September 21, 2009 -- Ace Abbott invites both pilots and layman to take a wild ride with him on a unique and improbable aviation career spanning over 36 years in his new book, The Rogue Aviator: In the Back Alleys of Aviation. (www.therogueaviator) As Ace visited 44 countries with 25 different employers, he takes his readers from Five Star hotels and restaurants to noisy, greasy cargo ramps, and a visit to a Venezuelan jail. He also presents an insider's look at the dark underbelly of the FAA and commercial aviation.
Readers may find themselves slack-jawed with amazement as Abbott reveals implausible aviation anecdotes including interesting encounters with celebrities and iconic musicians. Abbott also tells of his many experiences and "war-stories" from his early career as an F-4 Phantom fighter- pilot based in the Far East.
This aviation adventure story/expose' will also reveal the "muck and crud" of the smaller commercial airlines as they slide profitability in front of safety. Abbott also freely exposes several accounts of unethical and often "reactive" response by the FAA and its effects on commercial flight safety, especially situations involving flight crew fatigue.
The 8 am crew show time, (was followed by a lengthy maintenance delay). At approximately 6 pm the flight launched for Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, with a fuel stop in Texas. The return flight to Philadelphia also required a fuel stop, and the bedraggled flight crew did not finish their duty day (and night) until the following morning at 9 am. When Ace suggested to the company check airman that a 25 hour duty day was pretty ridiculous, the check airman responded, "I couldn't agree more but you are singing to the choir."
From an adrenaline-pumping night airborne refueling mission in the F-4 Phantom, to numerous close encounters in a Learjet, to his final 727 flight, when he briefly flirted with catastrophe during landing at Boston's Logan Airport, Ace Abbott brings his readers in for a final smooth landing as his text validates the idealistic premise that the quality of one's life experiences trumps material wealth and possessions.
Author Bio: Ace Abbott (pen name) was born and raised in the Finger Lakes area of upstate NY and entered the U.S. Air Force in 1965. He served as an F-4 Phantom pilot and returned to the civilian world in 1971. He then flew corporate/charter Learjets until 1979 and after a short stint as a G-159 (turboprop) pilot he transitioned to the Boeing 727. He accumulated nearly 11,000 hours as a 727 Captain with 14 different airlines until he reached the FAA mandated retirement (age 60) in 2002.
