“The future has a way of arriving.” So begins adult mystery novel Flight Proof, an 80,000-word battle of animal salvation versus robotic drone-dom.
With that advice in mind, Witness Deception Program participant and proving run test pilot Mark Altstar guides an empty transport jet in circles through protected Nevada airspace, until one day the auto-flight software suddenly malfunctions, sending the craft careening toward the desert floor. Barely avoiding a collision with a commercial airliner before regaining control, Altstar lands at an abandoned airstrip, where para-military investigators refuse to accept his explanation or his attempted resignation. Investigation of the incident reveals Altstar’s true identity as disgraced flight instructor Glenn Gray, a revelation that generates involuntary confrontations with the Free-Form Church of God’s Good Gravitology, as well as the FAA and his own airline pilot co-workers and their union, who oppose any efforts aimed at unmanned flight. Glenn just wants to return to his rewarding job as a volunteer animal shelter pilot, but his value as a lure to expose the subversively incompetent corporate, governmental, and theological elements battling for control of the skies outweighs his personal desires. Other impediments to Glenn’s charitable goals include Chief Pilot Bobby Dabel, union president Redding, Kimbo the one-armed pleasure pilot, company owner J.L. Braek, and shelter owner Greaser Jean the mj queen. Glenn’s comedic arc through these culprits leads him to the prime suspect: coding aficionado turned billionaire entrepreneur Gage. The inquiry into Gage’s culpability employs the help of Glenn’s pet rat, Scout. Various amusing clues help Glenn identify the true thief, forcing him to choose between redemption and reputation.
Let me know whether or not this synopsis sounds interesting enough to shape into a complete story. I welcome all comments: constructive, positive, entertaining, or otherwise. Any feelings I once had are long gone–boiled away back in the eighties and invulnerable to insult. Fire away!