True Air

On the morning of August 15, 1945, Captain Jerry Yellin flew the last combat mission of World War II out of Iwo Jima. Today, Captain Yellin is a sharp, engaging, 93-year-old veteran whose story is brought to life by best-selling author Don Brown.

Discover “the stories America needs to hear” (Admiral William H. McRaven, US Navy (Ret.)) with these moving and powerful recollections of war, told by the men and women who lived them. Walk in my Combat Boots is a powerful collection crafted from hundreds of original interviews by James...

Written like a novel, Coming up for Air features a collection of true, interconnecting stories, performed by an international cast, complimented by witty, bold and enlightening narrative from an empathetic writer who has clearly not only mastered, but also experienced his subject matter.

In 1948 West Berlin, Mercedes and her mother rely on the noisy American planes that form a “sky bridge” into the city, bringing vital food and supplies. But the planes deliver more than flour, clothing, and coal. Every day, one special plane wiggles its wings, and its pilot drops small candy-filled parachutes for the children. How can Mercedes get the “Chocolate Pilot” to drop some candy just for her?

Sliding out of the shadows of World War Two, the de Havilland Vampire—accompanied by the distinctive whine of its Goblin engine—quickly proved itself an effective alternative to piston-powered fighters. After entering operational service with the RAF (as the service's first single-engine jet) in 1946, the Vampire—sought by air forces the world over—held a number of notable records: the first fighter to exceed 500 mph, the first to set a world altitude record of almost 60,000 feet, the first jet to take off and land from an aircraft carrier, and the first jet to cross the Atlantic Ocean.

I didn't believe in time travel or teleportation until it happened to me. I'm Bruce Gernon, and I flew through the heart of the Bermuda Triangle before I'd even heard the term. Skeptics have dismissed the Triangle as a nonmystery, but they weren't in my airplane when the fog surrounded my craft and I leapt ahead 100 miles. I documented what happened and memorized every detail of that flight. Now, I'm ready to explain that there is no Bermuda Triangle!

The incredible true story of the most spectacular aircraft-carrier battle in history - World War II's Great Marianas Turkey Shoot. Here is the true account of those great and terrible days - by those who were there, in the thick of the Battle of the Philippine Sea. Drawing upon numerous interviews with American and Japanese veterans as well as official sources, Clash of the Carriers is an unforgettable testimonial to the bravery of those who fought and those who died in a battle that will never be forgotten.

Frank Luke, Jr., was an unlikely pilot. In the Great War, when fliers were still "knights of the air", Luke was an ungallant loner, a kid from Arizona who collected tarantulas, shot buzzards, and boxed miners. But during two torrid weeks in September 1918, he was the deadliest man on the Western Front. In only 10 missions, he destroyed 14 heavily defended German balloons and four airplanes, a rampage unequalled even by the dreaded von Richtofen, and the second highest American tally of the entire war.

There's nothing funny about cancer. But humour can help take away some of its terrible power. 'Riveting. funny-sad. And so real. I have a friend-crush on Shormishtha now!' Anuja Chauhan 'Cancer picked the wrong girl, but you picked the right book. I laughed through tears and till I teared up.'...

Flight attendant Taylor Tippett had just finished beverage service and was sitting in the back of a Boeing 737 when she had a revelation: How can I show kindness to these passengers if I can't show it to myself? She grabbed a tiny notepad and a Sharpie and wrote a simple message that would...

Much as it disappoints me, a Sherbet poster is my earliest memory of pop music fandom. It was given to me in exchange for two chocolate biscuits, and I can tell you who got the better of that deal. They were very nice chocolate biscuits. 'So begins Anthony Griffis' fateful love affair with pop music, but by the 1980s he's fed up with hairspray rock and the likes of Adam Ant and Duran Duran. Growing up in a country town where trucking songs rule the airways, he's forced to bid his time with the solitary pursuit of air guitar.

Through the firsthand experiences of pilots and ground crew, the author of Javelin Boys chronicles the history of the RAF’s first jet-engine aircraft. As Britain’s first jet fighter, the Gloster Meteor has had a remarkably varied and lengthy life. But while many books have focused on its development and service history, the time has come to hear the personal experiences of its air and ground crews.

An award-winning military journalist tells the amazing stories of twenty-two soldiers who've won the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military award. In the Company of Heroes will feature in-depth narrative profiles of the twenty-three post-9/11 Medal of Honor awardees who served in...

Gina has no intention of marrying again following a disastrous divorce. She wants to focus on raising her son and building a career, not falling in love. But then she meets a spirited airman named David Scheff and everything changes. It doesn’t take long for him to convince her that marrying her soul mate might be a good idea after all. A member of the Air Force, David eventually becomes the flight chief for Air Force One, giving Gina the opportunity to shake hands with presidents William Jefferson Clinton and George W. Bush. It’s a great adventure!

A history of the Royal Navy’s FAA since 1945, featuring a survey of the aircraft flown, the conflicts fought, and the daily life of those in service. The RAF’s continuing role in the projection of air power in the defence of the United Kingdom and its overseas interests since the end of the Second World War is well known. However, the same cannot always be said about the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm (FAA).

The inspiring true story of the first female pilots taking their rightful place in the exciting world of aviation. In 1929, 19 gutsy women blazed out of the darkness by setting out from California in propeller-driven planes, each competing to be the winner of the first female cross-country air race. The hazards were many, from disastrous weather to possible sabotage, but by facing the dangers with skill and determination, the racers thrilled the nation and pioneered a new future for female pilots and women's rights.

In this collection of true-life survivor tales, people from all walks of life - a freelance writer, a crew member of the Lynyrd Skynyrd band, a naval flight surgeon, a teenager, and a newlywed on her honeymoon, among others - recount their traumatic narrow escapes as engines stalled, fuel ran out, hazardous weather conditions descended, and landings did not go according to plan.

It's the run-up to Christmas, 1998. On the Isle of Mull, Sergeant Ivor Punch is losing himself in his vinyl collection, a tragic anniversary and too much single malt whisky. But news of a missing child soon brings him back to his senses. And as word spreads of more strange disappearances, an aircraft vanishing from the sky and a famous classical musician gone with it, it seems a sinister plot holds the island in its grip. Punch thought he knew the secrets of this place, its people and stories.

Nine thousand men of the First British Airborne Division were parachuted into the peaceful countryside that surrounded Arnhem. Their objective was to capture and hold the bridge over the Rhine ahead of the advancing British Second Army. Nine days later, after some of the fiercest street-fighting of the war, 2,000 paratroopers managed to escape to safety.

Wartime Friends is a tale of unbreakable bonds in times of strife, by bestselling author Margaret Dickinson. As the storm clouds of war gather over Britain, two brave, young women will discover the value of true friendship as they deal with troubles of their own while the lives of those they...