In his gripping debut novel, The Goodflyers, former U.S. Navy flight instructor and retired Delta Airlines captain John J. Domina takes readers inside the fiercely competitive and high-pressure world of Navy flight school.
Set in Pensacola, Florida, the cradle of Naval Aviation, The Goodflyers is a character-driven aviation thriller that explores ambition, loyalty, moral compromise, and the psychological toll of excellence inside a culture built on perfection.
The novel follows Lieutenants Frank Nicolosi and Joe Christmas, elite flight instructors determined to keep their squadron ranked number one in the training command. When a rival squadron led by a ruthless Marine instructor topples them from the top spot, the battle for supremacy spirals into darker territory. As professional rivalries intensify, personal lives unravel. Love affairs, betrayal, and moral decay compound the mounting pressure to reclaim dominance. A flight instructor vanishes. A student crosses a line he can never uncross. And the cost of unchecked ambition becomes devastatingly clear.
Through vivid storytelling drawn from lived experience, Domina immerses readers in the visceral thrill of flight, from strapping into a Navy T-34 for heart-pounding aerobatics to cruising along the Gulf shoreline beneath a canopy of stars. The novel captures not only the exhilaration of flying, but also the relentless demands of Aviation Officer Candidate School and the grueling journey toward earning the coveted Navy Wings of Gold, an honor achieved by only a fraction of those selected.
“There was too much drama and adventure that I experienced as a Navy flight instructor that could not go untold,” says Domina. “I wanted readers to feel the gravity pulling at their faces during aerobatics, hear the wind rushing over the canopy, and understand what it truly takes to become a naval aviator.”
At its core, The Goodflyers delivers a powerful message: unchecked ambition can consume the very person it once elevated. The story also reveals that the strongest individuals are often the ones most afraid to admit they are breaking. Amid the chaos on the ground, the sky remains both refuge and reckoning.
About the Author
John J. Domina grew up on Long Island and earned a degree in Journalism from C.W. Post College. He served eight years in the United States Navy, including four years as an instructor pilot in Pensacola. Following his military service, Domina flew for Delta Air Lines for over four decades, logging more than 21,000 flight hours across a 41-year career. The Goodflyers is his debut novel. He is currently writing a second book, Five O’clock Lightning, a baseball-themed novel.
For more information, visit: Dominabooks.com
Global Book Network - John J Domina, Author of The Goodflyers
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