Chapter 1 Excerpt

If you happened to be driving past a certain desolate airstrip in Palmdale, California, one January day in 2006 and glanced out your window, you would have seen something extraordinary on that bright, sunny morning – a large, dirigible-type aircraft floating down the runway.  Unlike most blimps, however, this one resembled three puffy hot dogs strapped together and mounted on four round pillows – a floating version, if you will, of the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile – with large swinging fans protruding from each side and the rear.

Pulling your vehicle off the road, you would likely have watched in amazement as this strange craft bounced and bumped down the short runway, rose from the ground, and climed to about four hundred feet.  Then, as its fan swung into action, you would have seen the craft glide into a long gentle bank, turn back parallel to the airstrip, and cruise down its length, and watched it bank gracefully again at the other end, fly in nose-first for a landing, and level off before gently touching down on its four hovercraft-like pads.

Read More of Chapter 1 here.