HLRGazette Archives

Relive some of our best stories.

  • Increase font size
  • Default font size
  • Decrease font size

“Over My Shoulder"

E-mail Print PDF

"Over My Shoulder..."by

Steve H Kehoe

I can count on the fingers of one hand, and still have fingers left over, for the times I have written a book review for this publication. It's not that I don't read a lot—you kidding me?—an author and an old English major—I love to read—though I (so far) won't give in to the newest "Kindle" technology—I want the feeling of a book in my hand. Call me a traditionalist—an old fart—or worse; I don't care. I am not a Luddite; Rather, I hold to the advice given centuries ago by Alexander Pope: "Be not the first by whom the new is tried, nor yet the last to lay the old aside." I suppose if my 17-yr-old beautiful and talented graduating (June 3

rd) grand-daughter Susan Erin chose to gift me with one for Christmas or my Birthday (Erin, are you reading this?) I would hafta give in, but 'til then, call me—I know!—a "Traditionalist"! I even like the sound of that word!

Simply entitled "Boyd", the biographical work I am touting here celebrates the life of rogue fighter pilot John Richard Boyd (1927-1997) of Erie, Pennsylvania, who single-handedly transformed stiff and reluctant-to-change U.S. military thinking about aircraft tactics and design. Best known among his peers as "Forty-Second Boyd", for his aerial fighting capability, both in theory and practice, even operating from a position of disadvantage, he could out-maneuver and defeat an opposing pilot in aerial combat, more commonly known as "dog-fighting". Flying the beautiful F-86 Sabre jet in Korea, he proved over and over again the value of out-thinking and thus outgunning Russian and North Korean MiG-15 pilots, helping the United States Air Force achieve a nearly 10-to-1 "kill ratio" over the faster, lighter, more maneuverable Russian-made jet fighters. His skill and intellect again showed how flawed most conventional Air Force and airplane manufacturers' thinking was, as during the Vietnam War, literally hundreds of F-4 Phantoms and F-105 Republic Thunderchief jets were lost needlessly to air and ground defenses manned by Russian and NVA gunners and surface-to-air missles. The U.S. flying livery was simply being used in ways for which the aircraft were not designed.

This bio by author Robert Coram can be had thru Amazon for a fraction of its original price. If you are at all interested in military history and "behind the scenes" looks into the psychological and strategic worlds of both aircraft design and tactics, as well as revealing looks into the duplicities of military thinking (Say! Isn't "military intelligence" an oxymoron?), you will be pleased with this book beyond my telling. Caution: It is not a light tome! Sort of like my own novels, it is over 500 pages, but seldom is any scenario repeated and there are enough amazing story "arcs" to keep even a cynical reader poring through its pages. Boyd's enigmatic and phlegmatic personality colors every page, as do his—ahem—somewhat colorful speech patterns, as he expresses his views. My thanks to pilot-engineer friend Bob Sudderth, himself a treasure trove of aircraft design information and experience, for recommending this work to me during one of our morning "OBBC" (you'll hafta ask!) breakfasts at the 19

th hole. Among Bob's accomplishments have been chief designer and test pilot for the Convair B-58 Hustler, America's first supersonic jet bomber. Bob is a member of the Experimental Aircraft Professionals, and owns a Rutan-designed one engined "pusher-prop" airplane which he keeps in a hanger in nearby Mineola.

Steve H Kehoe

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it