Preface

Life is full of tough times and hard decisions.
But as long as you choose to do the right thing,
you’ll be OK. —Chelsea Sedoti

Life is a journey.

As a kid growing up in Illinois with six brothers and sisters and a poor academic record in high school, no one would have predicted that I would become Commander of a 4-engine P-3 Orion Naval plane with a crew of 12, nor that I would become Captain of the latest United Airlines Boeing 777 passenger jet. Nor would they have predicted that my moral standards would prohibit me from falsifying a flight report to satisfy United Airlines management.

As a result, United Airlines falsified charges against my pristine flying record to ground me from ever flying again. I became a whistleblower about faulty flight safety practices in the airline industry and the severely flawed official 9/11 government report.

I never sacrificed my morals, nor did I ever give up. My journey illustrates how a strong determination and hard work can overcome many obstacles faced in achieving one’s goal.

It also illustrates how facing these unexpected challenges has resulted in far more good for humanity than my original objective for becoming a Captain in the left-seat of a commercial airliner.

Captain Dan Hanley, Summer 2021