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Flying the Line An Airforce Pilot's Journey
Embarking on an insightful journey through the 1970s American military, Jay Lacklen takes you on an enthralling adventure from pilot training to his surreal, nightmarish B-52 bomb run during the Vietnam War. Bringing a fresh perspective to the era, Lacklen shows how the military draft diverted him from a prospective journalism career into an Air Force cockpit. He speaks to the reader as a writer trying to become a pilot rather than the other way around.
Ensnaring you with accounts of bomb runs over Cambodia and several episodes of his aircraft on the verge of crashing, Lacklen delves into the darkest moments of a pilot's life with a writer's eye for detail and descriptive ability.
Difficult subjects are faced head on, including encounters with hookers in Southeast Asia, a nuanced view of the North Vietnamese Army, and a surprising perspective on the Vietnam War protests including actress and activist Jane Fonda.
This is a journey all students of the Vietnam War era should undertake
Ensnaring you with accounts of bomb runs over Cambodia and several episodes of his aircraft on the verge of crashing, Lacklen delves into the darkest moments of a pilot's life with a writer's eye for detail and descriptive ability.
Difficult subjects are faced head on, including encounters with hookers in Southeast Asia, a nuanced view of the North Vietnamese Army, and a surprising perspective on the Vietnam War protests including actress and activist Jane Fonda.
This is a journey all students of the Vietnam War era should undertake
- GenresNonfiction
293 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
27 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
About the author
Jay Lacklen
3 booksBorn in 1946, reared in Arlington, Virginia. Graduated from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in 1969. Pilot for the USAF for 33 years with 12,500 flying hours. Flew cargo aircraft (C-7) and the B-52 bomber during the Vietnam War. Flew the C-5 Galaxy for 23 years in the Air Force reserve out of Dover AFB, Delaware and Westover AFB, Massachusetts. Flew in all major military engagements from Vietnam to the Iraq War. Taught Air Force pilot training simulators at Columbus AFB, Mississippi from 2005-2014. Married with four daughters and two granddaughters. Reside in Vienna, Virginia where I have completed a three-book memoir of my Air Force experiences.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 16, 2016
Disclaimer: I am a SAC brat of the boomer generation (born at Loring, no less!)
Lt Col Lacklen, in Flying the Line, has done a great service to those of us who grew up on SAC bases during the tenuous Cold War years. Just as he writes about the curtain that separates the cockpit from the rest of the plane, so too was there a curtain that protected us from the harsh realities of the day-to-day lives of the dads who served. As young children, while we did not grasp the implications, we knew that when the alert siren sounded and fathers scrambled from their beds, it was for something very important indeed. Throughout the Vietnam years, we were faced with the dissonance of observing youth not much older than we "on the other side of the main gate" protesting the war, while we were in that unique microcosm that regularly watched fathers fight in, and sometimes give their lives for, the cause. Col. Lacklen's book has helped part that curtain and view these events from a vantage point that we neither were nor should have been privy to in our younger years. I have already recommended this book to readers in a military brat group, and I look forward to Books 2 & 3, which will cover years when we boomers came of age and unless we followed in the military tradition, saw our ID cards expire and found ourselves on the other side of the main gate as well.
Lt Col Lacklen, in Flying the Line, has done a great service to those of us who grew up on SAC bases during the tenuous Cold War years. Just as he writes about the curtain that separates the cockpit from the rest of the plane, so too was there a curtain that protected us from the harsh realities of the day-to-day lives of the dads who served. As young children, while we did not grasp the implications, we knew that when the alert siren sounded and fathers scrambled from their beds, it was for something very important indeed. Throughout the Vietnam years, we were faced with the dissonance of observing youth not much older than we "on the other side of the main gate" protesting the war, while we were in that unique microcosm that regularly watched fathers fight in, and sometimes give their lives for, the cause. Col. Lacklen's book has helped part that curtain and view these events from a vantage point that we neither were nor should have been privy to in our younger years. I have already recommended this book to readers in a military brat group, and I look forward to Books 2 & 3, which will cover years when we boomers came of age and unless we followed in the military tradition, saw our ID cards expire and found ourselves on the other side of the main gate as well.
April 6, 2014
Reading through "Flying the Line", I felt like I rode a roller coaster through the author's early U.S. Air Force career; some slow ratcheting up long slopes, with those fast crazy, heart stopping, stomach lurching plunges down into terror ... whizzing around corners and sudden violent stops ... a heck of a ride!
In the writing of the author's reminiscences, he not only spoke of his own history, but wove in stories of others who had some impact either on his journey, or shared as part of the larger picture; to paint the backdrop behind the scenes, accentuating the experiences, and the camaraderie, of those participating in his journey. At times, I smiled and laughed out loud, then to turn a page and my heart sink & cry, though I'll not say why, due to spoilers.
I'm in awe of the author's courage to put his journey in printed word, laid out for all to see and pass judgement. I look forward to reading more more in the future; but admittedly, as a veteran also, with an expectation of a flood of emotions; joy, fear, longing, regret, laughter, pain, sorrow, and pride.
I wish to thank LtCol Lacklen for his service, and wish him a much belated "Welcome Home".
In the writing of the author's reminiscences, he not only spoke of his own history, but wove in stories of others who had some impact either on his journey, or shared as part of the larger picture; to paint the backdrop behind the scenes, accentuating the experiences, and the camaraderie, of those participating in his journey. At times, I smiled and laughed out loud, then to turn a page and my heart sink & cry, though I'll not say why, due to spoilers.
I'm in awe of the author's courage to put his journey in printed word, laid out for all to see and pass judgement. I look forward to reading more more in the future; but admittedly, as a veteran also, with an expectation of a flood of emotions; joy, fear, longing, regret, laughter, pain, sorrow, and pride.
I wish to thank LtCol Lacklen for his service, and wish him a much belated "Welcome Home".
August 24, 2018
Too much rhetoric, not enough flying.
The author seems to spend more time disparaging the organization he served than anything else. A better book about B-52s is Where the Buf Fellows roamed by James Hooppaw.
The author seems to spend more time disparaging the organization he served than anything else. A better book about B-52s is Where the Buf Fellows roamed by James Hooppaw.
January 28, 2021
Parts of the book are excellent, giving the reader an inside look at flying a B-52 and dropping bombs on the enemy below. At other times the author is full of braggadocio...but then, he is a pilot.
February 26, 2017
A good book about a pilots through the US Air forces pilots program. The book starts during the Vietnam era and progresses forward. It follows the life of a pilot from flying cargo planes, through flying the big B-52 bombers
February 3, 2016
I didn't realize the fact, at the time, that both Jay and I were stationed at Loring at the same time. Both our military careers started about the same time and followed similar paths. The recounting of his journey from OTS through his assignment to Loring were like watching a replay of my time in the service. "Flying the Line" is a very enjoyable read and presents an in depth look at what an individual faced during the Viet Nan era in the Air Force. I look forward to the follow on books in the series documenting Lt Col Lacklen's military career.
December 12, 2015
Slice of the 70's
Jay Lacklen's candor and self-deprecating humor is refreshing. Having paralleled his Air Force experience, but in different aircraft and locations, I can vouch for the accuracy of his observations. Great read, and some interesting takes on the politics of the time.
Jay Lacklen's candor and self-deprecating humor is refreshing. Having paralleled his Air Force experience, but in different aircraft and locations, I can vouch for the accuracy of his observations. Great read, and some interesting takes on the politics of the time.
May 25, 2015
To much political commentary..
Glad I didn't pay to read about a guy who finished near the bottom of his UPT class and gloats about his flying and womenizing prowess... What a bore he must be...
Glad I didn't pay to read about a guy who finished near the bottom of his UPT class and gloats about his flying and womenizing prowess... What a bore he must be...
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews