An Officer, Not a Gentleman
The Inspirational Journey of a Pioneering Female Fighter Pilot
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Narrated by:
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Mandy Hickson
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By:
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Mandy Hickson
About this listen
'Mandy, break right...’ Jacko’s urgent scream shatters my bubble of bliss like a balloon exploding. My right hand slams the stick across and we tip over sideways, like a hard right turn on a roller coaster. I tense my stomach muscles to accept the punch in the guts from the g-suit, which clamps my legs tight to force the blood to my brain and stop me from blacking out.
‘Missile launch, five o’clock...’ says the strained voice of my nav into my headset. I am not daydreaming anymore.
Flying a multi-million pound fighter jet in hostile territory is not an everyday career, and it comes with a high degree of pressure and responsibility. It’s a dream job that takes years of ambition, training and commitment, but for Mandy Hickson, it was a dream that became reality. Find out about Mandy’s incredible journey to become one of the UK’s first female, fast-jet pilots and how she overcame many obstacles to develop the skills to succeed in such a demanding career.
©2020 Mandy Hickson (P)2021 W F HowesListeners also enjoyed...
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Story
As the ground war struggled for success in Vietnam, it became intensely clear that the skies had to be owned by the allies for victory to have a chance. It was the F-4 and its pilots that made that possible. The author, a Phantom pilot himself, details intense stories of undaunted and valiant American pilots with their legendary fierce Phantom. These are personal stories of intrepid courage and self-sacrifice to get the mission done - whatever the cost.
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Great Material
- By Mark Murphy on 12-31-14
By: Robert F Kirk
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From F-4 Phantom to A-10 Warthog
- Memoirs of a Cold War Fighter Pilot
- By: Steven K Ladd
- Narrated by: Jeff Bolton
- Length: 12 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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You do not have to be an aviation aficionado to enjoy Colonel Steve Ladd’s fascinating personal tale, woven around his 28-year career as a fighter pilot. This extremely engaging account follows a young man from basic pilot training to senior command through the narratives that define a unique ethos. From the United States to Southeast Asia; Europe to the Middle East; linking the amusing and tongue-in-cheek to the deadly serious and poignant, this is the lifelong journey of a fighter pilot.
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A 28 year history of Air Force fighter duty.
- By David H Milton on 07-09-22
By: Steven K Ladd
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Vulcan 607
- By: Rowland White
- Narrated by: Roy McMillan
- Length: 13 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Shoulder to shoulder with Strategic Air Command B-52s throughout the Cold War, the big delta-winged Vulcans of the Britain's V-bomber force faced down the Soviet threat to the West. In 1982, they were just months from retirement when they flew in anger for the first time. It was to be a record-breaking mission of breathtaking audacity: a single bomber launched from a remote island airbase to carry out what would be the longest-range air attack in history. An 8,000-mile round-trip.
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Wow, incredibly gripping and entertaining
- By MortonC on 09-10-24
By: Rowland White
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War for the Hell of It
- A Fighter Pilot's View of Vietnam
- By: Ed Cobleigh
- Narrated by: Eric Martin
- Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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In War for the Hell of It, Cobleigh shares his perspectives in a deeply personal account of a fighter pilot's life, one filled with moral ambiguity and military absurdities offset by the undeniable thrill of flying a fighter plane. With well-crafted prose that puts you into his Phantom's cockpit, Cobleigh vividly recounts the unexplainable loss of his wingman, the useless missions he flew, the need to trust his reflexes, eyesight, aggressiveness, and his survival instincts in the heat of combat.
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Best book on the USAF air war in Vietnam.
- By S. Mersereau on 08-26-16
By: Ed Cobleigh
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Harrier Boys, Volume 1
- From the Cold War Through the Falklands, 1969-1990
- By: Robert Marston
- Narrated by: Roger Davis
- Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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In Harrier Boys, Volume One: Cold War Through the Falklands, 1969-1990, Robert Marston, who flew Harriers for many years, draws together accounts from others who worked with this unique jet through its history. The excitement, camaraderie, and pride of Harrier operators shine through in the personal stories of those whose lives were changed by their experience of this iconic aircraft, both on land and at sea.
By: Robert Marston
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Pucker Factor 10
- Memoir of a US Army Helicopter Pilot in Vietnam
- By: James Joyce
- Narrated by: Traber Burns
- Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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The author was drawn into the United States Army through ROTC, and he went through training to fly helicopters in combat over Vietnam. His experiences are notable because he flew both Huey “Slicks” and Huey “Gunships”: the former on defense as he flew troops into battle, and the latter on offense as he took the battle to the enemy. Through this book, the author relives his experiences flying and fighting, with special attention given to his and other pilots’ day-to-day lives.
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gunship crew chief point of view.
- By Anonymous User on 02-12-20
By: James Joyce
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Bomber Pilot: A Memoir of World War II
- By: Philip Ardery
- Narrated by: James Killavey
- Length: 9 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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"The sky was full of dying airplanes" as American Liberator bombers struggled to return to North Africa after their daring low-level raid on the oil refineries of Ploesti. They lost 446 airmen and 53 planes, but Philip Ardery's plane came home. This pilot was to take part in many more raids on Hitler's Europe, including air cover for the D-Day invasion of Normandy. This vivid firsthand account records one man's experience of World War II air warfare.
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Fascinating...and true story
- By Loretta on 06-24-15
By: Philip Ardery
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War's End
- An Eyewitness Account of America's Last Atomic Mission
- By: Maj. Gen. Charles W. Sweeney, James A. Antonucci - contributor, Marion K. Antonucci - contributor
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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On August 9, 1945, on the tiny island of Tinian in the South Pacific, a 25-year-old American Army Air Corps major named Charles W. Sweeney climbed aboard a B-29 Superfortress in command of his first combat mission, one devised specifically to bring a long and terrible war to a necessary conclusion.... The last military officer to command an atomic mission, Maj. Gen. Charles W. Sweeney has the unique distinction of having been an integral part of both the Hiroshima and the Nagasaki bombing runs.
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the history of the details.
- By Don on 10-23-24
By: Maj. Gen. Charles W. Sweeney, and others
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Surprised at Being Alive
- An Accidental Helicopter Pilot in Vietnam and Beyond
- By: Robert F. Curtis
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 12 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Sometimes you do everything right, but it just isn't your day. A part fails and your helicopter comes apart in flight, or, another aircraft runs into you and the pieces of both fall to the ground below, or the enemy gunner pulls the trigger at just the right moment and his rounds find your aircraft in exactly the right spot to take it out of the sky. Whichever way it happens, it wasn't your day.
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An Exciting Vietnam war history book it is not.
- By Peter Leo on 07-05-20
By: Robert F. Curtis
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Danger Close
- My Epic Journey as a Combat Helicopter Pilot in Iraq and Afghanistan
- By: Amber Smith
- Narrated by: Rachel Fulginiti
- Length: 7 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Amber Smith flew into enemy fire in some of the most dangerous combat zones in the world. One of only a few women to fly the Kiowa Warrior helicopter, Smith rose to pilot in command and air mission commander in the premier Kiowa unit in the army, repeatedly flying into harm's way during her 2005 and 2008 deployments with the 101st Airborne Division, the Screaming Eagles. Smith takes you into the heat of battle, enabling listeners to feel, hear, and smell the experience of serving as a combat pilot in high-intensity warfare
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Riveting
- By Jean on 06-28-17
By: Amber Smith
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This Is Minuteman: Two, Three...Go!
- Memoirs of a Helicopter Pilot in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan
- By: Wayne Chasson
- Narrated by: Rodney Miles
- Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Relive six decades of flying helicopters, including an extended tour in Vietnam and the mountains of Afghanistan, with a little Iraq, Kuwait, and National Guard thrown in. This is Minuteman: Two, Three…Go! recounts Wayne Chasson’s times, from the early, young, and dumb days to becoming a more seasoned pilot of Huey and other helicopters in three American wars and the National Guard here at home. Chasson relives it all for us in this gritty and honest memoir — with humility, humor, and gratitude — as he himself is still trying to figure out how he made it through alive.
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Great story
- By Amazon Customer on 04-20-24
By: Wayne Chasson
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Catkiller 3-2
- An Army Pilot Flying for the Marines in the Vietnam War
- By: Raymond G. Caryl
- Narrated by: Tom Parks
- Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Catkiller 3-2 provides unique insights into the role of the tactical air controller, airborne (TACA) in I Corps as seen through the eyes of one of the pilots who flew low-flying, unarmed, single-engine aircraft in support of marine ground units during the Vietnam War. When Gen. William Westmoreland changed the marines' role in I Corps into a combat one, the Marines found themselves in need of more fixed wing aircraft to handle the TACA missions.
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Enjoyed this book.
- By David Kocol on 08-23-23
By: Raymond G. Caryl
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Viper Pilot
- The Autobiography of One of America's Most Decorated Combat Pilots
- By: Dan Hampton
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Sure to rank as one of the greatest aviation memoirs ever written, Viper Pilot is an Air Force legend's thrilling eyewitness account of modern air warfare. From 1986 to 2006, Lt. Col. Dan Hampton was a leading member of the Wild Weasels, the elite Air Force fighter squadrons whose mission is recognized as the most dangerous job in modern air combat. Weasels are the first planes sent into a war zone, flying deep behind enemy lines purposely seeking to draw fire from surface-to-air missiles and artillery. They must skillfully evade being shot down - and then return to destroy the threats, thereby making the skies safe for everyone else to follow.
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FINALLY A Pilot Tells it Like it is!!
- By aaron on 10-26-12
By: Dan Hampton
What listeners say about An Officer, Not a Gentleman
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Tim Miner
- 02-19-23
So glad I gave Mandy a Listen
Mandy Hickson gave a real life unvarnished and fun account of military aviation life. No f-bombs were required to reveal truth, pain and inspiration. I am happy for Mandy and those around her.
Tim Miner
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- Karen Vickers
- 04-06-21
Dream Big
I love that Mandy read her book! What enthusiasm! What a lady! Loved every minute of this book!
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- Amazon Customer
- 07-18-23
Mandy felt like she was in the room. Great spending the time to know her.
I love books that are read by their authors. Aviation has been part of my life and my dreams since I was a small boy. Mandy's story is compelling and offers a unique perspective. She is genuine, a hero, a hard worker, ordinary mom, wife, and a great storyteller, Thank you so much for sharing your story. I loved it and I appreciate you. Way done,
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- Lady Pamela
- 03-08-24
Enter Text Here
Tis a book about fighter pilots and fighter pilot training with a female bent. There's lots of Brit slang, mostly defined for the rest of us. Author tells her story of life in the RAF...the good and the not so good, the lessons learned and the fun along the way. It's a gripping read,
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- Susan K.
- 05-19-21
Amazing Story
I lived that she wrote her story without dwelling on the woman in a man’s world aspect. Of course it comes up, as it is a huge part of her life in the RAF, but she doesn’t whine about it. The book is very well written and exciting to read.
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- Spooky81
- 01-18-23
Real rush
Excellent listen, brought back memories of Air Force flying, and fighter jets. As she proves it was never easy for women to be fighter pilots in the 80s and 90s and maybe even into the 2000s. A well written book.
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- George S. Patton
- 08-23-21
Mandy Hickson
The most exciting listening adventure I’ve ever had! Mandy Hickson is the best! I’d recommend this book to everyone interested in aviation! What a great book! Hickson is the BEST!!!!
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- RichDu
- 08-16-22
An Officer
An Officer, Not a Gentleman was a well delivered story. A great message for anyone who still has unfulfilled dreams and desire to achieve more. Many Hickson’s audio book should be required reading for everyone.
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- little grandma
- 03-17-24
Very informative
This woman shattered some ceilings and handled her opportunities in the best way as one woman in a “man’s world”.
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- Justin Campbell
- 02-18-22
These reviews are getting hard to trust
this book is very poorly paced and thin on details. It jumps around and has almost zero cohesion. There’s a random 9/11 story, the very late SERE school equivalent story etc. And the Brits came to Las Vegas twice for a joint exercise. Maybe I should’ve read the description closer but I can’t help but feel the cover is a bit of intentional deception as well. The nose of this jet looks remarkably similar to an F-16 as pictured at a glance, it’s not, and the flight suit isn’t close enough to discern any differences either. Maybe if I hadn’t read Dan Hamptons “viper pilot” first I wouldn’t be so harsh. But for me the narration is the highlight of an otherwise non cohesive, badly paced vanilla story.
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1 person found this helpful