plane narrowly surmounts the city's hills and breaks out of the clouds with the runway lights dead ahead, guiding them to a safe landing. As the passengers disembark, Garfield watches their reactions from the shadows of the terminal as they are harried by inquisitive reporters. After the tumult dies down, he joins the crew inspecting the damaged airplane and informs Dan that only thirty gallons of gas remained in their tanks. Dan acknowledges the gamble they took and walks away. "So long...you ancient pelican," Garfield mutters to his disappearing form. Author's airline background The novel draws upon Gann's experiences as a commercial airline pilot. A similar story is chronicled in Gann's memoir Fate is the Hunter. On a Matson Airlines DC-4 flight from Honolulu to Burbank, the stewardess complained of a sporadic vibration that was rattling the dishes and silverware in the rear of the plane. Gann inspected the tail compartment and noticed nothing amiss, attributing the vibration to a problem with number 3 engine. After landing, the vibration was eventually traced to a missing elevator hinge bolt on the tail flight controls, a problem that had caused the crash of similar DC-4's. However, through a series of fortunate decisions about speed and altitude, his flight arrived safely avoiding the "fate" of those other DC-4 flights. Publication information Gann, Ernest K. The High and the Mighty. New York, N.Y.: William Sloane Associates, Inc., 1953 Gann, Ernest K. The High and the Mighty. New York, N.Y.: William Morrow & Co, 1953 Gann, Ernest K. The High and the Mighty. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1954 Gann, Ernest K. The High and the Mighty. New York, N.Y.: Permabooks, 1954 Gann, Ernest K. The High and the Mighty. London: Hodder & Stoughton, Second UK Paperback Printing, 1956 References 1953 American novels American autobiographical novels American novels adapted into films Aviation novels