Flight 19
Page 24
Disclaimer (full)
The Airbus A380, which forms part of the story of Flight 19, is one of the most technologically and mechanically advanced aircraft ever built.
It is a marvel of modern engineering, and has a pristine record of service since it first took to the skies many years ago.
When you read the entire story of Flight 19, you will read that in no way was the disappearance (and reappearance) of the Airbus A380 connected in any shape or form to the actual aircraft itself.
As with the Dallas Spirit (another plane mentioned in the fictitious story) an alien object was in fact the reason these planes disappeared, and reappeared at a later time.
Although the story surrounding the disappearance of the Dallas Spirit did actually happen back in 1927, the true reason for its unfortunate disappearance remains unknown.
The Airbus A380 is an aircraft the Author of Flight 19 would not hesitate to travel on, and he will be doing so in 2018. At no time should anyone who reads Flight 19 take any part of the fictitious story out of context and imply that the Author of the story is in any way shape or form trying to discredit the Airbus A380 or Airbus the company.
A message from the author
While writing Flight 19, I encountered people who asked if the idea for the novel came to me from the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370, which disappeared mysteriously on March 8th, 2014.
I feel compelled to add this special message for a couple of reasons.
The first is to pass on my sincerest condolences to anyone who lost a loved one to the disappearance of MH370. I cannot begin to wonder what it would be like to lose someone dear to you under these circumstances, and at the time I am writing this message, the mystery still appears to remain unsolved.
The idea of the story of Flight 19 in fact came to me in mid-2013, many months before the tragic loss of MH370. As many authors can confirm, sometimes ideas for stories can come when you least expect then. This one actually arrived as I was watching the news one particular night and saw a story on the airline industry in Australia, which filled my TV with footage of planes taxiing to and from an airport runway.
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank the following people for helping me in the journey of writing and publishing Flight 19.
Ben Hourigan, of Hourigan & Co., for the excellent work he does in the editing and formatting process, and also for the guidance and expertise and advice he is always happy to provide.
Jeff Siemering, for the pointers and details that only someone who spends many hours in the cockpit of a commercial plane knows. Michelle Lowne, Kylie Roberts (who is, you guessed it, married to a guy whose name is Andrew) who both read the earliest drafts and gave me thoughts and ideas on how to make the story better.
Sue Douglass and Andrew Parsons, for also reading the early drafts and telling me their thoughts. My son Lachlan, for taking the wonderful author photo on the back cover of this novel, plus the additional photography on my website and social media. The guys at Damonza.com, who designed the cover of Flight 19, who were happy to work through the various drafts and amendments to get to the eventual final design. The crew at Arts Law Australia, who provided me with detailed and thorough legal advice for various aspects of the story in a patient and relaxed manner.
And finally, the person who also provided me thoughts and ideas for the story as it developed through the drafts, and who read as many drafts as I did of Flight 19, sometimes late at night in bed with pages all over the place. She’s also the person who ensured I never wavered from the light at the end of the tunnel (completing this novel, after a bout of writer’s block)—my wife, Sharon. Thanks for your contribution to this project. I love you.
About the Author
Grant Finnegan is an avid thriller reader whose favorite authors include Stephen King, Clive Cussler, and (in his opinion) Australia’s greatest author, Matthew Reilly.
His first novel, The Seventh List, took him to Uluru (aka Ayers Rock) for research—one of the most memorable trips of his life—and he suggests that this jaw-dropping natural wonder should be on everyone’s bucket list.
Grant lives in a bayside suburb of Melbourne, Australia, where he can be found wandering along the local beach with his wife most days, chatting about the world and taking in the fresh salt air. When not at the beach, he’s either writing his next novel, in the kitchen cooking up a storm, or thinking about when the next winter is going to come around so he can get on his snowboard and ride the white powder on the South Island of New Zealand, one of his favorite places on earth.