Just Call Me Frank!: Memories of a Navy Jet Pilot

He was a country boy, born in the backwoods of West Virginia during the hard times of the Depression, who loved sports, but quit college to go after his dream of flying, and earned his wings of gold as a Navy jet pilot. Follow the stories of a Navy pilot who chose the military life and a career that covered a half-century of flying. Captain Frank Hamrick rose through the ranks, testing and flying 19 different types of transition aircraft for the Navy, names like Panther, Cougar, Fury, Crusader, Marauder, and Vigilante. Flying in the 50 s, 60 s, and 70 s, he caught the leading edge of military jet aviation, and pioneered new ways of approaching aviation safety. The Navy became his second family. Often going head to head with senior officers, and with lessons learned the "hard way," he survived 135 combat missions over North Vietnam as a reconnaissance pilot, flying the almighty RA-5C Vigilante. He became a war plans writer in NATO Europe during the height of the cold war, and coordinated wartime contingencies for the tactical air forces of the 16 Nation Alliance, becoming Director of Warfare Operations and supervising the war room for NATO Atlantic. Still flying in 2003, with 10,000+ hours, he lived through the gut-wrenching experience of losing two close flying buddies in a T-39N mid-air collision, and he put down his wings as a pilot.