Flying the Line, An Air Force Pilot's Journey: Pilot Training, Vietnam, SAC, 1970-1979 Hardcover – January 7, 2014

I just finished reading “Flying The Line” for the second time in two weeks.......it is a very well written, hard to put down, account of the authors time in the US Air Force from a pilots point of view.I found the book to be quite engrossing and an accurate depiction of life in the USAF starting in the early 1970's. I was stationed at the same base in Vietnam (Cam Ranh Bay) during the same time period as Lt. Col. Jay Lacklen. As a airborne navigation electronic technician, I am certain to have worked on the very same planes as Lt. Col. Lacklen was flying.Throughout the book Jay provides many humorous anecdotes, quite a few at his own expense, of life as a new officer and pilot.If you are interested in an insiders view of life in the Air Force you cannot go wrong with this book. Just be sure to have a night open as you will find this book difficult to put down.

As a former SAC B-52 crew chief, really enjoyed this book and it holds up well. Lots of great stories--everything from IFE's to ORI's to "movers' to crashes, alert pad, near misses, politics and everything else that defined SAC. About every other page I'd read something, smile to myself and say "yep---he nailed it".

This book made me think back to my days in the USAF. Although I started pilot training in the Aviation Cadet program 11 years before the author, I did not graduate because the Air Force determined my "color deficiency" disqualified me even though I originally passed their physical in order to be admitted to that program. Go figure! I like Jay's writing style and more importantly his willingness to admit that his support for the Vietnam war when he was fighting in it was not warranted. He readily acknowledges that a number of things that happened back then were inappropriate but I suggest that he add to that list how he gave candy to Vietnamese children after his plane landed. Sharing with children who had nothing and were suffering in ways that we cannot imagine was certainly appropriate but "pouring" the candy on the ground and watching the children scramble and probably fight over it was unseemly and cruel on his part. Generosity to those less fortunate is admirable. Making a game out of doing that and a competition is not. I'm sure he didn't intend it to be that way but he has the opportunity to correct that wrong now. A minor point but an important one IMO. Thanks Jay for bringing back many memories of my 4 years in the Air Force a long time ago and for sharing both your experiences and insights!

I finished reading this book on the second day after getting it in the mail... it is very good. It was too good to put down and after reading it I'm looking forward to the next two books in the series that Lt Col Lacklen is in the process of writing.I don't know what I expected but Jay Lacklen is a very good writer, he covered the subject matter in a way that made it possible for me to visualze things that I'd never actually seen before. The book was also fun, and Jay admitted to some things that will surprise you, it surprised me.I would never give away the story... I will not read the jacket covers on any book... I want the whole story in the book with paper pages. My wife reads all book covers... I won't let her to say more to me than "Honey, you should read this one." With that, I hope that all of you get a copy and read it.... it is a fantastic book...I was in the USAF several years before the author and was in the Strategic Air Command, and stationed at Loring Air Force Base. As I read the book I recalled memories of events that I had forgotten for close to half a century.The same airplanes are still flying, and these pilots are still protecting all of us. Lt Col Lacklen is still training military pilots, and I'm still proud to be an American... and an USAF Veteran.Lt Col Jay Lacklen, thanks again for writing this book ... and thank you for your life time of service to our country,

I'm a Naval Aviator who flew SAR helicopters. Later, I flew dustoff in the Maine Army National Guard. So, this is pretty far from my sweat soaked flight suit. I also know how to fly airplanes (thank you Navy) so I have some small affinity to Jay's experience. The Buff, however, had landing gear that could accommodate crosswinds. Oh my. The J-3 I now fly is a lot different. Be that as it may, his experience is epic. From the C-123 in Viet Nam to the B-52, this guy is a pilot extraordinaire. Not only is he a line pilot but he's an IP and pulls the chestnuts out of the fire when necessary. So glad I read this book and looking forward to volume II.

I entered the military in 1979 and was stationed in Maine in SAC working on KC135s. Although our paths didn't cross at that time, my memories of the military in the late 1970 and stories recalled by my husband (Air Force) and brother-in-law (Marines) who were both Vietnam era vets, jives with the descriptions that Col. Lacklen wrote. This books reached out and grabbed my attention. There were places I laughed and a few that I almost cried. I don't want to have any spoilers so all I'll say is that if you're interested in the Vietnam war from an Air Force perspective, you should read this book.