Two careers collide. Since 1987, I’ve been a pilot. A flight instructing, organ transporting, commuter flying, on demand, corporate, demo, jet pilot. An extraordinary adventure, one which I expected to span my entire adult life. Motoring along on autopilot, I intently focused on what I considered “the track.” Right seat, left seat then move on to a bigger jet. What else is there, right? Oh yes, my left brain had it all figured out. Until it didn’t. Midway through the tirelessly researched and carefully calculated career action plan, I encountered a patch of unforecasted turbulence. Heavy, hunker down on your five-point harness kind of rough air. Marriage, step-children and an unscheduled relocation that caused my usual steady stick hand to waver a bit. Now I used to blame the move to Tulsa for derailing my perfectly charted path, but the truth is, twenty-four-hour call wasn’t the only reason I laid awake most nights. I love stories. An inherent passion I suspect, that flows from my Celtic roots. Undeniably, the English and Irish are gifted story tellers. My Grandpa Joe, being one of the finest. With virtually no thought at all, he weaved intricate tales that captivated anyone who would listen, young and old. And despite my inclination to be practical, analytical, and science-minded, the remaining half of my Swedish/German/Neanderthal DNA was overpowered by ideas that wouldn’t relent until written. So I journaled--in pilot’s lounges, on the floors of ladies’ rooms, hotel lobbies, dive diners, even while on the ramp waiting for passengers to arrive. About the amazing places I visited, curious people I encountered, the triumphs and terrors that came with flying corporate jets. Even though I cursed the Okies for quite a stretch of time, I know now that the transition to the Sooner state was the only way to shatter a serious case of tunnel vision. Enter the epiphany, the realization that it’s okay to be spontaneous, change course, willingly succumb to what overwhelmed my senses and tugged on my heart. So I became an author. Spirit Dance being the first novel in my young adult series. Take a seat, buckle up, thank you for joining as I explore phase two of my life.
Erin Chappel is a Chicago native, currently residing in Tulsa, Ok. where she writes feverishly and occasionally demos vintage airplanes and new jets.
