Chapters 1 and 2 Summary

"Flight of the Intruder" by Stephen Coonts is a best-selling action novel first published in 1986 about American naval pilots fighting in the Vietnam War. Chapter 1 begins with a description of an A-6A Intruder plane being launched from the deck of an aircraft carrier 100 miles offshore from North Vietnam, piloted by the protagonist, Lieutenant Jake Grafton. With him is his bombardier-navigator, Lieutenant Morgan McPherson. Once airborne, the two engage in banter as they go through technical tasks on their approach to the coastline. When Jake spots a white beach, he radios to the aircraft carrier and descends to 300 feet. McPherson notes small arms fire from peasant farmers, and Jake sees the flashes from a sub-machine gun, and then tracers from antiaircraft artillery fire. He hears over the radio that the other A-6 bomber, piloted by Lieutenant Commander Earl "Cowboy" Parker, is...