Behind the Facade and a Peek at Panagra

Introduction

For every one of us life is a journey filled with beauty and pitfalls. It was my good fortune to make the journey through a very climactic period in history in a job I loved, blessed with family and friends. Flying revealed the powerful forces of nature and was a great teacher. When the hail rattles off the fuselage, lightning flashes all around, updrafts and downdrafts send you soaring 3,000 feet a minute; focus, keep it an even keel and on course because this too shall pass. So it is in life. Flying as in life, history is important. The same basic procedures for flying through turbulence have not changed over the years. Anticipate, slow down to turbulence speed before penetrating so you enter with a stable attitude and power setting. We learn from predecessors' mistakes.

Purpose of the Book

The reason for writing this book was to share this rather remarkable journey and give a small personal peek into the turbulent 20th Century.