Flying drunk : a Northwest Airlines flight, three drunk pilots, and one man's fight for redemption / Joseph Balzer.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Balzer, Joseph Wesley.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Air pilots--United States--Biography.

Air pilots.

Alcoholics--United States--Biography.

Alcoholics.

Balzer, Joseph Wesley.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xiii, 225 p. ) ill.

Edition:

2nd ed.

Place of Publication:

New York : Savas Beatie, c2009.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

March 8, 1990: An intoxicated three-man crew, including Flight Engineer Joseph Balzer, fly a Northwest Airlines Boeing 727 with 91 passengers aboard from Fargo, North Dakota to Minneapolis, Minnesota. July 25, 1990: All three pilots stand trial for flying a commercial airliner while under the influence of alcohol; all three are convicted and sent to federal prison. July 26, 1990 - present: Joe Balzer fights for redemption and to regain all that he has lost. Flying Drunk is his story. Since he was a young boy, Joe Balzer dreamed of flying. He pursued his goal with a vigorous passion and earned his pilot licenses, piling up hours of flight time with a wide variety of planes and jets with one overarching goal: to one day fly for a major airline. But Joe had a problem. He was an alcoholic and refused to admit to himself that he had a problem. His alcoholism caught up with him in March 1990, when Joe was arrested with two other pilots for flying a commercial airliner while under the influence of alcohol. His world began crumbling around him and his new marriage faced the ultimate test. He lost his promising career and his dignity. Every major media outlet, including The New York Times, Newsweek, and Time Magazine covered the shocking story for the stunned American flying public. The trial that followed drained Joe's life's savings and federal prison nearly broke him. Flying Drunk is Joe's bittersweet and thoroughly chilling memoir of his twisted journey to a Federal courtroom, his time in the notorious Federal penitentiary system in Atlanta, and his struggle to recapture all that he held dear. Today, Joe is a recovering alcoholic, celebrating more than nineteen years of sobriety. The long road back from perdition led him to American Airlines, where good people and a great organization recognized a talented pilot who had cleaned up his act and was

ready to fly again, safely. Flying Drunk is an incredible journey of the human spirit, from childhood to hell, and back again. Everyone should read and heed its message of hope and redemption. No one who does will ever forget it. About the Author: Joe Balzer is a pilot for American Airlines with more than 15,000 hours of flight experience. He has a Master's Degree in Aerospace Education and is also an inspirational speaker, traveling around the country speaking to pilots and other groups on the dangers of alcohol and other addictions, bringing his audience to laughter and tears with his powerful message of hope. Joe lives in Tennessee with his wife Deborah and their two children. Flying Drunk is his first book.

Contents:

A Northwest Airlines Flight, Three Drunk Pilots, and One Man's Fight for Redemption

Contents

Foreword

Prologue

A Note on Sources

Early Life

Adolescent Years

Dreaming of Flying

Joe the Teacher

Liftoff

Delta is Ready When You Are

Paying My Dues

Eastern: "The Pilot's Airline"

Northwest Airlines: I'm Flying a Bowling Shoe!

The Five-Day Trip From Hell

Nightmare in Fargo

The Worst Day of My Life

The Calm Before the Storm

Stranded and Alone

Media Circus

Tragic Homecoming

Criminal Charges

"Under the Influence"

Getting Real

Trial-and Errors

A Brief Reprieve

Turning Myself In

Wrong Turn?

Heavy Metal

The Big House

Happy New Year!

Stayin' Alive

Oh No, Not "The Hole!"

Watch Your Six O'clock

"Halfway" Home

Home Sweet Home

Angels and Wings

Yonder the Wild Blue

Just Call Me "Captain"

Dreaming the Impossible

Go Ahead, Make My Day

The Day of Reckoning

"This is Your Captain Speaking"

Facts Established at Trial.

Notes:

First printing.

ISBN:

9781611210484

1611210488

OCLC:

748403132