Terry Thompson’s Blog

Okay, that title probably got your attention.  It sure got the attention of many browsers through the Author’s Corner at Oshkosh AirVenture 2009.  A truly remarkable gentleman sat next to me at the Author’s Corner table for a week.  By the week’s end, we had become good friends.  On day one, news journalists were leaning over my area of the table to get video shots and interviews with Joe Balzer.  By Wednesday, he had been invited to dinner at the Flying Magazine building and did a private interview with the Chicago Tribune.  Since then, he has appeared on CNN.  Joe Balzer is the author of a new book, Flying Drunk. 

The book is a true story of a Northwest Airlines Flight in 1990 flown by three drunk pilots and one of the pilot’s (Joe) fight for redemption.  Joe was an alcoholic who had faked his way through the aviation career system to land a dream job with Northwest Airlines.  After being finally busted for flying while intoxicated, along with his fellow cockpit crewmen, he spent a year in prison, and several years in poverty with minimum wage jobs.  His renewed faith in God and a very supportive wife helped him reclaim his life.  Ultimately, an absolute miracle happened as he was hired by American Airlines where he presently flies the regular routes.  This is an intriguing and touching story that would capture the heart of every pilot, especially those who share his faith.

You can learn more and buy his book by going to www.flyingdrunk.com.  Don’t be offended by the title.  It draws people to the story.

This entry was posted on Friday, August 21st, 2009 at 16:41 and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.