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The Wrong Stuff: Flying on the Edge of Disaster
Author John Moore is the "cat with nine lives" of the aviation fraternity. From his early days as a Naval Aviation Cadet he had a knack for flying but seemed to be in the neighborhood of disaster. Through two Korean combat tours, Navy test operations, his years as test pilot for North American Aviation, and the space program he was associated with many near and some real catastrophes.
214 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 1989
About the author
John Moore
669 books17 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name.
Other authors publishing under this name are:
John Moore, US SF & fantasy writer
John Moore, languages
John Moore, British author and pioneer conservationist
John Moore
John Moore, Scottish physician and writer
John Moore, English clergyman of Puritan views
Other authors publishing under this name are:
John Moore, US SF & fantasy writer
John Moore, languages
John Moore, British author and pioneer conservationist
John Moore
John Moore, Scottish physician and writer
John Moore, English clergyman of Puritan views
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 30, 2011
Excellent portrayal of early jet navel aviation written not in the style of the egotistical career naval officer but from a normal human being.
September 15, 2026
What an unexpectedly delightful book!
Cmdr. John Moore surprised the heck out of me. His writing is deeply skilled in telling the story of a wild professional and military trajectory interspersed with moments of sheer candor. His voice is peppered with a sense of humor that feels like a breath of fresh air: first of all, it's funny (I am jaded by having recently read a counterpoint to that in This Is The Plan: How to End America's Meltdown and Save Democracy, where the author just tries too hard - and fails); also, it feels like it's just enough to keep the narrative light and enjoyable, successfully putting a humorous spin as he conveys the hair-rising nature of the mishaps that he ultimately signed up for.
There are three things that I didn't like about the book, and none of them were dealbreakers for me. The first and most obvious one is that Cmdr. Moore uses some aviation jargon as he tells his tales, something that I imagine may be discouraging for less intrepid readers. If someone picks up this book and gets stuck on their lack of familiarity with those terms, it's their loss: most of the lingo can be understood from context, and the book remains thoroughly enjoyable despite that. Second, there's a small amount of proofreading failures in the edition that I picked up (which is not Cmdr. Moore's fault, but rather the editorial team's). Again, nothing that reduces the merit of the work. Third and last, the chapter about the Tailhook Association scandal of 1991 did not sit very well with me. Nevertheless, I think putting some things in historical context (Cmdr. Moore was born in 1917, which means that the book was written by an 80-year-old man) can alleviate some of it. I do not believe that his stance on that episode renders the remainder of his storytelling any less compelling.
Frankly, I don't even remember when or where I bought this book. It had been sitting on my shelf, part of my "I'll read it one day" pile, for well over a decade. I am so glad that I decided to give it a go. I found myself smiling and grinning constantly as I read it, and that's a feeling that I truly appreciate.
Without hesitation, I highly recommend The Wrong Stuff: Flying on the Edge of Disaster. Thank me later!
Cmdr. John Moore surprised the heck out of me. His writing is deeply skilled in telling the story of a wild professional and military trajectory interspersed with moments of sheer candor. His voice is peppered with a sense of humor that feels like a breath of fresh air: first of all, it's funny (I am jaded by having recently read a counterpoint to that in This Is The Plan: How to End America's Meltdown and Save Democracy, where the author just tries too hard - and fails); also, it feels like it's just enough to keep the narrative light and enjoyable, successfully putting a humorous spin as he conveys the hair-rising nature of the mishaps that he ultimately signed up for.
There are three things that I didn't like about the book, and none of them were dealbreakers for me. The first and most obvious one is that Cmdr. Moore uses some aviation jargon as he tells his tales, something that I imagine may be discouraging for less intrepid readers. If someone picks up this book and gets stuck on their lack of familiarity with those terms, it's their loss: most of the lingo can be understood from context, and the book remains thoroughly enjoyable despite that. Second, there's a small amount of proofreading failures in the edition that I picked up (which is not Cmdr. Moore's fault, but rather the editorial team's). Again, nothing that reduces the merit of the work. Third and last, the chapter about the Tailhook Association scandal of 1991 did not sit very well with me. Nevertheless, I think putting some things in historical context (Cmdr. Moore was born in 1917, which means that the book was written by an 80-year-old man) can alleviate some of it. I do not believe that his stance on that episode renders the remainder of his storytelling any less compelling.
Frankly, I don't even remember when or where I bought this book. It had been sitting on my shelf, part of my "I'll read it one day" pile, for well over a decade. I am so glad that I decided to give it a go. I found myself smiling and grinning constantly as I read it, and that's a feeling that I truly appreciate.
Without hesitation, I highly recommend The Wrong Stuff: Flying on the Edge of Disaster. Thank me later!
October 23, 2017
Cdr. John Moore was a Carrier Pilot, Test Pilot and an Aircraft Development Executive during the '40s, '50s and '60s, a "Golden Age" of Aircraft and Spacecraft lore. His account is full of derring do and quick thinking solutions to life-threatening situations. Understatement and dry humour power the book along as a pretty exciting flying life is laid out. The author starts as a Carrier pilot in late WWII, flying F6F Hellcats and then the F8 Bearcat. Soon we get Jets and Korea, the FH-1 Phantom I and the F9F Panther from Grumman. Then Moore moved to Test piloting and we get stories of the Buckeye the Cutlass, and the Vigilante, planes developed in the late 50s and early 60s. Moore was also an executive on the ill-fated Apollo I mission, and so we end with the sobering review of the testing after that disaster - where Moore used all his previous experiences to establish new protocols to avoid future problems, procedures that would allow the program to continue. Throughout, the author's understated style with ample use of dry humorous anecdotes makes for clear and pleasant sailing, even when the topics get dark. Death is everywhere in this book, as Moore impresses one with the risks,but without making the whole tone dark and depressing. Junior readers may find the constant use of pilot's jargon a challenge, but will be rewarded. Gamers/Modellers/Military enthusiasts will use this on background, for which it is good, but I am not sure if Scenarios/Dioramas will be improved.
June 21, 2011
The Wrong Stuff chronicles Moore’s years in the US Navy through training during the WWII years, two tours in the Korean War, his years as a test pilot at Pax River, and his years after leaving the Navy with the North American’s Apollo program.
The opening chapter details the circumstances of a freak accident onboard the USS Essex during Moore’s first Korean tour, which left Moore severely burned. Even recalling the grim moments when the skin on his face and hands burned black and peeled off, Moore retained his sense of wry humor (“The chill is normal, don’t worry about it. It comes from shock.” “I think it’s coming from my wet pants, doc.”)
Moore’s experiences held my attention throughout the entire book; however, I do think that The Wrong Stuff lacks a certain polish that would have made this really good memoir exceptional. Without a strong, central storyline, the plot meanders. It seems as though the book was written as Moore recalled his memories, but it should have been edited at least structurally to help the events flow more smoothly.
The only discernable message that tied the events of the book together was Moore’s judgments of men either having the “wrong stuff” or—as Tom Wolfe coined—the “right stuff.”
And though Moore’s self-deprecating style would have you believe he only survived his many years strapped to fighter jets by sheer dumb luck, it’s quite apparent that he has more than his share of the “right stuff.”
The opening chapter details the circumstances of a freak accident onboard the USS Essex during Moore’s first Korean tour, which left Moore severely burned. Even recalling the grim moments when the skin on his face and hands burned black and peeled off, Moore retained his sense of wry humor (“The chill is normal, don’t worry about it. It comes from shock.” “I think it’s coming from my wet pants, doc.”)
Moore’s experiences held my attention throughout the entire book; however, I do think that The Wrong Stuff lacks a certain polish that would have made this really good memoir exceptional. Without a strong, central storyline, the plot meanders. It seems as though the book was written as Moore recalled his memories, but it should have been edited at least structurally to help the events flow more smoothly.
The only discernable message that tied the events of the book together was Moore’s judgments of men either having the “wrong stuff” or—as Tom Wolfe coined—the “right stuff.”
And though Moore’s self-deprecating style would have you believe he only survived his many years strapped to fighter jets by sheer dumb luck, it’s quite apparent that he has more than his share of the “right stuff.”
March 5, 2012
I enjoyed this Naval aviator's account of his life; especially his insights into the Mercury accident in 1967 and the Tailhook scandal of 1991. Good flying stories too.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews