Thunderchief: What Is the Right Stuff and How Do Fighter Pilots Get It? [Paperback]

Don Henry (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2003

Fighter pilots have the Right Stuff. But what is it and how do they get it? Thunderchief by Don Henry is an extraordinary exploration of what the Right Stuff is and how jet fighter pilots pass it on within their community.

Don’s story is about the first generation of young pilots, fresh out of pilot training, to fly combat in a single seat Mach 2 supersonic fighter aircraft. He was part of that generation of young warriors and develops a superb portrait of pilots in combat with the unblinking authority of one who has been there.

Thunderchief explores the perilous and passionate journey of Ashe Wilcox as he struggles to gain respect as a combat fighter pilot. Ashe’s mentor, Hunter, is an American Indian and tortured survivor of a POW camp who is obsessed by aerial combat and revenge. Their relationship in which Hunter is a reluctant and demanding instructor launches an intricate emotional web that leads Ashe on a dangerous and passionate journey of self-discovery.

"Don Henry is a world class fighter pilot who gets to the bottom of what makes aerial tigers tick. He captures the excitement of getting shot at that drives them into war and the fear of failure that haunts their self-proclaimed supreme confidence. Don Henry´s THUNDERCHIEF is the equal on modern warfare to Stephen Crane´s RED BADGE OF COURAGE." —General Charles A. Horner (coauthor of Every Man A Tiger with Tom Clancy)

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"Don Henry is a world-class fighter pilot who gets to the bottom of what makes aerial tigers tick. He captures the excitement of getting shot at that haunts their self-proclaimed supreme confidence. Don Henry's Thunderchief is the equal on modern warfare to Stephen Crane's Red Badge of Courage." -Gen. Charles A. Horner coauthor, with Tom Clancy, of Every Man a Tiger When America's space program began to look for astronauts, it initially turned to fighter pilots, finding in them men who could remain calm in the face of fear and uncertainty and solve intensely complicated problems in disarmingly simple and effective ways. Men who possessed these skills were said to have "the Right Stuff." Set in 1966 during the Vietnam War, Thunderchief is an extraordinary exploration of what the Right Stuff is and how jet fighter pilots pass it on within their close-knit community. Ashe Wilcox is a young pilot struggling to gain respect through the trials of initiation under fire. He is mentored by Hunter, a tortured POW-camp survivor obsessed with aerial combat and revenge. Ashe and Hunter's relationship, in which Hunter is a reluctant and demanding instructor, leads Ashe on a dangerous and passionate journey of self-discovery. Thunderchief explores the inner conflict and mortal spirit of people in combat and reveals the staggering impact on their families and relationships. Don Henry gained a unique perspective as a combat fighter pilot, squadron commander, and psychologist. He has logged thousands of hours in supersonic fighter aircraft and is a highly decorated combat pilot and commander of a first-line fighter squadron. His combat decorations include the Silver Star and three Distinguished Flying Crosses. He lives and writes in Laguna Beach, California. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From the Back Cover

"Packed with action, emotion, and tragedy, Thunderchief is the authentic, moving story of a combat pilot's struggle to overcome peer pressure and fear. Don Henry develops a superb portrait of fighter pilots and how they develop the Right Stuff. Along the way, he also tells us a lot about ourselves." --Walter J. Boyne author of The Influence of Air Power upon History --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: Xlibris Corp (March 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401090354
• ISBN-13: 978-1401090357
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 5.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,038,656 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fast-paced account of the Right Stuff, March 14, 2005

By 

Lowell E. Waite (Dallas, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Thunderchief (Hardcover)

Thunderchief is a novel about the making of a fighter pilot. The story follows the trials of Lt. Ashe Wilcox, a rookie Air Force pilot flying the Republic F-105 fighter-bomber in combat missions over Vietnam. The author, himself a decorated veteran combat pilot, provides a gripping story the gamut of physical and psychological stresses associated with war in the air. There are harrowing missions, evasion, losses, doubt, self-examination, exhilaration, comedy, irony, sadness and valor; in other words, everything one might expect from a well-written war memoir. That this particular work is a novel should not deter those interested in military history, nor those interested in the psychology of warfare and warriors. The story reads like an authentic chronicle in all respects, and I doubt you will be disappointed with its scope and message.

Thunderchief starts fast and escalates from there. Don Henry hits the target with this narrative; I hope there are more fighter pilot tales to come from this author!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Novel From A Great Pilot And Patriot, March 19, 2007

By 

Robert I. Hedges - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Thunderchief (Hardcover)

In "Thunderchief" former USAF fighter pilot Don Henry chronicles the molding of a young fighter pilot, First Lieutenant Ashe Wilcox, into a mature warrior and leader flying the mighty F-105 from Takhli RTAFB, Thailand in the awful year of 1966. Ashe (who reminds me of real-life hero Karl Richter, a close personal friend of Henry) is mentored by a somewhat spooky former POW who only answers to the name "Hunter," and is a full-blooded American Indian, which makes the title of the book into not only a description, but a clever play on words.

I read the book straight through in one sitting, and enjoyed it immensely. Although fiction, many elements of fiction only serve to obscure specific people: there is no doubt that this book feels definitely authentic, and far better than most war fiction. I found the characters and situations encountered compelling and intriguing, and found the account of the aerial actions highly readable.

I only have a few quibbles with the book, all of which pale in comparison to the outstanding qualities the book has. I found the "Indian" references occasionally heavy-handed and pushing the limit of being believable. Clearly the Hunter character is central to the story, but some of his personality traits and behaviors seem like contrived plot points rather than natural and realistic characteristics of a true warrior and fighter pilot. I found the conclusion to be predictable, even though it was well written: the foreshadowing was unmistakable since the first time the subject of Hunter's obsession with the Doumer bridge was brought up very early in the story. Having said that, the character of Hunter serves as a model for Ashe and in that role is very effective. I especially found the Epilogue to be an ingenious method of revealing an intriguing conclusion: Henry clearly crafted the last two pages very carefully, and he got them exactly right.

Although I have to admit that I would have preferred a similar book of historical nonfiction from Henry (the Broughton and Rasimus books are my favorite books on war ever written, perhaps my favorites of all time) this is an excellent and exciting book, and I recommend it without reservations.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good read, April 10, 2007

By 

C. R. Bogard "bogie from AZ" (Tucson, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Thunderchief (Hardcover)

Interesting read since I was there during the time frame he writes about.