{"product_id":"9781481709385","title":"Prelude To Afghanistan: The Ontogenesis of an Airline Pilot","description":"This story began long ago in the back seat of a Harvard WWII trainer, and ended years later in the cockpit of an Airbus A320. In between, the author flew World War II cargo airplanes in the Arctic, crop-dusted and crashed in Idaho, flew whore-house charters to Nevada in a DC-3, DC-6’s and DC-7’s across the Pacific and Atlantic. He had a closet full of uniforms when, in 1966, he was hired by Pan Am – The World’s Most Experienced Airline. Twenty-three years later, the once-proud airline was on its knees. Fortune blessed him again, and he took up residence in southern France, employed as an instructor and test pilot with Airbus Industrie.  This is a fictional account of some of that journey – the central player, Clay Hutchinson.  We see Clay: Confronting inauspicious beginnings and frequent, humbling failures. We see him crawling out of a dark hole, and setting off on a long trip, learning along the way how to become a better human being.  This is a recollection of an unfinished journey during which, Clay discovers Afghanistan. And there, he grows up a little. Not entirely.  Never entirely.","brand":"AuthorHouse","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47130145456368,"sku":"9781481709385","price":3.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781481709385_p0.jpg?v=1763623241","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781481709385","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}