American Sky

American Sky is the story of a young man going to work for a father and son, learning the skills for starting a Lycoming or Continental engine on a hot summer day, as well as the daily humor, courage, and vision to pursue dreams.

Whether attending a training session with a fellow pilot whose relative snapped the famous photograph of the Wright Brothers first flight, or listening to a grouchy cab driver’s pithy remarks before a long flight home, the author encounters people and random experiences as if they’re signposts of life. He learns that a teacher can often be a place, a stranger, a storm, the sky itself.

The world comes awake, and on the eve of starting flight lessons, a World War Two veteran will insist the author give up sailplanes and experience powered flight, the joy of driving straight up into the clouds.

In American Sky, events and people shift in time and experiences blossom unexpectedly. Yet the influence of a mentor remains a visible, poignant anchor.