Rio River Rats

At the height of the Vietnam War, young Air Force officers arrived at bases across America to begin the demanding journey from pilot candidate to military aviator. At one of those bases, U.S.A.F. Pilot Training Class 71-06 began fifty-three unforgiving weeks together.They arrived as strangers in crisp uniforms, each determined to earn the silver wings that would launch a career-and knowing that not everyone would make it to graduation.They learned to fly jets at 500 knots with another aircraft close enough to read the other pilot’s helmet. They learned to trust their instruments when the sky disappeared, their instructors when the pressure mounted, and their wingmen when formation flying left no room for error. Every checkride mattered. Every mistake was visible. The standard was absolute.Under that pressure, something more lasting took shape. They became the Rio River Rats.Competition gave way to loyalty. Training gave way to combat. And for most of the class, the cockpit became a place of life or death consequence as they deployed to Southeast Asia.Acclaimed author Kent McInnis brings those experiences together through the voices and memories of the men who lived them. From the flightline to the combat zone and home again, their stories capture the fear, humor, rivalry, sacrifice, and enduring camaraderie of a generation of military aviators.This is the story of one Air Force pilot-training class-and the men who carried what they learned into the final years of America’s war in Vietnam.