Above and Beyond book

21/12/2020

Mike isn't kidding when he says the U-2 pilots' pressure suits were made in a bra factory in Worcester Mass. Read below!

On December 7, 2020, Charles “Chuck” Yeager passed away at the age of 97. He was a United States Air Force officer, flying ace and record setting test pilot. In 1947, he became the first pilot in history confirmed to exceed the speed of sound in level flight. Yeager’s lifelong dedication to human flight brought him to Worcester to visit David Clark Company and see their advancements in pressure suits for space travel. Through his career he tested many types of aircraft for both the air force and NASA.

His friend and fellow pilot R.A. Bob Cooper, who passed away in 2016, shared this in his book “Forever Flying”:

“The executives at David Clark were great when we visited there. They sent Chuck (Yeager) and I home with boxes of frilly panties and bras for our wives. On the way back to Wright Field we encountered severe weather and lightning. We heard a crack hit directly on the nose of the plane and the Plexiglass disintegrated. Since that was the only damage, we were able to land safely. If we had crashed I don’t know how the Air Force would have explained the women’s un**es to investigators.”

Colonel Charles E. Yeager, U.S. Air Force, wearing a David Clark Co. A/P22S-2 full-pressure suit, accompanied by Major Ralph N. Richardson of the Aviation Physiology Laboratory, walks to a Lockheed NF-104A Aerospace Trainer at Edwards Air Force Base. (U.S. Air Force)

08/03/2020

Thanks to all the folks who came out for programs in the Florida Keys in early March! We enjoyed meeting everyone and hearing your stories about the Cuban Missile Crisis. This was Ground Zero for the high stakes event!

10/12/2019

Catch the untold story of the Cuban Missile Crisis in January at FAU-Boca Raton and at the Villages, both in Florida. See Mike's website for specifics: www.michaeltougias.com

10/09/2019

Dear Friends in New Hampshire: Mike will present his Above and Beyond program at the following locations in September and October 2019 -- New Boston NH Library on Sept 19 at 7pm, Newton Historical Society (at town hall) on Sept. 25 at 7pm, and at the Walker Lecture Series in Concord on Oct. 9 at 7:30pm.

09/08/2019

What an honor to be named a "must read" book of 2019!

Massachusetts Center for the Book is delighted to announce two years of Massachusetts Book Awards, the 18th and 19th annual awards (for books published in 2017 and 2018 respectively). 

18/07/2019

If you're in Vermont in late July, come to Bookstock!

In a multimedia presentation based on his newly published co-authored book, Above and Beyond: the Untold Story of the Cuban Missile Crisis, New York Times bestselling author Michael J. Tougias first chronicles the thirteen harrowing days of the Cuban Missile Crisis and then outlines the steps Presid...

27/05/2019

Hear about the daring U-2 spy plane pilots at Springfield (Mass.) Museums on June 13. For more dates see Mike's website:

schedule of presentations, public appearances, slide show, storytelling

22/01/2019

Thank you to the NSTA and Bluebird Corp. for inviting Mike to speak at the weekend's conference about JFK's strategic decision making process. It was a pleasure to meet everyone.

10/11/2018

Hey Clearwater Florida fans: author Mike Tougias will tell the Above & Beyond story at Dunedin Library on Weds., Nov. 14 at 11 a.m. It's free and open to the public. Thank you, Florida Humanities!

Dunedin Community Garden Association Workshops Mon, 11/19 6:30 PM A Hog Island ThanksgivingWed, 12/05 6:30 PM Container Gardening

28/09/2018

Hear about the U-2 spy planes that flew above Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis -- author Michael Tougias' speaking calendar has been updated with many new dates in several states at www.michaeltougias.com