The Ace Factor: Air Combat and the Role of Situational Awareness

by Mike Spick and Michael Spick

Book Overview

Supported by quotes from great fighter pilots and analysis of famous aerial engagements, the author defines the critical factor necessary to become a fighter ace as situational awareness, or the almost psychic ability of topscoring aces to keep track of everything going on in their immediate environment.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0870210025
• ISBN13: 9780870210020
• Release Date: January 1988
• Publisher: US Naval Institute Press
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

The Ace Factor

I only read this book because Carrol Smith told me to (Tune to Win) Non the less its an excellent read. As a race car driver it's all about courage and determination, talent. So to get an inside look at some real aces and not just what Tom Cruise makes it look like. Obviously it costs millions to have these jets in the air so a lot of training is done by mental visulization and simulation, so its great to see what seperates an average pilot and an ACE. Excellent book!

Putting his finger on it...

A detailed, well written and documented explanation of the missing piece needed to understand what differentiates the excellent from the very good.

A small gem of a volume

Although there are many books delaing with air combat stories, Mr Spick's old but excellent volume is a must-have for everyone interested in the ace producing virtues. "Situational awareness" is surely the most critical of them, as the author proves in many occasions and the book covers the whole age of aerial dogfights from the Great War to the '80s. There are many first hand accounts, many great stories and abundant information on tactics and technologies but, above all, Mr Spick's writing is the great advantage of this book. A nice addition to the library of every military aviation fan.

Good book about air combat

Not an in depth analysys of air combat maneuvers and energy management as Shaw does in his books, however a good book about the so called "Situational Awareness", in my opinion the most important ace factor.

Excellent book on the what separated "Ace" pilots from rest.

With so many books available on aces and air combat tactics, Spick's focus is a remarkably fresh one. He identifys, and discusses the rare human qualities that made a small percentage of fighter pilots, "ace" pilots. This is achieved via a historical look at many successful pilots in all of history's air wars. From Bolcke to Cunningham, there's a good balance between history, technique and tactics. A good companion book to Robert Shaw's "Fighter Combat: Tactics and Maneuvering," and a better read too.