Book Description
Prospecting, the process of contacting the right people with the idea of converting them to customers, is a critically important activity in the sales process. Since the stock market decline in 2000, financial professionals-many for the first time-are finding they need to prospect for customers.
Author and financial services professional Scott Kimball advocates that reps cut their book, or client base, dramatically and follow his proprietary prospecting process. Called the ""Top Gun"" method after the renowned U.S. Navy flight school, this process provides individuals with the strategies and tactics they need to perform at levels usually never reached by the average financial salesperson.
Kimball's Top Gun Prospecting for Financial Professionals is the only book to focus on prospecting for the financial services professional. It covers all aspects of the process, including contact management systems, lists, advertising, cold calling, direct mail, networking, seminars, referrals, the Internet, attitude, and time management.
Readers will learn how to:
* Execute and track the success of the four major prospecting process components.
* Identify new, rich sources for clients.
* Maximize the efficiency of the filtering/qualifying process, ensuring that salespeople meet only with highly qualified, ""ripe"" prospects.
* Approach prospects so they agree to a meeting to discuss their financial situations.
Customer Reviews:
Helpful but unrealistic.......2006-06-03
As a financial advisor who built his book partially from cold-calling, it was refreshing to see that somebody else understands that it is a powerful business builder. However, a lot of what I read appeared to be unrealistic. For example, the author claims to coldcall everyday, yet, has been in the business for 20 plus years and limits his practice to 50 households.
Cold Calling is Still the weapon of choice in the 21st Ceuntury.......2005-06-23
I read this book in one sitting. I think it is remarkable, not for the techniques (nothing new), but that cold calling is so highly endorsed by someone who specializes in the high roller client base. I believe that the financial services field is the Army Ranger unit of professional selling. These guys make their living off a group of people extremely savvy and resistant to sales people.
His motivation is remarkable and made me want to get back on the phone. I appreciate his staightforward style and his comparison of cold calling with other techniques such as seminar selling and mail out leads.
I highly recommend it.
Book Description
Cowboy action shooting is the hottest firearms game around and Hunter Scott Anderson is a veteran of hundreds of these simulated gun battles. Now Anderson teaches shooters of all skill levels how to improve their shooting and their ranking among competitors.
By focusing on the skills that allow shooters to move smoothly through a course of fire, Anderson provides all the details needed to increase accuracy and speed with all the firearms used in cowboy action shooting.
This book combines interviews and information from some of the biggest names in cowboy shooting, like Dennis “China Camp” Ming and Charles “Choctaw” Lye, with Anderson's own personal experiences to give readers a comprehensive guide to improving their performance.
- Tips for smooth transitions from revolver to rifle
- Teaches shooters to increase their speed safely
- How to reload faster for improved performance
Customer Reviews:
CSA guide.......2007-05-13
Not as good as I'd hoped for. Written by a guy who may know how to shoot at Cowboy events, but does not transfer this knowledge to the reader.
A disappointing read, to say the least. Did not present any information I hadn't already come across in other publications.
It brings to mind another person just looking to cash in on publishing a book about a little written of subject.
All about cowboy action........2006-06-03
This book tells you what cowboy action is, the differences in shooting classes, the equipment used, and more speed tips than I can count.
None like it! None better!.......2003-08-03
Clear and concise, the author of this book has taken personal experience and knowledge to produce a manual of engagement not likely to be seen again. The depth of explanation truly gives the reader almost every side of the equation. Techniques, firearms,problems...litteraly the entire gamut of competition is laid out. This may well be the CAS "Bible" of field engagement. There are NO problems worthy of mention. Anderson may not be a mathematics professor, but his depiction of shooting planes and how to work safely within them during a run is 100% correct. Anderson provides fair and accurate information, giving both sides of any subject arguable. This book will serve those whom are just starting...to those who compete at the top national levels. You won't be disappointed!
Basically a good book, but it has problems.......2001-12-28
Hunter Scott Anderson's book -- The Top Shooter's Guide to Cowboy Action Shooting -- does live up to the promise on the front cover -- proven tips to sharpen your skills. As other reviewers have mentioned, it is not a book that is directed at the novice. However, there are a few glitches in the book that bothered me enough to make me take some notice of them and pass them on to the reader. One of these concerns his misuse of the term "radius," when he is describing the "180 degree safety plane." He repeatedly uses the expressions "90 degree radius" and "170 degree radius." These are not the correct terms. A radius is a line of fixed length. The correct term would be axis or plane, but not radius. The other is in the drawings which accompany his depictions of the various safety planes. The 180 degree safety plane (which is the plane of absolutely no forgiveness, under SASS regulations) is drawn correctly. However, the 170 degree plane in his drawings is way off. In the SASS on-line handbook, the 170 degree plane is defined as follows: "The 170 degree safety rule means the muzzle of the firearm must always be straight down range +/- 85 degree." It has been this way for at least three years. His "170 degree safety plane" is much closer to 150 degrees and his 150 degree angle is closer to 120 degrees.
For as long as I have been a member of SASS, the 170 degree angle has been the one that must not be violated under any circumstances. The 180 degree plane has been the "point of no forgiveness."
He also mentions some rather iffy trigger pull adjustments. He states that trigger pulls of 24 ounces and less are common. This is awfully light. Some gunsmiths consider anything less than 2 pounds to be a hair trigger. I would rather have a good safe 2 pounds. That isn't going to slow anyone down. And it is far safer.
Finally, I found a few of the photographs illustrating safety violations to be a bit cryptic. Although they were explained in the text, the explanations were often on different pages from the photos. This was a case of bad layout. In photos illustrating safety errors, exaggeration is a good tool to use to drive a point home. This would have helped here.
In spite of these problems, the rest of the material in the book is good. And I think all CAS shooters should have it in their libraries.
He Cleaned the Stage!!!.......2001-02-21
Most books about Cowboy Action Shooting are geared to the novice, and assume the reader knows little or nothing about the sport. These types of books are great because they help the sport grow by attracting new participants. However, these books are of little value to the experienced shooter. Bounty Hunter has instead written a book that shows even experienced shooters how to shoot smarter, faster, and perform better on the clock. The photography is exceptional, the examples very clear. You will find tips in here that you have seen no where else. This book would also be extremely useful for beginners as long as they only try to digest a little of it at a time. Bounty Hunter has an easygoing style which makes reading this work a pleasure. I highly recommend this book and give it a raised fist!!! (Clean Run)
Book Description
The mission:
Become the most skilled, highly-trained, and deadliest
fighter pilots in the world.
The place: TOP GUN
In the darkest days of the Vietnam War, the U.S. Navy's kill ratio had fallen to 2:1 -- a deadly decline in pilot combat effectiveness. To improve the odds, a corps of hardened fighter pilots founded the Fighter Weapons School, a.k.a. TOP GUN. Utilizing actual enemy fighter planes in brutally realistic dogfights, the Top Gun instructors dueled their students and each other to achieve a lethal new level of fighting expertise. The training paid off. Combining the latest weaponry and technology, mental endurance, and razor-sharp instincts, the Top Gunners drove the Navy's kill ratio up to an astounding 12:1, dominating the skies over Vietnam.
This gripping account takes you inside the cockpit for an adventure more explosive than any fiction -- in a dramatic true story of the legendary military school that has created the most dangerous fighter pilots the world has ever seen.
Download Description
"The mission: Become the most skilled, highly-trained, and deadliest fighter pilots in the world. The place: TOP GUN In the darkest days of the Vietnam War, the U.S. Navy's kill ratio had fallen to 2:1 -- a deadly decline in pilot combat effectiveness. To improve the odds, a corps of hardened fighter pilots founded the Fighter Weapons School, a.k.a. TOP GUN. Utilizing actual enemy fighter planes in brutally realistic dogfights, the Top Gun instructors dueled their students and each other to achieve a lethal new level of fighting expertise. The training paid off. Combining the latest weaponry and technology, mental endurance, and razor-sharp instincts, the Top Gunners drove the Navy's kill ratio up to an astounding 12:1, dominating the skies over Vietnam. This gripping account takes you inside the cockpit for an adventure more explosive than any fiction -- in a dramatic true story of the legendary military school that has created the most dangerous fighter pilots the world has ever seen. "
Customer Reviews:
Excellent narrative history for the non-aviator history buff.......2006-04-24
Really a fun book - it is aimed at the general reader and is thus not academically oriented, but its factual information does have academic value. I read the original edition about 7 or 8 years ago, but just recently reread much of it for some research on the F-4 Phantom II. Low on technical data, instead the author gives the history of the human interactions that spawned the Top Gun Fighter Weapons School (which they made a really bad Tom Cruise movie about, but with F-14s). Much of it is told by the Navy officers who were there, and Wilcox brings it all together to explain what was wrong with the Naval air war in Vietnam and how the Navy fixed it.
Book Description
In Strike, veteran aviation photographer and author Rick Llinares takes us beyond Top Gun, into the new era of integrated Carrier Air Wing strike training at the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center in Nevada. Llinares unparalleled access puts readers into the cockpit with the nations top pilots as they undergo air-to-ground, air-to-air, search-and-rescue, and intelligence training in the militarys most advanced aircraft.
Customer Reviews:
The blend of military and aircraft history is detailed and will even attract more general-interest audiences........2006-11-07
In 1996 the U.S. military moved its Top Gun Navy weapons school to Fallan, joining others in a new command center to help create a top-notch air combat training school backed by all military branches. Strike Beyond Top Gun traces the history of the NSAWC, from early combat operations to the idea of creating the Top Gun school. Various missions, changing fighter model choices, and academy training routines are presented along with gorgeous full-color photos on every page of planes against scenic backdrops. The blend of military and aircraft history is detailed and will even attract more general-interest audiences.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Book Description
The Top Gun business model focuses on working with high net worth clientele.
In Top Gun Financial Sales, leading investment advisor D. Scott Kimball suggests that by dropping 80 percent of your clients and never taking on more than 50 clients financial salespeople can substantially increase their profits and production. Using the same principles taught to United States fighter pilots at Top Gun, Kimball created the Top Gun Sales Business Model. It is a model that accentuates the importance of working closely with a few high net worth individuals in lieu of trying to half heartedly serve thousands of smaller clients.
Customer Reviews:
Don't Waste Your Time or Your Money.......2003-11-25
This is a re-hash of the author's previous book. Trust me, if you've been in the business longer than a year, you've heard all of this before. In this case, the revolutionary idea is "having a small number of very affluent clients." Wow! What a novel idea!!! The title of the book should be 'How to Make A Bunch of Money Off Poor Schmucks Trying to Make a Bunch of Money.' A much better book is Duncan MacPherson's 'The Promise of The Future.' http://www.paretosystems.com/index.html is the web address. This guy should be ashamed.
Some Ideas Unrealistic, But Sharpens Your Focus - Good Read.......2003-11-10
I have been in the financial services industry for almost 16 years, and have seen and read just about everything out there. I came upon Kimball's book after reading an excerpt in one of the industry's trade publications. It piqued my interest, so I went for the book.
Going after only those clients who would yield commissions of $250,000.00 per year or better is unrealistic - especially if those are the *only* clients you're seeking. It's fine to go "elephant hunting" (as it is commonly called) while building your client base with (what Kimball would call) "smaller" accounts of $500,000.00 to $5 million in assets. But to cut out 80% of your book when you're feeding a family of three or four or more is not realistic nor is it recommended.
By the same token, I agree 100% with Kimball that it is imperative to elminate clients and prospects who waste your time. Time is your greatest asset in this business, and you cannot afford to lose a single moment to an individual who does not want to either pay you or unconditionally accept your advise for a fee.
While I disagree with Kimball's philosophy regarding account size, shaving your book (I do - although not as drastically as depicted herein), or the number of accounts you should have, many of the ideas he brings forth (while not new) are fantastic when it comes to refining your focus regarding what you need to do day in and day out.
I think the book is worth it simply for the latter. All in all, a good read.
Top Flight Advice.......2003-08-07
This advisor lays out some of the best thinking in the business. Really helps get you focused and think about your business in entirely different way. As you can see from the reviews below, some people just don't get it and never will, which Kimball admits in his book is one of the biggest issues he encounters - the inability of some people to accept responsibility for thier position in life and do something about it. I suggest everyone buy the book who is in the business - if you do 1/2 of what this guy says you need to do every day, you're business can't help but go up. My guess is that we'll encounter the reader from Cleveland at the counter at MacDonalds before the year is out.
Would have given zero stars 00000.......2003-07-28
This book is a bunch of old hash. Has this advisor really done what he has written. If he is talking with only people who can give him $25,000 annually in fees or commissions, wouldn't you think his average account size is $2.5 at 1% ROA. So only 40 accounts to do a million. He stated in am email "When we are in a building mode, we are seeing as many as 40-60 new prospects every month, face to face. That is almost 3 appointments a day. When do you have time to call. I asked him a question via email about a script to use and received the following:..."We call them on the phone, identify ourselves, and ask them if they would have a half hour to meet with us in the next week or so. this makes them usually ask us why. So we tell them." I ask is this advice worth the asking price with a follow-up book on prospecting. I think NOT.
Ideas that Work.......2003-05-01
I have read virtually every book dealing with how to grow as an advisor. This book is at or near the very top.
Many large firms are good at telling advisors WHAT to do but not HOW to do it. Mr. Kimball shares his experience and ideas, that given time will work. Any advisor, like Kimball, that has reinvented his business several times obviously understands how to find the money.
Book Description
Tim Richmond was, fellow NASCAR driver Kyle Petty said, "a stranger in time." In one regard, the flashy, flamboyant driver from Ashland, Ohio, was years ahead of the trends in a sport that would soon enjoy explosive growth in popularity. Women who were NASCAR fans loved him - and so did their husbands and boyfriends. Richmond believed he could use his stardom in racing as a springboard to a second career as an actor, and he had the Hollywood good looks to make that a realistic dream. At the same time, Richmond was also a throwback. He pushed his race cars hard, too hard at times, driving every lap like he was hauling moonshine through the mountains of the Carolinas with a revenuer on his rear bumper. Those who saw him drive still compare him to veterans like Curtis Turner and Joe Weatherly, who ran as hard off the track as they did off of it.
Customer Reviews:
just like the main character: incomplete.......2006-08-04
In viewing various articles online about Tim Richmond, it is not hard to become a fan of the driver and probably off track as well. Yes he had some vices, but look at the times he lived in. Most people then got off lucky in terms of STD's and effects. Seeing old races with him in it make one appreciate his talent. The book did seem to have some poor research, such as Bill Elliott winning the Daytona 500 during the Sudafed fiasco. Bobby Allison won it that year. The fact that Daytona 500 is the biggest race and the writer is a prominent NASCAR scribe is very poor editing. It almost seems as if Poole wrote the book with a "I better tread lightly or else I risk being blackballed by NASCAR" mindset. There could have been more detail in regards to most parts of the book and seeing as how he has had a lasting effect on so many people in a short amount of time, could easily have filled 100 or more pages.
Most of the interviews are with his half sister and some NASCAR personnel who have the same tread cautiously mindset in their commentaries. His half-sister seems to glaze over the shortcomings of Tim and a book like this deserves to have the whole story told, not just the rollicking good times. I would have liked to see more commentary from people such as Richard Petty, DW, and David Pearson in regards to their reasons for his dislike of Tim Richmond just as to see more from Barry Dodson, Todd Parrott, and Rick Hendrick as well as reporters of the day such as Dave DeSpain, Ken Squier, etc.
If Richmond had not contracted AIDS, he would arguably be in the pantheon of drivers such as Petty, Earnhardt, and Foyt. Jeff Gordon would probably have stuck with Bill Davis Racing, and Earnhardt would have only won 4 championships, and NASCAR's safety initiatives would have been expedited. Or Richmond would have just gotten out of NASCAR and acted professionally. Unfortunately we will never know.
Tim Richmond: The Fast Life and Remarkable Times of NASCAR's Top Gun.......2006-07-14
I have been a Tim Richmond fan since I met him at Pocono in 1983. This book brings back memories and tells all who don't know what the NASCAR community has missed since Tim's passing.
A truly shining star snuffed out way before his time.
Life of Tim Richmond.......2005-10-03
I Think Tim Richmond was one of the greatest race car drivers of all time. The book pretty much followed his life as I remember. He was not treated well in racing because of his attitude and seeing him walking thru the endfield of Datona, when he was turned away for having drugs in his system,broke my heart and his spirits, over the counter drugs but they would not let him race. It was one of the best books I have read in a long time, that pretty much followed his life. I recommend this book for anyone.
must read for nascar fans.......2005-09-09
good book, a must read for a nascar fan. quick read, entertaing, and informing.
Top Gun on Target.......2005-08-04
The book took you inside Tims life as if you were there with him. I have watched NASCAR for over 25 years, and loved watching Tim race. I was at Indy when Tim pulled the qualifing pill out of the hat for Mario Andretti. I was at Michigan when they had to wake Tim up to qualify. Like the book said he was ahead of his time. It makes you wonder how many Champinships he would have won. Great book.
Customer Reviews:
not just for field trials.......2003-04-07
Thank you, Mr. Tarrant. This book helped me to understand the simple ways and reasons of how to train a dog to become a gun dog. His methods are softer than most recommend and it is helping me with my non-conventional breed by leaps and bounds. Instead of overpowering my dog, he learns from his own mistakes and none of the training methods or suggestions leave lasting injuries either mental or physically. I have made great progress in my training endeavor for a "gun dog" and probably more than with any other book. I don't want to rush my dog, I want him to become part of me and me part of him. This book offers that. This book does not focus on trials or on the technicality of trials. It focuses on the fact that a dog must be a hunter to actually work in a real field where the winner brings home the bird. It is an easy read and will likely bring tears to your eyes. It is a dog, a pal, a friend not a stereo and these are not stereo instructions.
it's very human.......2000-07-31
it is really a very interresting book, i've read it several times, and it teaches you how to train the dog in a very smooth and soft way, i have used all the training items shown in the book , and it really worked great, but the main problem in this training procedure is that it takes a lot of time for the dog to start pointing, and in many cases you will need assistance in this book's techniques.
Book Description
This is the story of the JG 26 pilots, or "Abbeville Kids." A microcosm of World War II exists in the rise and fall of this famous fighter wing--whose slashing attacks always seemed to come from the best position--from its founding during Hitler's military buildup, through its glory days in the first years of the war--when its bases in northen France were to be avoided at all costs--right up to the grim, final hours of the Third Reich.
From the Paperback edition.
Customer Reviews:
top-notch research, but it ain't poetry.......2006-08-17
there is a big emphasis on statistics and historical documentation. there are, however, some superb personal narratives welded into the text. like others I DO wish there had been more. this is one of the best historical accounts of a fighter squadron ever written. not great for beginners, but for any serious enthusiast of the Luftwaffe I'd say this is a required reading.
Great book that provides valuable insights.......2006-07-03
into the best German fighter group in WWII. Sometimes I wished there was more focus on the stories form the pilots instead of just summaries and the book seems to lose energy toward the end. Still, the descriptions of operations and especially the sections taken from pilots memoirs are great.
The "official" history.......2006-05-30
This book is truly great. JG26 is done, now we can only hope and wait for similar works about the other JGs
good book.......2003-07-26
This book was a very interesting book. I enjoyed reading it. The author went into extensive detail describing the organization of a luftwaffe fighter unit. If you enjoyed this book the author published a pictorial history of this unit, I would recommend it.
A FIRST CLASS TREATMENT OF JAGDGESCHWADER 26.......2003-06-18
I echo the sentiments of all the other reviewers in lauding this book. This is AN ABSOLUTE GEM for anyone with an interest in World War II aerial combat. Comprehensive, well-researched, and highly readable, "JG 26: Top Guns of the Luftwaffe" should be considered as the standard work about one of the premiere German fighter units that saw combat almost exclusively in Europe between 1939 and 1945.
Book Description
This unusual and interesting title explores a fascinating area of contemporary military aviation. The US military is constantly testing and evaluating some of the most advanced aviation systems in the world to prepare them for front-line service. At test bases such as Edwards and Eglin, a host of interesting aircraft types are flown and tested to the limit. The US Navy test bases at Patuxent River, China Lake, and Point Mugu have similar functions. The units based at these locations undertake some of the most taxing flying in the world. Their aircraft carry a fascinating array of ordnance, equipment, and color schemes. These squadrons boast some unique aircraft and rich histories. Testing Top Guns examines the background and history of flight testing in the United States and then portrays some of the incredible aircraft that have been used in these programs in recent times and the famous test pilots who flew them who have helped shape aviation history. The book is heavily illustrated with high-quality images, including air-to-air views. This title will appeal to all those with an interest in the cutting edge of military aviation. Its many superb color images will be a source of inspiration for aviation modelers.
Average customer rating:
- Fulcrum: A Top Gun Pilot's Escape from the Soviet Empire
- Great book, when it sticks to its story
- What an amazing book!
- The world has lost a courageous individual.
- Truth is Stranger Than Fiction
|
Fulcrum: A Top Gun Pilot's Escape from the Soviet Empire
Alexander Zuyev , and
Malcolm McConnell
Manufacturer: Warner Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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| History
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ASIN: 0446516481 |
Book Description
He was a Soviet Top Gun-yet left all of the power and glory behind when he engineered the most audacious act of defection in Cold War history. On May 20, 1989, Soviet Air Force Captain Alexander Zuyev escaped from an air base in Soviet Georgia. Under the threat of Russian air defense missiles, and with other fighters in hot pursuit, Zuyev carried out a real-life flight to freedom even more breathtaking then classic works of fiction like The Hunt for Red October and Fire Fox.
Customer Reviews:
Fulcrum: A Top Gun Pilot's Escape from the Soviet Empire.......2007-07-28
This is one of the most powerful books I've ever read. Alexander Zuyev's escape in the stolen Mig 29 in incredible, and his integrity to leave the USSR, when he was in a position to have all the wealth you could ever want, makes him a big hero.
The obstacles he overcame in his own life, to become a fighter pilot, is also inspiring.
Great book, when it sticks to its story.......2003-02-15
"Fulcrum" tells the story of Alex Zuyev, a Soviet fighter pilot who flew his MiG-29 fighter across the Black Sea to Turkey in the spring of 1989. An experienced and gifted aviator, Zuyev was never enamored with communism long enough t become disillusioned with it. "Fulcrum" recounts Zuyev's childhood, joining the VVS, training for fighter pilot duty, and managing to miss Afghanistan (though he lobbied hard to go into a combat unit, his skills made him a natural choice for the first slot chosen to fly the advanced MiG-29). At every turn, Zuyev is beaten down by the rigors of living in the CCCP - mindless dogmatism dominate much of the citizenry, while corruption and cronyism typify life among the higher-levels. By 1985 and Gorbachev, the Soviet Union is terminal - with the economy in shambles and Afghnanistan bleeding the cream of the Russian military blind. Even Gorbachev's good intentions backfire (like an experiment in prohibition that only invigorates the black market for Vodka, and drives everybody else to kill themselves seeking more dangerous substances to feed the national tradition of alcoholism). Frustrated with the Soviet government, and fearing that he might be ordered to fly strike missions against civilian unrest, Zuyev decided it was time to get out. Though admitting he knew safer ways to escape the Soviet Union (he openly scoffed at the myth that the Soviet frontier is an impassible wall), Zuyev decides that his defection will be spectacular. Concocting an elaborate plan involving a cake spiked with sleeping pills, Zuyev plots to steal one of his squadron's MiG-29's, along with its advanced missiles. Nothing goes according to plan, but Zuyev manages to get his jet to freedom (only to see it handed back to the Russians, missiles and all once he is granted asylum in Turkey).
"Fulcrum" is both enlightening and disappointing. Certainly we've got a more inside look at the insides of Soviet life and the red military machine than we've had before, but the resulting story is one we've read about or heard about countless times - that life in the CCCP was a dispiriting grind between corruption and greed in the inner circles and robotic communism and deprivation everywhere else. Doubtless, the Soviets deserved their bad rap, but there's little point to writing a book that does more to feed our biases than informs them. Zuyev gives us an unparalleled look into the VVS, the branch of Soviet Military dedicated to long-range, offensive air operations (The Soviets had no single branch of the military for their Air Force, much as our AF was little more than a branch of the army until 1947). At that point, "Fulcrum" rules, surpassing "MiG Pilot", the true story of Viktor Belenko who flew to the west in the seventies. The novelty of concentrating on characters who otherwise exist as missile-fodder in Dale Brown novels is worth the price of the book. Unfortunately, book seldom focuses on dedicated red fliers and their cranky MiGs - frequently interrupted to more anecdotes about the nightmare of soviet life. Worse, when Zuyev does get back to being a fighter pilot, Zuyev never conveys what it's like to actually fly one of those amazing machines we call tactical aircraft. This is especially annoying because Zuyev's background provided an excellent method for fleshing out the experience of flying the MiG-29: his prior experience flying the older, faster but less agile MiG-23. Each plane is so distinct from the other, that each also provides a perfect counterpoint to the other. Zuyev manages to entirely skip the sensation of first flying the -23, his first combat aircraft (while the -23 was not new when Zuyev first completed flight training, his class was the first to skip the older MiG-21). Though stories of soviet life are necessary to frame the context of Zuyev's story, Zuyev turns that aspect of the story into the main story, one that overshadows even the wonder plane that becomes Zuyev's future. Instead the story of being a MiG pilot (the one I cracked open this book expecting to read) is painfully abbreviated. We don't even get a meaningful look into the flaws of the new jet (which had the directional instability common to contemporary aircraft of the west, but lacked the computer-augmented fly-by-wire controls standard in such aircraft; Zuyev mentions a flaw in the -29's early radar, but apparently one rectified earlier, since he never details it in his own plane; though gifted with supreme agility for a dogfighter, the MiG-29's small size meant it had painfully short range, while its pilots lacked the unobstructed visibility enjoyed by western pilots, and otherwise essential for dogfighting). Zuyev further muddies the book when taking another path entirely - detailing a list of now revealed Soviet secrets, including those dealing with the fate of American POWs, and Soviet decisionmaking in the 1983 KAL shootdown. While those subjects are important, the book places far too much importance on Zuyev's perspective merely because he is a Soviet, even though his personal proximity to those secrets is only slightly closer than that of the rest of us. (I doubt very many Americans would accept a similar account on the Iranian Airbus incident or the Stark incident merely because they came from US sailors who were otherwise nowhere near those incidents when they occurred).
In short, "Fulcrum" is two books - a very often excellent book on an underserved topic, but an even more frequently frustrating book that gets in the way of the more interesting story.
What an amazing book!.......2002-03-17
...This book taught me a lot about life. There were so many obstacles he had to overcome. I have always been amazed by the strength and endurance this man had.I never knew a person could endure such hardships and still be so unbelievably focused.When I get depressed and feel I'M having hard times I always think back to his story and feel ashamed of myself for thinking so selfishly. He was truly a sensitive and beautiful soul... This book shows the determined and powerful side of Alex, and his story is truly incredible. I honestly hope you will take the time to read the book. It will take you on a trip that you never though possible. The adreneline rush, the tears, the love, and most important, the incredible adventures of Alexander Zuyev...
The world has lost a courageous individual........2001-06-13
I just saw an Associated Press news article telling of the death of Alexander Zuyev on June 10, 2001. He was only 40 years old. He and a friend died last Sunday when the Yakovlev 52 they were flying crashed in Washington state north of Seattle.
Read this book. It gives a fascinating description not only of growing up in the Soviet Union but of the difficulty of becoming a military pilot. It also gives a sickening picture of just how badly communism chewed up and destroyed its best people: Zuyev's own mother--whom he rescued--and some of his fellow pilots who weren't so lucky. His decision to defect was not made lightly or easily. The corruption and contradictions he saw were too much to take anymore. He had the courage to leave it all behind and take a chance with a nation he had been told so many lies about. The drugged cake was a stroke of genius.
Sadly, a plane crash has done what a sentry's bullet in the arm did not. This world is a poorer place. I never met him but I wish I had, if only to say "Thank you."
Truth is Stranger Than Fiction.......1999-02-10
I lived in Russia for most of this decade (1990s). While there I borrowed "Fulcrum" from a friend. It was exciting reading, especially while living in Russia. I found that the book accurately reflected the life I was experiencing everyday in Russia (a lot didn't change--even after the fall of the USSR.) This book is an absolute MUST reading for anyone who really wants to get behind the scenes and understand how life really works in the former Soviet Union. It is a pity that this book is no longer available and I seriously wonder if the KGB had something to do with it going out of print, as it is one of the most accurate books I have ever read. I hope that sometime soon this book can again be available and widely circulated.
Books:
- Tramping With the Legion: A Carolina Rebel's Story
- U.S. Marine Corps Scout/Sniper Training Manual
- U. S. Navy Dive and Torpedo Bombers of World War II
- Under Two Flags: The American Navy in the Civil War (Bluejacket Books)
- US Army AH-1 Cobra Units in Vietnam (Combat Aircraft)
- Wellington's Army: Uniforms of the British Soldier,1812-1815
- When Affirmative Action Was White: An Untold History of Racial Inequality in Twentieth-Century America
- Whoosh Boom Splat: The Garage Warrior's Guide to Building Projectile Shooters
- Wings to the Kingdom
- With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Suite Française
- History: Fiction or Science
- Transducing the Genome: Information, Anarchy, and Revolution in The Biomedical Sciences
- Advances in Friedel-Crafts Acylation Reactions: Catalytic and Green Processes
- Dali
- Groups in Context: Leadership and Participation in Small Groups
- Curries and Bugles: A Memoir and a Cookbook of the British Raj
- Country Living Country Chic: Country Style for Modern Living
- White Columns in Georgia
- Native Shrubs of Southern California
Top Gun Financial Sales: How to Double or Triple Your Results While Reducing Your Book
Storyselling for Financial Advisors : How Top Producers Sell
Effort-Less Marketing for Financial Advisors
Guerrilla Marketing for Financial Advisors
Tested in the Trenches: A 9-Step Plan for Building and Sustaining a Million-Dollar Financial Services Practice
