Unlearning to Fly

In his equally fascinating and poignant memoir, the author reveals how his steadfast love of airplanes guides him through a tumultuous childhood and empowers him to set the course for his own life.




"A thoughtful and detailed remembrance of a life in flight. In Roberts' vivid telling of his life story, he was always a pilot at heart "(Kirkus Reviews).




He will make you feel the awe of sitting in the cockpit, the wonder of taking flight, and the unbridled joy of achieving goals. Despite his disqualifying impairment and "the family burning flames of alcohol," he will be an airline pilot. Nothing matters more. As he grows up, the author immerses himself in the world of pilots, cockpits, and hangars. He soaks up every gem of aviation wisdom his father and other pilots impart, earning his pilot's license before he can drive and, at seventeen, becoming the youngest licensed flight instructor in the U. S. Later, his story flies you from the skies of Alaska to America's East Coast, and on to Greenland, Iceland, and Europe, The big dream, the dream of becoming an airline pilot, though, remains elusive. Finally, on a stressful cross-Atlantic flight in a single-engine airplane with a broken compass and iced-over wings, Roberts realizes that further growth, both personal and career, requires pushing aside beliefs he learned in his formative years. He must think for himself, take risks, form his own ideas. He must unlearn... to fly.