David Palmer, who grew up fascinated by airplanes, looks back at a lifetime flying in this memoir. Beginning with his graduation from the Naval Academy in 1967 to starting his own air charter business at age fifty-five, he celebrates a series of increasingly fulfilling adventures. Whether it’s fighting in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War, being a test pilot for General Dynamics, or serving as a member of the navy’s Reserve Air Forces, he shares a candid picture of what it is like to be a pilot in war and peace. “This book captures not only an individual’s drive to be the best he can be in a very difficult and demanding profession but also adds the flavors of camaraderie and fears experienced in extended combat. It adds in the demanding precision of an experimental test pilot. Carrier-based naval aviation provides a unique ‘living on the edge’ sense of accomplishment that stays with each of us privileged to have had that opportunity, for the rest of our lives.” —Capt. Jim Ruliffson USN (Ret.), Navy Fighter Weapons School (Top Gun) plank owner (1968–70) and Commanding Officer (1975–76)