If you are planning to travel anywhere within the next few days by plane, EQUAL TIME POINT is not the book for you especially as a read while flying over open water. sWait until you are safely back down on terra firma and then grab this startling novel by Harrison Jones. The book is as equally exciting as it is informative.
Charlie was a pilot of huge airplanes, not the kind that traditionally hold a few people with a single propeller or two. He flew jumbo jets across the Atlantic. Charlie was one of those courageous men whom you rarely see except when entering and exiting a huge plane. At all other times, there is no access to the space inside the cockpit.
The EQUAL TIME POINT is critical to all flights, especially those over water. It is at this point where, if a serious problem develops, pilots must decide whether to fly on, or return.
In this intriguing story, Charlie, his pilots, and his flight attendants struggle to keep their airplane aloft as precious jet fuel begins to empty into the sea from giant tanks inside the plane’s wings. It quickly becomes apparent that the plane cannot safety reach any land before going down.
Typically, flying is the safest way to travel. Monster jets are so thoroughly checked and maintained that to this day, no huge airliner has ever had to abort over the Atlantic and attempt a splash landing.
But in EQUAL TIME POINT plane safety is canceled when a maniacal maintenance person has altered the planes wiring so that after the plane is safely skyward, it will automatically begin to dump its fuel.
As Charlie’s craft loses altitude and its engines begin to shut down, on-board personnel work feverishly, but as calmly as possible, to prepare passengers for an abrupt ocean landing which could be fatal to all on board. Panicked passengers are all aware of the seriousness of their plight and, like so many fliers, they have not paid attention to pre-flight emergency instructions.
As the jet careens into the churning Atlantic, both it’s huge wing area and forward speed cause it to surface-surf briefly as the seawater flows up over the cockpit and fuselage. This happens with such a jolt that some of the plane’s bulkheads break loose. Part of the enormous tail breaks off. Now the crew must upload everyone, especially any injured into huge inflated life rafts as the aircraft begins to fill with water and sink.
What will happen to these people, their plane, and their rafts drifting aimlessly on the Atlantic Ocean? How many travelers will ever survive such an ordeal? And equally important, will law enforcement officials catch the disgruntled plane mechanic who caused such mayhem?
Here I will leave the reader to find answers to these questions by reading EQUAL TIME POINT. This book is an exciting story even as pilots and flight crew work heroically to stay calm, above all stay calm, and follow life-saving procedures. I would recommend this suspense filled tale to all readers who like stories of survival against incredible odds. It’s characters and their actions are truly an example of the unconquerable human spirit.
