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Bogeys and Bandits: The Making of a Fighter Pilot
A veteran navy fighter pilot chronicles the training of a class of eight men and women learning to fly the FA-18 Hornet
324 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 10, 2015
I have a soft spot for naval aviation and albeit the language style is a bit too much to the 'pop-side' for my taste I actually like the book. It leaves you in no doubt that the days of 'kick the tyres, light the fires' are no more. As well as the extremely extrovert, testosterone laden, hard drinking fighter jocks from the 50s, 60s and 70s. Surely fighter jocks still has to be aggressive but an element of science has been added. Pure talent doesn't count anymore.
Can't help thinking of the WWII JGs, leftenants and flight officers who as mere teenagers set to fly the temperamental first line fighters of the time. And of how much that has happened since then (Wonder if the F-35 will ever be a success I ask a bit polemically ;-)
Bottom line: Go ahead, read the book if you have the remotest interest in fighters and naval aviation.
Can't help thinking of the WWII JGs, leftenants and flight officers who as mere teenagers set to fly the temperamental first line fighters of the time. And of how much that has happened since then (Wonder if the F-35 will ever be a success I ask a bit polemically ;-)
Bottom line: Go ahead, read the book if you have the remotest interest in fighters and naval aviation.
November 3, 2018
A very enjoyable read- and immensely informative. The author, a former US Navy Pilot himself, follows a class of pilots, newly assigned to fly the F-18 Strike fighter off carriers. The class is a disparate group, a set of twins, two female pilots and a converted Helicopter pilot among them. Gandt follow his class through every phase of the process, from first aircraft familiarisation to final assignment to the fleet, so we learn a lot. It's more of an emotional rollercoaster than you might think, from the exhilaration of good bombing and strafing runs in the desert, to the cold pain of a major crash, with every point covered in between. But always compelling.
Apart from the obvious interest Gamers/Modellers/Military Enthusiasts will have in this book for all the technical information you get on the F-18, Strike fighter Doctrine and Training, Naval Aviation and Military operations, there are many other people who might enjoy this book. As a former youth coach, I found the group dynamics, with the internal dialogue Gandt adds very instructive. Women may want to learn from the examples set by the Female pilots in the book, who deal with a bit of extra headwind in their quest to excel. Business folks may want to mine the many command and "Man -management" discussions in this book. Anyone thinking of such a career should certainly read it to get beyond the "Top Gun" mystique to the real story.
Even with the emotional lows, I think any junior reader over 12 should be able to handle this book well and learn from it. For the Gamer/Modeller/Military Enthusiast, this is a really fun read. Scenarios and Dioramas will certainly be improved and created from scenes and parts of this book. The lessons on the many weapons that can be arrayed on the wing hard points are interesting and varied. Understanding the nomenclature will help in reading other books on this topic. If you read this topic- you will likely like this book.
Apart from the obvious interest Gamers/Modellers/Military Enthusiasts will have in this book for all the technical information you get on the F-18, Strike fighter Doctrine and Training, Naval Aviation and Military operations, there are many other people who might enjoy this book. As a former youth coach, I found the group dynamics, with the internal dialogue Gandt adds very instructive. Women may want to learn from the examples set by the Female pilots in the book, who deal with a bit of extra headwind in their quest to excel. Business folks may want to mine the many command and "Man -management" discussions in this book. Anyone thinking of such a career should certainly read it to get beyond the "Top Gun" mystique to the real story.
Even with the emotional lows, I think any junior reader over 12 should be able to handle this book well and learn from it. For the Gamer/Modeller/Military Enthusiast, this is a really fun read. Scenarios and Dioramas will certainly be improved and created from scenes and parts of this book. The lessons on the many weapons that can be arrayed on the wing hard points are interesting and varied. Understanding the nomenclature will help in reading other books on this topic. If you read this topic- you will likely like this book.
November 5, 2009
Opening the pages of Bogeys and Bandits, I received a little surprise from God and have to smile, with joy really, at how all things are connected in this amazing circle of life:
“Splash One!” Mongo called on the radio.
“Splash Two!” called someone else.
Two? Mongo had forgotten for a moment: The controller called out two Bandits. Someone had just taken out the second one. Over on the opposite side of the formation, the second MiG was trailing fire and smoke, going down like a gutshot crow. Lieutenant Commander Mark Fox, who was Dash Four out on the right flank of the formation, had reached the same conclusion as Mongo: Shoot……
Now y’all can smile with me, you know who you are, prayer warriors and patriots all.
Robert Gandt’s Bogeys and Bandits was fun, I mean really fun, a short, sweet taste of what it’s like to work and ride with American naval aviators, more specifically those who fly the FA-18 Hornet. The book takes us for a fast ride with strike fighter Class 2-95 and it’s not all warrior fun and games as there is a very serious, real, element of danger in flying supersonic jets designed for combat. The author describes the inherent risk of becoming “one with the earth,” and the reality is that skilled aviators are lost each year on training/combat missions, with equipment malfunctions, and pilot error. My respect for those who serve is immense and the author’s visual living color description of Navy culture/careers inspires. I ponder what my life would’ve been like had I signed aboard as a trauma nurse with the Navy. While it is nearly impossible to imagine flying and fighting at over 1000 miles per hour, testing oneself against the best of the best in any field is a Navy specialty and there are moments when I still long to accelerate my life, serve my country, and “Go Navy!”
“Navy pilots, in fact, accounted for only 2 MiG kills in the Desert Storm air war. And now both the veteran MiG killers were stationed at Cecil Field, where they dwelled among the new fighter pilots like living icons.”
http://www.stsc.hill.af.mil/Crosstalk...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_I._Fox
“Until one afternoon in the summer of 1980, JJ Quinn has no notion what he was going to do with his life. He had never given a moment’s thought to the military or the Marine Corps or airplanes. But that afternoon something happened. He was standing there in the July sun, baking on the ramp of the Willow Grove Naval Air Station with several thousand other air show spectators. Silhouetted up there against the Pennsylvania sky, trailing smoke like a swarm of flaming arrows, were the Blue Angels, the Navy’s crack aerobatic formation team.”
http://www.blueangels.navy.mil/
From the Alliance Air Show 2009….it was indeed fabulous, a perfect day!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGS041...
http://www.allianceairshow.com/
“Splash One!” Mongo called on the radio.
“Splash Two!” called someone else.
Two? Mongo had forgotten for a moment: The controller called out two Bandits. Someone had just taken out the second one. Over on the opposite side of the formation, the second MiG was trailing fire and smoke, going down like a gutshot crow. Lieutenant Commander Mark Fox, who was Dash Four out on the right flank of the formation, had reached the same conclusion as Mongo: Shoot……
Now y’all can smile with me, you know who you are, prayer warriors and patriots all.
Robert Gandt’s Bogeys and Bandits was fun, I mean really fun, a short, sweet taste of what it’s like to work and ride with American naval aviators, more specifically those who fly the FA-18 Hornet. The book takes us for a fast ride with strike fighter Class 2-95 and it’s not all warrior fun and games as there is a very serious, real, element of danger in flying supersonic jets designed for combat. The author describes the inherent risk of becoming “one with the earth,” and the reality is that skilled aviators are lost each year on training/combat missions, with equipment malfunctions, and pilot error. My respect for those who serve is immense and the author’s visual living color description of Navy culture/careers inspires. I ponder what my life would’ve been like had I signed aboard as a trauma nurse with the Navy. While it is nearly impossible to imagine flying and fighting at over 1000 miles per hour, testing oneself against the best of the best in any field is a Navy specialty and there are moments when I still long to accelerate my life, serve my country, and “Go Navy!”
“Navy pilots, in fact, accounted for only 2 MiG kills in the Desert Storm air war. And now both the veteran MiG killers were stationed at Cecil Field, where they dwelled among the new fighter pilots like living icons.”
http://www.stsc.hill.af.mil/Crosstalk...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_I._Fox
“Until one afternoon in the summer of 1980, JJ Quinn has no notion what he was going to do with his life. He had never given a moment’s thought to the military or the Marine Corps or airplanes. But that afternoon something happened. He was standing there in the July sun, baking on the ramp of the Willow Grove Naval Air Station with several thousand other air show spectators. Silhouetted up there against the Pennsylvania sky, trailing smoke like a swarm of flaming arrows, were the Blue Angels, the Navy’s crack aerobatic formation team.”
http://www.blueangels.navy.mil/
From the Alliance Air Show 2009….it was indeed fabulous, a perfect day!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGS041...
http://www.allianceairshow.com/
August 27, 2024
Excellent, Journalistic Style Story of Some Naval Aviators
This is I believe the fourth time I’ve read this book but the first time I read it Kindle. Like many pilots I love this book! The author gives very clear and immediate descriptions of the flying, the training and the pilots themselves. He himself is a pilot so it helps. Some of the writing is a bit tongue in cheek, and sometimes the present tense immediacy of the writing can be a bit too much in your face so to speak. But still worth reading because these naval aviators do amazing work. If you want to learn more about Navy pilots and how they learn to land on carriers this is a great book. It’s an especially great book if you’re any sort of pilot! Fascinating, intense read.
This is I believe the fourth time I’ve read this book but the first time I read it Kindle. Like many pilots I love this book! The author gives very clear and immediate descriptions of the flying, the training and the pilots themselves. He himself is a pilot so it helps. Some of the writing is a bit tongue in cheek, and sometimes the present tense immediacy of the writing can be a bit too much in your face so to speak. But still worth reading because these naval aviators do amazing work. If you want to learn more about Navy pilots and how they learn to land on carriers this is a great book. It’s an especially great book if you’re any sort of pilot! Fascinating, intense read.
September 20, 2024
I really enjoyed this book. It started out a little bit slow for me, but quickly picked up steam, and by the end, I didn't want to put it down. I would love it if I could find other books similar to this. My husband is a pilot, so I understood a few of the aviation terms, but there were still a lot that went over my head. I love taking pictures of jets taking off and landing at our nearby Air Force base, so this book helped me understand a little bit about how challenging it is to become a fighter pilot.
July 22, 2018
Pretty good read for someone who is interested in Military aviation.
November 17, 2019
LOVE THIS BOOK. Such good writing!!! Some language (as usual with books written by military dudes), but otherwise absolutely amazing!
March 11, 2025
I was going through a blurrbbbbbb like Ammons on his night carrier landing in life, juggling college and air force entrance. This book snapped me out of the rut.
I call ball on the entrance!
I call ball on the entrance!
January 28, 2016
This is a gem of a book every aviation enthusiast and budding fighter pilot should read. If this had come out before Top Gun I would probably not have wanted to watch the movie. Reading about carrier landing and other aspects of jet training is much much more intriguing than watching it. One can relish and savour the moment that much longer, as the thrill of most aspects of the flight and training unfolds slowly, as can only be possible through words.
Through the use of real life stories Gandt has portrayed the rise of a typical fighter pilot and what the path to becoming one entails. My unrealised childhood dream of being in the aviation field was very much rekindled However, now, I could only wish I was 20 and training to become a pilot!
Through the use of real life stories Gandt has portrayed the rise of a typical fighter pilot and what the path to becoming one entails. My unrealised childhood dream of being in the aviation field was very much rekindled However, now, I could only wish I was 20 and training to become a pilot!
October 18, 2011
If you are an aviation nut like me, this is a definite must read. You get to follow a group of young aspiring pilots who want to take it to the top, literally and figuratively by becoming Naval aviators qualified for carrier operations. The book is written extremely well, blending in the (rather few)technical descriptions and the action scenes with the personal battle that all of the people in the book. This is also one of the few books that I can read again and again and never get tired of.
November 2, 2024
This is what Gandt does best put you in the cockpit when neceessary and then going behind the making of decisions that drive action in the cockpit. Gandt captures the tradgedy in the book well. This is interesting to read after Hornet's nest. Well Gandt was sued by https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E15CW... the writer of Boogies and Bandits?
October 11, 2011
I went on a big military kick this summer and especially read a lot of Air Force/pilot-related books. This was one of my favorites. Kind of made it feel miraculous that more pilots don't die in the line of duty. Some really interesting stuff.
June 16, 2009
Gandt reliving the days I am enjoying right now. Maybe I'll right a book with a high-speed title someday. Probably not.
October 2, 2012
Very interesting topic and stories, not the best writing.
October 4, 2014
A Remarkable Book
This book is a monument to naval aviation, and Gandt is a remarkable writer. Ahh, to fly the F18. Heaven!
This book is a monument to naval aviation, and Gandt is a remarkable writer. Ahh, to fly the F18. Heaven!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews