Paul Gillcrist was a navy carrier pilot for almost thirty years, from the early days of flying propeller planes from straight-deck carriers, to the days of high-tech, lethal "teen" jets and supercarriers. In his remarkable career — from "nugget," to competent jet aviator, to test pilot, to Vietnam fighter pilot, to air wing commander, to head of "Fightertown USA," Gillcrist flew the F-8 Crusader, F-4 Phantom, F-14 Tomcat, and a myriad of other carrier aircraft. He took part in the Navy's transition to jet aircraft, when accident rates were high and many feared that jets would not be able to operate in the harsh, demanding environment of "blue water ops." Gillcrist saw the introduction of critical innovations — the angled deck, steam catapult, optical landing system — that saved carrier jet aviation from extinction. Few aviators have had such varied and fascinating experiences; and few could write about them with such eloquence.
Feet Wet (aviator talk for reaching the safety of water) is a chronicle of adventure, heroism, courage, and humor, with some of the most exciting passages ever written on flying. Gillcrist's descriptions are so real that they make your pulse race and your palms get sweaty. From his magical first flight — the sheer ecstasy of being airborne, to the heart-pounding excitement of his first night "trap," the terror of ejecting from a test plane spinning out of control, to dodging SAMs and jousting MiGs over Hanoi — Gillcrist takes the reader into his world and vividly conveys what all pilots live for — the tremendous "high" of all-out flying.
As part of his absorbing stories, Gillcrist shares technical information on carrier aviation: the reader sees, step-by-step, how an airplane is launched, and then trapped again on a small deck aboard a moving ship — this, the most difficult feat in aviation.
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Note:
"Long" descriptions, where shown, may have been taken from the book's dust jacket notes, and as such are relevant to the date of publication (e.g. any references to "new edition" "previously unpublished photographs" etc.) and not the present.
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