Air University Review, September-October 1968

Into the Air with ATC

General Frederic H. Smith, JR., USAF (Ret)

It is rare indeed to find a writer who can express in delightfully readable English the many facets of a complex and highly technical subject. In The New Tigers* Herbert Molloy Mason, Jr., has displayed a talent for making his subject live.

He has accomplished a work which describes the process evolved by the Air Force for producing fighter pilots in these days of pressing need. More than this, he describes it with a clarity which transports the reader into the cockpit, the classroom, and the vital society of airmen.

To one who went through the Air Force training system in an era long past, the book was fascinating. The author senses the eagerness, the determination, and the occasional discouragement of the young trainee, as well as the strain which is part and parcel of being in an intentionally demanding environment.

During the summer and winter of 1966, Mr. Mason spent long hours at various levels of command. He parasailed, flew T-41s, T-37s, and T-38s as part of his research on Air Training Command. Later he flew on gunnery missions in F-105s and F-4Cs with the Tactical Air Command at Nellis AFB, Nevada. The book is lavishly illustrated with excellent black-and-white photographs taken by Mr. Mason.

The few very minor criticisms I would have with the book—and these nitpicks are apparent only to one who has been closely associated with the program—only serve to point up the accuracy, authenticity, and general readability of the book as a whole.

For the young man who really wants to be a fighter pilot, the book should be an inspiration. For the one who is timid or lazy, it should provide adequate discouragement—he couldn’t be a tiger anyhow.

Washington, D.C.

*Herbert Molloy Mason, Jr., The New Tigers (New York: David McKay Company, Inc., 1967, $6.95), xiii & 241 pp.

Contributor

General Frederic H. Smith, Jr. (USMA), USAF (Retired), is Management Consultant, Ryan Aeronautical Company, Washington, D.C. During World War II he served as Commander, 8th Fighter Group, New Guinea; Chief of Staff, Advance Echelon, Fifth Air Force; Commander, First Air Task Force; Director, Operations, Allied Expeditionary Air Forces, United Kingdom; Deputy Chief of Staff, Army Air Forces; and Commander, Fifth Fighter Command, Philippines and Okinawa. Subsequently, he was Chief of Staff, Strategic Air Command; National Commander, Civil Air Patrol; Assistant for Programming, DCS/O, Hq USAF; Commander, Eastern Air Defense Force; Vice Commander, Air Defense Command; Commander, Fifth Air Force, Japan; Commander, Air Training Command; Commander in Chief, U.S. Air Forces, Europe; and Vice Chief of Staff, USAF, when he retired from active duty, 30 June 1962.

Disclaimer

The conclusions and opinions expressed in this document are those of the author cultivated in the freedom of expression, academic environment of Air University. They do not reflect the official position of the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, the United States Air Force or the Air University.

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