American Sky is the story of a young man going to work for a father and a son, learning to start a Lycoming engine on a hot summer day, as well as the daily humor, courage and vision to pursue dreams. Whether attending a training session with a fellow pilot whose relative snapped the famous photograph of the Wright Brothers' first flight, or listening to a grouchy cab driver's pithy remarks before a long flight home, the author encounters people and random experiences as if they're signposts of life. He learns that a teacher can often be a place, a stranger, a storm, the sky itself. The world comes awake, and on the eve of starting flight lessons, a World War II veteran will insist the author give up sailplanes and experience powered flight-the joy of driving straight up into the clouds. In American Sky, events and people shift in time, and experiences blossom unexpectedly. Yet the influence of a mentor remains a visible, poignant anchor.