Fightin' Air Force #4

Captain Ed Lanson and his crew are tasked with bombing a strategic bridge in Korea that the enemy has rebuilt—a mission complicated by their temperamental B-26 bomber, affectionately nicknamed "Crippled Annie," which develops landing gear trouble just as they prepare for the run. Despite mechanical failures and enemy fire that damage the plane further, Lanson and his men manage to complete the bombing run and limp their battered aircraft back to base, where they face an unexpected choice about their flying future.

Lieutenant Al Webber learns the hard way that modern air combat demands perfect formation flying—when he breaks ranks to pursue enemy fighters on his own, his reckless tactics nearly get his entire flight killed, earning him a grounding and the contempt of his fellow pilots. Given a second chance at redemption, Webber must prove he can follow orders and trust the team, even when instinct screams for him to go it alone.

Captain Tom Regan, a World War II veteran recalled to active duty during the Korean War, struggles with his reluctant return to combat flying while longing for his family back home. When his hot-headed young pilot, 2nd Lt. Flip Sanders, gets into trouble over enemy territory with a damaged canopy and enemy fighters on his tail, Regan makes a desperate decision that leads to one final, unexpected mission. A gritty Korean-era air combat tale about duty, experience, and what it means to be called back when your country needs you.

Cadet Hank Vinson battles a crippling fear of flying jets at a Texas training base, dodging sick call and looking for excuses while his instructors grow impatient with his delays. When a crisis forces him into the cockpit and a needling officer challenges his nerve over the radio, Vinson discovers that sometimes the only way past your fear is straight through it.

When a hotshot Sabre-jet pilot refuses to fly low with his squadron during bombing runs, insisting his high-altitude tactics are safer and more effective, he gets a harsh education in perspective after being shot down and forced to spend a harrowing night with the ground troops he'd dismissed. "Come in at Zero" shows what it takes for one flyboy to learn that his air support means everything to the soldiers fighting below.

Bigsby finds himself in an awkward spot when his boss asks whether he knows a certain fellow—and more pressingly, whether that fellow is good for an ice cream soda. This lighthearted military comedy plays out the tension between a soldier trying to stay in his boss's good graces and the uncomfortable truth he'd rather not admit.