This is the story of my flying career. Many such books have been written, and most of them contain fascinating stories about someone doing great things on momentous occasions. They might involve flying Spitfires in the Battle of Britain, for example, or P-51s in the Nazi-infested skies of Germany. Or they might contain the adventures of an F-86 pilot hunting Migs in Mig Alley over North Korea, or perhaps stories of flying F-105s over Thud Ridge going downtown to Hanoi. Others contain stories of aviation pioneers, extending the boundaries of flight, or flying to the moon. Mine, on the other hand, seems to be defined by the characters with whom I flew, rather than by deeds of derring-do.