Captain Carl W. Swickley, USCG (ret.) is the author of Kicking Tires and Lighting Fires: Coast Guard Aviation As It Made the Leap From Recips To Jets. The MOAA said of the book, “Swickley describes what he witnessed in Coast Guard aviation during the late 1950s through the late 1970s. Vivid description of exciting helicopter and fixed wing rescues place the reader in the cockpit and convey what it is like to fly with the Coast Guard. Included are descriptions of various air stations, aircraft, people, places, and trivia that illustrate the essence of Coast Guard aviation in that era.”