Comments: The Cannibal Queen

Steve...I am currently reading "The Cannibal Queen"...most enjoyable.
I am a student pilot hoping to earn my license before I turn 50 which I should be able to do if I can ever master ground effect and floating.
I have a question...you mention in your book about adventuring out and rescuing an old war bird somewhere? Just curious as to if you ever pursued the thought...if you have not and decide to...count me in. Thanks for the literary works.
Terry Carter February 13, 2010

Thank you, thank you, thank you for Cannibal Queen. Just got around to reading it. If I had discovered what you did about controlling the plane vs air-sickness sooner, I may have been an airline pilot instead of an aerospace engineer. It took a Cessna 172 flight over Needles, NV to discover that I did not get airsick if I was the pilot! Also, I'm glad I'm not the only one to leave credit cards behind.
Thanx again
Bart Morrow September 27, 2009

Some paperbacks make it a long time, no matter what you write. I found "The Cannibal Queen" in our chuch rummage sale and just finished it! LOVED every minute. Recognized many places from living on Mustang Island in TX and the Blue Angels JUST NOW flew over my house in their reg practice here in Pensacola. My new husband took me through the midwest in his RV up to Door Co Wi so recognized some of that. I was shocked at the end! My very first flight off this mother earth was in "Breezy"!! A lot of men wouldn't go up in her but I did and it was awesome, like riding my motorcycle in the air! I was a member of EAA back then when my first husband introduced me to motorcycles and airplanes. I remember we found a farm somewhere that had a full sized Fokker Tri Plane in it, shades of The Red Baron! That was awesome. My husband took our baby girl up in a Ford TriMotor at an air show too. Your book really touched my heart, good memories, and I can't thank you enough for the amazing 'ride' along. I have read your other books too but this one will be my fav forever and I'm keeping this well worn copy...
JRoAnne Bergman April 21, 2009

Hi Steve! I know the book's been out since 1992 but I've just begun reading it after years of reading your fiction. Have reached page 176. This book is a delight to read. You've already had me laughing out loud at least half dozen times in addition to enjoying 'being a passenger' on your flights. Thanks :D
Johna Omans April 21, 2009

Some paperbacks make it a long time, no matter what you write. I found "The Cannibal Queen" in our chuch rummage sale and just finished it! LOVED every minute. Recognized many places from living on Mustang Island in TX and the Blue Angels JUST NOW flew over my house in their reg practice here in Pensacola. My new husband took me through the midwest in his RV up to Door Co Wi so recognized some of that. I was shocked at the end! My very first flight off this mother earth was in "Breezy"!! A lot of men wouldn't go up in her but I did and it was awesome, like riding my motorcycle in the air! I was a member of EAA back then when my first husband introduced me to motorcycles and airplanes. I remember we found a farm somewhere that had a full sized Fokker Tri Plane in it, shades of The Red Baron! That was awesome. My husband took our baby girl up in a Ford TriMotor at an air show too. Your book really touched my heart, good memories, and I can't thank you enough for the amazing 'ride' along. I have read your other books too but this one will be my fav forever and I'm keeping this well worn copy...
JRoAnne Bergman April 21, 2009

I am a huge fan of all your books. My father was 21 yr Navy, and am facinated with your books. I will continue to read anything else you write,but must admit , I loved Cannibal Queen more than any. Best wishes and please keep writing your wonderful books.
John Ruth March 22, 2009

Just read "Cannibal Queen" and all I have to say is #@*<> you Steve Coonts! You just had to make it so enjoyable, and for a 'frustrated' wannabe pilot like me, so lifelike, that now I have spent all day looking at the Light Sports Pilot category!!
I am your age and I didn't need another dream. But.....
Seriously,
Thanks
Dave Fore December 29, 2008

Steve: I read the article in (AOPA) PILOT magazine a while back, and decided to buy the book "The Cannibal Queen" and read it. I enjoyed every minute I spent with it. I think you should have allowed yourself to see more of my state; Michigan.
Enjoy the holidays.
Dan Bailey December 26, 2008

Dear Steve.
I have just read your brilliant book the cannibal queen it was one of those books you don't want to end. Is there any chance of you doing another trip like this again it would be great for a second book for all the aviation nuts like me to share another journey with you.
best wishes
Richie Lambert Nov 7, 2008

Hi Steve,
I was getting a bit jaded about my flying business (www.giftflight.com/pilot.php), but my wife just bought a copy of Cannibal Queen, and reading it has renewed my enthusiasm. The winds are gusting 30 to 40 today... so I am parked by the fireplace reading your book!
Cheers,
Mark Hutchins October 28, 2008

Mr. Coonts,
I have just gotten home from a perfect flight with Jim Lonergan in the Cannibal Queen and I must say, it was the 2nd most fun I have ever had with my clothes on! I read the account of your adventure in the Queen a few years ago and was enthralled by the story. My family purchased a ride for me as a birthday present and chose the Queen by lucky accident. I know they didn't understand my enthusiasm for the ride, but that aircraft is a living piece of aviation history and I had a ball!
Jim suggested I email you as he indicated you still have an interest in that beautiful lady. He graciously (or stupidly) let me have the stick for about 10 minutes and it is a memory I will carry til I'm too old to remember anything. I have to admit, when I read the book, I didn't understand why your rest breaks were so anticipated, but now I know. The Queen isn't a GulfStream by any stretch, but man, THAT is flying. It's a whole lot better than being cargo in an MD-80.
Thank you for your stories and thank you for sharing your experiences in your novels. Knowing the history of the Queen made the ride far more special to me. As a hobby, I build and fly radio-controlled aircraft as it is the only form of aviation I can readily afford. You had better believe I am already planning a scale model of the Cannibal Queen for my fleet. I don't normally write fan-mail, but this experience has really gotten to me.
Ed Zaun August 23, 2008

Dear Steve:
We of BOOKLOVERS would like to ask if you could send an e-mail or something about your book The Cannibal Queen it is our selected book for September reading.. We will meet at our airport in the Eastern Panhandle of WV in Martinsburg for discussion of your book.. Could you send us a note as I would love to read or announce it came from you. You are one of our favorite WV authors and we look forward in reading more of your books.
With kind regards,
Mona Adams August 4, 2008

I’m reading Cannibal Queen for the second time in about 15 years, and enjoying it more this time than the first. I do a lot of riding around with y ou, occupying the front seat, and absorbing your descriptions of the weather, terrain, air strips, and that wonderful aircraft with the great sounding radial engine. I began my Navy career as a radial engine mechanic, working on R 2800s in VR-21. I love that sound!! Can still hear it in those vague recesses of memory. Getting too old now, but I would have been delighted to have flown your Stearman.
I was on the Forrestal at the time of the fire, working for RADM Harvey Lanham. Sorry I missed you during your active duty time.
Retired “Mustang” LCDR Jack Norton July 16, 2008

I am reading THE CANNIBAL QUEEN for the first time. I'm at the part where you gave Bill Butterworth a ride (pg. 46). You commented on the length and quality of his career and wondered if you would "have enough of that fire to sustain a career." I was really struck by that comment. You don't need me to tell you that you are definitely in his league. Congratulations, applause, and many thanks for all the hours of fun and thrills.
Scott Williamson, Also Navy July 10, 2008

Steve
I just wanted to let you know how much your book, Cannibal Queen has influenced me in my desire to resume flying, after a dozen year hiatus. When I learned of the Light Sport aircraft and pilot rule a few years ago, I decided to assemble a kit plane, and recently completed my Just Aircraft Highlander. Like your Stearman, it is a taildragger and it also flies low and slow, but at a much gentler 5 gph. Several years ago a friend lent me a paperback copy of your open cockpit exploits. I resolved, should I ever get back to flying, after having given it up when I reached 5,000 logged hours, that I would attempt a ‘round the country trip like yours. That day has finally come, and I will be chronicling it in my on-line blog, www.haveplanewilltravel.info. The big difference is that I will be combining my motor home, pulling the trailer housing my plane, and a Vespa motor scooter, in order to make this trip in comfort and a degree of luxury. At 68 I have become a bit of a candy ass. I much enjoyed re-reading
your adventures over this past 4th of July holiday, and should I get myself killed on this adventure, you will hear from me.
Frank T. Caruso July 7, 2008

Steve,
I am retired now and have plenty of time to read, and have just completed one of your earlier books - the Cannibal Queen. I just had to tell you that, at age 63, it makes for a wonderful nostalgic look back at what helped to make our country great. I also gathered that you have a healthy disrespect of typical politicians - a sense that I share - but that you feel that democracy, although sluggish, does get it mostly right over time. Your book has inspired me to go to Bealeton, Virginia (near my home in Haymarket) to the Flying Circus and take a ride aboard an antique open-cockpit biplane. I look forward to reading your latest when it is available this summer.
All the best to you and your family!
Bob Hein June 12, 2008

Just finished Cannibal Queen.....It was fun reading about most routes I have been able to fly, just not all in one year! I did mine in my old Skylane.
Thanks for a great read!
Jim Deutsch May 2, 2008

Hi Steve - This past weekend I took my son to a small airshow at the little local uncontrolled airport. Imagine my surprise when I saw a Stearman! Took me back to your Cannibal Queen story - the first of yours I read. Man it was beautiful when he fired it up, short taxi then off the ground. Much to my dismay it was only the next day in the paper I read he had been offering rides! Just wanted you to know that your Cannibal Queen book still has a 52 year-old guy in love with aviation. If you ever get this way - it's Valkaria Airport in Grant/Valkaria Florida.
My best to you and yours.
Mike Rogers February 22, 2008

Just finished reading The Cannibal Queen. I felt as though I was riding along with you all the way. I could feel the landings as you slipped the Queen onto the runways. Thanks for writing a GREAT BOOK !!
Gratefully,
Don DeWolfe February 24, 2008

Steve,
I just got my hands on a copy of "Cannibal Queen" from a pilot friend. Wow, I can't believe I've missed this one especially when I read the copyright date! I am absolutely "smitten" with your story about flying across our great country, and your observations of people and places. I grew up flying with an Uncle who had a few planes, my husband has his private license, and I've had the joyful experience of aerobatic flying with a talented pilot who shares his biplane. Yes, it's hard to put into words the spiritual-emotional connection there is with flying. I think you nailed it pretty well in "Queen". My other high-adrenaline sport is driving switch-back trails to the top of Colorado's 14-ers. I too, feel closer to God when I'm on top of a mountain or upside-down in a plane with a roaring Lycoming. If you enjoy small towns and Stearman
Fly-ins, I invite you to Galesburg,IL Sept.1-7,2008. There is an official Nat'l. website for that which you can look up.
Again, thank you for sharing your experiences and happy flying/writing!
Lynne Beaver February 5, 2008

I am a semi-retired so-called scientist (physics) who started out with an aircraft company (Chance Vought->LTV). My one-time boss, our Chief engineering test pilot and a friend, claimed he was an instructor and taught me to fly on lunch hours and after work. I had to get a current instructor to show me how to do a stall without walking the rudder down from full, so I could pass my private check ride. I also learned a lot from Navy pilots during projects in the field. Cockpit time in SNB, P5M. And observing on carriers. You picked the right service -- best people and procedures. I got in an airplane every chance I got. Sound familiar?
So I now have 40 plus years of flying, w/o any real problems. I flew into Tyler on a New Years day after a sober night and got the first and only citation from the FAA as the first pilot to violate a new regulation about needing a radio to land at an "airline" airport -- two flights a day be TransTexas.
So, when I finally got the library to bring a copy of the Cannibal Queen from another island, it sure read well.
I never enjoyed reading anything more. Thanks.
George Curtis January 29, 2008

Just a note, we are visiting a small town in Mexico (Ajijic) and I found Cannibal Queen in the small collection of books at our inn. I am the same age as you, just started working at the Newport Oregon airport and it is my first exposure to flying, so the book was a great addition to my very basic knowledge. I am of course considering learning to fly (we have a real flight instructor at the airport with a very mysterious past but he sure knows his shit)...usual issues, money being primo. Anyway, thanks for writing the book. I am going to steal the book from the inn (it is a used book, what the heck) and pass it on to our flight instructor...altho I am betting pesos he has read it aldready. OK rambling on here and the internet store is closing, but wanted to take the opportunity to say thanks...adios.
Bob Fuller December 15, 2007

Hi Steve: We never met but both are airplane nuts. I was also navy in WWII in Pacific and founder of Radair inc out of Seattle. ( first stcs on strobe lights and EGT systems plus the first DART crash locater bracon) was a test pilot for BEECH in Wichita and had some time on PT17s also. Worked for a while with Zipp and Stearman. Just finished the "Queen" for the 2nd time and BOY what memjories you brought back including those of Whidby, Arlington and Skid of Okla who I know also. Am now retired and living in Branson Mo. Love your books and buy all of them.
A Flying friend.
Bob Florence December 9, 2007

Thanks for writing 'Cannibal Queen'. It kept alive my dream of flying through some bad years and some serious illnesses. There is today a Great Lakes biplane living in my shop, whose restoration will, in a way, be a tribute to your book. Thanks again, from the bottom of my heart.
Andrew Budek-Schmeisser December 5, 2007

Steve;
In the back of some dusty old used book store I found, languishing, a copy of THE CANNIBAL QUEEN. First pocket books hardcover printing. It had the computer printed label of a chain store covering the bar code in the back. On the front a yellow label slashed their discounted price even more. Its journey from new releases in the front , to the non-fiction book shelf, and then to the bargin table; could be easily traced. How it went from the well lit mega book store to this dark secluded repository I can not say. But it had a neet picture of a yellow biplane so I paid the buck or two. Hey I like your work. I also went through a divorce in 1991 so I can relate to the timbre of your prose.
I am also a pilot. I can relate to landing in St.George in a small plane. I wanted to ask if you ever got around to building that home you were thinking of at the time? You are correct about how premanent it can be. It is a lot of work to build a house, however unlike much of what we do today, when you are done it is there for ever. Or at least as long as we can pay the mortgage and taxes.
I hope I don't sound abrupt, I am just trying to be brief. Really, do love your work.
Mike Garrow December 4, 2007

Dear Stephen,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts about live with us. Like you I also have 'dangerous' hobby's. I like diving, hunting and motorcycling. I share your opinion that governments tend not to stimulate such hobbies. I try to live according to the saying 'remember yesterday, think about tommorrow but live today'. After reading The Cannibal Queen, I decided to act today and to buy a motorcycle I long wished for, a BMW R100RS (build in 1982). Again and again after a ride on this bike, I realize how much fun a man can have with an 'old piece of technology'.
Dear Stephen, thanks again and please keep on sharing your thoughts with us!
Ronald Peeks, 10 november 2007, The Netherlands

hi. i wanted to tell you how much i have enjoyed reading the "cannibal queen." i've actually read it twice. i was then thrilled because i was able to take a ride in it this summer from miller airport in new jersey. i would love to know why you parted with her as i can't immagine enjoying anything(as you say, with your clothes on) any more then then open cockpit flying. last night i spent several hours with a current naval aviator. when we got to talking about my recent ride i mentioned your book. although he hadn't read "the queen" he has read all your other work and said you were the
best aviation fiction writer out there and really tell it like it is. your book has inspired me to take flying lessons with a dream of someday learing to fly a stearman or waco. i look forward to reading all your other books. best regards,
Mitch Schwefel September 30, 2007

Mr. Coonts:
As a fan, I have purchased, read and enjoyed all of your novels. I see your name on a book and I buy it. That’s how I found “The Cannibal Queen.” I didn’t realize that it was a non-fiction book until I started to read it and then I couldn’t put it down. That was back in the summer of 1992. At that time, after a 17 year hiatus from flying, I held a private pilot license with about 125 hours of total time.
Your book got me back into flying and I can’t thank you enough. In 1993 I purchased a F33A Bonanza, started to accumulate another 1,725 hours, and earned an ATP with single/multi engine land/sea privileges. For the fun of it, I also got a Citation, CE-500, type rating. The “Queen” also started my quest to fly in all 50 states. So far I’ve managed 43 of them and I’m planning two more trips too finish collecting the rest. Again, I just wanted to thank you.
Gene Korney September 13, 2007

Hi Steve! I learned to fly in 1992 at Dakota Ridge and have been at it now for 15 years. I have always owned and flown 182s but you gave me a thrilling ride in the Cannibal Queen one fall day. We did a touch and go at the antique field north of BDU and then some wing-overs above the foothills of Boulder. I need to read some more of your books and will get going on that! Just wanted to say "Hi" and to wish you the best.
Rob Quinlan September 1, 2007

Good evening, Mr. Coonts. The words I have chosen to share with you will be short. Possibly words that may be as fleeting as a blip on a transponder scan. I have just closed the back cover of 'Cannibal Queen'. The words you chose for me to read were the right ones. Although the book is now closed, the appreciation I will remember from reading of your adventure will last until I have gone west. As I read your words, Dad was in my thoughts. He was a C-46 driver running The Hump, and the cause of my passion for radial engines, smoke, and wings. As I read your thoughts of sharing with your son, even for such a short time, I had thoughts of both of my godsons. They are current Air Force pilots, as was my dream. Alas, my time came in the artillery in the Central Highlands. I have few regrets, and would not have wanted to know a life without aviation. You wrote that writing about aviation was difficult. Sir, you did it right. Thank you.
Joe Lawrence August 5, 2007

Hello Steve, I have just finished reading "The Cannibal Queen" for about the tenth time. I think it is probably one of the finest books I have ever read. Do you still have the Queen ? You sent me an article some years ago and I remember that the Lady had aquired some clothing.
Ben Bennett June 24, 2007

Hello Steve, I have just finished reading "The Cannibal Queen" for about the tenth time. I think it is probably one of the finest books I have ever read. Do you still have the Queen ? You sent me an article some years ago and I remember that the Lady had aquired some clothing.
Ben Bennett June 24, 2007

Yesterday I picked up a copy of your book "The Cannibal Queen" at the Peoria (IL) Public Library. It is the first of your books I have read, but it won't be the last. I don't make a habit of contacting authors to tell them how much I enjoyed their books, but in your case I must. I started reading it yesterday and finished it today, and even though I know little or nothing about aviation, I found your journey fascinating, and I agreed with most of the socio-political opinions you expressed. I saw in your book a lot of parallels to my own recent little adventure--crewing for a friend on his 42-ft. trawler cruising a portion of America's Great Loop. I traveled six weeks with him from Florida to New York on the Intracoastal Waterway. My friend is still cruising on The Loop, but with another friend in my role as cook and deck-hand. Like your adventure in The Queen, the destination wasn't the goal; it was the journey itself, and the end of it for me was bittersweet. I will seek out more of your books, now that I have become acquainted with your work. My compliments and my thanks.
Ed Douglas June 23, 2007

Just re-read "Cannibal Queen"...for the third or fourth time. Two words, Steve...THANK YOU!
Mike VanderLoop May 29, 2007

Hi Steve,
I just finished The Cannibal Queen & thouroughly enjoyed it. I recently moved from a big city to rural America and see a microcosm of what you wrote about
each day. I've read all of your fiction & look forward to picking up your latest.
Jeff Parker May 10, 2007

Based at WV12 (Mallory), I stopped at Buckhannon a few weeks ago to get an IFR check done in my 172. Hung around for a few hours with Dick and folks, talked about you and your books. For the millionth time I was told that I just had to read Cannibal Queen. I literally just finished the first 2 chapters and I just wanted to thank you for writing it. It really captures the feeling of flying. And family. Hope to see you at a small airport, somewhere, some time.
-Scott Simonton April 6, 2007

steve - I thank you. I was flying ultralights and read Cannibal Queen. sold the ultralight , bought a c-172, got my certificate and visited the 48 states vfr within a year of the airplane and my 50th birthday, finishing a couple of weeks ago. Again, I thank you very much.
Dan Dawson March 22, 2007

hi steve, i've read most of your books but i just finished "cannibal queen"& i think it's my favorite, it's kinda like what i've been doing on my bikes for the last 50 years.now that i've retired i intend go at it in earnest. i hope you are still flying that big yellow plane. keep up the good work.
wayne rice March 15, 2007

Just finished Cannibal Queen. What a great story! My first love was a 1954 Piper PA-22. I suffered the pride of ownership & flew wherever & whenever I could 'til I lost my medical cert. Those who've never flown don't know what great memories they've missed. Thanks for rekindling my great memories.
Ralph Herzler March 5, 2007

Stephen,
I just bought a copy of "The Cannibal Queen" from Amazon.com; what a wonderful book. I have read your other books too, I really liked "Flight of the Intruder";
now I'll have to buy "Intruders" to complete the sequel.
I just finished building a Challenger aircraft, and plan to fly it to Alaska along with a friend in his J-3 Cub I am restoring for him .... you have been a great inspiration to me over the years, your love of flying has been my love as well. "Cannibal Queen" has added to the dream to fly to Alaska, thousands of others have done it so I'm not going to break any records, nothing like that. I just want to live my dream. To see the mountains from a point of view where I have to look up from my cockpit to see the tops; just like when I flew helicopters out of Ft. Carson over to Aspen and such delightful places to aviate to and from.
I transitioned into fixed wing aircraft at Butts Army Airfield at Ft. Carson; buried my dear wife Laura up in Woodland Park just west up the Ute Pass there; got to see if the mountains of British Columbia, and Alaska, can hold a candle to the mountains of Colorado; or the Red Rocks Canyon at dawn.
God bless you sir. Keep the pointy side forward, and the dirty side down.
Mike Heit March 3, 2007
Well, Steve.... it's now a long time since 1991 when you wrote about your "...Aerial Odyssey Across America". Being a pilot and living in a pilot’s Mecca (Spruce Creek Fly-In, Daytona Beach, FL) and having a friend who owns a 1943 Stearman, your book should have been one I read years ago. Unfortunately, it sat on my book shelf for years and years until I finally read it recently. I found the book very relaxing and interesting as you and your son traveled. It took me to many places I have never been. Thank you.
However, for me, it became riveting very close to the end. I am not a highly political animal, but starting with your arrival at Mt. Rushmore and all the way to the end of the book, you reached all the way back from 1991 and delivered a sermon to a 2007 audience on the “state of the place” as it concerns our politicians. Who could have thought back then that your assessment of the world's political stage would be so relevant today!...
Thank you for a good read
Richard Blumenstein February 24, 2007
I am reading "The Cannibal Queen" - Loved Flight of the Intruder !! You do a great job. My dad's love of flight was passed on to me - even though at 45 yrs old I still have only been flown - do not fly myself. Best memory with my dad was his face when he saw the U2 at Smithsonian !!! Love your writing - can vision it all!! Thanks, Bob Salter February 20, 2007
Hi Steve, I recently had a lady give me your paperback book 'Cannibal Queen' after she had finished it and I am amazed with it. I have always loved old planes and you seem to put me right in the cockpit.An awesome read.In the beginning of chapter 18 you said you used to have dreams of willing yourself to fly. I too have had that dream many times.I'm sure I still had them into my forties. I am now 591/2.I too am a Vietnam vet but an army Infantry Sgt.12-66-12-67.I'm not finished with the book yet but should be shortly. Just wanted to say Thank You for an awesome book!
Tim Martin, Author: Angel On My Shoulder February 18, 2007
I just finished reading The Cannibal Queen. Thank you for the inspiration. I have been plotting a similar trip with a fellow pilot. If only my daughter would go along. I work as a flight instructor in Honolulu. The flying here is spectacular - I'll be happy to take you for a ride. Aloha.
Kat England February 4, 2007
Went to the library and made a list, in order, of your books. They are fantastic. I am a aviation buff. I am now up to "under siege". Once I start I can't stop. I had the library,here in Buffalo Wyoming, get for me "the cannibal Queen'. I read it in two days. Great book,you are to be commended. The "queen" is a sightseeing plane in Philadelphia. When did you sell it? My brother lives in Delaware and I am trying to get him to take a trip in it. It seems the made the front larger to take two people. Again thanks. I am a fan forever.
Jerome Smith January 21, 2007
Mr. Coonts
Rereading “The Cannibal Queen” (multiple times) and still at age 73 looking for my first ride in a Stearman. I’m here on the Outer Banks not far from the Wright Brothers Memorial and not far from the Dare County Airport on Manteo Island. You mentioned in the book that it has “the nicest FBO office I have ever visited”. It still is the nicest!
There is a WACO there, but if I’m going to get my first open cockpit ride in a biplane, it has to be a Stearman. My only “open cockpit” experience was in learning to fly the USAF T-6G in the fifties where we kept the canopy under 3000’.
Thanks for so many great books beginning with “The Flight of the Intruder” – read them all! Looking forward to “The Traitor”.
Ashton Violette
Midlothian, VA January 21, 2007
Hi Steve, i am presently reading The Cannibal Queen and i am thoroughly enjoying it. I got the book for Christmas along with another present that goes hand in hand with the book. I will be taking a flight in the Cannibal Queen once it gets warmer. The plane is now at the Northeast Philadelphia airport. It will be very neat to go for a ride in the plane you took around the country ,seeing things that most of us normally don't get to see in a lifetime. Thanks again for the such a good book and I also enjoy a bunch of your other books as well.
Carl Baker January 11, 2007
I would like to compliment you on your book "Cannibal Queen". I just finished reading it for at least the third time. You do an outstanding job in describing the country and your trip in terms a fellow aviator can relate to. I plan this spring to take my Citabria on a similar venture and will use your descriptions as a partial guide - especially relative to the out-of-the-way airports.
I took my first ride in a PT17 (cropduster) and would dearly love to fly one. You book further stimulated that desire. Thank-you.
Peter B. Jackson January 11, 2007
Stephen, I gotta tell ya, I just finished Canibal Queen for the 8th time. I never tire of reading that book. I will be honest and say that I enjoy your other Jake Graften novels, but they pale in comparison to the "Queen". Please. please, please do another like it! I noticed on your website reading one of the interviews, that you no longer own the Queen. Where is she? In a museum I hope. In closing, I would just like to say that I am an air traffic controller living in Canton, Ohio and if you ever get to this part of the world, please let me know so I can meet you. It's not that far of a detour enroute to Buckhannon! Know that you have inspired me and it is my desire to have a similar journey with my son someday. He is 12 at the moment and we frequently fly together in my Cub. Take good care and keep the writing coming.
Darren Gaines January 8, 2007
Dear Mr. Coonts,
I don’t make time to read many books for shear entertainment. After my elderly mother-in-law purchased and read The Cannibal Queen and then recommended it to me, I made an exception.
I flew across North America in a variety of small planes with my dad since I was four and now my family (my son and daughter are 15 and 13) continues the tradition. Your son David reminds me of my son Jack playing video games, listening to his iPod and sleeping in between the “interesting” parts of flying, T/O and landing.
I am writing you this note however to express my appreciation for your ability to convey the spirit and philosophy of the religion that most call “Aviation” or “Flying”. This august religion and its practitioners are not generally understood outside the flying community and unfortunately ranks with many people at a level below paganism. Your American Odyssey in that Stearman both humanizes and glorifies what you and I (and our passengers) experience whenever we get the chance to fly.
Thank you again for putting onto paper the great spirit of achievement and joy that we call “Flying”.
Adam Ratner January 8, 2007
Steve, I bought a copy of Cannibal Queen last week, to read following surgery. Life's been so busy I haven't had time to read much since the Minotaur days. Thanks for sharing that amazing Stearman journey.
I spend 8 years in the Navy as a AT from '72 to '80 - the last 4 or so in CVW1 in HS-11 on the Kennedy - I was on the roof for many Intruder traps. My first tour was around T-28's, C-1's, S-2's, C-118's and C-131's at NAF Wash DC so I have a real soft sport for round engines that rumble and Stearman's in general. Reading your book took me back to my early flight line days, standing on the wing of a Trojan with that big prop whirling away just to the left. Big smiles Brother.
If you the Queen ever get to Saint Augustine, Florida, I'd love to come out and take a picture of her. We'll buy you dinner too.
Bob Stephens November 8, 2006
Steve.
My name is Bill Burd..an Air Traffic Controller at the Capital City Airport, New Cumberland ,PA. I have the pleasure to know Jim Lonergan, owner of the Cannibal Queen now. He came in to CXY to give me a ride in her to say thanks for the service I give in at the tower during his banner tow operations.... what a day. I'll never forget that flight...the feeling of being like a bird with the wind in your face and the feel of those 300m horses motoring us through the air. I can't wait to get your book and read about her adventures.... that one be a once in a lifetime pleasure. If you ever fly into CXY airport, look me up... give you the ATC side of things...been doing it for almost 40 years now. Thanks for keeping her flying.
Bill Burd, September 25, 2006

Dear Mr. Coonts, I have just this evening finshed reading The Cannibal Queen which I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I was given your book along with a Christmas gift certificate to ride in the plane that you "took care of" for a while. I tried to get up a few times, but the weather didn't cooperate, so I guess I'll probably have to wait until spring now. But, the good news for me is I recently received my private pilot ticket, so maybe I'll fly myself in my trusty 1971 Tomahawk to Long Beach Island this weekend.
I enjoyed my first Stephen Coonts book, and look forward to reading your other books.
Thanks for allowing me to ride along on your Cannibal Queen adventure,
Bob Norris September 13, 2006

A friend gave me your book "The Cannibal Queen". It brought back many memories for me as I began flying in 1938 -- and was very familiar with all those old planes you described in your book. I enjoyed the book so very much and want to thank you for writing it. What a wonderful time you and your son must have had
on your trip to Florida. It isn't often that we get a description of what it was like to fly in that old Stearman (which I used to fly too) and get a sense of people and places in the U.S. Just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed the book.
Elaine McCalley September 7, 2006

Hello Mr. Coonts. I have just finished The Cannibal Queen and loved it. I too am a pilot. One of those poor guys that can’t get enough of it. I flew in the military (AC-130) and now fly for one of the finest airlines out of bankruptcy. In my hanger sits an RV-4 and a Stinson 108. The point being, that I was able to relate to your words. I wish i had the ability to convey my thoughts with such creativity. If you are ever flying this way it would be a great honor for my grass runway to have you land. My field is 19TN.
Chris Ferraraccio August 24, 2006

Cannibal Queen is probably my all time favorite. Have read that book till it fell apart (at least 7 times!). Any chance of a sequel? I'm sure the face of the continental U.S has changed enough to make the narrative as entertaining as the first book!
Phil Newson August 22, 2006

I am reading THE CANNIBAL QUEEN and just left you in Maine after your sail boat ride. Just had to let you know how much I am enjoying the book. My father, an aviator for over 40 years gave me the book. He flies out of Greenwood, MS where you met the tower operator. My first ride was in a slope-back 150 when I was still in diapers.
I have really enjoyed the insights into Americana and your comments about the state of things in our world in general. Your book truly captures the general aviation at its best. I have been around GA for all my life. And I find it to be one of the best fraternities there is. Pilots, FBO operators and their employees are general kind, helpful and just good people.
I am looking forward to finishing the book. Honestly, it is very hard to put down... Great book!"
Lawrence Austin August 7, 2006

Thanks for the Cannibal Queen! Have not flown in years but I enjoyed the trip with you. Somehow someway I am going to do it again.
Ed Dinkins July 9, 2006

Dear Mr. Coonts,
A friend loaned me a copy of the Cannibal Queen and I have to tell you that I think its a wonderful book. I'm going to buy my own copy and put it in my library next to "Illusions", one of my favorite stories of all time.
Thank you for sharing your adventure with the world. Many of us would love to do what you did and for one reason or another can't. This book is the next best thing."
John Crawford June 9, 2006

"Well I finally took my first flying lesson today. I used to be a cop and thought that nothing made me nervous anymore. I was so nervous that I thought I would never stop shaking. The instructor had me do three landings. The final one I thought was perfect until I planted the plane so hard I thought it was going to be my final lesson. It was so great!! Ever since I read your book "The Cannibal Queen" I know that I had to learn how to fly. Finally my wife said "I'm getting laser surgery!" I said "I'm getting my pilot's license!" I've been waiting for an in! I just wanted to say thank you," -- Quinton Kinne February 3, 2006

"Your book Cannibal Queen started a journey for me over 10 years ago. Your article in August 2005 AOPA Pilot told my story only with a Piper Dakota instead of a Cessna 310R. Today, both of your writings define my aviation passions. Two years ago I purchased a restored 1939 J3 Cub and flew it back from Daytona Beach, FL to So. California. This summer, as a Sport Pilot, I'll fly the Cub from California to Lock Haven, PA then to Oshkosh then back to California. Inspiration left unappreciated is somewhat wasted. Consider this just a small note of thanks for your writings and how they affected one man's life. Sincerely," -- Bern Heimos January 5, 2006

"Dear Steve, I have just read the Cannibal Queen, what a fabulous description of private flying in the USA. How I would love a flight in a Stearman. I am ex-Royal Air Force (38 years) mostly on Bomb Disposal, but took the opportunity to scrounge flights whenever possible. Such planes as the Lancaster, English Electric Lightning, A-7 of the Oklahoma ANG, a flight with the Red Arrows, Harrier, Tiger Moth and a Mifeng M-3C in China. Private flying in the USA is remarkably cheap in respect of the UK. My recent flight in a Cessna 172 out of Wooster, Ohio costing just A329 for half an hour, in the UK that would be A380-A3100! To give some idea of the size of my country, it does not matter where you are, you are never further than 72 miles from the sea! Keep writing your marvelous books. Best regards," Derek Knights October 10, 2005

"Hi, They say at Van Sant airport, Pa, that the Cannibal Queen comes in occasionally for service and repair. They have a lot of Stearmans on the field, some privet and some for rides and instruction. The current owner, I'm told, uses the Queen to give rides on the NJ Shore. I find the your Stearman landing comments helpful while I'm learning to land a J3 at Van Sant to add a Sport Pilot endorsement to my glider license. I checked your site and I assume you did not write the Breezy story. Hope you will someday. Read some of your fine books and like them. I know you said The flight of the Intruder was your first and last Vietnam book, and that you have to leave your anger and disappointment with politician outside in order to be able to write your other books. I understand that. Nevertheless, a lot of time has past since Vietnam and maybe you could sit down and come up with another novel about it. You have age and maturity on your side. Even a memoir will be good. I know the Vietnam topic is getting old but J. Bradley came up with Fly Boys not too long ago about and even older war so why not. I think you could put the right emotional perspective on the topic. God knows you paid the price and bought the rights. Hope you enjoying your life and staying healthy." Asher Torren September 3, 2005

"I've enjoyed many of your books and I'd like to especially thank you for the Cannibal Queen. As an aviator who traveled by helicopter, for the Army across 46 states, I felt like your co-pilot. As your trip that summer was so greatly satisfying for you, it brought back 21 years of remarkable missions and happy tears for me. It's almost like you were able to write for all of us who appreciate flying our country. Clear!" -- Richard Deschenes May 19, 2005

" Mr. Coonts; I am a VERY mature aged reader (I was living in London as a small boy at the time of the Battle of Britain!!!) and have just finished reading your odyssey "The Cannibal Queen", and felt I would like to contact you and say how much I enjoyed it....I can only remember one book (by Richard Bach) that has gone as close as yours to being able to put down the enjoyment to be had from flying. I have read and enjoyed other of your books, but this one was so different, and managed to get across so well that you enjoyed the flying yourself and the people you met, and places you saw.
On another note I was at Duxford in England just a couple of weeks ago, and saw the flights of no less than seven Spitfires...not a dry eye in the house, and with all due respect to P51 Mustangs...there has never been an aeroplane like THAT." --JOHN COBB November 5, 2004

"Steve, I finished THE CANNIBAL QUEEN just before the power went out with the hurricane. Things are NOT looking good around here. At least I had the pleasure of your book. It's one I will keep and re-read often. You wrote a few times in your book regarding some of the people you met that "he seemed like somebody you'd enjoy knowing." I must say the same for you. I now have three of your works of fiction to start on but I honestly don't know how they can compare to your personal experiences shared with the Queen. When I was out of high school, I knew an "older" guy (35?) who had a small plane in a T-Hanger here in Melbourne. I used to help him sand it (he was re-building) and do grunt work - when she was up and flying, he took me every chance I could go. What a joy to land at the little fields, fly in to the local air shows etc.... Your book brought it all back! There's something almost spiritual about flying in a small plane as I recall...I would guess you know exactly what I mean." --Mike Rogers, September 28, 2004

"I usually don't write letters but I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed your book. My dad, a plank owner on the midway as an aviations metalsmith kept raving about this wonderful book about this guy flying a Stearman (a plane I guessed) around the US. After I visited Rhinebeck and had a ton of pictures from the show and museum to show him, he handed me the book, open to your visit and asked, "was it like this?" That's all it took, a few pages at Rhinebeck and I was hooked. Excellent adventure and great writing, I thoroughly enjoyed being with you on your trip. Now I'd love a ride...; )" --John Scheetz August 19, 2004

"Steve, I just read CANNIBAL QUEEN and just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed it. I know I'm only twelve or thirteen years behind, but better late than never. The other bad news is I didn't buy it. It was given to me by our 84 year old retired USAF pilot. He was flying until a few months ago when he had a stroke. It looks like he will have to hang it up. He gave me a box of his books and yours was the first I picked out of the box. I couldn't put it down. We own a 1955 Tri-Pacer that we've flown all over. CANNIBAL QUEEN reminded me of all the great people and adventures we've had in that plane. 9-11 kind of took the fun out of flying for me. I haven't quite figured it out but I'm still working on that. There is nothing better than the challenge and enjoyment of flying. Thanks for reminding me." --Jon Vilven, June 22, 2004

Steve, Thanks for the Cannibal Queen. As an ex-army pilot I spent the last year of my obligation (1977) ferrying army helicopters from Corpus Christi, Texas to their respective units all along the eastern seaboard. My flight profile was much like that of "the Queen's" and I could really relate to your experiences. Not having flown for over 15 years now, I had forgotten how fortunate we all are as military pilots to be part of that fantastic aviation community. Aviation, more than any other single occurrence, has made life a fantastic adventure for me (and obviously for you as well). To put it in the words of James H. "Jimmy" Doolittle; "I (We) Could Never Be So Lucky Again!" Thanks for both the book and the nostalgic memories of my own emerging from it. --David F. Whiteley, D.Min. US Army, Retired

"Steven, Writing you from Athens in Greece. I would like to thank you for your wonderful books---I have read only 2,THE FLIGHT OF THE INTRUDER and THE CANNIBAL QUEEN--the first twice, the 2nd 3 times-- I am reflying your flights in FS2002, using Lyons' Cannibal Queen Stearman. Your books are not available easily in Greece, and I had to write a friend in the US to get THE CANNIBAL QUEEN. Thanks for your great writing and your views on things, which I find correct and agree with. I write poetry myself and short pieces." --Nick Tselepides

"Mr. Coonts, I have just finished re-reading THE CANNIBAL QUEEN for about the 20th time and each time is like the first. I am a very frustrated private pilot, no money to fly, and the adventure you share in this book allows me to experience flying while staying firmly rooted to terra firma. As you describe that summer one can't help but be feel as though they are there with you. I envy you this experience... Please keep sharing your wonderful gift of writing. Thanks." --Dennis Burgess, June 2, 2004

"Steve, I don't know how it took so long to find it but THE CANNIBAL QUEEN was one of the greatest books I have read. Reading it here in my retirement wintering in a RV in Florida and feeling completely out of the world, I found, in the book, intense memories of the past. My wife and I once experienced all the events and flights you describe in the book. Our past came back to mind as I recalled many flights and small and large airports and all the wonderful people we once encountered. Aviation was also my great love. I spent 17 wonderful years as a flight instructor at a small airport In the Detroit area. In retirement I savor the memories of all the people I worked with while giving 8000 hours of dual instruction. Another 2000 hours were flown with the travels of my wife and I. It was a wonderful era and your book brought it all back for me. Thanks." --Harry Scripk,a March 16, 2004

"HI STEPHEN...Today I finished for the fourth time THE CANNIBAL QUEEN. It's become a yearly tradition for me to re-read your book on flying America. In my opinion THE CANNIBAL QUEEN is the best pure flying story I have read, and I have read all the greats. You reduce flying to the pure basics, you take the reader back to the fun and joy of flying and show us all what its about. Great job Stephen, please keep writing and THE CANNIBAL QUEEN is back on the list of books to read for next year! Thanks." --Mike Parr, January 18, 2004

"Just a note to say "Thank You" for your captivating novels. I've always been a very slow reader and stopped buying novels some 40 years ago. About 2 1/2 years ago, I had to make a return drive to Michigan from Colorado and it was suggested that I take "Books-On-Tape" for entertainment. FLIGHT OF THE INTRUDER was one and when I returned, I was hooked. Since then, I've listened (read) some 240 unabridged novels; seven by Stephen Coonts. But my purpose for writing was to say how much I enjoyed THE CANNIBAL QUEEN. So much so, that I've recommended it to two other old farts like myself who share my interests... Your descriptions of your 'lower-48-flight' were easily visualized in my minds eye. Your reference to motorcycles several times brought me deeper into writing. I've been a motorcyclist for over 45 years and I would compare my two Yamaha SR 500s to your Stearman; they're pets which I would never part... Thank You again for providing such wonderful entertainment. I will eventually get through all of you writings provided I can find them on tape. " -- Bob Axsom December 7, 2003

"Dear Mr. Coonts, I read Cannibal Queen a few years back and enjoyed it thoroughly. I'm glad you had a chance on that journey to visit my version of Disneyworld, The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome. Cole Palen was a good man and I consider myself very lucky to have met and talked old airplanes with him on several occasions. Months ago, I started taking lessons toward a private pilot certificate, in fact next week will be my night time cross country - so steer clear of KHPN (just kidding - I think). As an aside, I recently picked up my worn out copy of CANNIBAL QUEEN and began to read it again and now that I actually have some rudimentary schooling in cockpit management, I have to say that you are a pretty impressive aviator. I also wanted to thank and compliment you for capturing in words the fun things I think about when I do a pre-flight or plan a summer afternoon hop for a $100 cheeseburger. I look forward to enjoying your book for a third time. I think I'll get copies for my dad and two brothers for Christmas. Sorry this note was so un-grammatical. I just wanted to say thanks." --John E Walsh, C-172 / N458SP, October 20, 2003

"Dear Steve, A good friend of mine, Raal Wheeler, a Perth-based Stearman owner and aviator extraordinaire, had kindly lent me (under threat of death if not returned...) his copy of THE CANNIBAL QUEEN, which I started reading one Sunday afternoon back in Brisbane, when all thoughts of going flying were curtailed due to worsening clag. Rarely have I ever picked up a book and been unable to put it down, as though my fingers were covered with glue. Rarer still, probably not since reading Richard Bach's 'A Gift of Wings' or Chuck Yeager's 'Yeager', have I finished a book and then immediately started to read it again! I read a lot of books... Thank you so much, for capturing the passion, emotion, fragility and escapism of flight so eloquently in your book. I am ashamed that it was penned in 1991 and yet it has taken me twelve years to discover it. Too busy living life, I guess." --Tom Allibon

Dear Mr. COONTS, I must, no choice, but to let you know I enjoyed "THE CANNIBAL QUEEN" immensely! How I envied your son flying with you in that magnificent Yellow Stearman. Thanks for the photos in the book. The map in the front also made it easier to follow as I do not know the USA that well. Flying with you in the book made me dream and picture myself in your place. I for one, cannot wait for your next real life flying adventure. I am what you may call, a frustrated pilot, one that does not fly. In my heart I have always been a pilot. Since, I was a young boy my dream was to be an aviator in the SOUTH AFRICAN AIR FORCE. As luck would have it my eyes would not pass the test. Now I sometimes fly with my brother-in-law, he flies all kind of choppers. Getting a PPL in SA is very expensive, so the next best thing will be learning to fly a micro-light. It is a bit cheaper but still out of the reach of most SOUTH AFRICANS. Where there is a will there is a way. Eventually I will be flying, fly I will, someday. Once again thanks for such a great book which inspired me even more to work to my flying goal. Thanks for mentioning Ernest K Ganns in your book I am now reading his books as well. If my english is not up to scratch please forgive me as it is not my first language.
GOD BLESS YOU." REYN W VARKEVISSER, SOUTH AFRICA

Hi, Steve: I've never written an author before, but just finished the "Cannibal Queen" and felt that I finally had to do it, and to tell you: (1) Your description of flying was outstanding, along with the best I've read, dating from Cecil Lewis and other WWI types, and I've read most of 'em. I've flown most of my life, including straight-deck carriers and many years of flight testing, and I've tried to put it in words; as you say, it's hard to write about flying. You did a bang-up job. (2) The tears came when you wrote about Shiloh; you said it better in those few words than anything I'd read in Catton, Shaara, or any other, in terms of understanding and feeling what really happened. I've had the same feelings while trudging around the Virginia peninsula, over the battlefields. (3) I've enjoyed all your books, especially those dealing heavily with carrier flying. It's the best flying I've ever done, and there's a huge inner feeling of satisfaction, seeing it put into words so well. A few tears were shed there, too, as your words surfaced deep memories of life lived to the fullest. (4) I had a taste of what you did, flying a biplane from Wisconsin down here to Florida and back again a few years ago; no radio, compass unreliable, spoiled by years of nav goodies. Some apprehension at first, but more fun memories than any for a long time. You did beautiful work in describing the whole experience. It's great to see a real aviator (especially a N.A.) telling it so well, to give the non-types some idea of what it's really like. Thanks a lot and best regards." --Jim Patton

"Mr. Coonts, In 1995, a pal bought me a copy of THE CANNIBAL QUEEN because she knew I was building a plane, and the book had a "picture of a pretty plane on the front". Okay, she wasn't that bright, but the gift was swell. At the time, I was building a modernized version of a 1911 Bleriot XI in the barn on my ranch in Texas. So I began to read your book. Read is not the right term, devoured is closer to it. Cannibal Queen is an airborne journey of the spirit that moved me deeply, much like Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (bikes being my other passion), a story of a man traveling to learn to work with his past and future. Now, years later, living in San Jose, CA, lost the ranch in the divorce, left the still unflown skeleton of the Bleriot with a friend, living in the "city" with neighbors all around, and NO wide open fields, I tripped across THE CANNIBAL QUEEN. Actually, it fell out of one of the moving boxes and smacked me on the head. I suppose it was a sign to re-read it? It is strangely more vivid now, more real. Your thoughts and feelings about relations and people ring much louder. At a time when I have almost totally given up writing, dreams of flight, or hopes for a "normal" family, your book accidentally stepped in and has re-energized me. Flying, riding, being free from the bounds of Earth, escaping the daily toil for dollars without sense, being truly awake and alive, THIS is the most important goal. I am reminded to spend every day well, and truly live again." --Charles Statman, May 2, 2001

"Steve, I just finished THE CANNIBAL QUEEN and wanted to thank you for writing it. You know how sometimes you pick up a book like this and kind of feel like maybe you are about to watch someone else's home movies? This one was nothing like that. It is definitely one of the best non-fiction books I have ever read. We don't do much flying, but we do see the country from our motor home. One of these days I'll get done with work and get out on the road for good. Missed Oshkosh last time we were in Wisconsin but it will definitely be one of the stops next time. Thanks for writing and sharing your experiences with us landlocked folks. You accurately described our dreams as well as so many great places in this great country." --Christopher W. Orem, April 3, 2001

"Mr. Coonts, I happened by your book THE CANNIBAL QUEEN last winter after my 23 year-old son died in an accident. I was checking his book club account at Walden Books and it caught my eye. (I LOVE AIRPLANES). I'm restoring a 1948 Cessna 140 and my son Kris and I were going to go exploring in it. Your writing of your adventures with your son in the Stearman, touched my heart. I just wanted you to know that I REALLY enjoyed reading it at a time that I needed it!!! THANKS!!!" --Dave Meek, December 27, 2000

"Mr. Coonts I had read all of your books (novels) and have LOVED all of them. Some of them I have gotten from the library to read and have gone out after reading them and bought the hard cover, I enjoyed them so much. Two of them I got at a used book store, FINAL FLIGHT and THE CANNIBAL QUEEN. I read a book a week. I had THE CANNIBAL QUEEN for around a year, it didn't strike me as all that interesting. I just finished it. Thanks for taking me (and everyone else who read it) along with you on a GREAT AMERICAN JOURNEY. I'm glad that I saved the best for last. Thanks for all the enjoyment and adventure your books bring. I'm looking forward to your next book. (I hope Jake Grafton returns)" --Paul Beaton June 14, 2000

"Dear Mr. Coonts, I have been an avid reader of your books since I was a little kid. I have the first edition of FLIGHT OF THE INTRUDER, which I read for the first time when I was 8 years old. I devoured all of your Grafton books as they came out, loving every one of them. Someone gave me a copy of CANNIBAL QUEEN when I was about 13 or 14, and noting it wasn't a JG novel, I laid it aside and forgot about it. Bad Mistake. About 14 months ago, I finally read it. One month ago, I received my Commercial Pilot's Certificate. Thank you, Sir, for the inspiration." --Chris Haber May 9, 2000

"I just finished CANNIBAL QUEEN this morning. The book was very enjoyable. One of the best things about human nature is that you can lust over what you do not have. With a little imagination, during this time of lust things seem a little more attainable. Reading about your trip in the Stearman was a few hours of lust for me. The fact that you sold the Queen is unfortunate. While reading your book I could imagine the Queen landing here at McMinn Co. airport in TN. and maybe give you a ride to town and back, then before you left, I could bum a ride with you. Well some things are not meant to be. I took flying lessons until the money ran out and maybe will get to finish at some point. It seems to me you are a wealthy man in a lot of different ways. Your book was a pleasure to me and the next time I find one in the discount bin I will be sure and get it.( I only paid one dollar for CANNIBAL QUEEN) Thanks for the book." --Message board posting, April 12, 2000

"Dear Steve, I just finished reading your book THE CANNIBAL QUEEN and would like to compliment you on a very interesting and thoughtful book. I was surprised when I read the part in the book about when you landed in Bozeman, MT and talked to the gentleman by the name of Arlin Wass. Arlin offered me a job about a year and a half ago working at his FBO while I attended the last two years of college at MSU. I took the job and have just completed my private pilot certificate and now have plans to complete my commercial rating and follow aviation as a career. I guess the reason that I am telling you this is to say thanks. It is people like you and Arlin that help to influence the lives of the next generation of young people in aviation. If you ever get back to Bozeman stop by Arlin's and ask for me. It would be my pleasure and honor to meet you in person. Keep up the good work." --Brandon Speth January 6, 2000

"I'm a former A-6 pilot and currently flying for American Airlines. I met you once briefly at the Oceana O club after Flight of the Intruder came out. I really enjoyed THE CANNIBAL QUEEN. So much so that my wife and I bought a '43 Stinson Reliant this fall. We won't make it around the country, but our 4-year old son will grow up with it... I really enjoy your work. Looking forward to your latest." --Gavin Giddings, Jan 5, 2000

"I want to thank you for the many hours of enjoyment your books have provided. I just finished re-reading THE CANNIBAL QUEEN while on vacation and I savored every page. It is like an airborne version of Steinbeck's' Travels With Charlie. I too love flying. I have taken flying lessons, only to run out of money again and again. But I will never forget my first solo! Perhaps I will take up flying again in earnest someday. I think, to some extent, I can appreciate your love of the Stearman. I cannot recall the first time I saw one, but I know it made a profound impression on me. The brightly colored fuselage, the double wings and open cockpit, and that massive radial engine. Snoopys' quest for the Red Baron made sense now. In 1993, while camping in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, I pulled in to a small airfield somewhere in the vicinity of Randolph (instead of going to the Laundromat as planned) and discovered that the owner of a Stearman, decked out in Navy trainer trim, was giving rides! It was an incredible experience! We flew around the Presidential Range, including Mt. Washington, and I believe it took a week for me to relax my facial muscles out of a grin. The laundry did get done. A year later, while vacationing on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, I got another chance to fly in a Stearman. In fact, I had just finished touring the Wright Brothers Museum and going for a tour flight over the area in a Cessna 172 or 180, when I read a pamphlet about aerobatic flights being offered in a Stearman out of Manteo. Well, getting to Manteo became a mission! I had another incredible experience and even took the stick on the way to and from the area over Abelmarle Sound where I had my introduction to aerobatics. YE-HAAAAA!! I managed not to lose my last meal and would do it again in a heartbeat. Anyway, thanks again for your wonderful stories, all of which I have enjoyed." --Ched Smith, August 28, 1999

"Just to say that I have finished reading The Cannibal Queen and found it a wonderful description of the sort of journey each and every pilot dreams of taking -- but few of us will ever be as lucky to achieve! I for one would like to thank you for making me realize once again the beauty of flight. On completing your book, I went straight to our local flying club in Stellenbosch, took a C152, and flew into the mountains on my own, low and slow, to capture for myself some of the magic that you felt. I did! Eight years after the event your trip still stirs people like myself to take to the air -- and for that reason alone that which you discovered will multiply and grow long after we are both gone. If the Cannibal Queen is still with you, please rub her nose for me and say Hi!" --Julian A Gray, Cape Town, South Africa, July 10, 1999

"I just finished reading THE CANNIBAL QUEEN What an enjoyable book it was! My dad recently passed away. Cancer. He loved airplanes and flying. He worked for Lockheed forever and was a member of the "Skunks Works" with Kelly Johnson. This book was a gift to my dad while he was in the hospital. He read or listened to all but the last two chapters. I just finished rereading the book and read the last three chapters out loud for him. Maybe he can hear it. Thank you for an enjoyable trip around the country. Thanks for my dad's last airplane adventure, your book." --Janet Lozano

"What a book! What a book! What a book!" --Robert Tuma

"Although I am a voracious reader of adventure stories, I have never, ever written to an author of a book. But, having just read THE CANNIBAL QUEEN something has prompted me to write you a few lines and express my deep appreciation of your latest book. Although you say it is difficult to put the love of flying into words, you do it splendidly with this work. At times I felt I was flying with you in the Stearman. I envy your experiences flying the Queen across the U.S.A."
--Gerard Szanlis

"I've just finished you book, THE CANNIBAL QUEEN. This is the first time I've felt the need to write to an author to congratulate him on a job well done. As I began reading I thought I was enjoying it so much because of the vivid and realistic description of the actual flying adventure. I am a pilot and I fly every weekend, weather permitting.... As I read on, however, I realized that my enjoyment of the book also came from finding someone whose views of the world tend to coincide with mine and this person has the skill to write those views in such eloquent and entertaining fashion. I found myself rereading your impressions of the Vietnam war and being moved by them.... I look forward to reading your other books. Please continue to write. You have the gift of telling it like it is, coupled with a sense of those things in life that are important." --Marvin Alvarez

"Mr. Coonts, I would personally like to thank you, because after reading THE CANNIBAL QUEEN my childhood dream to get my pilot's license resurfaced, and last month, I finally got my "ticket." I have just picked up The Cannibal Queen again, and I am now reading it with an entire new perspective; that of a fellow aviator. Every time I take to the skies, without fail, for one instant I will think how you inspired me to reach for my dream." --Mark St. Pierre

"A few years ago I wrote to you to let you know that THE CANNIBAL QUEEN had been a significant influence for me in obtaining my private pilot's license. Surprisingly (for me) you very kindly wrote back, advising me to fly whenever I could...to seize every opportunity.
"A couple of weeks ago while flying to Key West with a spectacular full moon as my companion, I was again reminded of your words. I just wanted you to know that you've made a difference." --Bill Hanrahan

"I am a fan of your novels and think that FOTI was the best flying novel I ever read, until I read THE CANNIBAL QUEEN. I just finished this book and I was so moved by your adventure and story telling that I decided that I may not be Mr. Coonts, but I should at least try to write the story burning inside me. (Why did it take me 6 years to read this book? I have no idea...)
"I don't know if you read the mail yourself, but thank you for the work, and inspiration, and thanks for the greatest novel about flying I have ever read..." --Sal Marinello

"Just wanted to let you know that I read THE CANNIBAL QUEEN about six months ago and was so moved that I fulfilled a lifelong dream and went out and bought an airplane and started flying lessons. I had actually started learning 27 years ago after I finished my hitch in the Air Force but at my wife's demand, I put the flying on hold when my son was born. Two kids later I have finished raising the family and your book got the flying juices boiling again. Now I am the proud owner of an old Comanche 180 with 10 hours of instruction under my belt. Just wanted to thank you for giving me the extra push I needed." --Bill Herridge

"Your books were instrumental in my decision to begin flight training several years ago. Something I had always wanted to do, but never got around to doing it. I own a Cessna now and I'm building a Glasair. I plan on painting the Glasair in the Navy paint scheme like the A-6 you flew. Hope to see you at Oshkosh." --Charlie Edwards

"I have enjoyed reading your books since I was in high school in the late eighties. I started off with FLIGHT OF THE INTRUDER and was hooked. I have awaited each new installment that featured that most humble, decent character that I have ever read about in this genre, Jake Grafton. I only just recently picked up the "Cannibal Queen" and must say I enjoyed it, to the point of reading it twice through! This is why I write to you today. "You see, I have been associated with aviation since 1988, when I joined the Civil Air Patrol as a aviation cadet. From that humble beginning, I've expanded my knowledge in this field. Along the way, I've picked up my A&P certificate, majored in aviation at the university, worked for the federal government regulating the airmen and airlines of our country, worked countless hours a slave to the airlines and now an aircraft manufacture. I have attended many of the local air shows, meet the famous and not-so-famous people of aviation, and have just stood and watched pilots making touch and go's at the local fields. Yet I have never taken the yoke in hand and flown an airplane myself. I've always been content to have some one else do the flying. This changes today.
"After reading THE CANNIBAL QUEEN, I've decided that my ten years of standing on the sidelines and watching others fly off must come to an end. It's my turn now. Your book was that swift kick to my posterior I've needed to get out there and do it. Why did I wait seven years to pick your book up? And for this, I thank you. Please continue to write about this remarkable, diverse, and wonderfully alive field of aviation. When people will ask why I got started flying, I'll just hand them a copy of CANNIBAL QUEEN and tell them the explanation is somewhere between the covers of the book." --Sean Sanfilippo

"I have just finished THE CANNIBAL QUEEN. I rate it with Gann's books on flying. I am 60 years old and trying to take flying lessons. Your book will help me think flying. I am sorry to tell you I bought it at the Dollar General store for $2, new, hardcover. I hope you still get your cut..." --Jerry Arzdorf, July 22, 1998