The Last of a Breed - Hardcover

Severe, Errol D.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0965695700 ISBN 13: 9780965695701

Publisher: Lighthouse Productions Inc, 1997

This is the first book ever written that covers the entire Flying/Aviation Cadet Pilot Training Program from its beginning in 1917 until its ending in 1961.

This is the story of the brave young men who defended our nation in the skies during every war from WWI through Viet Nam. They were the top 2.5 % of our nations young men. Their dream was to fly! They wanted to fly more than they wanted to eat. Out of approximately every 1,000 boys who applied for this training, only 75 men would graduate. Over 60% were washed out at primary flight training alone. So important was this program, that those who did wash out have not gotten over it to this very day, even if it happened over fifty years ago. But those who did have the skill, determination, and discipline, are as fine an example of what a man should be as can be found. They are the last of a breed, and when they are all gone from this earth, they will be sorely missed.

This hard bound book is comprised of 270 black and white photographs, many of which have not been seen before by anyone living today. It is 376 pages long with an 18-page list of training bases. It is 8 1/2" X 11" and weighs almost 3.5 lbs. The paper is satin finish for ease of reading, and the dark blue cover under the full-color, plastic-coated dust jacket is silver embossed. The overall quality of this work is outstanding. I know anyone will enjoy reading it, even if they are not interested in airplanes. This is a treasure to be read and handed down to future generations so that they will know who we are, and perhaps be inspired to emulate what we have done.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

From the Back Cover:

This will be a valuable addition to Air Force history. -Bruce Ashcroft, historian, Air Education and Training Command, Randolph AFB, Texas.

One of the criteria for a work of historical non-fiction is that when it is read by somebody who was there, the response will be, "Yes, that's the way it was." Errol Severe's new book meets that criteria, and more. Severe experienced what he writes about, and his love of the era and of the challenge of flying high performance aircraft shines through on every page. The text and the illustrations, many gathered from personal and, until now, unseen collections, will evoke strong memories. Some hilarious, some sobering, all with a flavor of the times. A collector's item for yesterday's cadets and for anyone of any age with a love for the wild blue yonder. -Herbert Molloy Mason, Jr. Author of: The Lafayette Escadrille, The New Tigers: The Making of a Modern Fighter Pilot, The Rise of the Luftwaffe, The U.S. Air Force: A Turbulent History and others.

About the Author:

Errol D. Severe was an Aviation Cadet in pilot training class 61-E, and graduated at Vance AFB, on January 27, 1961. After his tour of duty at the 384th Air Refueling Squadron at Westover AFB, Springfield, Massachusetts, he went to work as a pilot for Delta Airlines at Houston, Texas. He retired from the airline on a medical disability in 1985. He and his wife Beth moved from Houston to Eureka Springs, Arkansas in 1987, where they now reside. They have two grown children, and three grandchildren. About two years ago Errol was inspired to write a book about the Aviation Cadet pilot training program. This is the culmination of that effort.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.