Tippy: Tales of Flying Sergeants Audiobook By Michael G. Uva cover art

Tippy: Tales of Flying Sergeants

Enlisted Fighter Pilots in WWII

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

Tippy: Tales of Flying Sergeants

By: Michael G. Uva
Narrated by: Kelly Rhodes
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $14.95

Buy for $14.95

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

How does a backwoods, lowly, enlisted mechanic become a - P-51 - ace fighter pilot?

Based on the story of an enlisted marine who flew a P-51 aircraft during WWII. (Normally, only Commissioned Officers were pilots.) These "enlisted" pilots fought like hellions in air battles in the European and South Pacific theaters against greater trained enemy pilots and superior aircraft. They showed tenacity, guts, and heart in a belief they could stem the tide of tyranny. They crammed their bodies into tiny aircraft, and then hurled themselves across the skies, to protect America!

I wrote Tippy as a tribute to a Master Gunnery Sergeant Tippy that I had the pleasure and honor to have served with while I was enlisted in the Marines. I flew a few times as his crew chief.

Only Officers were supposed to be pilots. But despite discrimination, over 2,575 enlisted men are officially, "In the books!" as Pilots. These men flew under the banner of "Sergeant Pilots". Chuck Yeager, Carroll Shelby, and Walter Beech all started out as enlisted men.

These heroes are now lovingly referred to as, "Flying Peons".

©2015 Michael Luva (P)2016 Michael Luva Action & Adventure Genre Fiction War & Military Aviation
All stars
Most relevant  
If you could sum up Tippy: Tales of Flying Sergeants in three words, what would they be?
Mike & Kelly did a wonderful job!

What did you like best about this story?
The part about the fight in the alley...Funny!

What about Kelly Rhodes’s performance did you like?
WONDERFUL!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
The part where Yoshi explains he was there too.

Any additional comments?
You have to listen for yourself.

WOW! Story of an enlisted pilot who flew in WWII!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This was just a poor book to listen to. I have read a lot of fighter pilot biographies and autobiographies. And I have to say that this one has to be amongst the least enjoyable to listen to. The few attempts by the narrator to speak in different voices and accents for the characters were seriously lacking. The story, which could have been quite compelling, was severely hindered by the way it switched between past and present and the overly-casual syntax of the author. Basically, one would better spend their time listening to a different book.

Generally Poor

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.