Check Six: A Fighter Pilot Looks Back.

BLESSE, Frederick C. "Boots".

Item Number: 146939

Mesa, AZ: Champlin Fighter Museum Press, 1987.

First edition of this detailed reflection of life as an Air Force officer. Octavo, original full publisher’s leatherette, illustrated with black and white photographs throughout. Signed by the author on the front free endpaper, “Boots Blesse.” Additionally signed on the front free endpaper by “Walker M. Mahurin,” “Johnnie Johnson,” “Don Lopez,” and “Gabby Gabreski.” Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Jacket illustration by Jack Fellows.

Frederick C. "Boots" Blesse was a United States Air Force major general and flying ace. He earned his pilot wings just as World War II was ending and participated in both the Korean and Vietnam Wars. With more than 6,500 flying hours as a command pilot and more than 650 hours combat flying, Blesse won every individual trophy in the 1955 U. S. A. F. Worldwide Gunnery Meet and has been distinguished with even more medals, merits, and crosses for his heroism and service. After the Korean War, he authored the classic fighter manual "No Guts, No Glory," which has been used as a basis for fighter combat operations for many of the world's air forces, such as Royal Air Force, the U.S. Marine Corps, Chinese Nationalist, Korean Air Force, and U.S. Air Force since 1955. "Check Six" is a one-of-a-kind retrospective of Blesse's life and an insider examination of the major defense issues of the 1960s and '70s.