Thud Pilot

Author: Victor Vizcarra
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781781556450
Category : Thunderchief (Jet fighter plane)
Languages : en
Pages : 160

Book Description
Thud Pilot is the personal account of a combat fighter pilot who flew the Air Force's premier fighter-bomber in the most dangerous skies over North Vietnam. In the first five years of the Vietnam War, the F-105 Thunderchief conducted 75 percent of the Air Force bombing missions over North Vietnam. Thud Pilot tells the story of the courageous men who flew the F-105 from its earliest combat deployment in 1964, and on through 1966, the year of its heaviest losses. The author's more significant missions, including his ejection and rescue over North Vietnam are described in detail and are accompanied by map drawings depicting the mission routes from take-off to refueling orbits, the target, and return. The book is full of several 'firsts' in the expanding air war over North Vietnam, including 'Operation Spring High, ' the first counter Surface-to-Air-Missile (SAM) strike in the history of aerial warfare. The personal perspective from years of combat experience reveals just how the political mismanagement and inane Rules of Engagement made them as much the hunted as they were the hunters. Thud Pilot goes beyond the battle air space and shares the emotional impact on the families left behind.

Thud Ridge

Author: Jack Broughton
Publisher: Crecy Pub
ISBN: 9780859791168
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 280

Book Description
This is the story of a special breed of warrior, the fighter-bomber pilot; the story of valiant men who flew the F-105 Thunderchief 'Thud' Fighter-Bomber over the hostile skies of North Vietnam. From the briefing rooms to the bombing runs, Vice-Wing Commander Colonel Jack Broughton, recounts the tragedy and heartache, the high drama and flaming terror, the exhilaration and thrill of life on the edge. He relives the incredible feeling of high-speed, low-level sorties where SAM missiles, flak and MiGs were all in a day's work. The bravery of the pilots and their commitment to each other in times of extreme fear, crisis and catastrophe are highlighted by vivid, fast moving flying sequences. Thud Ridgeis a fascinating and graphic memorial to the courage of the men, the power of their machines and their dedication to their mission.

When Thunder Rolled

Author: Ed Rasimus
Publisher: Smithsonian Institution
ISBN: 1588343545
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 320

Book Description
Ed Rasimus straps the reader into the cockpit of an F-105 Thunderchief fighter-bomber in his engaging account of the Rolling Thunder campaign in the skies over North Vietnam. Between 1965 and 1968, more than 330 F-105s were lost—the highest loss rate in Southeast Asia—and many pilots were killed, captured, and wounded because of the Air Force’s disastrous tactics. The descriptions of Rasimus’s one hundred missions, some of the most dangerous of the conflict, will satisfy anyone addicted to vivid, heart-stopping aerial combat, as will the details of his transformation from a young man paralyzed with self-doubt into a battle-hardened veteran. His unique perspective, candid analysis, and the sheer power of his narrative rank his memoir with the finest, most entertaining of the war.

Roll Call

Author: John M. Campbell
Publisher: Schiffer Military History
ISBN: 9780764300622
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 176

Book Description
Information is included as to where each plane served, who flew it and the ultimate fate of each THUD. Contains photographs of different serial numbers, including the two F-105s that were flown on Medal of Honor missions.

Rupert Red Two

Author: Jack Broughton
Publisher: Zenith Press
ISBN: 9780760332177
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 376

Book Description
Den amerikanske pilot, Jack Broughton, beretter om sin indsats som jagerpilot.

Sketches from a Pilot's Life

Author: Curtis C. Truver
Publisher: Trafford Publishing
ISBN: 141200456X
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 84

Book Description
Ten various real life experiences selected from 55 years of aviation life.

The Air Reservist

Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Aeronautics, Military
Languages : en
Pages : 208

Book Description

Contact!

Author: Bob Tuxford
Publisher: Grub Street Publishing
ISBN: 1910690775
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 225

Book Description
A retired RAF Squadron Leader recounts his decades of service in Cold War combat zones across the globe, including his crucial role in the Falklands. Joining the Royal Air Force in 1970, Bob Tuxford distinguished himself as a fighter pilot, test pilot, squadron leader and flying instructor. In this enthralling memoir, he shares his story of active service across the world. Among other episodes, Tuxford details his exchange tour in the US Air Force and his courageous mission during the Falklands war that earned him an Air Force Cross for Gallantry. As a Victor tanker captain, Tuxford had the job of executing air-to-air refueling operations through the 1970s and early 1980s. This experience prepared him for the vital role he played in the first Black Buck mission during the Falklands campaign. Tuxford was the last Victor tanker to refuel the Vulcan piloted by Martin Withers before bombing commenced on that fateful night in 1982. Later in his career, Bob became the senior test pilot on the heavy aircraft test squadron at the Aircraft and Armament Experimental Establishment, Boscombe Down. In Contact!, Tuxford offers an intimate look at life in the RAF while shedding light on the importance of tanker squadrons during the Cold War.

F-105 Thunderchief

Author: Dennis R. Jenkins
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing
ISBN: 9780071355117
Category : Thunderchief (Fighter planes)
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Meeting demand for small thermonuclear weaponry capable of penetrating Soviet defences, the F-105 evolved through many generations of prototype. This work includes technical detail balanced by facts and insider stories, missions, production, avionics, development, the people and the works.

The Men Who Flew the F-4 Phantom

Author: Martin W. Bowman
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1526705869
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 489

Book Description
The Phantom was developed for the US Navy as a long-range all-weather fighter and first flew in May 1958, before becoming operational in 1961. The US Air Force then realized that the Navy had an aircraft that was far better than any tactical aircraft in their inventory and ordered 543 F-4C variants. There then followed a spate of orders from around the world. In Britain, it was ordered for the Navy and Air Force, but was modified to take the Rolls-Royce Spey turbofan. One of the Royal Navy's Phantoms stole the record for the fastest Atlantic crossing, a record that stood until taken by the remarkable Blackbird. Phantoms have been used in combat in many conflicts throughout its long service history. It was one of America's most utilized aircraft during the long Vietnam War and has been flown in anger in the Middle East by a number of different air forces.This is the perfect book for the general reader, enthusiast or modeler wishing to find a succinct yet detailed introduction to the design of the aircraft that has made history. It features a multitude of stories as relayed by USAF and Israeli airmen who actually flew this remarkable aircraft in wars in SE Asia and the Middle East, detailing just what it was like to fly the F-4 in combat. Many of the dozen or so chapters include combat testimonies of the Phantom design and durability in SE Asia and in the wars fought between Israel and her surrounding Arab enemies throughout the 1970s and beyond.The book also features a wealth of technical data along with stirring images that supplement the text perfectly, enhancing its visual appeal.