Winds Of Destruction: The Autobiography of a Rhodesian Combat Pilot

Maynard Brennan, the first CEO in the colorful history of Alta to come from outside the ranks, is a catalyst for dramatic change within the corporation. He cleans house, removing Alta?s incumbent executives, unaware that he is sowing the seeds of his own demise.

Through the eyes of Caroline Woodson - a long-time flight attendant and Alta veteran - we follow Maynard?s progression to the top and the circumstances that lead to his murder, including the jockeying of his newly appointed leadership team: Rex Wright, a flamboyant and charismatic personality with a long airline pedigree; Bernice Anthony, a financial genius who is determined to become the first woman CEO of a major airline; and Trey Sperling, a young consulting wizard whose idea for an ?airline within an airline? is given the green light to save the stodgy operation from further financial bleeding.

At the moment of Maynard?s death, the story takes a leap backward, to the life of the founder, Marty Willman, and his shepherding of the airline through the turmoil of the jet age, the civil rights era in the south and Alta?s bold growth into a global airline. Marty maintains Alta?s humble family culture through the end of his reign, but it is a stark contrast to the present-day enterprise - one in which pay cuts and layoffs bankroll the bonuses of Alta?s elite executives.

And so begins the tale of young Marty Willman, who turns a fledgling crop dusting operation into a commercial airline empire. His entrepreneurial spirit and paternal leadership through the early part of the 20th century give rise to a loyal family of employees, and the eventual ascendance of Wesley Arnold, the authoritarian CEO who guides the corporation through the growth and acquisitions of the 1990's.

Among Wesley's legions are Caroline and Danny, whose youthful love for each other evolves into a loyal friendship. Their shared devotion to their company combines with tumultuous real-life events to form a vivid backdrop for the turbulent ride of a once humble enterprise.

From the cotton fields of the Mississippi Delta to the transformations of 9/11, from the graceful arc of a single biplane to the roar of a jumbo jet, AIRLINE is the story of a corporationof the battle between loyalty and the headwinds of powerful self-interest.