The Downing of Flight Six Heavy [Paperback]

P. Lafferty (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1992

A routine flight from Washington to London turns into a nightmare for captain Len Hutcherson when the CIA orders him to hijack his own plane in order to transport America's newest strategic weapon to Scotland. Reprint.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this debut techno-thriller, an innocuous gadget--a laser-interceptor that disrupts the guidance systems of low-altitude, tactical missiles--sets off a series of deadly events. The villain is the CIA--here a swamp of voyeurs, moles, double agents and bureaucrats ready to sanction murder in order to preserve the Company's reputation. When the CIA commandeers a commercial jet to deliver the laser to Europe, Captain Leonard Hutcherson finds his crew and passengers at risk for the sake of a national security threatened more by its guardians than by its enemies. TV director and producer Lafferty writes crisp dialogue and deftly handles the aircraft background. But he fails to make credible his major premise: that experienced intelligence officers would arrange the public disappearance of a commercial airplane. Despite some effective individual episodes and a cast of well-drawn characters, this novel never leaves the runway.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Making the CIA the villain, Lafferty neatly turns the tables on hijack thrillers. A gullible captain is recruited to divert a 747 airliner secretly to a remote area. When the plot goes fearsomely awry, he exacts his revenge and manages--like a hero from Alistair Maclean--to return and tell his story. In his first novel, Lafferty meticulously lays out the controlled world of the cockpit and, in contrast, the helpless desperation of the passengers. The book's most entertaining aspect is the total immersion into the world of aviation, where, despite fancy instruments and charts, characters still barely navigate the shoals of human emotion and treachery. Don't recommend this empyrean suspense to first-time fliers, but others can trust the autopilot for a flight into distraction.
- Barbara Conaty, Library of Congress
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1 pages
• Publisher: Pinnacle (July 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558176225
• ISBN-13: 978-1558176225
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,431,537 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly good thriller, June 3, 2002

By 

D. A. Dodd (Huntsville, AL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Downing of Flight Six Heavy (Paperback)

I happened upon "The Downing of Flight Six Heavy" at a local used book store last week and the description seemed intriguing. I'd never heard of the author, Perry Lafferty, but decided to give it a chance. Luckily, my chance paid off as it was a worthwhile read. It wasn't too deep or technical, but a quick, fun read.

The premise of the novel is a commercial airline pilot being asked by the CIA to fly a plane holding a top secret military device in its cargo hold. However, to disguise these intentions from the Russians, the pilot is asked to hijack his own plane. The plan doesn't work completed as expected and soon the pilot and his crew are fighting for their lives. Not everyone is as they initially seem and the ending has a nice twist to it.

If you enjoy technothrillers, this one would be worth your time. It's not up there with the best (Jon Land or Tom Clancy), but it is still entertaining. It is still available through Amazon, even though it was printed ten years ago.