80 Percent Luck, 20 Percent Skill

Ralph Alshouse enlisted in the Navy at age 18 in 1942. He spent the war ferrying 146 warplanes of all kinds from Midwest manufacturers to the east and west coasts. Sometimes the plane had more power than anything he’d flown before, and he didn’t have the benefit of instructors. This book is filled with his anecdotes that he wrote down for his children.
He flew in all kinds of weather. Often, the war-weary planes he flew back to the manufacturers for overhaul were pieces of junk. He made thirteen forced landings with dead motors or fires, with firetrucks and ambulances waiting for him along the runways.
His squadron held frequent reunions, but now, no one is left to exchange Christmas cards with the 99-year-old. This is a quick, casual read of a segment of WWII service we don’t hear about.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

An honest and very different true account of a young US Navy pilot who never saw combat, but faced the challenges of new, sometimes untested, aircraft and very difficult weather conditions to ferry aircraft from production factories to operational airfields across the USA. The stories are, to anyone who has even a little understanding of military aviation, are mind-bending and vary from many routine flights to those that posed life threatening situations when the 80% luck factor kicked in. In all the tales you can read of a quiet sense of humour running through some of the incidents that make this short book fascinating reading.