Pushing the Envelope: The Career of Fighter Ace and Test Pilot Marion Carl

First published in 1994, this stirring autobiography of a fighter and test pilot takes readers full throttle through Carl’s imposing list of firsts. Beginning with his World War II career, he gained such commendations as first Marine Corps ace, among the first Marines ever to fly a helicopter, and first Marine to land aboard an aircraft carrier. His combat duty included the momentous battles at Midway and Guadalcanal. Not one to rest on his laurels, however, he participated in photoreconnaissance operations over Red China in 1955 and flew missions in Vietnam. In peacetime he gamed fame for pushing the envelope as a test pilot, adding the world’s altitude and peace records to his wartime feats and becoming the first U.S. military aviator to wear a full pressure suit. Such achievements also led to Carl’s being the first living Marine admitted to the Naval Aviation Hall of Honor, as well as the first Marine to be named to the Navy Carrier Aviation Test Pilots Hall of Honor. This very readable memoir is as forthright and compelling as the man it chronicles.

The late Maj. Gen. Marion E. Carl retired from the U.S. Marine Corps in 1973 with eighteen aerial combat victories and 14,000 flight hours. Award-winning aviation writer Barrett Tillman is the author of books on the Corsair, Crusader, Hellcat, and Dauntless Dive Bomber, all published by the Naval Institute Press.