Tour Stop~ The Target: Love, Death and Airline Regulation by J.R. Hauptman

"THE TARGET" is set in the late nineteen-eighties and tells the tale of the tumultuous first years of airline deregulation and the shocking effects it had on that industry and the people who worked there. In those days, Carlo Clemenza is known as the most hated man in the airline business. A dedicated corporate raider and union buster, Clemenza uses junk bonds, uncompromising Soviet styled negotiation tactics, sham bankruptcies and ruthless abrogation of union contracts to crush competing airlines and to bring airline workers to heel. His methods have earned him countless death threats yet he struts with arrogance, surrounded by cadres of security toughs. Virtually thousands of professional pilots find themselves compelled to start their careers over or find them at a sudden and complete end. The airline grapevine echoes daily with the plaintive cry, "Why doesn't someone kill that SOB?!" Only one pilot decides to seriously take up the cudgel and he makes Carlo Clemenza THE TARGET! His chase will take him to the far corners of the country as he finds himself also the object of pursuit. The characters merge in spectacular action and settings.

about the author:

J.R. Hauptman (pseudonym) has been a professional pilot for nearly a half century. Barely twenty years old, he began as a military pilot and for almost two years he flew combat support missions in the Viet Nam War. Upon leaving military service he was hired by a major airline and was initially based on the West Coast. His flying career was interrupted by the turmoil that racked the airline industry during the early days of deregulation. In the interim, he worked as a travel agent, a stockbroker and even trained dogs and horses. In the late nineteen-eighties, he returned to aviation, flying jet charters and air freight. He concluded his career flying corporate jets and now lives in Florida. He is completing his second work, a non-fictional social commentary and surfs every day, waves or not. You can visit his website at http://www.caddispublishing.com/.

my thoughts:

This was a great book. It takes place in the 80's (and from what I've read about it since reading this book) it is based on actual events (the airline deregulation). I was a teen at the time, so I was completely unaware of what went on. It brought to light how people were hurt by the deregulation, how their lives were irreparably changed. I wouldn't say this was a quick & easy read, but it was a fantastic read!