The Minotaur (Jake Grafton Series #3) » (~)

Veteran naval aviator Stephen Coonts shook up the action-adventure game with his 1986 bestseller, Flight of the Intruder. He followed that dazzling debut with a string of adventures starring intrepid hero Jake Grafton -- a series that only gets more popular with each new release.

Fighter-jock Jake Grafton has survived his share of airborne death duels. Now he's grounded. As head of the top-secret Athena Project, he's now in charge of developing the navy's next-generation attack aircraft-a carrier-launched stealth version of the A-6 Intruder. But deep within the labyrinth of the Pentagon, a cunning Soviet network is trashing U.S. security. Behind it is the ultimate spymaster called The Minotaur: his sights are on Jake's aircraft...and his plans are for one last kill.

Newgate Callendar

The flying episodes ring true. There are also a few things not normally encountered in his books...it makes one think.