Heavy Jets

The dawn of the jet age unleashed a new breed of military pilots, who operated far beyond the range of their commanders in a never-ending search for adventure and a good time. You never saw these bad boys on an Air Force recruiting poster, but now you'll hear their stories.

While they met in bars all over the world to drink and share their tales, one place is special-Wake Island, a flyspeck on the vast South Pacific Ocean. Lying on the direct air route from Hawaii to Guam, this island became a historic crossroad for the world's aviators. Here, in a rusted-out little beachfront bar called Drifter's Reef, the best and most memorable anecdotes filled the air. This is hallowed ground; not only for MAC pilots, but also for all international pilots since the first days of Pan Am's flying boats.

Author Jim Miller spent many years flying through Wake Island and faithfully recording the stories he heard. Heavy Jets is a fictional account of these tales, revealing the awe-inspiring achievements of generations of heavy-jet pilots from a time now faded.

Good winds to you all.