The thirty-year period that marked the advent of the supersonic jet in military aviation was a particularly dangerous one for fighter pilots. As they learned to navigate speeds up to Mach 2, discovering the performance limits and weaknesses of the aircraft, their courage and stamina were tested to the limit.
This engaging memoir relates the life story of a famed pilot who flew supersonic jets for the United States Air Force during the Cold War through Vietnam and beyond. As a test pilot, a member of the USAF Thunderbirds, a fighter pilot with more than 200 combat missions in the Vietnam War, and a Fighter Weapons School (“Top Gun”) graduate and instructor, he was at the center of the most significant periods in military aviation.

Colonel Robert Earl Haney served in the United States Air Force from 1952 to 1982—a long and decorated career.
Lee Courtnage lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Robert Earl Haney with Lee Courtnage
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 228
Bibliographic Info: 46 photos, index
Copyright Date: 2011
pISBN: 978-0-7864-6316-9
eISBN: 978-0-7864-8471-3
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments vii

Preface      1

Introduction by Lee Courtnage      5

1. Breaking the Sound Barrier      9

2. My First Mentors      14

3. Aviation Cadet: Jet Age Training      30

4. Supersonic Flight: The F-86      42

5. Fighter Jet Nuclear Capability      49

6. Flight Test      65

7. Return to Tactical Fighters      84

8. USAF Thunderbirds      95

9. Southeast Asian War      129

10. Fighter Weapons School: Terminal Guided Weapons      159

11. Air War College and Test and Evaluation      170

12. Operational Testing      181

13. Field Commander      192

14. The Last Day      202

15. Epilogue      208

Index      217

“fascinating…recommended”—LJ Xpress Reviews.