This book is the story of a group of military pioneers who were intent on using their experience and knowledge to develop a new training paradigm for fighter pilots. As a Vietnam veteran and Phantom F-4 pilot; Col. Gail Peck (call-sign "EVIL") had been disappointed with the level of training offered to US fighter pilots. He was determined to ensure that US fighter pilots were unbeatable in the air particularly against their Cold War adversaries flying the already legendary MiG fighter jets. Working with the support of General Hoyt S. Vandenberg; Jr.; and under conditions of the upmost secrecy the CONSTANT PEG program was launched with Peck as the original "Red Eagle."This fascinating unknown history was first revealed in Steve Davies' acclaimed Red Eagles: America's Secret MiGs but this book is the insider's perspective complete with never-before published anecdotes and photographs; revealing how Peck battled bureaucracy and skepticism to ultimately establish the premier fighter pilot training center. Along the way Peck explores many of the central questions surrounding the project: why did the combat Air Forces of the USA find themselves in need of a major revision in their approach to air-to-air combat training? How did they secretly build an airfield to clandestinely conduct air-to-air combat training using actual MiGs as the adversary training platforms? What was it like to be a Red Eagle pilot or maintainer and what were the major challenges they faced on a daily basis? What did the USA get out of the program in terms of a return on investment? Was it worth it and where do we go now?Despite operating for a decade no single pilot ever revealed the secret nature of the training until the program was eventually declassified in 2006. Now for the first time we can read about what it felt like to build the airfields; source the MiG aircraft and finally take them to the skies above America itself all in the quest to establish the USAF as the premier fighter jet force the world over.
#1624103 in Books I. B. Tauris 2009-09-15 2009-09-29Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.48 x 1.06 x 6.44l; 1.30 #File Name: 1848850530304 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. deeply researched; erudite; and highly usefulBy Uke EnthusiastA Cultural History of Tarot is deeply researched; erudite; and highly useful to those interested in the history of tarot. It is also very much an academic work (it seems to be a reworked doctoral dissertation); and might prove a bit of a slog for some readers. That said; I would recommend Farley's book to anyone sincerely interested in reading about the history of tarot. Farley's research includes archival study in Milan and London; examination of earlier histories; including Dummett; consideration of the theories of other scholars; including popular studies like O'Neill; and examination of what is perhaps easiest labeled the New Age tarot phenomenon. Farley is at all points a scholar first and an enthusiast second. The point of her book is to understand the development (if not evolution) of tarot from game to esoteric/divinatory device to tool for personal transformation. Her extensive bibliography is terrific. So five stars it is; even if I am willing to acknowledge this book might not be for everyone.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. A well-researched history for experts and novices alikeBy BRSI am far from being an expert on tarot. I have a few decks and I enjoy reading about their history and cultural development. In her book; Farley deals with these aspects of tarot in a scholarly yet very readable way. It is well researched: of the 270 pages; 176 make up the actual text; followed by more than 50 pages of Notes; and another 30 or so for the Bibliography. There are numerous citations throughout. I think anyone who might disagree with any of the points she makes; would certainly be able to find the source material that led her to her conclusions. Frankly; I don't see much of this kind of support in many other writings on the Tarot. So on the one hand it's well-researched and in-depth; and on the other it's perfectly suitable for someone with little or no background on tarot and its history. In the first section on the development of the tarot; there are sections where the reader can be overwhelmed by the quick; name and date filled histories of some of the Italian families; but it's not hard to keep an eye on the overall arc of Farley's view of the tarot's inception and development. And there are plenty of biographical citations to help a reader find more information about anything that seems to need more clarification that isn't directly related to the tarot's development (e.g. Renaissance Italian society; politics of the Church; etc.). Really; though; anyone with any interest in tarot would get a lot from this.12 of 17 people found the following review helpful. Interesting but flawedBy Christopher MarloweMuch of what the author writes about here on the subject of the esoteric development of Tarot has already been documented in detail by other authors; notably Dummett and Decker in their "History of the Occult Tarot". The construction of her introductory chapters also rests on the thesis that the Visconti Sforza decks are definitely the "ur-Tarot" from which all later decks developed; which remains unproven. The book poses as an academic work; but the volume really does not seem to justify its high price. Suggestion: wait until it becomes available on Kindle!
