Peter Egan’s Flight into Freedom and Reflection
With his new book “Landings in America”, Peter Egan takes readers far beyond the pavement he’s so famously chronicled in Cycle World and Road & Track magazines. This time, the veteran automotive and motorcycle journalist trades rubber for wings in a deeply personal and meandering 7,000-mile cross-country flight aboard a vintage 1945 J-3 Piper Cub. The result is a beautifully written narrative that reads like a travel memoir, philosophical journal, and nostalgic time capsule all in one.
Egan and his wife Barb set out in the summer of 1987 with little more than a pup tent, a change of clothes, and a modest roll of cash. Their destination? Nowhere specific. The goal? To see what America looks like from 1,000 feet up—slow, low, and in a machine that insists you take your time. “Landings in America” becomes an aerial meditation on the forgotten towns, friendly faces, and unexpected detours that define the very essence of Americana.
But this isn’t just a charming chronicle of small-town airports and good fortune. Egan’s signature dry wit and sharp eye for detail are ever present. Whether he’s being overtaken by toy-sized semi-trucks while flying over the interstate or recalling the time he nearly set fire to a Pulitzer Prize-winning author’s home, the stories land (no pun intended) with the same warmth and irreverence his fans have cherished for decades.
“Landings in America”: A Veteran Writer’s Descent into Nostalgia
In “Landings in America”, Egan’s prose carries the ease of a man who knows exactly who he is and what matters most. It’s no coincidence that running underneath the surface of the narrative is an unspoken quest—a search for a new home, away from California’s sprawling highways and endless traffic. The couple’s flight is as much a scouting mission as it is a vacation, a “someday” dream of flying home to a quieter life. That sense of yearning gives the book its emotional ballast.
Egan’s writing style remains unrivaled in its accessibility and wisdom. His experiences—from wrenching on foreign cars and motorcycles in Madison, to piloting a Piper Cub across America—offer a lifetime of stories that feel lived-in and sincere. It’s impossible not to admire how “Landings in America” seamlessly weaves in reflections on post-Vietnam America, his Midwestern upbringing, and the evolution of his relationship with Barb.
Now retired and living back in Wisconsin with his wife, pets, and a garage full of vintage motorcycles, guitars, and memories, Egan proves with this 394-page memoir that some of the best stories come not from racing to the finish, but from simply wandering. “Landings in America” ($34.95) is more than worth the ticket—it’s a seat in the cockpit of one of the most authentic voices in American motoring and lifestyle journalism.
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