Customer Reviews

Kerosene Cowboys: Manning the Spare

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

 

 

Having familiarity with both Naval Aviation (0-6, USNR, retired in 1991) and U.S. Customs (Senior Special Agent, retired in 1988) I looked forward to a great read when I read the comments on the book jacket.

I am now more than half-way through the book and I am still looking for a plot. I will say that although the descriptions of flying are good, there is too much minutiae in most every aspect of the book. I also play at golf, but that whole part of the book was enough to almost make me quit, as it was so boring to read how each shot was played. The dialogue in parts of this book are incredibly corny, and I am stuggling to finish reading it.

Another very annoying thing about this book was how the author willy-nilly used all three names of each character (first name, last name, and call sign)to the point where you almost need a play list to know who he is referring to. It drives me crazy. Pick one name and stick with it.

Another observation: This book was obviously dictated and not written on a word processor as there are a very large number of errors, such as "to" instead of "too;" "their" instead of "there," etc. This is annoying and indicates that the "editor" was AWOL. Also, it seems to me that the author spent too much time with his Thesaurus, as so often he used rather obscure words when the more common word would have been more accurate and more realistic. This was also annoying.

And when the author calls the flight surgeon "Wrongway Carrigan" because of his "penchant for wearing a stethoscope backwards around his neck" (Who in the world could ever tell which way any doctor "wore" his stethoscope?)was so lame it was silly and laughable. "Wrongway Corrigan" was in actuality a WWII pilot or navigator whose claim to fame was that he flew for a very long distance 180 degrees from where he wanted to go.


I will force myself to finish this book, but I will be happy when it is over. It is definitely not one of those books you cannot put down.

Carl Sundstrom
San Diego, CA

Possibly the worst book I have ever read. As a former A-7E pilot, I found many inaccuracies and a total misrepresentation of the professionalism of the US Navy Reserve Naval Aviation Community. I can only imagine it was written as a sick joke.

My thanks to reviewer Carl Sundstrom for suggesting that this book was dictated. From an author who, from all appearances, is well educated, I could not figure out how so many grammatical errors could make it into this book. Early on, I began highlighting each one. Rare is the page that has none; most pages have several. For example, "hammer and cycle," in place of "hammer and sickle." This is not a good book.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and am looking forward to the sequels. I found his character development excellent and I could feel myself right there in the action.
I think I now have a better understanding of life in the tiny community of tactical naval aviators - and I like it.

It's time for the River Rattlers to cowboy up. Pistols? Nope, try high-bypass fan blades, the kind that revved the work horse turbine engine of the Navy's A-7 Corsair jets. Like the bucking broncos they fly, the rough-riding pilots of this elite attack squadron (VA-204) are hard-training, hard-playing and tender loving Kerosene Cowboys. A cowboy's Stetson? Nope, picture instead the flight helmets of those Kerosene Cowboys lassoed to face masks with 100% pure oxygen flowing freely. Daring to fly high in the 8-G's arena of endurance, first-time author Randy Arrington ropes the reader in with strong characterizations that mimic his pilots' call signs (much like Toby Keith's "Big Dog Daddy"), well-developed plot intricacies and settings perfectly described as only locals can. Written by one who has survived the high-risk adventures of keeping Americans safe from harm, Top Gun Arrington's soaring literary success will undoubtedly land him a fly-by on the big screen. Grab this page-turner and soar through the highly entertaining can't-put-it-down "faction" novel today. (I'm on my third reading and still can't put it down!)

SLUFS, fliers and nostalgia combine to make a great read in Randy Arrington's foray into capturing the lives and lifestyles of the members of the VA-204 "River Rattlers" - quasi-fictional reservists called up in the early 1990s, for story's sake, to represent the A-7 community during the Corsair's final cruise. Arrington calls on his experience as a tactical aviator from the start, infusing personalities and quirks into the Rattler ready room to develop a cross section of characters running the spectrum from choir boys (very few) to stereotypical jet jocks (quite a few) that typically inhabit a squadron while offering a detailed image of life in a reserve unit. Stress and concerns associated with the activation are mitigated by the excitement of getting back on the ship and heading to far-off locales. Details of the workup period draw the reader into the world of tactical Navy flying, the depth of preparation for missions and the rewards of these efforts in a job well done. Arrington's portrayal of the lifestyle of early 90s aviators will bring smiles of knowing appreciation to the indoctrinated, and envy to all others. Extended All Officers Meetings (and this in the days before PowerPoint), trips to watering holes across the country familiar to all, terrifically engineered pranks (one reflected a certain XO's asbestos "scare" on the Connie a few years back), golf games with dignitaries and volumes of (rather non-P.C.) banter between comrades take the reader right back to that life of minor stress and terrific excitement. The tale follows Brad "Teen Angel" Ackerman - who supplements his day job as a Hollywood stunt pilot with monthly trips to New Orleans to stay sharp in the cockpit, pursue local belles and maintain ties to the life he left behind for the civilian world - through the first stage of workups. Married members of the squadron do their best to deal with the surprise of this good deal and the pressure placed on families that never saw it coming. All work together to build cohesion in order to prove the viability and efficacy of a reserve squadron already viewed derisively by a skeptical Air Group Commander. Kerosene Cowboys brings all of the fun and misery of preparing for cruise right back to the fore. Any flier - Navy or otherwise - will enjoy reading their way back into planning, briefing, flying and debriefing the rides required to gain certification for sea. Arrington never strays far from total immersion, and keeps the social aspect of Naval Aviation in sharp, entertaining focus. His book is a fun, intriguing tale for aviators, aspirants, fans and general readers whose biggest concern will be trying to figure out how long it will be before they can finally put to sea with the Rattlers in Arrington's next Kerosene Cowboys novel.