Flight for Sanity (a novel)

“Flight for Sanity” is the 4^th novel in a series (Flight for Control, Safety, Survival, Sanity) using the same core group of characters whose lives in Seattle revolve around aviation and the fictional company known as Global Airlines. These 4 novels can be read individually or as a series, and with them Karlene Petitt has opened up for her readers an insider’s view into aspects of flying and aviation that are not obvious to most of us on the ground.

The main character in all of these novels is Darby Bradshaw, who can be described as everyone’s favorite sister; A fun loving free spirited wine drinking best friend, who also happens to be a superbly well trained pilot at Global.

The well written and engaging interplay between Darby, the airline, the other characters, the FAA, and the NTSB exposes the dynamics of not only the human factors in modern aviation, but the all too real economics of flying and the imbalances that result from the push and pull of profits vs cost vs safety.

Karlene’s theme for her novels examines these factors when they are in deadly competition. What happens when Global pursues an aggressive cost savings strategy by reducing training and relying too much on automation? How long will it take for less training and the resulting degradation of piloting skills to result in a corresponding decrease in aviation safety? Or has this already happened and the FAA does not want to acknowledge it? And what if someone suspects that there may be another motive here, not just cost savings, and starts collecting data that could shock the entire aviation industry? How far will the opposition go to suppress those efforts?

What the reader and the central characters don’t know is who exactly is the real enemy, and how much worse it can get.

Caught in the middle of a fight between the airline, the FAA, the NTSB, and her own friends and relationships, Darby becomes a chip tossed in a tornado, trapped in a no-win Catch-22 of corporate treachery. And as the plot thickens, and as the tornado spins up, the bodies start flying… Literally.

I seriously recommend this book (and the whole series), not just for aviation fans, but for anyone who enjoys a fast paced and well written mystery…

FYI; When not in Seattle Karlene Petitt can be found in a cockpit, or at http://www.karlenepetitt.blogspot.com/

Also on Twitter as @KarlenePetitt

If interested, links to my reviews of Flight for Control and Flight for Safety