an outstanding book

In Heart of the Storm, Col. Fleming shows that he is as adept at writing about his lifetime of thrilling rescues as he was at performing them. What a career, and what a book! A work of fiction couldn't cover more high profile adventures - rescues he pulled off during the Perfect Storm, at the South Pole, in the Gulf War, just to scratch the surface. But it's not fiction. He really did it, risking his life to save perfect strangers more times than I could count. I don't have the patience to read many books, but this one wouldn't let me put it down.

A really well written book that kept me turning the pages until late into the night.

One thing I especially liked was the way that he started each chapter with a review of what was going on in the world at the time - this really helped set his personal story in context of world events.

I can thoroughly recommend this book. The author puts you right in the cockpit, sharing the decisions that have to be made and the sense of personal danger he faced. He also doesn't pull any punches in recounting the bureaucratic arguments he faced and the dangers that these exposed his crew to. After reading the book I have a new respect for the Search and Rescue service.

As a Search & Rescue volunteer, I'm hooked on true wilderness rescue and survival stories. I'm also fascinated by helicopters, although I always hold my breath when I'm told to get in one on SAR missions. So I was drawn to this book, which left me with an even greater respect for these rescue crews, who really do risk their own lives every time they take off.

So if you're at all interested in helicopters and the lives of those who fly them, particularly in the field of rescue, add this book to your reading list. Personally, I'd never realized just how difficult flying a helicopter is, even in ideal conditions. Needless to say, many--or perhaps most--of Fleming's missions detailed in this book were in anything BUT ideal conditions.

An authentic, engrossing account of a life lived in a difficult profession. From his humble beginnings as a new pilot (all helicopter pilots start out humble, the machine won't let you begin any other way), Fleming walks you through the early events that shaped his character, and would stand him in good stead as he embarked upon a life of calculated risk taking. There are two rescues in the book that will literally have you on the edge of your seat, one as a young pilot and another as a seasoned pro. I don't recall reading anything that comes close in authentically describing how man and machine can literally fly into into the face of peril, to save the life of a stranger. Heroic acts are not always spontaneously undertaken by unlikely people, some individuals spend their lives risking their own safety for others. Fleming truly deserves the title Hero.

I enjoyed this account by someone "who's been there."
Col Fleming gives a detailed and interesting account of what rescues by the Air Force are all about. The author places us in the aircraft with him and relates the joys and frustrations of rescue work. I would liked to have seen a little more on the PJs actions, but I understand the focus was on the author's "adventures as a helicopter rescue pilot."

Kudos Col for the insight from a rescue pilot's perspective.

I read all manner of books but there is nothing quite so completely satisfying as reading a true-story page turner that reads like a novel. Heart of the Storm is just that. Utterly captivating and at the same time educational, the book reveals, in high speed drama, the life and experiences of a small group of helicopter rescue people most of us never have the misfortune of encountering but, but after reading this, may wish we could. Each chapter is prefaced with an account of the large scale events of the times which helps place us in the book, and is briefly anecdoted with personal insights and family life that make the journey Col. Edward Fleming takes us on all the more meaningful and poignant. I don't know why this book hasn't yet been made into a movie but I'd be willing to bet it will be. It most certainly should be.
Keith Davitt

This book was better written and more interesting than Jack Brehm's book That Others May Live.

One note: While the town in Georgia is named Warner Robins, the base is named Robins AFB (not Warner Robins AFB). I lived there from 1979 to 1984, while my father was serving there with the USAF 5CCG.