Tail of the Storm: Flying Missions in the First Gulf War - Softcover

Cockrell, Alan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0817307729 ISBN 13: 9780817307721

Publisher: The University of Alabama Press, 1995

Synopsis

The book is brand new and will be dispatched from UK.

About this title

Review

"Cockrell captures the essence of the love affair for flying which inspires many military aviators. He conveys the humor, repartee, and camaraderie shared by Air Force aircrews in a way I found both accurate and entertaining. An outstanding work."
--Robert J. Jakeman, Auburn University

From the Author

What a critic said:
Kliatt magazine, May 1995: "Memoirs by wartime pilots are not uncommon, although there never seem to be enough of the good ones. About once every war, however, comes a Guy Murchie, a Richard Bach, or an Antoine de Saint Exupery who brings imagination, skill, and a touch of poetry to his life aloft. Writers such as these let us see the romance of flying as well as technique, and show something of the writer’s on soul as well. With this book, Alan Cockrell has stepped into that small company.... One does not usually associate the romance of flight with prosaic C-141 Starlifters lumbering along on trip after dreay trip to the Middle East, but Cockrell has managed to do it. From this unpromising situation, the author takes the reader on a tour of his own world aloft, showing the unbelievable intricacy of modern airmanship, the tedium of endless hours of a well-learned routine, and the stark beauty and drama of simply being in the air. Lengthy digressions and flashbacks portray the author’s boyhood life and Air Force experiences, as well as startlingly vivid personality sketches of some of his friends and associates over the years. Best of all, Cockrell lets us see a great deal of himself: proud and bumptious Southerner, stolid airman, and introspective observer. Numerous hours spent in quiet cockpits with his plane plodding along...have given him plenty of time to hone his recollections, meditate on his life, and evolve his writing style. The results are apparent. Good story, good writing, good history; highly recommended to school and adult collections." --Raymond L. Puffer, Historian, Edwards AFB, CA

Edition details

• Publisher: The University of Alabama Press
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0817307729
• ISBN 13: 9780817307721
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240