How to Hotwire an Airplane

How to Hotwire an Airplane is a 99k-word adventure that combines the magical realism and romance of Kaliane Bradley’s The Ministry of Time with a man-vs-nature tale of survival like that found in Daniel  Peña’s Bang. Imagine Stardust set in No Country for Old Men.

In the spring of 2001, Hiram Bleeker, a lonely, guilt-wracked Vietnam veteran with severe PTSD, is holding a gun to his mouth. As he is about to pull the trigger, an enchanting woman who does not seem to be of this world introduces him to something that restores his soul—rescuing immigrants in the desert and flying them over the internal checkpoints of the US Border Patrol in southwest Texas. 

As he flies immigrants in his small plane and saves them from the killing dehydration and heat of the Texas desert, the darkness in his heart begins to fade. But when America is attacked on September 11, it succumbs to fear and hysteria. What was once a simple act of human kindness is now a serious crime against the state, potentially a capital offense. Hiram must woo the love of his life and elude the clutches of the Border Patrol while flying over the desolate and hostile plains of Texas. In this book, you will learn about the healing power of love, redemption through sacrifice, and how to hot-wire an airplane.

Hank Rausch is the author of Submerged, a memoir of service as a submarine officer in fast-attack submarines in the 1980’s which has been approved for release by the DoD. He has flown small planes for over 30 years and this novel was inspired by his experiences.