Turbulence

by John J. Nance

Book Overview

The passengers of Meridian Flight 6-delayed for hours and mistreated by rude and inept airline personnel-have been pushed to the edge. When Captain Phil Knight makes a forced emergency landing in war-torn Nigeria, abandoning his copilot to certain death, violence erupts inside the airplane as the enraged passengers attempt the first-ever commercial airline mutiny. But what they don't know could kill them: The unscheduled loss of radio contact has...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0399148477
• ISBN13: 9780399148477
• Release Date: April 2002
• Publisher: Putnam Adult
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Can't go wrong with reading a John Nance book for thrilling entertainment!

I've read all of John Nance's book! He writes a suspenseful, thriller that you can't put down! Lucky if you can find his book in Audio CD to entertain you on long trips! I have the books but reread them many times! Can't go wrong with one of Nance's book. If you haven't tried one you are missing out on great entertainment!

The Best Nance Novel I've Read

I have finally faced the fact that a Nance novel can't be put down, and so I plan a special day for one. My "Turbulence" day was great - and, like the rest of his novels, I was captured. He taps that fear of being trapped five miles above the earth with no way out except a safe landing.Most of his plots involve political intrigue or seriously disturbed crews. Turbulence, however, hits very close to home for anyone who has recently flown on "Cattle Chute Airways" (and there is a lot us). Customer neglect and now the stress of terrorist fears, pack airplanes with passengers on the dangerous edge of revolt. Nance crams his plane with believable characters and builds the story to a gripping peak.Turbulence carries a definite message. It is like Blind Trust (Nance's nonfiction book about air safety) but in a very pleasant tasting pill. I hope that airline operators and passengers get the message. This experience is much more pleasant as a novel.

A great read with a strong message to the airlines

I have read all of John Nance's novels and several of his nonfiction books. This is my favorite novel by Nance. Like all his novels I was unable to put it down. I have learned to set aside and entire day to reading one of his books. In this book Nance not only did his normal incredible job of making you feel like you are actually in the cockpit, but he also did a wonderful job of showing how bad some airlines are treating the flying public. Nance is an airline captain for a major airline and I applaud his clear descriptions of how badly the flying consumer is often treated. While this book is fiction it deals with a real problem - air rage. Air rage is a real and frightening problem that is only going to increase as the airlines continue to overcrowd us and hire poorly training personnel. In this exciting story Nance shows us a realistic portrayal of humans caught in a failing greedy corporate system. As a human factors professional, private pilot, and a person that loves a good story based on facts I highly recommend this book.

The Turbulence of Error

Soon after 9/11, it seemed that novelists had done the best job of imagining such an apparently unimaginable event. We can only hope that, in this era of daily terrorist warnings, that another tragedy does not occur -- one imagined by the novelist John Nance in this, his most ambitious work to date.As always, Nance spins a good yarn, although the opening chapters may not be as fast paced as usual. Hang in there, Nance fans, for the stage setting and character development leads to an edge of your seat conclusion.Then, after you've read the book, enjoyed the story and come down off the concluding rush, reread the last few pages. There, you'll find Nance's other, more substantive purpose -- to essay error....to take us inside mistakes, large and small, as they're being made, real time. In this sense, Turbulence surely is an extraordinarily provocative ride.Long after Turbulence has served its initial purpose -- as a fun summer read preluding Clancy's door stop due out next month -- Nance's work will likely continue as required reading for anyone seeking to prevent error and enhance safety, especially in large organizations.

White knuckle fliers - beware!!

This is the best Nance book yet. I don't know if this is the direction that commercial aviation is heading, but if it is...This man has taken ordinary hard-working people and turned them into "monsters", just doin' their job! The twists and turns in the plot keep you glued to the book for hours. I hated to put it down. As usual, Nance has documented the storyline with his vast aviation knowledge and, in this book, that is plenty scary. Just an absolutely wonderful, exciting, action packed read. I highly recommend this to all your readers who like adventure. It is definitely thought-provoking and unfortunately plausible.

Just When You Weren't Afraid to Go Near the Airline

John Nance has written several good, suspense-filled stories about troubles in and around airplanes. Turbulence may be his scariest. In part, this may be because of the times, when we are much more conscious of security and when that heightened security has increased the time passengers spend processing in for their flights. As I read, I remembered the promotional line for the horror movie Jaws II, something like "Just when you weren't afraid to go near the water again." Recall all airline employees - ticket agents, flight attendants, pilots, security staff, baggage handlers - whom you ever encountered who were having a bad day and wanted to share their frustrations with you. Put them all together in a busy airport and on one single flight - Meridian Flight Six, Chicago to London and continuing on to Capetown - and delay the flight for hours. Add a mix of passengers with all of the wide range of characteristics you might find on any jumbo jet, but especially the African student who is returning home suddenly because he can't locate his mother; the Asian-American dot.com millionaire who built his fortune on customer service and can't stand the behavior of many airline personnel; and a physician who is suing the airline because his wife and newborn died when the pilot on an earlier flight refused to land so that the wife could have medical attention. Stir in a little more spice when the crew changeover in London brings on a captain who is new to international flying and very tentative, a first officer who is impatient and who is having domestic troubles, and a senior flight attendant who just doesn't like people but who keeps her job by constantly accusing others of harassing her. As the pot begins to boil, take a national security concern that terrorists might take advantage of an incident of "air rage", and throw in a tip that something big is imminent and it will involve a major airliner and an African flight. The result is a well-told story that generates anger, apprehension, thrills and excitement. And also an appreciation for many, many people - airline employees, passengers, and just plain folks - who go out of their way to help others and who far too often are overlooked as we focus on all the bad things that happen.