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Hangar Flying touches lightly on [McPeak's] pre-military life, when he grew up in a nomadic household headed by his mother. It glides into a professional cadence as he traces his career in the cockpit. McPeak offers...all a reader could require in the way of aerial maneuvers, sorties and military strategy.
— The Oregonian
By turn poetic, amusing, insightful, poignant and often self-deprecating, [Hangar Flying] is a potent mix blending domestic detail with life-on-the-line escapades, be they risky acrobatic displays as part of the Thunderbirds team or sorties in Vietnam.
— East Anglian Daily Times
Anonymous
Posted April 26, 2013
General McPeak's "Hangar Flying" is a thrill ride written by a real-life American hero. His bird's eye view of a very young United States Air Force, The Cold War, The Thunderbirds and Vietnam make this first of a trilogy must-reading for the aviator, airman, anyone who has flown, or anyone who ever wanted to fly.
RonStanderfer
Posted August 14, 2012
"Hangar Flying" by General Merrill "Tony" McPeak is not a lofty lecture about his days as Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force; nor ISs it a tell all book about higher power military politics in the Pentagon. Rather, the book's title is truth in advertising in its purest form. "Hangar Flying" for the uninitiated is a euphemism aviators use to describe discussions---fueled or non fueled by alcohol---during which pilots or crew members describe memorable experiences in the air. These discussions can be educational, cautionary, inspirational or just plain entertaining depending on your viewpoint. They should not be confused with "war stories" which tend to increase in hyperbole with each telling, often burnishing the image of the teller in the process. There is plenty of hangar flying to go around in the book, mostly of the educational and inspirational kind.
"Hangar Flying" is divided into roughly three parts. The first part is mostly auto biographical; where he describes his modest upbringing and his long tortuous journey through the Cold War and Vietnam Conflict to the top of his profession. The writing style in this section, as well as in most of the book, is modest and self deprecating; sometimes pointing to errors in judgment as a young officer that did little to enhance his image as a future Chief of Staff.
The second part of the book will appeal to those who watched and admired the skill and precision flying of the Air Force aerial demonstration team, The Thunderbirds. General McPeak flew with the team in 1967 and 1968. In this section he takes care to describe all you ever wanted know about The Thunderbirds---the personality of each team member and how they worked together; the intricacies of each maneuver and how it was performed; and the rigorous training required to keep the team at the top of their game. He also provides ample proof that the flying in the shows not only looked dangerous, but was dangerous. Fascinating stuff, to say the least.
The last part of the book describes General McPeak's tour in Vietnam. He arrived at Phu Cat AB, RVN in 1969, and left Vietnam approximately a year later as part of an ongoing force withdrawal; flying over 250 combat missions. At one point, he was the commander of Detachment One, 37th Tactical Fighter Wing, most commonly referred to as the "Mistys" after their call sign in the theater. Misty pilots performed an extremely dangerous mission, flying high speed, low altitude, visual reconnaissance in the two place, F-100F Super Sabre along the Ho Chi Min Trail; identifying and directing air strikes against military traffic found along the road. It was so dangerous that 25% of the crews were shot down performing the mission.
In the last few chapters of the book, the author makes an interesting and telling change in his narrative. While moving along the time line of his combat experiences he begins to interweave observations about the application of air power during the war and how it was limited by interference from the highest level of the government; the tangled and ineffective chain of command within and outside the theater; and the lack of up to date weaponry---most specifically smart bombs. After summarizing his thoughts on the war in the final chapter, the book ends rather abruptly with the following quote: "The war was always the South's to win and it couldn't. It was always ours to l
EdBrightman
Posted July 5, 2012
From his less than gung-ho entry into the Air Force through his many missions in Vietnam, Gen. McPeak tells a fascinating story with great insight. Told through a wonderful conversational style, he vacillatess between humor and dead seriousness, egotism and humbleness and frustration mixed with pride while serving his country in what is surely a unique personal journey in the history of air power. Probably the best technical pilot of his generation on Earth, his methodical growth as both a pilot and an officer is meticulously documented and extremely entertaining. I have given "Hangar Flying" as gifts to many veteran friends of mine and have had nothing but great feedback.
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