Flying Into the Sun

“Tourists in Mexico are warned not to drive at night. Cows, burros, dead animals or broken-down cars might be just around the bend—even bandidos. Tonight, the danger is crazed, drug-running gringos flying down the mountain, blowing past anything threatening their rhythm.”
~Flying Into the Sun

In 1979, a Mexican army truck and a small U.S.-registered airplane race toward each other on a remote airstrip in southern Mexico. Their game of chicken marks the end of a young surfer’s true-life smuggling odyssey involving midnight powwows with indigenous Zapotecs of Oaxaca, paddling kilos of marijuana across the Rio Grande on surfboards, learning to fly, and a stint in the Oaxaca State Penitentiary.

Narrated by the main character, Flying Into the Sun is not just a true-crime adventure memoir. It is an introspective, coming-of-age tale that weaves through a secret Mexico and chronicles the fast-changing 1970s in the U.S. with its emergent culture of long hair and drugs, rebellious youth versus hostile law enforcement, and the music and pop themes of the times.

The author worked his way up through general aviation to become a pilot for American Airlines, where he flew twenty years and retired as captain. Previous literary endeavors include publishing the insubordinate aviation tabloid Houston Air News, as well as writing stories for national and regional publications such as General Aviation News, the Portsmouth Herald and the Texas Flyer.

Chapters
* Prologue (Chicken)
1 Mexico
2 El Salvador (Bandidos)
3 Costa Rica (The Brotherhood)
4 Oaxaca (The Zapotecs)
5 The Rio Grande
6 Solo Run
7 Oil Initiative
8 Learning to Fly & Rainbow Weed
9 Saga of the El Camino
10 A New Era
11 Pop
12 La Carcel (Jail)
13 Kilos
14 La Casa Grande (The Big House)
15 Escape
16 Kilos Again
17 The Judge
18 You Will Be Free
19 Disco Sucks
20 What’s Your Purpose?
21 Southbound with Our Ears On
22 Cocaine All Around My Brain
23 Volcan Orizaba
24 Flying Home
* Epilogue
* Thanks
* About the Author

PRAISE FOR FLYING INTO THE SUN

“This is fantastic!! It's going to be BIG! I see a movie!”
~Chris Cantara, pilot & owner of Seaside Aviation, LLC

“So many great parts in the book. Magical Mystery Tour down the mountain was excellent. The book reveals a Mexico that tourists never see.”
~Eric Knight, semi-pro surfer

“F****** awesome!!!!!!!!!!!”
~Dave Bicknell, guitarist and software engineer

“I think it's great. You are a very accomplished storyteller. As a US expat living in Mexico I found the Mexican details to be quite accurate.”
~Tom Bailey, retired expat living in the Yucatán, Mexico

"I just finished this book. It’s killer. I loved it. 5 stars. A true story about some wild, crazy times in the 70’s. I really felt like I was there with you. I got a bit nervous a few times. Great Read. Hate that it ended."
~Sandi Syndergaard, moderator of the Original Over the Hill Hippies FB group

Yup, I love books. And I'm always happy to find out about a surf/ travel book that takes me back to places I've been to, or back to a time I've missed. Flying into the Sun is a mix of both...a time before smartphone navigation in rental cars or even planes, and what more a surfboard can be used for than just riding waves...
Worth a read.
~thefreesurfer.com

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