Title:

Freefall - A True Story

Authors:

William and Marilyn Mona Hoffer

Publisher:

SMP/St. Martins Press non-fiction

International Standard Book Number: (ISBN)

0-312-92274-4

Library of Congress Card Number:

89-30132

This is a book that I'm almost surprised to be writing a review for. Even as I type this I'm inclined to place it under the category of philosophy because as its story unfolds it becomes obvious that while an initial flaw in man's thinking has caused a great disaster, his ultimate spirit, rationality, and skill saves this day as it saves them all! The book also describes that kind of spirit which has served the best inventors and engineers. It has come up often in Tech Bench discussions of skill, competence, and good communication. It is not unfitting to review this book on a Ham Radio web page!

The book is "Freefall" by William and Marilyn Mona Hoffer. It tells the story of an error in judgment and calculation that will leave a "state of the art" Air Canada Boeing 767, totally empty of fuel at 41,000 feet of altitude! How could this happen you ask? Read the book and find out how a simple failure of communication and mis-calculation of U.S. Gallons, Imperial Gallons, and Liters causes this. Then read on to discover how the consummate skill of an expert pilot lands this 132 ton glider on an airstrip that was intended for World War 2 fighter planes! It's an exciting story and book of 310 pages, that you won't put down before you have finished it!