Sticks in the Clouds by Willard Howe

[Basya]

Matt Lavery despises his job. Flying for charter airline South Tropic Airways in 1980, he ferries passengers between his Fort Lauderdale, Florida, base and the Caribbean. Matt is tired of always having to be available because his boss does not want to pay the salary of a second pilot, being in distant locations with no support, and having to deal with clients. He dreams of a bright future at the controls of a jetliner operated by a major airline.

Matt has another reason to be disgruntled. He has been waiting two hours on South Caicos for his passengers. When they finally arrive—well-dressed Jorge Roca and three others—Matt tells them where to stow their luggage and, once they are seated, takes off. After deplaning, Roca approaches Matt and says there is something on the plane for his boss. Suspecting contraband, Matt is ready to report the passengers when Roca threatens him. Sure enough, he discovers machine gun bullets in a storage compartment. A frightened Matt thinks about guilt by association; he fears a future with a major airline will end before it begins.

Matt reaches a decision: quit his job and leave immediately. Packing his belongings, he apologizes to his landlady for departing so abruptly and takes leave of his job. Matt then points his Jeep north. A plan forms in his mind: go to his family home in Chicago and look for a job from there. After settling in, Matt sends his resume to countless airlines, receiving rejection after rejection. A job teaching in an area flight school, however, leads to a serendipitous encounter with the school’s secretary and her husband, a Delta pilot. The latter tells Matt he once flew for Arkansas Airways and sends the airline a letter on his behalf. Before Matt knows it, he is on a plane to Fayetteville and an interview—which leads to an immediate offer of a position as a first officer.

When he begins work, Matt becomes fast friends with his cockpit mates. Flying between points throughout Arkansas and neighboring states, the dedicated pilot gains valuable experience as he begins to feel at home in Arkansas’s hills. Low pay and unsuccessful efforts to unionize do not put a damper on Matt’s new life. Even a near-disaster does not lessen his passion for flying as it starts him on a path he could not have dreamed of.

Author Willard Howe puts readers squarely in the pilot’s seat. Through Matt’s eyes, we share the frustrations, satisfaction, experiences, mindset, and dreams of those who fly for a living. The hero is a likable, principled, responsible young man devoted to a goal while remaining true to family, friends, and coworkers in and out of the cockpit. All the people in Matt’s universe, good and bad guys alike, are true-to-life and believable. Well-placed flashbacks help paint a picture of the person he has become.

In addition, hot news items of the day—the Iranian taking of American hostages, the Carter-Reagan presidential campaign and its outcome, the plight of Cubans under Fidel Castro and efforts of Cuban-Americans and others to help them leave, and more—provide a meaningful backdrop and add a touch of realism to the story. While the author might dwell a bit too much on background information, readers come away with a greater understanding of pressing issues of the day and their effects on the person on the street. For those of us who lived through and remember these events of our recent past, the account brings back memories of a tumultuous time.

There is one other small caveat: a few sexual episodes which, while rather discrete, might be off-putting to some readers. (A bit of strong language also exists.) All in all, however, Matt’s story is one that will have readers flying high from page one through its satisfying, feel-good conclusion. I give Sticks in the Clouds 4 out of 4 stars.

[gali]

@Basya is that a review book? If it is a review book, this post should be deleted. You should post the review via your Update tab, NOT here.