An Exciting, Authentic Account of a Classic Aircraft and Great Airmen

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	• MiG Master, 2/E: The Story of the F-8 Crusader Barrett Tillman Naval Institute Press, 2007 - 240 pages average customer review:based on 6 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

An Exciting, Authentic Account of a Classic Aircraft and Great Airmen

Barrett Tillman has long been the "gold standard" in naval aviation writing, and nowhere is his expertise more evident than in MiG Master. Long a classic in naval aviation literature, it is a solidly researched, exciting account that blends in equal measure the history of aviation technology, naval strategy, and combat operations, all well-seasoned with a strong "in the cockpit" flavor that is guaranteed to keep the reader firmly glued in the seat from the moment the book is opened until it is finished. Tillman's take is that the F-8 was a crucial fighter at a critical period in Vietnam air war history. Called at the time the "Last of the Gunfighters," it was the most successful air-to-air fighter of the war in classic high-g swirling furball dogfights. Considered by many an anachronism before the war began--an era when air-to-air missiles, then in the early stage of their own development, were hugely overvalued--the F-8 instead proved its mastery over a variety of opponents, all the way from supersonic merges and breaks in the substratosphere to tail-chases at levels so low that reeds in rice paddies were blown about by the F-8's aerodynamic wake. The combat results validated both the expectations of its designers, the training and expertise of its particularly aggressive pilots, and the dedication and skill of its maintainers, both ashore and afloat. Altogether a remarkable book by a remarkable historian, and an evocative portrayal of an era in naval aviation that is, alas, no more.

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Not a smoking gun...

MiG Master tells the tale of the F-8 (also known as the F8U) Crusader. The F-8 Crusader was a fighter developed in the 1950's and was flown by Navy and Marine pilots during the Vietnam War. Mr. Tillman tells us of the development, procurement, deployment, and fighting history of the Crusader.

My Likes:
I picked up this book because I was mainly interested in learning about the Crusaders service during the Vietnam War (note: I learned some from Clashes: Air Combat over North Vietnam, 1965-1972 but wanted to expand my horizons somewhat). To support this, Mr. Tillman provides two chapters on Crusader service in Vietnam, one on the general usage of the aircraft and the other describing the air-to-air engagements. The air-to-air engagement chapter (MiG Encounters is it's name) provides good details on the individual engagements between Mig's and Crusaders.

Another nice piece is the Glossaries. Here we about lots of interesting trivia about the Crusader from different variants, mapping for the original Navy identification code (F8U-nnn) to its Joint code (F-8E, F, etc...), to it's service in Vietnam (carriers it was assigned to , kills, etc...).

My Dislikes:
I'm going to open with the general structure of the book. Mr. Tillman writing seems a little clunky and chunky. In repeated chapters Mr. Tillman failed to define acronyms in their first use (Glossary F does function as an acronym/slang list) and repeats portions of his story. Furthermore several chapters layout promoted confusion about the F-8 or had data that seemed totally out of place or not really related.
While the Vietnam chapters (The Vietnam Years and MiG Encounters) were the best in the book, I had problems with the layout because The Vietnam Years covered all uses of the Crusader and MiG Encounters then went back and only covered the air-to-air engagements. I would have rather have had one chapter where Mr. Tillman presented the Crusaders Vietnam service in total, blending air-to-air with its other missions.
My last dislike was the failure to include drawing depicting engineering aspects of the F-8, armament configuration, or cockpit layout.

The Rating:
Three stars. I was really excited to learn about the F-8 Crusader and this one let me down. I was looking for a good book on the F-8 Crusader (ala F-105 Thunderchief: Workhorse of the Vietnam War) but got something that didn't scratch the itch I had. This book is a good summary of the F-8, but not one I'd want if I could only have one book on the F-8.

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Very Good F-8 and US Navy Air Combat History Book

This book focus only on the F-8, thelast Navy fighter that was designed for gun air combat. You can find very detailed air combat record in Vietnam, including the time, place and names and you can really enjoy the contents and understand the other side of the stories of Navy air combat history in Vietnam

Mig Master

Book arrived within a few days and was in the condition that it was described or better, very happy with there service.

F-8 Crusader in combat

An account of several F-8 versus Mig encounters during the Wietnam War.
It also gives an insight about the men that flew them and their opinions.
A wonderful read for anyone interested in military aviation.

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reviews: page 1, 2

To be equally enjoyed by professional aviators and aviation buffs with limited technical knowledge, this biography brings to life the legendary aircraft that scored the highest kill ratio of any U.S. fighter aircraft in the Vietnam War. The book is filled with authentic re-creations of Crusader-MiG fights and vivid descriptions of the people and events that are part of the F-8 story, including John Glenn's 1957 record-breaking flight across the United States in three hours and twenty-three minutes. As the Navy's first supersonic aircraft, the Crusader holds an honored spot in carrier flying, and the author shows why it is called one of the most capable, versatile, and long-lived aircraft in naval aviation history. Barrett Tillman effectively combines an exciting account of the F-8's operational history with a detailed and authoritative explanation of its design, construction, and modifications. Tillman recalls the years of frustration and experimentation spent in refining the aircraft and its gunnery system, and then takes the reader through key actions in Vietnam where seasoned pilots handled their "rambunctious steeds" with scarcely a glance in the cockpit. Extensive appendixes provide further details.

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