Catch the Sky

The Adventures and Misadventures of a Police Helicopter Pilot

De: Darryl J. Kimball, Allan T. Duffin

Narrado por: Michael Sears

Darryl Kimball always wanted to fly. This is the story of how he accomplished his dream. It's the story of how a small town country boy found his way to San Diego, California, and eventually into the helicopter unit of one of the largest sheriff's departments in the country. In many ways it's a success story, a story of perseverance - one that says that when the odds seem to be stacked against you, or when your mind tells you you're not smart enough or good enough, or tells you to quit and go home, you don't listen. You stick it out, you move forward...and you persevere.

As a helicopter pilot with the elite air support unit of the San Diego Sheriff's Department, Darryl Kimball has hunted for missing children, extracted captured drugs and other contraband out of cramped locations, medevac'd injured hikers from valleys thick with boulders and brush, directed deputies during gun battles, and tracked carjackers as they tried to escape pursuing officers through heavy freeway traffic.

Catch the Sky is the first in-depth look at the life of a police helicopter pilot. Kimball pulls no punches, unfolding his nail-biting personal story in enthralling detail. From death-defying rescues to stories both bizarre and humorous, Catch the Sky puts you inside the helicopter cockpit for a breathtaking ride you'll never forget.

©2012 Duffin Creative (P)2013 Duffin Creative

A Nice 'Popcorn' Book

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, if my friend shared my curiosity about what it must be like to get to be the officer who flies the spiffy police helicopter overhead. It's a nicely told autobiography by one such officer, using very many descriptions of his experiences. You do come away with a feel for what it is like to do his job.

What does Michael Sears bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Sears sounds just like a cop. His strong, clear voice matches my mental picture of the author. I disliked that he neglected to insert pauses between the author's anecdotes, but that's not a big deal.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

No. Hey look, this is a "popcorn" book, in the way that a light movie is a "popcorn" movie - a place to kill some time. It's not Tolstoy. It's just good clean fun. I enjoyed it; I recommend it.

I always wanted to be a pilot

This was a good book telling a success story from patrol to pilot. I'm a 31 year LE veteran that always wanted to go into air support. Too bad Minnesota doesn't believe in it! I had given it thought to move to a larger department but starting over always held me back. Besides, my book will tell the story of a small town MN deputy sheriff!

Good book but horrible sound editing.

What did you love best about Catch the Sky?

It was an interesting topic and it progressed smoothly. The author told about his progress and challenges and threw in some humor as well.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Catch the Sky?

Some of the rescues that were described.

Have you listened to any of Michael Sears’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

N/A

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Parts of it made me laugh and parts of it made me sad. I wouldn't say either was extreme though.

Any additional comments?

The book had an overall good flow to it but the sound editor did a horrible job. You could tell when he spliced different takes together as they did not match at all and some seemed to repeat some words. I believe that the narrator did a fairly good job but the sound editor did not do him or the book justice. I still loved the book but was disappointed that the publisher would put out such low quality editing.

For Non-Aviatorss

Probably pretty entertaining for non law enforcement /non-aviators. As a retired career dual rated pilot who over 35 years had seen it all, I thought I might find it a bit more entertaining. I didn't. Didn't find the reader all that entrancing either. Not my cup of tea.