Eastbound: Our Flight - Our Mission

By Renny Shapiro

Book Overview

"All private flyers have their dreams. Ours was to circle the world under our own power and navigation . We'd thought about it, talked about it, knew we could do it and one day would. It was only a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1420852876
• ISBN13: 9781420852875
• Release Date: July 2006
• Publisher: Authorhouse
• Length: 408 Pages
• Weight: 1.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Wow-You Certainly Need Guts To Attempt This Trip!

Have you ever dreamed of flying yourself around the world in a small Cessna aircraft ? No need for courage, you can experience this incredible voyage traveling vicariously through the pages of Eastbound, Our Flight/Our Mission authored by Renny Shapiro. All aboard with the crew, Renny and Bernie Shapiro and Evy and Martin Lutin! After much preparations and anticipation, the two couples, who were in their sixties, began their journey eastbound from Van Nuys, California. They eventually returned to their home base in 65 hours and five minutes of flying time, sixty-three days, and 18, 814.2 nautical miles later. Dividing their adventures into four parts, Shapiro describes their extensive preparations, their journey from Van Nuys, California to Istanbul and then onto Russia and ultimately returning to California. The final chapter, Afterward, presents Shapiro's afterthoughts. With trepidation, we share the author's humor and excitement such as their episode in Scotland where "every place is pronounced "Hle Gurgle Gurgle in Kitchee by Taunt." Peppered throughout the book are historical facts, sometimes entertaining while other times quite tragic, such as their visits to the concentration camps where their guide presented them with a copy of Elie Wiesel's poem: "Never shall I forget that night The first night in camp, Which has turned my life into one long night... Never shall I forget these things, Even if I am condemned to live As long as God himself, Never." The chapter decscribing Bodrum, a seaside resort, lifts the mood somewhat as Shapiro narrates their delightful experiences cruising the Cleopatra Coast and where they enjoyed the succulent meals prepared by their chef Sada. They even had the opportunity to be treated to an Anniversary party complete with a belly dancer! It is in Istanbul they meet up with Ali Gutelkin and his driver Hamish and they visit the luxurious Blue Mosque and the Aya Sophia. They also had the opportunity to admire the 80 karat diamond and the Topkapi dagger, and visited a real Harem. As for the history of the Jews in Turkey, Shapiro reminds us that in 1492 with the expulsion of the Jews from Spain, Turkish Sultan Bayazid II welcomed them saying: "Ferdinand has made his country poor and enriched ours!" Unfortunately, today, The Synagogue of Neva Shalom is heavily guarded as the result of a bombing committed by Arab terrorists in 1986, that resulted in the death of the local rabbi, the cantor and twenty-two Jewish worshipers. When asked what is the present relationship between Turkey and Israel, the reply was that they both had differences but that as we are both democracies, we maintain a relationship. Next on the agenda was their trip to Russia. Despite the fact that the Shapiro/Lutin crew previously traveled here at the beginning of 1993, the year of Jewish revival in the Soviet Union, their spirits this time were somewhat shattered when they visited Babi Yar, the site of the slaughter of thirty thousand