Ever since man has taken to the air, flight has exerted a strong,
almost irresistible, appeal on many to follow a life of flying-not
only to allow it to be more than just a hobby, but to make it one's
avocation. Many who have followed this call have written of this
journey and how they pursued the various forms of flying - their
first flight, their first job flying for hire, and a look back at
their career.
In The Outer Whorl, Essays by an Airline Pilot, Neal Schier takes
a slightly different tact in recounting his pursuit of flying,
because paradoxically, flight itself was just one of the
attractions that led him to follow the call that so many before him
had heeded. His path was not the simple, almost linear progression,
which has marked many aviators' careers. Neal, in a continuum of
twenty related essays, examines the unease of a quotidian life in a
sterile office and the desperation that set in at a young age to
pursue something outside of a normal career path. To see the world
and learn of one's strengths and weaknesses while forging a
profound appreciation for his fellow crew members.
Through this pursuit came a deep appreciation for the allure
inherent in aviation and a respect for the uncertainty that flits
and flickers behind the beautiful mask that flight wears. This
appreciation extends far beyond just the attraction of flight
however, as he charts the admiration of strength and resolve that
he finds in his fellow pilots, flight attendants, and other airline
employees after the horrors of 9/11-an admiration won by the close
work in an airliner's cockpit during hours of fatigue, stress, and
challenge.
Introspectively, but not solipsistically so, Neal traces his
development first as a military aviator and then as a commercial
airline pilot. His nontechnical writing puts the reader alongside
him in the cockpit as a witness to the mind-set of a pilot as he
charts a course around the world-a course that often leads to
self-examination and what one learns about self and others. His
narrative details what it was like to lose nearly twenty years of
work as his airline struggled with bankruptcy and near liquidation.
He raises the question if the turbulence of the career was worth
the years of sacrifice and dedication and thus, touches on an idea
that thousands of the wondering and wandering souls of aviation
continue to ask. His reflection and memories bring a surprising
answer that is framed from the recurring themes of beauty,
appreciation, and admiration.
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