Book one
FeaturedBest of
the Best
The beginning: a Midwestern dreamer becomes a Navy aviator and learns what excellence asks of a person.
Get updatesBook one of a trilogy
Best of the Best.
A Navy Aviator’s Story — Book One of the Trilogy
Go behind the scenes of U.S. Naval Aviation in the Vietnam era—from a Midwestern dreamer’s first horizon to the pressure, brotherhood, and quiet discipline of the fighter cockpit.
Frank S. Hecker
A firsthand account of preparation, mentorship, carrier landings, and the lessons that remain after the engines fall silent.
The book
Not the Hollywood version.
I started as a Midwestern dreamer. In 1973, I graduated first in my class and earned my Wings of Gold—the beginning of a life shaped by the demands of U.S. Naval Aviation.
I completed my carrier training and qualifications on the USS Lexington, where I learned to land on a pitching deck. In Best of the Best, I take readers into the F-8 Crusader cockpit and aboard the USS Hancock (CV-19) with my fleet squadron, Fighter Squadron VF-24, through the realities of carrier landings and combat-flight pressure, and into Top Gun training under Randy “Duke” Cunningham, the Navy’s first ace of the Vietnam War. We duelled in the skies, with Cunningham flying the F-4 Phantom.
This is a firsthand account of what happens behind the scenes: the discipline, brotherhood, quiet strength, and calm mastery that fighter pilots build long before anyone sees the result. It is also a reflection on leadership, faith, and humility—lessons that travel well beyond military life.
For readers who know the feeling
If pressure reveals character, start here.
01 / Aviation
Military history and aviation enthusiasts who want the lived experience behind the aircraft.
02 / Top Gun
Fans of fighter jets and the real discipline beneath the Hollywood mythology.
03 / Transformation
Readers of memoirs about resilience, purpose, and a life changed by responsibility.
04 / Leadership
People drawn to high-performance mindsets, and to the humility that keeps them human.
05 / Service
Veterans, active-duty service members, and families who understand what service asks—and what it leaves behind.
The trilogy
One life. Three books. A long view of service.
The story unfolds in three parts. The first book opens the cockpit door; the next two will arrive when they are ready to be told.
Best of
Book two
Coming
soon
The manuscript is ready. It will be announced at the right time.
Book three
To
come
The final book in the trilogy will follow in its own time.
About the author
Aviator. Student. Witness.
Frank S. Hecker is a former U.S. Navy aviator who graduated first in his class at Naval Aviation Officer Candidate School, earned his Wings of Gold in 1973, completed carrier training and qualifications on the USS Lexington, and served with VF-24 aboard the USS Hancock (CV-19).
His Top Gun training and time in the fleet shaped the experiences he is now writing about: a life of preparation, mentorship, responsibility, and service. Best of the Best is where that story begins.
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The right time will come.
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