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Flying Drunk
Since he was a young boy, Joe Balzer dreamed of flying. He pursued his goal with a vigorous passion and earned his pilot licences, piling up hours of flight time with a wide variety of planes and jets with one overarching goal: to one day fly for a major airline. But Joe had a problem. He was an alcoholic, yet refused to admit it.
- GenresMemoirNonfiction
240 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 18, 2009
15 people are currently reading
112 people want to read
About the author
Joseph Balzer
1 bookJoseph Balzer is a pilot for American Airlines with more than 15,000 hours of flight experience. He has a Master's Degree in Aerospace Education and is also an inspirational speaker, traveling around the country speaking to pilots and other groups on the dangers of alcohol and other addictions, bringing his audience to laughter and tears with his powerful message of hope.
Joe lives in Tennessee with his wife Deborah and their two children. Flying Drunk is his first book.
Joe lives in Tennessee with his wife Deborah and their two children. Flying Drunk is his first book.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 19, 2024
A better narrative of "the flight" if that is what you are looking for. Recovery and fallout are also covered
January 6, 2011
Authored by my uncle, this book is an absolute must-read for anyone that has ever personally dealt with addiction, or known someone who has. Or, heck, if you're just curious to know what happened of that pilot you heard about on the news in the early 90s that was busted for flying drunk, this book has all your answers.
August 7, 2017
I thought this was the story of one of the guys in the AA Big Book. It's similar but it's not the same guy. Nevertheless I enjoyed the story.
I learned something unexpected, (Joe is a good teacher, he teaches when he's not even trying),"ground effect" is an aerodynamic condition in which an aircraft does not have enough airspeed to fly unless it stays close to the ground...no more than one-half of its own wingspan above the earth...an aircraft in this slow condition will stall and crash if it flies above its ground effect distance." Interesting and scary.
Lessons learned from this book and other true life criminal court stories: Stay out of trouble. Stay away from the legal and penal system. The system is rigged. The police lie, witnesses lie and change their stories. Crucial evidence is disallowed, judges are biased and prison is holy hell. Stay away from the judicial and the penal systems at all costs. Black or white, you will be screwed.
Joe's time in the penitentiary taught him valuable lessons. You can see and hear the changes in him as he described his prison experience. He used to speak of others as "guys" or "fellows", now they are "dudes". I am interested to know who were the criminals who gave him advice on prison and jail behavior before he turned himself in.
He was a good student and he was lucky to have Jack and Damian and a couple others looking out for him while he was in the big house. After receiving death threats he learned to "keep his head on a swivel." (A term my husband likes to use.)
There's a surprising number of pilots in prison. Usually from running drugs.
After his release from prison, he still owns a home, even though he often spoke of serious financial hardships. Just a little white privilege here. He lucks up on a good parole officer and a decent job where people where willing to give him a second chance. That doesn't happen often. Too bad it can't be like that for everyone.
He was a changed man, though. With a hard, distrustful look in his eye now. One difference is that he hadn't come from poverty and crime so after prison he had a crime free environment to return to.
Joe says, "I have learned in recovery that courage is putting fear into forward motion." I like that. I'm going to use that. I like and will use the idea of the "image before me of all the people who were praying for me that day, and I was comforted with a feeling of peace." This was when he went in for the crucial interview with American Airlines.
Joe doesn't mention the dissolution of his marriage in the book, but it's alluded to in the author's bio, referring to him as a single dad. I would have liked to read that part of the story. What he did share was that his wife Deborah was ride or die. So I would like to know what was the final straw.
I learned something unexpected, (Joe is a good teacher, he teaches when he's not even trying),"ground effect" is an aerodynamic condition in which an aircraft does not have enough airspeed to fly unless it stays close to the ground...no more than one-half of its own wingspan above the earth...an aircraft in this slow condition will stall and crash if it flies above its ground effect distance." Interesting and scary.
Lessons learned from this book and other true life criminal court stories: Stay out of trouble. Stay away from the legal and penal system. The system is rigged. The police lie, witnesses lie and change their stories. Crucial evidence is disallowed, judges are biased and prison is holy hell. Stay away from the judicial and the penal systems at all costs. Black or white, you will be screwed.
Joe's time in the penitentiary taught him valuable lessons. You can see and hear the changes in him as he described his prison experience. He used to speak of others as "guys" or "fellows", now they are "dudes". I am interested to know who were the criminals who gave him advice on prison and jail behavior before he turned himself in.
He was a good student and he was lucky to have Jack and Damian and a couple others looking out for him while he was in the big house. After receiving death threats he learned to "keep his head on a swivel." (A term my husband likes to use.)
There's a surprising number of pilots in prison. Usually from running drugs.
After his release from prison, he still owns a home, even though he often spoke of serious financial hardships. Just a little white privilege here. He lucks up on a good parole officer and a decent job where people where willing to give him a second chance. That doesn't happen often. Too bad it can't be like that for everyone.
He was a changed man, though. With a hard, distrustful look in his eye now. One difference is that he hadn't come from poverty and crime so after prison he had a crime free environment to return to.
Joe says, "I have learned in recovery that courage is putting fear into forward motion." I like that. I'm going to use that. I like and will use the idea of the "image before me of all the people who were praying for me that day, and I was comforted with a feeling of peace." This was when he went in for the crucial interview with American Airlines.
Joe doesn't mention the dissolution of his marriage in the book, but it's alluded to in the author's bio, referring to him as a single dad. I would have liked to read that part of the story. What he did share was that his wife Deborah was ride or die. So I would like to know what was the final straw.
February 15, 2025
I downloaded the Audible title for this because I have a love of all things aviation.
I am not, nor have I ever been an alcoholic - it's not something I have any real connection with because no one in my family is a drinker - light or heavy, but Joseph's account of the stages of grieving his bad decisions did speak to me on every level. He speaks of his life being in ruins due to the poor decisions he made on that fateful day in 1990, & that is what spoke to me. While I may not be an alcoholic, or be related to one, I am, however, in a situation where my poor decision-making has ruined my life, so I can relate to Joseph's account.
I felt this title was more than just a story of one man's fall from grace & his climb back up again, it is a cathartic tale of how you can come back from the brink & with perseverance you can get back on track - it may not be the exact track you started out on, but it can still be a worthwhile track, & you can live a full & fulfilling life if you are willing to be humble enough to accept you are the one who put yourself in that situation, therefore, you need to be the one to take yourself out of the situation.
This title has given me plenty of food for thought & I am now feeling more ready to start living my life again. I am not religious, but I can appreciate the message of hope within this title.
I feel that for anyone who is lost, this is a worthy title to read, it gave me hope where there was previously none.
I am not, nor have I ever been an alcoholic - it's not something I have any real connection with because no one in my family is a drinker - light or heavy, but Joseph's account of the stages of grieving his bad decisions did speak to me on every level. He speaks of his life being in ruins due to the poor decisions he made on that fateful day in 1990, & that is what spoke to me. While I may not be an alcoholic, or be related to one, I am, however, in a situation where my poor decision-making has ruined my life, so I can relate to Joseph's account.
I felt this title was more than just a story of one man's fall from grace & his climb back up again, it is a cathartic tale of how you can come back from the brink & with perseverance you can get back on track - it may not be the exact track you started out on, but it can still be a worthwhile track, & you can live a full & fulfilling life if you are willing to be humble enough to accept you are the one who put yourself in that situation, therefore, you need to be the one to take yourself out of the situation.
This title has given me plenty of food for thought & I am now feeling more ready to start living my life again. I am not religious, but I can appreciate the message of hope within this title.
I feel that for anyone who is lost, this is a worthy title to read, it gave me hope where there was previously none.
February 7, 2023
Quick read. A story of mistakes, redemption, and perseverance.
I was expecting this book to show up with a little more verve than it seemed to show. It points toward the traditional path of discovery and healing from addiction and brings up some often glossed-over points about signs/signals that can appear early. It also gave a look into some abuses and problems in our justice and prison systems.
I was expecting this book to show up with a little more verve than it seemed to show. It points toward the traditional path of discovery and healing from addiction and brings up some often glossed-over points about signs/signals that can appear early. It also gave a look into some abuses and problems in our justice and prison systems.
August 26, 2018
A memoir on alcoholism.
I've read so many good memoirs lately that this one didn't quite pack the punch of what it could have. The author writes from the heart and has an interesting tale to share. Recommended.
I've read so many good memoirs lately that this one didn't quite pack the punch of what it could have. The author writes from the heart and has an interesting tale to share. Recommended.
March 22, 2019
Fascinating story!!
Great read! A tough true story, amazing return to the flight deck after hitting rock bottom!! A must for any airline professional,,,
Great read! A tough true story, amazing return to the flight deck after hitting rock bottom!! A must for any airline professional,,,
May 14, 2010
Non-Fiction
The complete book title says it all. I heard about this book on TV awhile back and only vaguely remembered hearing about this years ago in the news. I was shocked to hear that one of the pilots was flying a commercial airplane again (actually, according to the book, at least two of the three pilots are flying airliners again).
After reading the complete book, the author convinced me beyond any doubt that he had earned a second chance at flying a commercial airplane. The rejections and setbacks he experienced after losing his pilot's license, serving a prison term for flying drunk, and the perseverence he demonstrated year after year fighting for his goal was astonishing.
As for the incident details, the author tells a meticulously detailed story of how an abusive, hyper-critical captain created a tension-filled 4-5 day trip for the other two junior pilots. The author repeatedly takes complete and full responsibility for his own decision to drink to the point of intoxication before a flight, and while explaining the bigger picture, never tried to shift the blame for his own drinking.
I learned alot about alcoholism, life in jail (yikes!), and what I hope is now a totally different situation with regard to major drinking by a large number of pilots. Yikes again!
I could SO relate to the author's insight into his behavior at a much earlier age, where he now realizes he lacked the emotional and coping skills to deal effectively with certain types of people and stressful situations.
The complete book title says it all. I heard about this book on TV awhile back and only vaguely remembered hearing about this years ago in the news. I was shocked to hear that one of the pilots was flying a commercial airplane again (actually, according to the book, at least two of the three pilots are flying airliners again).
After reading the complete book, the author convinced me beyond any doubt that he had earned a second chance at flying a commercial airplane. The rejections and setbacks he experienced after losing his pilot's license, serving a prison term for flying drunk, and the perseverence he demonstrated year after year fighting for his goal was astonishing.
As for the incident details, the author tells a meticulously detailed story of how an abusive, hyper-critical captain created a tension-filled 4-5 day trip for the other two junior pilots. The author repeatedly takes complete and full responsibility for his own decision to drink to the point of intoxication before a flight, and while explaining the bigger picture, never tried to shift the blame for his own drinking.
I learned alot about alcoholism, life in jail (yikes!), and what I hope is now a totally different situation with regard to major drinking by a large number of pilots. Yikes again!
I could SO relate to the author's insight into his behavior at a much earlier age, where he now realizes he lacked the emotional and coping skills to deal effectively with certain types of people and stressful situations.
August 11, 2012
This was recommended to me by a student so hopefully it will be as good as he promised.
And it was. A true account of a pilot who was convicted of being drunk while flying. This also makes the reader think long and hard about alcoholism, getting on an airplane and incarceration. Quite the impact.
And it was. A true account of a pilot who was convicted of being drunk while flying. This also makes the reader think long and hard about alcoholism, getting on an airplane and incarceration. Quite the impact.
March 1, 2015
I picked this book up today after browsing the aviation section ay my local library and I couldn't put it down. I literally came home and read the entire thing in one sitting. It is an excellent story of someone who did wrong and overcame the consequences and personal obstacles we face in our lives.
April 4, 2011
I think this book impacted me the most because it brought to life that your entire life can be changed in an instant. One decision can change years of planning and dream chasing for not only you but your loved ones. Good book....looked more into alcoholism after I read it.
August 1, 2009
Extremely compelling. I found this book interesting throughout and was really drawn into Joe's story.
June 24, 2010
This is a fabulous book of a man who gets knocked down by a bad decision. How he deals with the consequences by relying on God and not giving up. Loved this book
November 2, 2013
I'm not sure which pilot is telling the truth. Since they were both drunk at the time, I guess we'll never know.
Read
November 29, 2013Glad that I didn't read this book BEFORE my flight to Florida. :/
June 25, 2014
A must read for anyone struggling with an addiction.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews