Rotor Review Summer 2021 #153

Page 86

Off Duty Flight of the Pawnee by Marc Liebman Reviewed by LCDR Chip Lancaster, USN (Ret.)

T

he Pawnee as a rugged little aircraft designed to carry a load at treetop level with maximum maneuverability. So, how does that play out? Flight of the Pawnee starts out aboard an Israeli A-4 on an attack mission with unfortunately results. Marc Liebman’s new novel takes the reader on a 16-year ride from the streets of Beirut to the plains of east Texas. From an errant Israeli bombing mission to aerial combat, Flight moves at a hundred percent Nr and max speed. A young man’s life is nearly destroyed, turned inside out and set on a destructive path. We get a unique look inside of terrorism, it’s roots, growth and goals. In this case Harun al-Rashid becomes the Maker and al-Qaeda tasked to kill as many Americans as possible. Countering this, we’re introduced to Derek Almer, Navy special ops HH60H pilot whom we meet in a daring extraction mission. Derek’s continued professional growth and experience eventually lead to life as a sometime CIA operative out of the Navy. Both of the protagonists have loves and loss, their lives inexorably drawn closer and closer. Derek and Harun’s lives eventually crash together on a Texas highway, stirring up a hornet’s nest of reaction. Complications arise on both sides. Harun is working with the Mexican Brotherhood backed by the Sinaloa Cartel neither of which have al-Qaeda’s best interest, let alone Derek’s, in mind. It’s a money game of bad actors on that side. Derek’s interests are complicated by D.C. operatives and bureaucrats in the FBI, CIA and higher who want him out of the picture and will do anything to make that happen. But Derek has contacts and resources and is not going be dissuaded. The back-andforth action culminates in an explosive firestorm with deadly results and lessons learned on both sides. The author has done his homework researching terrorist procedure as well as politics and bureaucracy and the interaction of all of it in a contemporary setting. It is fiction, but definitely leads the reader to wonder is it that easy to get bad guys into the country to foment disaster and is the political and security community able to counter and stop it. Liebman’s also done considerable research in aircraft, weapons and construction so keep the Goggle handy. As well as technical authenticity, Flight of the Pawnee has thorough character development to go along with the action making it a great read. Pick up a copy for the beach or that vacation trip, you won’t be disappointed. Marc is a retired Naval Aviator who has written eight books now, many of which we have reviewed. You can check him out at his website https:// marcliebman.com . Rotor Review #153 Summer '21

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Articles inside

Commodore's Corner

9min
pages 24-25

Rotary Wing Aviation Can Lead the Way to Think Outside the Box to Defeat Deadly Sea Mines: A Perspective

13min
pages 34-37

The Least Dramatic SAR Article of All Time

5min
page 85

Radio Check

6min
pages 88-89

Enforcing the Tet Cease Fire of ‘71

11min
pages 82-84

Yes or No: Probability and Confidence in ASW

9min
pages 78-80

U.S. Navy Awards L3Harris Contract for 16 COMSATCOM Terminals

3min
pages 32-33

LSI, Inc. Delivers Two CMV-22B Virtual Maintenance Trainers

1min
page 31

Northrop Grumman’s MQ-8C Fire Scout Completes Successful Fit Check aboard USS Anchorage (LPD 23)

1min
page 30

The U.S. Navy Receives Its First TH-73A Training Helicopter

2min
page 28

Congratulations to our Scholarship Winners!

1min
pages 10, 16-17

Signal Charlie

24min
pages 98-106

Navy Announces Initial Aviation Warrant Officer Selection Board

2min
page 89

Off Duty

2min
pages 86-87

Change of Command

1min
pages 90-91

Into the GOO: Our Corona Cruise Experience

4min
pages 54-55

Wild Fire Rescue “Middle Fire”

17min
pages 70-73

Rat-Catching 101: The 50th Anniversary of HM-12 and the Birth of Airborne Mine Countermeasures

5min
pages 64-65

Getting Started Telling Your Stories

8min
pages 76-77

PEP Part 1: What Is PEP? I’m Interested

14min
pages 60-63

Building the Plane While Flying It: Naval Aviation’s Return to Rota

5min
pages 56-57

Folding Jayhawks to Boost U.S. Coast Guard Reach at Sea

4min
pages 58-59

HM-12 the Origin of the U.S. Navy's H-53 Operations

15min
pages 66-69

On the Glideslope for Retirement

3min
pages 50-51

It Is Time to Overhaul the Navy’s Mentor Culture

6min
pages 52-53

Moderate Bird Activity: An Aerial Pivot to Nature’s Drone

7min
pages 46-47

Unmanned Battle Problem Missile Launch Integrates Manned and Unmanned Systems

1min
pages 48-49

"Who are the Pilots?... All of Us, Sir" - An AWS1 assigned to SRT-1

3min
page 41

Rockets and Rotors

6min
pages 44-45

The UAV Virtuoso

8min
pages 42-43

Rotary Wing Aviation Can Lead the Way to Think Outside the Box to Defeat Deadly Sea Mines: A Perspective - CAPT George Galdorisi, USN (Ret

13min
pages 34-37

Buzzword MUM-T: Expeditionary HSC on the Leading Edge LT Rebecca “Deuce” Atkinson, USN

3min
page 40

Navy Future Vertical Lift: Pilot Optional - LCDR Matt “Thumper” Petersen, USN

5min
pages 38-39

Exercise Deep Water 20 and Shaping a Way Ahead for the USMC

6min
pages 26-33

Commodore's Corner

8min
pages 24-25

Historical Society

3min
pages 18-19

On Leadership

7min
pages 22-23

View from the Labs

6min
pages 20-21

Scholarship Fund Update

3min
pages 15-17

Letters to the Editor

3min
page 13

Vice President of Membership's Report

3min
page 11

Executive Director's View

2min
page 9

Chairman’s Brief

1min
page 8

View from the Cabin

4min
page 14

National President's Message

1min
page 10

In Review

1min
page 12
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