John Bennett Nichols, III (September 28, 1931 – June 17, 2004) was a United States Navy aviator and author. Raised in Hialeah, Florida, Nichols enlisted in the United States Army and served as a combat medic during the Korean War. After attending college he was accepted for NavCad training and commissioned in 1957. Originally he flew the North American FJ-4 Fury but shortly thereafter he flew the Vought F-8 Crusader, the aircraft that defined his professional career.