author

Robert Curtis

A former military aviator turned memoirist, he writes with sharp detail and hard-earned humor about surviving more than two decades in the cockpit. His best-known work follows an unlikely path from the Vietnam War to later service with the National Guard, Marine Corps, and British Royal Navy.

1 Audiobook

All-Hallow Eve; or, The Test of Futurity.

All-Hallow Eve; or, The Test of Futurity.

by Robert Curtis

About the author

Robert F. Curtis is best known for Surprised at Being Alive: An Accidental Helicopter Pilot in Vietnam and Beyond. Available author biographies describe him as born in Middletown, Ohio, in 1949, and note that after leaving high school and later earning his GED, he entered the Army's Warrant Officer Candidate program and learned to fly helicopters.

His military career went on to span about twenty-four years and more than 5,000 flight hours. Sources say he served as an aviator in the Army, National Guard, and Marine Corps, and also as an exchange officer with the British Royal Navy.

Readers are often drawn to the clarity and immediacy of his writing. Reviewers have praised his memoir for its vivid detail, straightforward style, and mix of danger, reflection, and dry wit drawn from real flying experience.