Here's a 12-minute video of questions and answers about the author and the books:
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TOMCAT RIO
A Topgun Instructor on the F-14 Tomcat and the Heroic Naval Aviators Who Flew It
You’re in the cockpit of the legendary F-14 Tomcat fighter, blazing along at twice the speed of sound seven miles above the ocean and the carrier that hurled you off its deck. You’re practicing dogfighting with “aggressors,” guys on your side flying F-16s. You’re patrolling the tense skies above Iraq, and with the push of a button you can launch the 100-mile Phoenix missile that can blow a foe to scrap before you even see him. You are an expert in fighter tactics and aircraft carrier operations, and it all leads to your command of an F-14 fighter squadron of more than 300 people.
Sounds like a week’s worth of daydreams, but it’s all real-life in the career of Dave “Bio” Baranek, and he shares it with you in the exciting, superbly crafted new book, TOMCAT RIO. Dave – callsign “Bio” – pulled his readers into the exciting world of the F-14 and the Navy’s TOPGUN program with his popular books TOPGUN DAYS and BEFORE TOPGUN DAYS. Now he’s back with the rest of the story, as he reaches the top level of expertise and proves it, not just in graded competitions but also where it counts, where you shoot at them and they shoot at you.
TOMCAT RIO is printed on larger paper, which means the photos are almost twice as large, by area, as the photos in the previous books in the series.
TOMCAT RIO specifications:
Size: 8" wide x 10.5" high – extra large
Pages: 208, including reference material, dozens of photos
Cover price: $27.99 hardcover
Also available as an e-book; the publisher has planned an audiobook of Tomcat RIO, but it is delayed due to disruption in the publishing industry caused by covid.
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., an imprint of W W Norton
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TOPGUN DAYS
Dogfighting, Cheating Death, and Hollywood Glory as One of America's Best Fighter Jocks
Topgun Days straps readers into the Navy's hottest jet fighters, a world many have seen in movies and television, but few have experienced. Readers quickly understand the thrills of roaring afterburners and supersonic shockwaves, and the split-second terror when our amiable narrator Bio ejects from his crashing fighter.
Readers also experience the human side, sharing Bio's aspirations and humorous stumbles, and ultimately the satisfying triumph of becoming a Topgun instructor, the best of the best. While Bio does indeed make it to the top of the pyramid, he keeps his sense of joy that comes with such an accomplishment and his keen fascination with the technical and visceral aspects of dogfighting in jet fighters. His engaging writing will have readers feeling the g-forces, as he describes events and sights most people have never imagined.
TOPGUN DAYS specifications:
Size: 6" x 9" hardcover or softcover
Pages: 320, including 22 pages of reference material, dozens of photos
Cover price: $24.95 hardcover; $16.95 softcover; also available as an e-book and audio-book
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., an imprint of W W Norton
International: available in a Japanese translation and a Chinese translation (can't find an active link to it)
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BEFORE TOPGUN DAYS
The Making of a Jet Fighter Instructor
“Here’s a great read for any aviation enthusiast, and especially for anyone considering a career in Naval Aviation.” —Vice Admiral “Streak” Chanik, USN (Ret.), former F-14 pilot and Topgun instructor
Dave “Bio” Baranek was just another kid with a dream. After college, he joined the Navy to become a fighter pilot. But his eyesight was waning. He knew he would never reach that goal. Undaunted, he plowed ahead and found his niche as a radar intercept operator in the backseat of the sleek new Grumman F-14 Tomcat.
Join Baranek in Before Topgun Days as he takes you along for this greatest, most exciting time of his young life: training to become a naval flight officer. In this prequel to his popular memoir, Topgun Days, Baranek brings to life the anxieties and excitement of the fast-paced world of fighter jocks. Dozens of full-color photos put you right there, in on the action. From a green recruit to an experienced flyer, you’ll discover what it took to become a Topgun instructor – and what it took to land a crippled jet on a rolling, pitching carrier deck!
BEFORE TOPGUN DAYS specifications:
Size: 6" x 9" hardcover
Pages: 236 pages, including glossary, dozens of photos and diagrams
Cover price: $22.95 hardcover; also available as an e-book and audio-book
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., an imprint of W W Norton