Plot of PILOTS DAWN 2024

When I wrote the original version of PILOTS DAWN in the last decade of the previous century, the world was a different place. Three manufacturers of passenger aircraft existed in the United States. Boeing dominated the global market for airliners without serious competition. Airbus, whose share of sales fell short of 20%, was considered by many experts a challenger doomed to failure—if not an outright joke.

Politically, the Soviet Union had ceased to exist. The Cold War was over; the KGB had receded into history and expectations of a peaceful democratic Russia were the norm.

My fictional story about the sabotage of Boeing jets dealt with Western corporate and political machinations. Although a former KGB agent played a role in the success of a sinister operation, Russia was not involved. Indeed, such an attack at the time would have been unthinkable.

By 2024, East-West tensions reminiscent of the Cold War had resurfaced. It became not only imaginable but likely that Russia would attempt to further its expansionist activities in Ukraine and beyond by crippling the economy of her major rival. With PILOTS DAWN I had unwittingly provided enemies of the West with a roadmap for sabotaging American aircraft.

Original version OPTIONED BY TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX