Leland Shanle is a pilot, award winning author, and military/aviation technical adviser for the movie industry. His consulting projects include Pearl Harbor, Behind Enemy Lines, xXx, The Day After Tomorrow and Stealth. His production company--Broken Wing Productions--has worked on several aviation-based movies and series including the Discovery Curiosity Series; Plane Crash.
Shanle is the author of four books; Project Seven Alpha, Vengeance at Midway and Guadalcanal, ENDGAME in the Pacific and CODE NAME: INFAMY. He has also written for Aerospace Testing International Magazine and as a Contributing Editor to Airways Magazine. Shanle has adapted his book, Project 7 Alpha into a screenplay for a major motion picture studio.
Shanle's lifelong interest in Aviation is a family legacy. His Grandfather was in the airline industry in the 1920s and two uncles (Bob USAF, Larry USN) were combat military aviators. Shanle flew naval aircraft in 10 squadrons; including the F-4 Phantom II, EA-6B Prowler and TA-4 Skyhawk. Attached to CAG 5, 11 and 1 cruising on the USS Midway, America and Lincoln; Leland flew 80 missions over the war torn skies of Bosnia, Somalia, and Iraq.
He got into the flight test world when transferred to VX-30, Naval Weapons Test Center Point Mugu. He flew as a Project Officer on various test programs and was the Squadron Operations Officer. Shanle also attended the Project Officer/Engineers and the Out of Control Flight courses at National Test Pilot School. He was inducted as a Full Member in the Society of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP) in 1998.
Closing out his Naval Aviation career with 600 carrier landings (200 night) on 11 different carriers; he continues his Aviation career with American Airlines.