Who Is That Guy?
It must have looked pretty strange, riding my flashy red chopper while dressed as a scarecrow. A grim mask over my face, a floppy black hat tied to my head with straw resembling hair protruding from beneath it. A long, tattered black robe made from a dyed bedsheet was on top of my pull-over leather jacket, topped off by leather elbow-length gauntlets.
Soft Targets
Take a sneak peek inside the fourth installment of the aviation days memoir series. This excerpt takes you back 25 years, to September 11, 2001, when the world changed forever.
Through a firsthand aviation story, you’ll revisit those extraordinary days and the profound impact 9/11 had on the aviation world, and beyond.
A Hangmen’s Summer Adventure
With summer in full swing, I felt the urge to get out on the open road and visit an old club buddy. So, after making my car happy with a new set of tires, I pointed it toward Idaho.
Dress for Success
Though I never bought one, I did own a couple of leather jackets during my Hangmen MC years. They were both lightweight, not your typical motorcycle jacket with zippers running in all directions. One was given to me, the other I traded for. I wore them under heavier gear, like my black trench coat.
Getting Home on 9-11
For years, when talking to pilots and flight attendants, the topic was frequently: “Where were you on 9-11?” Tens of thousands of flight crews and possibly millions of passengers had their lives turned upside down that day. How the small Canadian town of Gander, Newfoundland, took in 6,500 people is an amazing story in itself.
Is it Safe to Fly?
Starting with riding horses, transportation has always had an element of risk. Following the recent tragedy at LaGuardia, where two pilots lost their lives, I feel compelled to compelled to speak about safety. In short, yes, I think it is incredibly safe to fly on any US airline.
Who’s Ideal Was This
The bigger the airplanes you fly and the bigger the company you work for, the safer flying gets. It has to be. How do you make stories interesting when you're talking about safety instead of risk?
Where Did This Come From?
The Lucky One explores the beginning of my aviation career, starting with my first job as a flight instructor.I was surprised to find I liked it. Perhaps because I was good at it, I have no death-defying stories of students trying to kill me.
Who Came Up with This One?
When I was learning to fly in Alaska, I had already lived a perilous life. First riding with an outlaw motorcycle club in California. After moving to the Last Frontier, I would go into the wilderness on hunting trips, often alone. I probably didn’t realize how risky flying up there could be. At least no worse than my previous life. Maybe I had no idea what normal was.
Who Came Up with This?
It’s been said that “Four wheels move the body, but two wheels move the soul.” There is something about riding a motorcycle that only a rider can understand. The sense of adventure, the individuality, the freedom. Just you and the bike, the road, the wind.
Who’s Idea Was This?
One day someone derisively asked, “Who’s the ‘novelist’ writing those match reports?” I decided, maybe that’s what I should be doing instead. Not novels or course, but memoirs. Ernest Hemingway said, “Before you can write about life, you have to live it.” I figured I had a pretty good start on that, so that’s where I began.
An Evening in Modesto
It was late and the Old Mill Diner on 9th Street already seemed ancient in 1972. Curt and I sat in vinyl booths polished smooth by millions of bodies over the years. The Formica table had gouges, and a few initials carved into it. Just a few customers sat at the counter and the waitress lazily performed her duties with what seemed a minimum of effort.
It Was the Best of Time… It Is the Best of Times…
Personally, I don’t make New Years resolutions, partly because, like most people, I will forget about them in a month or so. What I do have is goals. Short term goals that will last as long as they are needed.
Driving Into the Past
Somehow, I felt like a road trip. So, in late October I decided to head east, but not on a bike this time. It’s getting a little cold in some parts of the country, so I hopped in my Ford Edge. Yes, I know, I’m getting old… but I am doing my best, and while adventurous, I’m not crazy.
Choppers Never Die!
I am constantly amazed at the long life of choppers. It was a fad in the sixties when I came around, but it has not gone away. Just the opposite, their appeal seems to get stronger and more popular. And not just in America but all over the world.
The Cabin
What you're about to read might seem like fiction, and it’s actually part of my upcoming book, the sequel to The Lucky One. But as you already know, all of my stories are rooted in real-life experiences—things that have truly happened to me...
Never Forget
It’s the twenty-third anniversary of 9/11, and it still seems like yesterday. The day the world changed, when innocence was lost. Since then, because of the resulting ‘War on Terror,’ many more people have died than on that day, and it looks like it will not get better anytime soon.
Living in the Past
In my book Better Lucky Than Good I said, “You can’t live in the past, but sometimes you can visit there for a while.” The synopsis and advertising for Hangmen say that we lived in a time that cannot be recreated. But I think I was wrong on that, at least partially.
Going Motorcycle Camping? This Is How You Can Pack Your Bike
Packing a bike can be pretty easy when you have large saddlebags and a top box or perhaps special motorcycle luggage. But doing it the old-fashioned way is, in my opinion, more fun.