Customer Reviews

Jackie Cochran: Pilot in the Fastest Lane

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is the last of three books on Jackies autobiography written in 2007 by Doris rich
The first book; The stars at Noon was her first autobiography written in 1954
and her second book Jackie COchran "The autobiography of the greatest woman pilot in avaition history" written in 1987 by Maryabb bucknum brinley with help from many sources.Was the second book on Jackies life.

I have read all three, and I suggest one read them in order.
American rags to riches story of one of the few aviatrix's in american history.
ONce you pick this up, you cannot put it down.
Women as well as men will find it engrosing, and reveals true background history of americas struggle to have the best airforce in the world.
Pilots and non pilots will enjoy the small stories and successes of her most interesting life.
All three are good reads, and very inspirational for the young and old alike

Finally, here's a comprehensive biography of legendary aviator Jacqueline "Jackie" Cochran, one of America's greatest woman pilots. Holder of many aviation records, she's most recognized as commander of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) during World War II.

Few people liked Cochran, then or now. Abrasive and domineering, she left behind a wake of enemies during her rise to fame from a dirt-poor youth. A trailblazer herself, she opposed the advancement of women in the aviation industry, saying they weren't suited for positions as airline pilots and astronauts. She was a study in contradictions.

Author Doris Rich expertly brings the story to life and clarifies the controversy surrounding Cochran's achievements and relationships.

The fourth biography of a woman aviator by journalist Doris Rich, Jackie Cochran: Pilot in the Fastest Lane, an in-depth portrayal of Jackie Cochran, the first woman to break the sound barrier and the first to fly a bomber across the Atlantic. Chapters assimilate previously unpublished information about Cochran's early years and her correspondence with U.S. presidents, Air Force generals, air craft designers, test pilots, and business moguls. An evenhanded portrayal, Jackie Cochran: Pilot in the Fast Lane reveals Cochran's complex talents and characteristics - though seen by some as abrasive, she formed lasting friendships and applied her drive to earn impressive achievements. Also highly recommended is Rich's "Amelia Earhart: A Biography".

This is a critical biography of Cochran? HORSE PUCKY AND BULL TURD COMBINED! ADD SOME BUFFALO CHIPS TO THE MIX AS WELL! It is a downright antagonistic review of a great woman's life; that is what it is! It is written in such a negative exposé style that I believe The Enquirer, The Star and all of the other American plus the British scandal sheets out there would be scared to publish it for fear of huge lawsuits that would fling them out of the business world.

By time I got done reading it, which was by sheer willpower alone, I was wondering what Cochrane had allegedly done to the someone the author loved or to the author herself. This whole book feel like a personal vendetta of the author's to smear Jackie as much as she possibly can. Let me go into detail about three specific areas: Jackie's marriage, the WASPs and Jackie's early life.

*Jackie's marriage*: this is the best smear job the author does. She portrays Jackie as an unfeeling wicked woman, who despite having a very ill husband Floyd, goes on and travels the world, sets new aviation milestones and carries on an active political life. The author does mention that Floyd encouraged her to do this, but she does so in a manner that you almost would not believe that Floyd said to go and do it. This and the whole book also reflects the author's negative attitude toward Jackie. She does state a time or two that they loved each other to distraction, but then carries on in her quest to show how unfeeling of a wife Jackie is in the author's view. She never goes into the real sorrow for Jackie that her inability to have children for Floyd was; she mentions the miscarriages in quick passing on her way to show how much of a horrible woman Jackie was in something else.

*The WASPs*: other than her aviation record, this unit is one of the greatest things that Jackie did in her life. It speaks to Jackie's patriotism and logical mind. Is it spoken of as an achievement? No! It is only spoken of at all as an example of how many arguments, headbutts and "unnecessarily" bruised male egos resulted from the formation and maintenance of said unit. The author does not go into any detail at all of all of the bigotry and very real office politics that Jackie had to swim uphill against to get this very patriotic unit established. All the author really mentions is the enemies Jackie made with the unit's creation and maintenance; she does not bother to tell you they were almost to the man, all male chauvinist pigs. The author only mentions the attempted takeovers of the WASPs by the WAAC, later the WAC, to show her thesis of how Jackie was a scheming woman who worked for no one's benefit but her own; she does not bother to tell the audience how much of scheming Delilah that O.C. Hobby was or that how much of a willing pawn to the male military authority she was. The author mentions only very briefly the acts of sabotage that were performed against the WASPs which resulted in far more than a few of their deaths, but she does not pursue explaining those as acts of bigotry and hate against women; no, no she cannot because that would not follow her thesis that anything that happened to anyone around Jackie was all Jackie's fault. Nothing is mentioned of the WASPs who say that Jackie bettered their lots and their futures with the creation of said unit. A couple of the WASP reunions after the war are mentioned but only in ways that reinforce the author's thesis that Jackie is nothing but a horrible woman.

*Jackie's early life*: does the author provide for a birth certificate to prove that Jackie was lying about her early life? No. It is generally accepted that Jackie may have fabricated some facts about her early life, but as to which ones, only Jackie and God will ever know. All we have, at best, is what Ira Pittman told a census taker in 1910 where he claimed Jackie as his own born in 1906. Were the Pittmans her real family? We truly do not know. All we know is that Jackie financially took care of many of them after she married Floyd; the author runs with that fact to pull out as many innuendoes as possible. With them being the only family she knew growing up, I do not see this as completely unreasonable course of action once she has money.

Those are only three of the areas in which the author carries on her personal vendetta again Jackie Cochran; she carries through this course of action throughout the volume. This book does not go into the courage and intestinal fortitude that it took Jackie Cochran to succeed and sometimes even beat the boys in what was for decades the boys club of aviation.

DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS BOOK!