Pushing the Envelope: The Career of Fighter Ace and Test Pilot Marion Carl [Paperback]

Marion E. Carl (Author), Barrett Tillman (Author)

Book Description

Series: Bluejacket Books Paperback | Publication Date: March 1, 2005

First published in 1994, this stirring autobiography of a fighter and test pilot takes readers full throttle through Carl's imposing list of "firsts." Beginning with his World War II career, he gained such commendations as first Marine Corps ace, among the first Marines ever to fly a helicopter, and first Marine to land aboard an aircraft carrier. His combat duty included the momentous battles at Midway and Guadalcanal. Not one to rest on his laurels, however, he participated in photoreconnaissance operations over Red China in 1955 and flew missions in Vietnam. In peacetime he gamed fame for "pushing the envelope" as a test pilot, adding the world's altitude and peace records to his wartime feats and becoming the first U.S. military aviator to wear a full pressure suit. Such achievements also led to Carl's being the first living Marine admitted to the Naval Aviation Hall of Honor, as well as the first Marine to be named to the Navy Carrier Aviation Test Pilots Hall of Honor. This very readable memoir is as forthright and compelling as the man it chronicles.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Carl's life story is the stuff of film scripts and TV miniseries. At Midway and Guadalcanal he became the first Marine ace of WW II. He was a test pilot in the pioneer days of jet aviation, flying early versions of almost every model of fighter adopted by the U.S. armed forces and flew clandestine reconnaissance missions over China in the 1950s. More than a pilot with the "right stuff," Carl, as a brigadier general, commanded the first Marines to land in Vietnam; in 1973 he retired as Inspector General of the Marine Corps. Unfortunately, Carl's cursory, lifeless narrative reads like a collection of after-action reports. Even the collaboration of Tillman, a leading aviation writer, fails to give Carl's career its appropriately dramatic impact. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

A blunt, spare autobiography from a past president of the American Fighter Aces Association. Carl neither minces nor wastes words in recalling a distinguished career as a US Marine Corps aviator, which began immediately after his 1938 graduation from Oregon State and ended 35 years later when he retired with the rank of major general. Having earned his wings in 1939, the author (now 78) was an early- bird arrival in WW II's Pacific theater. Flying F4F Wildcats in the unfriendly skies above Midway and Guadalcanal, he downed 16 Japanese planes. Sent stateside to be showcased as the USMC's first ace, Carl wooed and won his wife (then a Powers model). He survived a second tour in the Solomons, adding two more kills to his victory total, and ended the war as a test pilot. Adapting easily to the jet age, the author set a variety of altitude and speed records that (though long since broken) attest to his willingness to push the envelope, i.e., take experimental aircraft (and, it would seem, his own convictions) to, even beyond, their theoretical limits. He led photoreconnaissance flights over Red China in the mid-1950s and logged more than 100 missions in Vietnam. In the course of his lengthy service, Carl met and took the measure of many notables. While he remembers Joe Foss, Melvin Laird, Charles Lindbergh, and a host of lesser lights with fondness, the author has precious little use for Greg (Pappy) Boyington (of Black Sheep Squadron fame), Jacqueline Cochrane, LBJ, Ted Kennedy, Robert McNamara, and John Wayne. In a series of parting shots, moreover, he offers considered, if politically incorrect, pronouncements on gun control, the handling of the Tailhook sex scandal, women in combat, and other touchy issues. The dead-honest memoir of an accomplished military professional. The forthright text has 13 contemporary photos. -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: US Naval Institute Press (March 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591148669
• ISBN-13: 978-1591148661
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #426,730 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Posthumous thoughts on Marion Carl, October 12, 1998

By 

Barrett Tillman (Mesa, AZ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pushing the Envelope: The Career of Fighter Ace and Test Pilot Marion Carl (Hardcover)

By a quirk of incredibly bad timing, Naval Institute Press declared Marion's memoir out of print the same week he was killed in June 1998. The sudden nature of his death created an instant demand for the book, but NIP had neglected to inform the Carl family or me (his coauthor) that the book would be unavailable. We are, however, seeking another publisher and hope to have the story of this incredible aviator and exceptional man available again.

Barrett Tillman

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deserving of Honour., March 10, 2006

By 

England's own. "RGK" (Seattle) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Pushing the Envelope: The Career of Fighter Ace and Test Pilot Marion Carl (Paperback)

I admit some of the technical words were over my head but one has to acknowledge Maj. Gen. Carl's 35 years in the Marine corps. He was quite a guy. It is unfortunate we have so few of his caliber today. I think we owe it to him to read his story. What a tragedy after such a life to have his life ended the way it did.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pushing the Envelope, March 25, 2006

By 

Duane Bralley (Eugene, OR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pushing the Envelope: The Career of Fighter Ace and Test Pilot Marion Carl (Paperback)

I live in Oregon and had the honor of visiting with Marion Carl on several occasions. During an airshow, I was escorting him around the aircraft and he spotted several Marine aircraft with there pilots standing near their aircraft. Marion spent a good deal of time speaking with them. Later I stopped by the pilots Marion had been talking with and to say the least these young men were impressed. The book is easy to read. Barrett did a great job of writing. I would recommend this book to any aviation buff.