The Last Flight

"Set against the harsh beauty of Alaska, a veteran helicopter pilot is torn between ending his own embattled life and rescuing survivors from a mountain plane crash. Last Flight is the heroic story of Gil Connor, a senior Army helicopter pilot and aging Vietnam vet, as he struggles with an impending terminal illness and the desire to pull off one last daring rescue. Connor finds himself in a constant battle against his internal demons during his quest to reach the survivors of a remote, civilian commuter-plane crash deep in the Alaskan mountains--a rescue that perhaps only he can pull off. The stranded plane's captain, Scott Sanders, takes charge after the crash, in spite of his injuries and the realization that his dream of flying for a major airline is destroyed. One of the passengers, a retired school teacher, assists him while barely holding herself together; her husband was killed in a fiery plane crash years before. They soon realize that time is not on their side in the Alaskan polar climate. Connor, who's haunted by the horrors of war and a turbulent past, is torn between ending his life before the inevitable and saving the marooned crash victims before it's too late. His underlying intentions are unknown, even to himself, until the very end. Aided by an untested protegaee and a mysterious young girl found at the crash site, Connor struggles in a desperate gamble to achieve the near impossible. Amid the turmoil of an approaching storm and almost certain failure, his flying skills and drive for redemption are the only hopes that remain. "--

Gregory Liefer was raised in the small community of Wrangell in Southeast Alaska. During his military career, he served as a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division and as a helicopter and instructor pilot at various overseas and stateside locations-including two tours in Alaska. After retiring from the military he remained in Alaska for another thirteen years, working as a civilian helicopter pilot and writing about aviation. He is the author of the nonfiction books, Broken Wings and Aviation Mysteries of the North. Liefer currently resides in Idaho with his wife, Liz, where he continues his writing career. He has one daughter.