The Crowded Sky is a soap opera of two airplanes originating on opposite ends of the country on a potential collision course.
High Point: Its portrayal of the relatively primitive air traffic control system.
Low Point: It’s one big soap opera.
Author: Hank Searls
Publication Date: 1960
Genre: Fiction
Project Gutenberg: Not available
LibriVox: Not available
Movie/TV Adaptation: The Crowded Sky (1960)
Hank Searls’ The Crowded Sky is an overly dramatic story of two airplanes originating from opposite ends of the country on a potential collision course as their paths cross the skies over Texas.
The action centers on a number of subplots about the personal conflicts and trials faced by the pilots and their passengers. You may enjoy this book if you are more interested in stories about cheating spouses, career decisions, and life-threatening medical challenges than you are about the flying.
In short, it’s a soap opera.
To be fair, if you are into aviation, the descriptions and actions of the primitive air traffic control systems of the 1950s are fascinating.
But for me, it’s not quite enough to prevent this book from crashing and burning.
