Some time ago I visited the Museum of Flight in Seattle and I was able to find the only (autographed) copy of this rare book while browsing their library. “Angels Three Six” is the fascinating story of Colonel Charles (Chuck) Lehman and the Cold War Air Defense Command.

He is the author of this book and writes in first person about flying F-102 and (nuclear armed) F-106 during the Cold War and the Cuban missile crisis. Chuck and the other pilots were dedicated to protect the United States from the horrors of a successful strike by the (at that time) huge Soviet Air Force. They also had to be ready to accept a final attack on an invading bomber. Final means that if the missiles and rockets failed to stop the threat they had to take the bomber out by ramming it with their own aircraft. Here’s an excerpt from the book introducion.

“The stories are confessions, not exposes. Some of these stories are hairy. Others are humorous. A few are zany. One or two fit more aptly into the How could I Have Been so Stupid category. In most cases, the events are so burned into my memory that I can still feel the G forces, the vibrations and the flow of oxygen in my mask. I can smell the smells, hear the sounds, feel the sweat and the indescribable exhilation of flying a high performace fighter on the deck. Six hundred knots at 40,000 feet is mundane. The same speed at 400 feet is exciting. At 40 feet it’s mind-blowing.”

This book is so captivating that you will probably read the 200 pages within a night and then feel sad because you can’t have more. I could write forever about how good it is so do yourself a favor and buy it. But it’s not easy to find. There must be a reason for it.