Vigilante!: 1,200 Hours Flying the Ultimate US Navy Reconnaissance Aircraft

"Vigilante!" is somewhat unique in essentially being a biography of the aircraft written mainly from the perspective of the pilots, bombardier-navigators, and reconnaissance/attack navigators that flew it. Despite what the subtitle might have you expect, it's not a personal account of the author's experiences, and "Boom" Powell is merely part of the cast. For a 192-page book packed with photographs and illustrations, it's surprisingly comprehensive, and presented in Speciality Press's trademark scrapbook style. Along with a large number of first-hand accounts of flying the "Vigi" in combat over Vietnam, we get histories of each of the squadrons that operated it, a brief overview of its development and flight test phase, technical descriptions of the RA-5C's reconnaissance equipment and some of the aircraft's major systems, a slew of "TINS" stories, and a large number of asides ranging from the experience of landing onboard a carrier, to monitoring the eruption of La Soufrière in 1971. Along with the expected beauty shots of the aircraft in flight and taking off and landing on carriers, illustrations include aerial reconnaissance photos, patches, maps, diagrams, and paintings.At the risk of sounding superficial, and God knows there are enough people pounding their fists whenever a book isn't sufficiently titillating, this book falls somewhat short visually when compared with most of the publisher's titles. The paper is decent-quality matte stock, not the heavy glossy paper you'd expect. Most of the black and white photos look fine, but the color ones are all over the place, ranging from pretty good to heavily processed and murky. It's a shame because the Vigilante was one of the most beautiful military aircraft of the 1960s.Although it could use some work on a visual level, this is probably the best book on the Vigilante currently available, and I'd recommend it to anyone seriously interested in the A-5.

Anyone who ever witnessed North American's mighty RA-5C Vigilante making a low-altitude high-speed pass counts the experience as an ever-bright memory to be treasured. Arguably the most beautiful supersonic airplane ever built, the RA-5C began life as a two-seat nuclear attack bomber, the A3J-1 (redesignated in 1962 as the A-5A), refined further as the hump-backed A-5B. But changes in requirements dictated that it become a Mach 2+ reconnaissance airplane with a long ventral recce canoe, just in time for the war in Southeast Asia. "Vigi" crews furnished the raw intel that targeteers turned into Alpha Strikes and then, after those strikes, conducted the post-strike recce that assessed mission effectiveness. It was a hard, demanding mission, and losses from SAMs and other defenses were high, as evidenced by one photograph (on p. 73) showing a 1965 Vigi graduating class: of the 13 aircrew in the photograph, fully 8 were subsequently shot down--62 percent!--and of those 3 were killed and 3 were captured. The war in Southeast Asia was the Vigi's war, and it flew there from the onset of Rolling Thunder in 1965 through Linebacker I-II in the last days of American involvement in 1972-1973. The book is extraordinarily detailed, not only about the aircraft but about its systems, the conduct of naval air reconnaissance, and carrier operations on Yankee Station (and elsewhere) in the 1960's-1970's (it completed its last sortie in 1979). Its author, Cdr Robert R. "Boom" Powell, USN (ret.), is no stranger to anyone who follows naval aviation history. A highly experienced combat aviator in the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk and North American RA-5C Vigilante (and a host of other aircraft from 747s to preserved warbirds and sailplanes), Powell writes as well as he flies. Further, he has amassed a tremendous number of anecdotes, reminiscences, and insights from not only his own experience but that of many others. Readers of this book will not be disappointed, for the text is authoritative, wide-ranging over all Vigi variants and operational areas, and extraordinarily complete, and is illustrated with dozens of rare photographs covering every aspect of Vigi development, testing, deployment, and operations. This is a Bravo Zulu book that has been written with love and dedication, and it should be on the shelf of anyone with an interest in the air war in Southeast Asia, particularly if that interest runs to naval aviation in early supersonic era. Highly and unreservedly recommended!

First off, I would give this marvelous book a Five Star rating even if Boom Powell wasn't a friend and I hadn't followed his literary work for a long time. I was introduced to the Vigilante during my initial Skyhawk carrier qualifications in early 1965, and I got to watch fledglings from NAS Sanford come out to carrier qualify. I marveled at the aircraft's beauty and got scared to death by some of the attempts to get that complicated plane on board. My Air Wing carried the RA-5C on both a combat cruise and a peacetime cruise, and I personally benefitted from their excellent pre strike photography. On both those cruises, a Vigilante closed the deck to recoveries after coming partially disassembled after landing, and I personally watched a fatal accident when a Viggie broke a wire after landing and dribbled off the angle deck into the sea. I personally was friends with a number of the pilots mentioned in this book. I had great respect for them.Boom Powell is a master of collecting operational anecdotes, and his book is full of stories from Vigilante crews. The book is an illustrated love affair with the beautiful Vigilante. This pilot could not resist taking many photos, both as a form and its complicated components, so this collection is a full story. There is full data to support the range of squadrons and operations to support the scrutiny of the finest detail persons.All this is bonded by Boom's clear text and operational familiarity. The Vigilante crews were gallant chaps, and this book serves them well. Highly Recommended.

I thoroughly enjoyed this, as I did the author's book on the Vigi for Osprey. It's a plane I've liked since I built the early Revell model in the 1960's The author tells us not only about the plane, its origins and its re-invention and service as a photo reconnaissance platform, but what it was like to fly it and operate it. I've only ever flown a glider, and never in anything bigger than a Chipmunk, so as a modeller I need people like the author to tell me the human side as well. And there are as many great photos as you could wish!

Another great book by Robert R. Powell, on a great but often neglected aircraft - the RA-5C Vigilante. Great photos accompany an illuminating text about this very special aircraft and its role during the Vietnam conflict. if carrier aviation is your thing, you need this book.

Waited a long time for a well written book on the North American vigilante to come alongOverall satisfied with book , but did feel the quality of the photographs in book were a bit below the standard I have become accustomedto in previous Speciality Press Aviation books.Have many Speciality Press Aviation Books. B36 Peacemaker, Convair Deltas, US Navy Air Superiority Fighters. Etc. All were illustrated with many rare crystal clear photographs , whereas many of the photographs in this book were blurry /grainy.It’s a shame the Vigilante is a beautiful aircraft that has never had the recognition it deserves.

A detailed description of a charismatic and iconic aircraft. Very good text and illustrations. A must for cold war enthusiasts and modellers with insight into design and subsequent operations.

What a great book. CDR Robert R. "BOOM" Powell has given us a Vigilante book loaded with tons of incredible pics along with stories by the dozens. A Vigilante book by a Vigilante pilot. At last!! Thanks "BOOM"!AMC