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Kerosene Cowboys: Manning the Spare Hardcover – January 1, 2007

by Randy Arrington (Author)

3.8 9 ratings

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Even though one fourth of total flight time must be flown at night, for most Tactical Naval Aviators when the sun goes down its time to shed their speed slacks, splash on a little cologne and head for the O’Club bar. Undoubtedly, there would be a bevy of beauties adorning the barstools this Friday evening at the Jack Black Memorial Officer’s Club. After all, it was the day before a huge Drill Weekend for the air station with Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Air Guard units all scheduled to be in town for their last drill of 1991. Indeed, the Jackson’s ($20 bills) would be flying across the bar tonight. Without question many of the single, and not so single, women in Southeastern Louisiana were aware of this fact and would be out in search of a pilot for a little rest and relaxation before the hectic pace of the holiday season took its annual toll. It wasn’t close to the spectacle that occurs each Wednesday evening at the Officer’s Club at Miramar Naval Air Station in San Diego. It couldn’t even compare to Thursday nights at the Spin Drifter Tavern in Jacksonville. But for Belle Chasse, Louisiana, it was the only game in town on a Drill Weekend.

Print length

460 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Iuniverse Inc
Publication date

January 1, 2007
ISBN-10

059587701X
ISBN-13

978-0595877010
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Iuniverse Inc; 0 edition (January 1, 2007)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 460 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 059587701X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0595877010
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.8 pounds

Customer Reviews:
3.8 9 ratings

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3.8 out of 5

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TBrand

I really liked it!

Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2009

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and am looking forward to the sequels. I found his character development excellent and I could feel myself right there in the action.
I think I now have a better understanding of life in the tiny community of tactical naval aviators - and I like it.

Helpful

Carl W. Sundstrom

Still Looking For a Plot

Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2008

Having familiarity with both Naval Aviation (0-6, USNR, retired in 1991) and U.S. Customs (Senior Special Agent, retired in 1988) I looked forward to a great read when I read the comments on the book jacket.

I am now more than half-way through the book and I am still looking for a plot. I will say that although the descriptions of flying are good, there is too much minutiae in most every aspect of the book. I also play at golf, but that whole part of the book was enough to almost make me quit, as it was so boring to read how each shot was played. The dialogue in parts of this book are incredibly corny, and I am stuggling to finish reading it.

Another very annoying thing about this book was how the author willy-nilly used all three names of each character (first name, last name, and call sign)to the point where you almost need a play list to know who he is referring to. It drives me crazy. Pick one name and stick with it.

Another observation: This book was obviously dictated and not written on a word processor as there are a very large number of errors, such as "to" instead of "too;" "their" instead of "there," etc. This is annoying and indicates that the "editor" was AWOL. Also, it seems to me that the author spent too much time with his Thesaurus, as so often he used rather obscure words when the more common word would have been more accurate and more realistic. This was also annoying.

And when the author calls the flight surgeon "Wrongway Carrigan" because of his "penchant for wearing a stethoscope backwards around his neck" (Who in the world could ever tell which way any doctor "wore" his stethoscope?)was so lame it was silly and laughable. "Wrongway Corrigan" was in actuality a WWII pilot or navigator whose claim to fame was that he flew for a very long distance 180 degrees from where he wanted to go.

I will force myself to finish this book, but I will be happy when it is over. It is definitely not one of those books you cannot put down.

Carl Sundstrom
San Diego, CA

13 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2017

Verified Purchase

Outstanding. WELL DONE

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Randall S. Arrington

High-Quality Entertainment in this Novel

Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2007

SLUFS, fliers and nostalgia combine to make a great read in Randy Arrington's foray into capturing the lives and lifestyles of the members of the VA-204 "River Rattlers" - quasi-fictional reservists called up in the early 1990s, for story's sake, to represent the A-7 community during the Corsair's final cruise. Arrington calls on his experience as a tactical aviator from the start, infusing personalities and quirks into the Rattler ready room to develop a cross section of characters running the spectrum from choir boys (very few) to stereotypical jet jocks (quite a few) that typically inhabit a squadron while offering a detailed image of life in a reserve unit. Stress and concerns associated with the activation are mitigated by the excitement of getting back on the ship and heading to far-off locales. Details of the workup period draw the reader into the world of tactical Navy flying, the depth of preparation for missions and the rewards of these efforts in a job well done. Arrington's portrayal of the lifestyle of early 90s aviators will bring smiles of knowing appreciation to the indoctrinated, and envy to all others. Extended All Officers Meetings (and this in the days before PowerPoint), trips to watering holes across the country familiar to all, terrifically engineered pranks (one reflected a certain XO's asbestos "scare" on the Connie a few years back), golf games with dignitaries and volumes of (rather non-P.C.) banter between comrades take the reader right back to that life of minor stress and terrific excitement. The tale follows Brad "Teen Angel" Ackerman - who supplements his day job as a Hollywood stunt pilot with monthly trips to New Orleans to stay sharp in the cockpit, pursue local belles and maintain ties to the life he left behind for the civilian world - through the first stage of workups. Married members of the squadron do their best to deal with the surprise of this good deal and the pressure placed on families that never saw it coming. All work together to build cohesion in order to prove the viability and efficacy of a reserve squadron already viewed derisively by a skeptical Air Group Commander. Kerosene Cowboys brings all of the fun and misery of preparing for cruise right back to the fore. Any flier - Navy or otherwise - will enjoy reading their way back into planning, briefing, flying and debriefing the rides required to gain certification for sea. Arrington never strays far from total immersion, and keeps the social aspect of Naval Aviation in sharp, entertaining focus. His book is a fun, intriguing tale for aviators, aspirants, fans and general readers whose biggest concern will be trying to figure out how long it will be before they can finally put to sea with the Rattlers in Arrington's next Kerosene Cowboys novel.

3 people found this helpful

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Crash and Burn

Save your money. Be thankful for the "Look Inside" feature

Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2010

I thank Amazon for their look inside feature. I ran across the author's explanation of how his books came to be written. He's a former A7 Attack pilot. I read a few pages, not even to the end of the initial pages, and didn't want any more punishment. I've bought other books because the Look Inside feature whetted my appetite for more.

He got the original idea when finishing up a war game exercise, and overcame his writer's block when a friend and fellow pilot died in a training accident in Ketchikan (he spelled it Ketchican), Alaska. Would that his friend had lived, so his writer's block would have kept him from finishing this novel.

I would have bought the book soley because of the title and the pressure suit helmet on the cover, and would have been sorely disappointed. As it was, I can't believe how excruciating the initial pages are, and if the initial pages can't hold me, nothing can.

I haven't been paid for my writing, but I write much better than this guy. I'll buy a Tom Clancy novel in a heart beat, even without opening it up, but I don't know if I'll ever want to even peek at a Kerosene Cowboy novel (unless someone else steals the series name). In fact, I'd rather read one of my wife's Nora Roberts' books than this one!

3 people found this helpful

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