GUARANTEED TO BE ATLEAST 10% TRUE

About the Book

A FRIDAY PILOTS PUBLICATION GUARANTEED AT LEAST 10% TRUE This is the third Friday Pilots publication. As described more fully later, the Friday Pilots are a select group of retired military pilots. We are mostly jet fighter pilots from the Air Force, Navy and Marines, who meet in Tucson on Fridays and tell old tales of past glories. Like every pilot’s story, told at great length in every Officer’s Club, you have to take each with a grain of salt. If you ask any one of them: “Who is the best pilot?” The answer will unwaveringly be: “You’re looking at him.” But there is a grain of truth in every word. These stories, like those in the first two books, detail the highs and the lows of military and combat flight. We have lost good friends along the way, including 24 Friday Pilots. Those losses help form our view of the world as we age. We hope these stories will inform the reader and educate the new generation of leaders. The stories remain. You be the judge: Are they true? We guarantee they are at least 10% true! EDITED BY PETER COLLINS JR. AUTHORHOUSE

About the Author

About The Editor I am a practicing civil trial lawyer in Tucson, Arizona, after retiring as an F-100, A-7 and F-16 fighter pilot. I also flew 280 combat missions in Vietnam in the O-2A. I joined the Friday Pilots in 2014 at the invitation of our leader Don Shepperd. I was flabbergasted. I met some of the most iconic heroes of my Vietnam-era life: POW Bob Barnett, Thunderbird and Wing Commander Bill Hosmer, Astronaut Jim McDivitt, to name just a few. Every Friday presented a new opportunity to wrestle old stories out of these guys. It never mattered where you sat. There was always a great guy with a great story to tell sitting right next to you. I cherish the 40 minutes I spent alone while driving McDivitt to and from lunch. He never spoke about himself, except when prompted. He wanted to know about my life and family. (We gladly shared this opportunity.) After we published our second book, we added many new faces, including F-16 and F-18 heroes with later experiences. It occurred to me that there were new (old) stories worth exploring and exposing to our grandchildren, and to the world. Don guided me through the tooth-pulling, and we collected, then anonymously edited the stories you read here. Thanks again to those editors. One more great Friday Pilot experience. We hope you enjoy the stories. Remember- each one is At Least 10% True! Peter Collins Jr.