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Book Review of Born to Fly: The Heroic Story of Downed U.S. Navy Pilot Shane Osborn

Born to Fly: The Heroic Story of Downed U.S. Navy Pilot Shane Osborn
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The Heroic Story of Downed US Navy Pilot Lt. Shane Osborn

From the back cover:
From the age of three, Shane Osborn dreamed of being a pilot. He began learning the skills he would neeed to fly as a member of the Civil Air Patrol, a branch of the US Air Force, when he was just 12 years old. But it wasn't until he graduated from the naval ROTC program at the University of Nebraska and joined the navy that his dream finally became a reality. Five years later, all Lt Osborn's flying skills were put to the test when a Chinese F-8 II fighter jet collided with his EP-3E ARIES II plane during a US surveillance mission through international airspace. With almost certain disaster looming, Osborn managed to gain control of his crippled plane and land it safely on the Chinese island of Hainan-saving the lives of his 23 crewmates.

In Born To Fly, Shane Osborn describes these terrifying events in vivid detail, along with the years of dedicated training that made the emergency landing possible. This is the inspirational story of a boy with a dream, and of the extraordinary discipline and courage that made him a hero.

Reading Level: 5.6
Ages: 10 and up