Former Navy Instructor Pilot Captures Explores Rivalry and Ambition "The Goodflyers"

John J. Domina's new historical fiction takes readers inside the high-stakes world of Navy flight training

LAKEVILLE, Minn., May 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Author and former Navy instructor pilot John J. Domina brings readers into the competitive world of naval aviation in "The Goodflyers: Lords of the Emerald Coast," a historical novel set at the Navy's flight school in Pensacola during the late 1980s.

The novel follows Lieutenants Frank "Pizza" Nicolosi and Joe "Holiday" Christmas, T-34C instructor pilots whose squadron is known for its intensity, precision and fierce drive to win. At a training command where performance is measured in the air and on the ground, rivalry between squadrons escalates from professional competition into personal conflict, testing the limits of loyalty, ambition and judgment.

"I want readers to feel as if they are in the cockpit of a Navy T-34C, experiencing every vibration, every turn and every low pass over the emerald waters and white sands of Pensacola," Domina said. "This book brings them inside the high-octane world of Navy flight instructors and their students; a life shaped by precision, pride, achievement and heartbreak, where fierce competition and forbidden love push good people toward decisions that affect everyone in the squadron."

Blending aviation with character-driven drama, "The Goodflyers" depicts the lives of Navy flight instructors and student pilots as they navigate demanding training flights, squadron politics, romantic entanglements and the consequences of choices made under pressure. The book examines a culture built on camaraderie and the pursuit of excellence, while also showing how ego, rivalry and institutional failure can push individuals toward irreversible decisions.

Domina plans to continue the squadron's story in future novels.

"The Goodflyers: Lords of the Emerald Coast"

By John J. Domina

ISBN: 9781665777094 (softcover); 9781665777117 (hardcover); 9781665777100 (electronic)

Available at Archway Publishing, Amazon and Barnes & Noble

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, four of those years as an instructor pilot in Pensacola.
Domina recently retired from Delta Airlines and has logged over 21,000 flight hours in 41 years of flying. "The Goodflyers" is his first book. To learn more, please visit www.johndominabooks.com.

General Inquiries:
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Ashley Fletcher
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SOURCE Archway Publishing