One Foot on the Ground by Paul Roxin

cover of One Foot on the Ground by Paul Roxin

A gift from a fell fan of aviation in the upstate New York area, this collection of short stories has been a delight tot read. What Paul Roxin has done in collecting and recording a menagerie of aviation stories from around the upstate New York area is something I wish many more people would do for their local areas or even just their family members. This book reads like you’re sitting down with your kindly grandfather, hearing him tell you stories from the days of his youth. Now 95 years old, Roxin has been fascinated with aviation since he saw a biplane zoom over his school as a 7-year-old. The stories he’s collected and researched for this book range from hilarious to amazing to heartwarming, from the early days of the barnstormer to heroic tales of WWII and the young commercial airline industry. Roxin’s love of aviation, history, and people shines right through. There is a generous amount of old photographs to accompany the stories and bring the people and planes to life. You certainly do not need to be a resident of New York to appreciate the rich history recorded in these pages!

Roxin is donating $1 from each book sold to the Honor Flight Network, which transports veterans to visit and reflect at their memorials in Washington, D.C.

One of several books I’ve reviewed on Goodreads.

Life Goes in Circles at the Reno Library

What did summer vacations mean to you when you were a child? To me, it meant days of carefree play outdoors, road trips with the family, and reading as many books as I possibly could! One of the things I looked forward to most was when my dad would take my brother and me to the downtown Reno library. I remember how immense the space seemed to me then, the pebbles in the floor, and the big planter below the skylights that seemed so far above. I spent what seemed like hours scouring the stacks, carefully selecting a pile of books to devour in the next couple of weeks. When my dad finally pried me away, or when my poor younger brother had reached his saturation point (he was not as much of a bookworm as I was then!), I proudly carried my selections to the check-out counter like newly found treasure. I remember starting to read them in the car on the way home, not able to wait to immerse myself in a new story. While summers are no longer quite as carefree and full of innocent leisure today, I still love to discover a new book at the library and read it outside on a sunny summer’s day.

So you can imagine how meaningful it was to me when I found out that my book is now sitting in that same library! I had previously submitted a copy for consideration, and it was accepted. Find Flight Emergency cataloged here in the downtown Reno library. Doesn’t life go in amazing, surprising circles?

If you’re in Reno, why not stop by the downtown library and check it out? Introduce the book to someone you know, child or grown-up. Add it to your own collection the next time you visit. Who knows, it might inspire someone’s future to take to the skies.

First Video on YouTube

I just uploaded my first video to YouTube, generated on xtranormal, where a student pilot tells a coworker about a great book she just read—Flight Emergency! I hope you’ll enjoy it, even laugh a little, and let me know what you think. Find Starflight Press under the user name starflightpress.

Or, try this link that will take you to YouTube directly to watch the video.

Author’s Table at the Women in Aviation International Conference

If you’re planning on being in Dallas, Texas March 8-10 for the Women in Aviation International Annual Conference, be sure and stop by the Author’s Table on Friday from 2-3:30. I’ll be there, and would be happy to meet you and sign a copy of Flight Emergency for you! There will be many other women authors and illustrators there as well, and even a filmmaker.

Here is the full Author’s Table schedule on the WAI Conference web site. Note that immediately after my time slot is Bernice Haydu, WASP and author of the fantastic book Letters. Home: 1944-1945. I was honored to meet this American heroine at the AOPA Summit in Hartford last year—see the blog post Highlights from AOPA Aviation Summit.

Time is running out to register, so do not wait any longer. It’s three days packed with educational opportunities, networking, and lots of fun!

Emergency: Crisis on the Flight Deck by Stanley Stewart

book cover

Love to fly? Afraid to fly? Read this book! Recommended to me by WASP Pilot Bee Haydu’s son-in-law at AOPA Summit (see this previous post: Highlights from AOPA Aviation Summit), the book Emergency is not only thrilling real-life suspense, it also inspires confidence in and even gratitude for the heroes that make commercial air travel so safe for all of us every day. Each chapter is the harrowing story of a crisis that really happened on a commercial flight, whether it’s a severe mechanical problem leading to unintended acrobatics, a run-in with volcanic ash, or even a crazed passenger in the cockpit. The titles of each are entertaining and relate to the emergency situation (Don’t Be Fuelish—ha!). The stories are exhaustively researched in detail, but also have a narrative style that puts you right into the heart-pounding, tense situation with the crew. It is truly amazing what these highly skilled pilots and crew dealt with and overcame safely, all with not one loss of life in the entire book! The author says in the Epilogue about the book, “Above all, it is intended to reassure.” It certainly should for anyone who reads it. As for me, I’m inspired!

Just a side note…I found it fascinating how I developed the cover and title for my book before ever laying eyes on this one, yet ended up with one similar in design! Is there a such thing as kindred books? If you’re reading this Mr. Stewart, I’ll take it has a high compliment if anyone ever compares my book to yours.

Find Emergency: Crisis on the Flight Deck by Stanley Stewart on Amazon.com.

The FAR/AIM in Plain English by Jason Schappert

There are over 2,000 regulations in the FAR/AIM, but fewer than 150 of those actually apply to the private and sport pilots. If you’re looking for a book that will simplify the FAR/AIM for your private or sport license, look no further than The FAR/AIM in Plain English by Jason Schappert, released today! The book contains only the regulations you need to know when studying for your private or sport certificate, with easy-to-understand explanations and illustrations. I personally wrote the forward to this book because I believe it is a very useful tool—and something I would have valued during my flight training!

The FAR/AIM in Plain English

Jason Schappert’s blog MzeroA.com

Goodreads Giveaway Winners

Congratulations to Jessica, Darlene, and Nicole! You are the three lucky winners out of all 361 that entered to win a free copy of Flight Emergency on Goodreads. Have fun reading the book! Be sure and drop me a note to tell me what you think, or even post a rating or book review if you’d like. Thanks to all who entered and keep it on your “to-read” list!

Happy Veterans Day, Grandpa

As pilots in America, we enjoy a freedom to fly that is unique in the world. I am very grateful to be so fortunate and I know every pilot feels the same way when he or she takes flight in our beautiful country. But freedoms like these and others are not free; our country’s brace and honorable veterans have fought and sacrificed to that we and others in the world may live in freedom. This Veterans Day I would like to pass on a special thank you to the veterans in my family, including my grandfather who was a B-17 tailgunner based in Britain during World War II.

A small private airport in Carefree, Arizona invited the public for a static display of planes and cars to celebrate their local history and Veterans Day. My family and I thought it would be a fun outing for the weekend but knew little about what we would see. As fortune would have it, just as we arrived the distinctive sound of old radial engines caught our attention. Above, three Stearman biplanes were beginning a series of fly-bys! This was special not only because they are gorgeous, rare airplanes but because my grandfather learned to fly in the Army Air Corps in a Stearman and later bought one surplus after he returned home from the war. They flew low in formation down the runway a few times, trailing smoke, then turned off one by one to land and taxi to park for viewing.

three biplanes in formation
biplane taxiing on the ground
close up of stearman biplane with the words thunderbird field

When they had arrived the shut down the engines, the crowd gathered in close to admire the planes. Two were painted in the blue and yellow Army colors, while the third was the yellow Navy’s version. As we approached, I read the words on the side of the plane nearest me: “Thunderbird Field, Scottsdale Arizona.” This is the very airport where my grandfather trained in a Stearman! If only he had been there to see the planes with us, this Veterans Day would have been even more of a fitting tribute to his service. Thank you, Grandpa Jack, and thank you to all veterans for what you’ve done for all of us. We owe you so much.

Find Flight Emergency in the WAI Store

Visit the Women in Aviation, International (WAI) online store to find Flight Emergency for sale! Their store has all kinds of great gifts for the holidays, including books, clothing, jewelry, and even gifts for children. WAI is an outstanding organization that supports and promotes women in all areas of aviation. I’m proud to be a member and I hope you will consider supporting them as well.