Wings Over Persia [Paperback]

Lou Martin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 6, 2006

WINGS OVER PERSIA provides a firsthand account of intrigue and adventure of an American pilot flying in Iran, during the revolution which overthrew the Shah and installed Ayatollah Khomeini as Iran's Islamic dictator.

Lou Martin was an air force pilot for 22 years and a captain for Japan airlines from 1970 to 1975, before joining a small cadre of foreign pilots in Iran hired to fly a variety of aircraft throughout the Middle East.

His passengers ranged from family members of the late Shah of Iran to high-ranking Iranian government officials, and oil field roughnecks. His observations relating to these flights are outlined in thrilling chapter after chapter. He invites the reader to mentally share his cockpit during these exciting flights.

Captain Martin was living and working in Iran during the disturbing days of 1978 when Islamic hard-liners rioted in the streets of Tehran demanding the overthrow of the Shah.

The tempo of the revolution increased to the point where thousands of demonstrators were killed by the Shah's army forcing him and his family to flee to Egypt. His abdication allowed the firebrand leader Ayatollah Khomeini to become Iran's despotic leader, and form a ruthless fundamentalist Islamic government. Several of Captain Martin's friends and colleagues were summarily tried and executed by the Islamic revolutionary guards.

During the peak of the revolution a personal friend was stabbed to death by unknown assailants, and fearing for his own life he hurriedly left Iran. His exodus forced him to abandon thousands of dollars of unpaid salary, a Volkswagen and other personal property.

In the spring of 1979 he was prepared to return to Iran in an attempt to recover lost property, but an extraordinarily lucky event in Rome, Italy, convinced him that returning to Iran would very likely expose him to arrest and confinement. Faced with this dismal probability he returned to the United States to pursue a safer and less exciting life.

"Congratulations on being the 2004 recipient of the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame's Best Aviation writing by a Minnesotan! We enjoyed your exciting personal account of your days flying as a captain for an air charter company in Iran. Your book was exciting and personal, definitely the type of aviation writing the MAHOF wishes to honor and encourage with its annual award."

Duane Jacobson - Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Lou Martin was born and raised in a small Midwest farming town in northern Wisconsin. He was the ninth of ten children of hard working German, Scotch and Irish parents.

He was thirteen years old when the Japanese military attacked Pearl Harbor and along with other young men his age, he contributed to America's victory to the extent his young years would allow. Before the war ended he collected scap metal, delivered Western Union Telegrams, worked as a railroad labourer and in a defense plant in Chicago.

A memorable event during the war years when, as a fourteen year old, he delivered telegrams to families informing them that their loved ones were killed in action or taken prisoner. He recalls that after being the bearer of such sad tidings he would leave lamenting family members with tears in his eyes.

He was working in Detroit, Michigan when the war with Japan ended and he recalls the victory celebrations with clarity. When in Detroit, at the age of seventeen, he obtained a private pilot's license.

In 1948 the air force was once again seeking aviation candidates, but it appeared he would not qualify as he did not possess the minimum educational requirement of two years of college. However, the air force stated they would accept young men for pilot training if they could successfully pass a two-year college equivalency exam.

Along with eleven other young men from the Midwest, he reported to Chanute AFB to be evaluated for acceptance for pilot training. Four of the twelve successfully completed the qualification requirements with two graduating a year and a half later as air force pilots.

He spent the next twenty-two years as an air force pilot, retiring in 1970 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He flew a variety of aircraft, including large four-engine transports and single-engine jet fighters. A vigorous self-study program when a member of the air force allowed him to obtain a BS degree in Military Science from the University of Maryland.

From 1970 to 1975, he flew as a captain for Japan Domestic Airlines in Tokyo, Japan. His flying experiences in Japan were unique, as he flew a Japanese manufactured YS-11 turbo-jet transport with Japanese copilots and Japanese flight attendants. His years with Japan Airlines included flying with senior Japanese instructor pilots who had participated in the attack on Peal Harbor, December 7, 1941 and with former members of Kamikaze squadrons.

From 1976 to 1979, he flew as a captain for an air charter company in Tehran, Iran. On many of his flights in the Middle East, he transported the Shah's twin sister, his youngest brother, and high ranking government and military officers. Flights ranged from transporting high ranking Iranian VIPs to oil company roughnecks. He was caught up in the revolution that overthrow the Shah and made a hasty exit from Iran when his life was in danger.

After returning to the US he worked as a Falcon Fan Jet instructor in Napa, California, before accepting a position in 1980 as an air carrier inspector with the FAA in New York. In 1983, he transferred to the FAA office in Minneapolis with duties as a DC-9, B-727, and B-747 pilot examiner.

From 1992 to 1996, he was attached to the US Consulate Office in Frankfurt, Germany, where he served as the FAA Operations Unit Supervisor for the European International Field Office. In this position he worked closely with foreign aviation authorities and made two trips to Moscow, assisting Russian airlines in operating DC-10s and B-757s.

To round out his vast aviation experiences, he became an active warbird pilot with the Planes of Fame Air Museum, where he flew restored World War Two aircraft.

Lou Martin retired from professional flying in January 1999 with a total of 19,000 accident-free flight hours. However, he still flies his single engine Cessna and gliders with the Minnesota Soaring Club. He holds an FAA Flight Instructor's and Fligh

Product Details

• Paperback: 266 pages
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing (July 6, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1412001072
• ISBN-13: 978-1412001076
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #922,755 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #38 in Books > Travel > Middle East > Iran

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Written by a pilot's pilot, February 9, 2009

By 

James Luger (Minnetonka, Minnesota USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wings Over Persia (Paperback)

Lou Martin shares a rare view of living in a trouble land as a commercial aviator. Each chapter is a story in itself, while revealing the larger picture of life in Iran during that country's best and worst of times. Mr. Martin is a natural story teller and gifted writer. His story zeros in on the day-to-day problems and pleasures he encountered in Iran, and puts them into perspective by giving the larger picture of Iran's internal and world politics.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Five stars are not enough, August 24, 2003

By 

KAP (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wings Over Persia (Paperback)

Several weeks ago I rode my bike to the local airport to see why there were so many planes suddenly flying around the small community that I live in, and once there I found that there was a fly-in. Now, I'm not very knowledgeable about aircraft but I have had a life long fascination with aircraft of any sort. I enjoyed walking around inspecting aircraft of various kinds and being mesmerized by some formation flying, but couldn't get answers to some of my questions, especially those having to do with WWII (which were the ones performing low level fly-byes, and higher level formation flying).

Eventually I worked my way over to the hangar where breakfast was being served by the local Boy Scout troupe. Right outside the hangar was a small table with a display of pictures and several books on it, and a man sitting there with aviator style sunglasses on engaged in discussion with another gentleman. As I looked at the display I couldn't help but overhear some of the aviation stories he was telling, and became enthralled with not only the information I was hearing but the manner in which it was being conveyed.

After some time I got into a discussion with Mr. Martin about some of the aircraft that I had seen that day. He answered all of my questions and cleared up those that most intriqued me (the WWII aircraft were T-6 trainers, an aircraft that he had experience with). He then began telling me stories about his adventures as a pilot in an Iranian air taxi company during the last days of the Shah's government and the revolution that brought the Ayatollah to power.

To say that I was hooked on his storytelling is an understatement. I really had no intention of buying the book when I first saw it, but my subsequent conversation with Mr. Martin convinced me that I couldn't pass up this opportunity to delve deeper into his experiences during such an important period in world history. Sitting in front of me was someone with vast experience in aviation who had first hand knowledge of some incredible events that still affect our world today.

Mr. Martin's writing is crisp in its detail and weaves some historical background information to flesh out his stories so that the reader has a better grasp of not only the flavor of the times but of a society and people we Americans (and most Westerners I would imagine) are likely to be unaware of. Not only was I entertained but I learned an awful lot.

Wings Over Persia captivated me from cover to cover, keeping me on the edge of my seat with stories that alternated between high drama, humor, and suspense. Sometimes people who can tell a great story fail miserably when they commit them to paper. Not so in this case. Lou Martin is a storyteller/writer par excellance. It was a lucky day for me when I met him and now I have this jewell of a book to relive some of his fascinating escapades.

This book is suitable for any reader, young or old, as there is no unacceptable language for parents to worry about - just great stories that kids will love and older people will appreciate. It wouldn't surprise me if a lot of young readers will be inspired to persue a career in aviation due to this book.

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and appropriate, August 3, 2005

By 

FlyJeffJ "FlyJeffJ" (Minneapolis) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wings Over Persia (Paperback)

As I am serving in the Air Force in the Middle East, I found Mr. Martin's book to be quite timely and an interesting mix of personal accounts and additional history to make it a joy to read and own!