BEFORE FALCONS FLEW

The Forgotten Story of an Aviation Cadet

An Officer and a Gentleman meets Top Gun

Inspired by the life of a Korean War–era U.S. Air Force aviator

Publication Date: Veterans Day 2026
Publisher: Sabre Wing Press

From the Sugar Plantation

A novel of ambition, flight, and a boy who grew up watching the wartime skies over Hawaii.

From the sugar plantations of Maui to the cockpits of America’s early jet fighters, Before Falcons Flew follows a local boy turned aviation cadet as he faces brutal training, fierce competition, and the life-defining choices confronting the first generation of pilots entering the jet age.

Wings are never guaranteed. Only half will make it through the USAF Aviation Cadet Program, a demanding training that transforms young cadets into officers and aviators.

As the Korean War unfolds, the pressure to succeed grows. For those determined to earn their wings, courage, skill, and integrity are tested at every step.

Hoping to rise from plantation fields into the cockpit of an F-86 Sabre, he carries a weight that threatens to ground him. Not all his promises belong to the Air Force.

A Story Inspired by Real Experience

Before Falcons Flew is inspired by the life of a Korean War–era aviator and the generation of young pilots who came of age during the earliest years of the jet age.

At its heart, the novel is a story about ambition, friendship, service, and the quiet histories that often remain hidden within families—stories shaped by the moments when history and personal destiny collide.