Air Vagabond: Oceans, Airmen, and a Quest for Adventure FROM THE PUBLISHER
Written to entertain as well as to inform, Air Vagabonds initiates readers to the little-known profession of airplane ferry piloting during the 1970s through the 1980s -- a time when the United States was exporting record numbers of light aircraft throughout the world. One of the more experienced of these ferry pilots, Anthony J. Vallone follows the exploits of a band of intrepid, roguish aviators as they journey to Europe, to exotic cities of the Far East, to snowy, windswept settlements of Greenland, and into the heart of volatile African nations. This small air force of pilots willingly ferried thousands of Beech, Piper, and Cessna aircraft to clients in every corner of the globe. Flying solo across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, these pilots battled storms, ice, desert winds, aircraft malfunctions, primitive navigational aids, gas crises, loneliness, and the unpredictable armies of the third world.
Flying alone for hundreds of miles is not for everyone, and it attracted a cast of eccentric, unforgettable mavericks who flew from one misadventure to the next, never knowing if their next flight would be their last. Some carried on international scams and love affairs, some were lost at sea, some were imprisoned by African despots, and some seemed anointed with the ability to survive certain death, time after time. They are all here, described with humor and high drama by one of their own, a survivor with phenomenal recall, a knack for distinguishing character from bluster, and a great ear for dialogue and aviation lore. Vallone captures it all in this vivid, engrossing account that once again proves that reality is often stranger than fiction.
Home
