For a moment Wilson froze and looked at the white-helmeted pilot who sat high on the nose of the colossal fighter. Across the small void, he saw the pilot's eyes peer over his mask. Dark, chilling eyes . . .
Wilson kicked right rudder to slide closer and jam any chance for a bandit gunshot. When the bandit pulled all the way over, almost on its back but in control, he cursed in frustration at what he knew was coming next. The hostile fighter reversed over the top in a negative-g maneuver, his nose tracking down on Wilson like a falling sledgehammer in slow motion. Horrified, Wilson realized he faced an imminent snapshot. With the little air speed he had, he inverted his Hornet to avoid the attack.
His aircraft still rolling, Wilson saw that the monster had another weapon at its disposal . . .
Great insights into Navy carrier life with great detailed descriptions of air combat interspersed. Some of the action is so detailed it spans chapters, but is so intense that it never feels like it is dragging. I am actually going back and re-reading some of the action scenes after finishing the book, they are so good. Lots of characters that you grow to care about as you learn what motivates them. The author borrows an idea from Robert Heinlein where you don't learn something about the protagonist until halfway through the book, by which time you are already fully committed to them.