{"product_id":"vigilante-a-pilots-story-1200-hours-flying-the-ultimate-us-navy-reconnaissance-aircraft","title":"Vigilante!: A Pilot's Story: 1 200 Hours Flying the Ultimate US Navy Reconnaissance Aircraft","description":"\u003cp\u003eNorth Americans RA-5C Vigilante represents the absolute zenith of Jet Age aerial reconnaissance at Mach 2. The aircrafts history corresponds to the evolution of the war in Vietnam  where Vigilantes located targets and assessed post-strike damage. The jets two crewmen operated highly sophisticated sensors  cameras  infrared mapping  side-looking radar  and electronic countermeasure equipment. Because of their ultra-high-risk missions  Vigilantes suffered the highest loss rate of any US Navy aircraft  and the number of RA-5Cs built was small as was the cadre of dedicated men who flew them. This book explains the aircraft and its development in great detail and gives new insight into the courageous men who flew the Vigilante in combat. Author Robert \"Boom\" Powell was a US Navy carrier pilot for 16 of his 20 years in the service. His second combat tour in Vietnam was spent flying the Vigilante  and he incorporates historical fact  detailed new information  and never-before-published photographs to produce the definitive work on this aircraft. Personal sidebar anecdotes are interspersed in the text  adding the vital human element to this compelling story of Naval Aviation at its best. No book has ever been written about the A3J\/RA-5C like this one  telling the story of North Americans jet in such vivid detail. Many of the rare  never-before-published photographs were culled from the authors personal collection  archives of the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola  Florida  the Tailhook Association in San Diego  California  and several well-known photo historians. The author also contacted 40 veterans of the RA-5C community to acquire their Vigilante stories  which have also never been told.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44964276994101,"sku":"ByrdShop_1580072615","price":84.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781580072618.jpg?v=1770455113","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/vigilante-a-pilots-story-1200-hours-flying-the-ultimate-us-navy-reconnaissance-aircraft","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}