AS A NINE-YEAR-OLD BOY I WAS GROWING UP ON A FARM AND DREAMING OF GOING TO SPACE. I watched shuttle launches, as well as Star Trek and 2001: A Space Odyssey, and I imagined going to space when I looked up at all the stars in the night sky. I wish I could tell that child that his dreams would come true and that he would grow up to pilot and command spaceships.
I FLEW F-18 COMBAT FIGHTERS IN THE COLD WAR AND I WAS A TEST PILOT with the US Air Force and US Navy, even though I’m Canadian. I’ve flown about 100 different types of aeroplanes, including many jet fighters and a few propeller fighters. I’ve flown a Spitfire, F-86 Sabre, F-18, F-16 and F-4—many different, high-performance aeroplanes. In my new novel , the opening scene is an F-4 in combat. Being able to
