Once A Fighter Pilot [Hardcover]

Jerry W. Cook (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1996

Jerry Cook, Retired Air Force Reserve Brigadier General, grants readers the rare privilege of going along for the ride as he tells the fascinating story of how he became an Air Force pilot and flew numerous combat missions. Along the way he describes enduring fear and emotional extremes few fighter pilots have previously confessed to, immersing the reader in the rarefied-and very human-world of the jet fighter pilot.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The best personal narrative of a start-to-finish career of a fighter pilot I have ever seen." -- Sanfelici, Arthur H., Editor of Aviation History Magazine

"Those more interested in modern-day, traditional fighter memoirs should take a look at Once a Fighter Pilot, by Little Rock's Jerry W. Cook, who now flies the Stephens Group Inc. corporate jet. Cook flew 400 hours on combat missions in Vietnam. Once A Fighter Pilot (McGraw-Hill, $22.95) is available in bookstores. He spent 10 years in the U.S. Air Force and was a brigadier general in the Arkansas Air National Guard before retiring in 1986." -- Thompson, Doug, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 10/13/96

From the Back Cover

Climb aboard a jet fighter for the most hair-raising ride of your life! "Once a fighter pilot, always a fighter pilot." The old adage epitomizes Jerry Cook, who spent 28 years at the controls of Air Force jets, including some 400 hours flying F-4 Phantoms on combat missions over Vietnam. Here is an unflinching account of his experiences--alternately poignant and side-splitting, always extraordinarily honest and compelling. Cook gives you a rare insider's glimpse into the world of flying's elite, describing the rigorous training required to become an Air Force fighter pilot and revealing the true nature of men thought of as swaggering, larger-than-life top guns. You'll meet flesh-and-blood human beings who feel all the fears and misgivings you would expect of people facing death almost daily. Cook also whisks you along on heart-stopping combat missions. Fly with him in Air Force F-4 Phantoms over enemy territory dodging shrapnel, missiles, and other aircraft. Along the way, you'll get an eye-opening look at one of the most tumultuous eras in U.S. history--as seen through the eyes of men who risked their lives for a cause that threatened to tear a nation apart.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 223 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies (August 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 007012549X
• ISBN-13: 978-0070125490
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,132,817 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courage Under Fire (and Mismanagement.), June 6, 1998

By 

Joe Copalman ([e-mail]) (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Once A Fighter Pilot (Hardcover)

As an enthusiast of modern day aerial warfare, complete with its thrust-vectoring, BVR engagement, pin-point bomb delivery, and missiles that actually work, I had some reservations about reading this book. Adding to my apprehension was the timeframe, set early in the Viet Nam War while valuable lessons were still unlearned, and the mere fact that it had anything to do with the Viet Nam War. Though I was born as Saigon fell in '75, I feel such intense and conflicting emotions when reading about it. Anyways, let me just say that General Cook quickly laid to rest all of my apprehension. From page 1 onward I was hooked. "Once a Fighter Pilot" is a chronicle of Cook's Air Force career from enlistment, through training, and finally his deployment to, survival of, and return home from SE Asia. His recollections of his combat experiences are very vivid and involving, especially for the amount of time between the experiences and the writing of this book. Most impressive was Cook's "anti-Maverick" attitude and admission of feeling real human emotions such as fear and sorrow, a rare quality among fighter-jock autobiographies. Most sobering were the General's accounts of losing close friends to accidents and to the enemy. Cook allows those of us who were born after the war to feel the pain and frustration of the generation that lived through it, feelings that bring with them an understanding of why that pain and frustration continue to be felt today. I had to refrain from giving this book a 10 simply because I wanted more. Though Cook acknowledges that many memories have been forgotten or are so blurred to render them untransferable to the written word, I still felt like this man had many more stories of bravery, heroism, high-spirited wit, and sorrow to tell. I highly recommend this book not only to enthusiasts of military aviation, but to critics of those who put their lives on the line in Viet Nam, as well as anyone with an appreciation for good stories about the ups and downs of li! fe, especially stories that are as well-written and easy to follow as Cook's "Once a Fighter Pilot."

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best of the genre, March 13, 2006

By 

Bob Manson (Berkeley, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Once A Fighter Pilot (Paperback)

I've read "Once a Fighter Pilot" more than once, and greatly enjoyed it each time. It's an intriguing mix of stories about flying in Vietnam, flying at MacDill AFB while the F-4 was just becoming available, and many flight instructor tales. (And sometimes the flight instructor stories are scarier than the ones about flying in Vietnam!) He's opinionated, open, honest, and to the point.

I consider this to be in the top 5% of its genre because it covers such a broad area and does it well. There are perhaps better and/or more detailed autobiographies specifically about flying in Vietnam, but this one is one of the few which really covers Air Force life during the 60s. I also like the overall style, it's a series of short tales in chronological order rather than a more continuous work.

It's a fun read--you won't regret it.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Full Afterburner, August 25, 2003

By 

Dirk Vander Zee (Chesterfield, MO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Once A Fighter Pilot (Paperback)

I've had the pleasure of meeting Jerry Cook and I can tell you he is what an aerial warrior is all about. This means he appreciates not only the firepower that is his responsibility, but also the restraint that is necessary as well. Above all, being a pilot myself, I can viscerally place myself in his rapt descriptions of aircraft performance and raw power. His situational "awareness" and extraordinary flying skills easily flow off the page, and speak to the incredible edge that must be developed and maintained to fight and survive in ACM environments.

Jerry, thanks for your service to the country. Although the war was extraordinarily complicated, with no real winners, the fact that you gave your all to your Commander in Chief under the flag of freedom is appreciated and respected.