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 Your Signal is Charley Jun 30, 2008
Chick Clark, CDR, USN (Ret.) Member: Association of Naval Aviation
Bravo Zulu, Ron, for a tale well told. Ops on Yankee Station make Gann's "The High and The Mighty" sound like Sunday afternoon in the park. The detail, told from the first person's point of view (with apologies to Harry) puts you in the cockpit, the ready room. It's a You are There experience with all the tensions and tragedy, the happiness and the hopelessness of a war and of those who carried it to the bad guys. Insight into startup airlines, charter work, unusual freight, and the sometimes crude airport facilities takes a lot of the glamour (if it exists only in the mind) out of commercial aviation. However, Harry puts a good face on adversity. The period flying with the Saudis can only be described as suspicions confirmed. On the personal side, the book brought back long tucked-away memories. Saigon and the Caravelle Hotel, Hong Kong with Jimmy's Kitchen, the Parisian Grill, Earthquake McGoon's. Yokosuka and the Tradewinds, and Tokyo and the Queen Bee. Places and things, thrills and sights that demand exploration by naval aviators. I met Ron in Monterey in 1961 as a student in the Navy's General Line School and little did I know how our lives would, after 47 years, cross once more. As a former editor of APPROACH magazine, the Naval Aviation Safety Review, I had read many" Hairy Tails" and "Anymouse" contributions from the fleet but, they pale in the shadow cast by Your Signal is Charley .
 A wonderful book! Jun 28, 2008
Mr. Mike Newburg wrote:
Mr. Rypel, I just now finished reading your book, and I enjoyed it immensly. This is a great book! That is a flat declaratory statement with no doubt whatsoever. Any parent with a son or daughter who is interested in aviation or the Navy should read it. Make this book required reading for the youths in your life.
It went slowly for me because I read when I go to bed, and the short chapters were ideal for my short reading span. I like the style. I am the kind of reader who notices typos. Your book is faultless! Imagine, an engineer who can write!
I enjoyed the hell out of it, even though it was pretty exciting and, at times, scary for me. "Harry," like the classical Candide of old,
has detailed his adventures. Some are funny, some are frightening, and some make me envy him.
I learned from Harry! Now I want to taste the Belgian beers, drink Irish coffee, and eat schwarma. I want to see the places Harry saw.
"Harry," my lad, you entertained and educated me. I will buy several more of your books for my pals, especially for the pilots among them. Congratulations for a wonderful book. By the way, I enjoyed the photos very much. You have a beautiful wife. Sincerely Mike Newburg PFC, U.S. Army, (Retired)
P.S.Strange thing. Last nite I was re-reading the MAGEE POEM in the beginning of the book, and I got back into the first few chapters. It has been some time since I have picked up a book and re-read it. ''Harry,'' you and Mrs.Sweetness have had one hell of a life! Very glad I could share it with you, however vicariously.
Your Signal is Charley, a fantastic book! Jun 15, 2008
By: Robert F Jones (Federal Way, Wa)
Captain Rypel captures your attention on the first pages and does not release you until the end of the book! For ex-Carrier pilots or those who wonder what flying from a Carrier is like, Ron's book puts you in the cockpit and with his vivid descriptions of the launch and recovery procedures in good weather and foul, your heart rate will increase from the reading! His descriptions of flying for several airlines in various parts of the world,including the Middle East, are out of a movie script, however in his case the tales are true! Highly recommended, Robert Jones, USN Carrier Pilot & airline Captain.
OK 3 Wire Mar 04, 2008
I have read Your Signal is Charlie and found it engrossing. The book is interlaced with remembrances of life, with a great group of Naval Aviators, on the USS Kitty Hawk within the basic context of Ron's adventures in his non-scheduled airline carrier. His stories made my worst days at Northwest Airlines seem like heaven on earth. I highly recommend YSIC, you will not be disappointed.
Disclaimer: As a former Naval Aviator and now retired airline Captain it may be difficult to believe anything I say, but it really is a great read.
A Woman's View Feb 23, 2008
As a woman, I did not expect to enjoy this book. I read it because my husband is a Navy pilot and I thought it would offer some insight into his profession. But I did very much enjoy it, and not only because of its vivid descriptions of what it's like to land an airplane on an aircraft carrier. This book offers much more. It's about combat flying in Vietnam, of course, as a quick glance will show. That is not pleasant, but certainly fascinating. Much of this book deals with the author's experiences, adventures really, as an airline captain flying to interesting places around the world, and about the colorful assortment of people he meets along the way. There is some heartwarming reading here, even a love story, that will appeal to most women readers, as it did to me. It's a book with a heart, and I believe any woman who likes a good book will enjoy this one.
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