Synopsis
Persistence—a Pilot’s Most Valuable Skill
From the cockpit of a Navy jet circling overhead, an aircraft carrier—1,000 feet long and weighing 98,000 tons—looks no bigger than a child’s toy. No wonder the fighter pilots call it a boat. Try landing on one of these bucking broncos without boltering. In the dark.
TOPGUN instructor and seasoned naval aviator, Vincent “Jell-O” Aiello takes readers on an exhilarating flight path from being a wide-eyed nine-year-old peering into a jet’s cockpit at the Point Mugu Airshow to flying one. Not the Hollywood version by any means, he explains his tough, terrifying, and trusted path to flying America’s war planes.
With heart, Vincent recounts the challenges of flight school, the terror of his first carrier landing (and many after that), and the hard-earned lessons about life when viewed from the cockpit. From flying F/A-18 Hornets on missions worldwide to teaching the art of air combat at TOPGUN, Jell-O brings you into the adrenaline-fueled world of naval aviation while proving that persistence is a pilot’s most valuable skill.
After retiring from the Navy with 3,800 flight hours and 700 carrier landings, Vincent became a commercial pilot and the host of the popular Fighter Pilot Podcast, where he demystifies the world of air combat—the aircraft, the weapons systems, and, most importantly, the people.
Author Bio
Vincent Aiello discovered his life’s calling at age 8 when he attended his first airshow. After graduating college, he spent 25 years as a US Navy fighter pilot, flying iconic aircraft like the A-4 Skyhawk, F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet, and F-16 Fighting Falcon. Throughout his career, Vincent deployed worldwide on aircraft carriers numerous times and was selected to attend and instruct at the prestigious US Navy Fighter Weapons School, better known as TOPGUN. Having amassed over 3,800 flight hours and 700 aircraft carrier landings, he retired from the Navy in 2017 and became a commercial airline pilot. In 2018, he launched the Fighter Pilot Podcast, the internet show that explores the fascinating world of air combat—the aircraft, the weapons systems, and most importantly, the people. Routinely ranked the #1 aviation podcast in America, FPP episodes have been downloaded over 12 million times in more than 125 countries.
