The Cannibal Queen: A Flight Into The Heart Of America

by Stephen Coonts

Stephen Coonts has been hailed as the best contemporary author writing about flying. In The Cannibal Queen , he turns his storytelling genius to nonfiction with an exultant account of three glorious months in the summer of ‘91 spent in the cockpit of a 1942 Stearman vintage biplane. Joining the ranks of John Steinbeck and Charles Kuralt, Coonts takes us on an extraordinary adventure, touching down in all forty-eight of the continental United States.

On a clear, sunny Saturday in June, Coonts and his fourteen-year-old son David take off from Boulder, Colorado, in a 1942 Stearman open cockpit biplane, “a noisy forty-nine-year-old wood and canvas crate with a naked floozy painted on the side.”

The Queen started life as a World War II primary trainer then spent over thirty years as an agricultural spray plane before being lovingly restored. For Coonts, who’s logged thousands of hours in the Navy’s most sophisticated aircraft, the Queen is flying as he’s never known it before—flying close the earth, the wind teasing his helmet, equipped with little more than a map and a compass.

First stop is a Stearman fly-in in St. Francis, Kansas. there amid the barbecues and barber-shop quartets, the tree lined streets with their modest homes, Coonts feels nostalgia for small-town America, for a way of life he felt was dying. Yet, by the end of the journey, having met the friendly, richly individual people in towns large and small across the land, he knows our nation has weathered her first two hundred years remarkably well, and he is filled with hope for the future of this vast and varied land.

First published in 1992, The Cannibal Queen was Coonts’ first venture into nonfiction and is hailed today as a classic flying story. Coonts captures the joy and wonder of flight on every page. Over half the fan mail he has received through the years has been about this book. You owe it to yourself to go flying with Stephen Coonts.

Genres: Aviation, Nonfiction, Biography, Adventure, Memoir, Travel, Ebooks

360 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Stephen Coonts (born July 19, 1946) is an American thriller and suspense novelist.

Coonts grew up in Buckhannon, West Virginia, a small coal-mining town and earned an B.A. degree in political science at West Virginia University in 1968. He entered the Navy the following year and flew an A-6 Intruder medium attack plane during the Vietnam War, where he served on two combat cruises aboard the USS Enterprise (CVN-65). He accumulated 1600 hours in the A-6 Intruder and earned a number of Navy commendations, including the Distinguished Flying Cross. After the war he served as a flight instructor on A-6 aircraft for two years, then did a tour as an assistant catapult and arresting gear officer aboard USS Nimitz (CVN-68). His navigator-bombardier was LTjg Stanley W. Bryant who later became a Rear Admiral and deputy commander-in-chief of the US naval forces in Europe.

After being honorably discharged from duty as a lieutenant in 1977, Coonts pursued a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree at the University of Colorado, graduating in 1979. He then worked as an oil and gas lawyer for several companies, entertaining his writing interests in his free time.

He published short stories in a number of publications before writing Flight of the Intruder in 1986 (made into a movie in 1991). Intruder, based in part on his experiences as a bomber pilot, spent 28 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists in hardcover and launched his career as a novelist. From there he continued writing adventure-mysteries using the character from his first book, Jake Grafton. He has written several other series and stand-alone novels since then, but is most notable for the Grafton books.

Today Coonts continues to write, having had seventeen New York Times bestsellers (out of 20 books), and lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with his wife and son.

Taken from Wikipedia

Learn more about Stephen Coonts on the Macmillan website.

Reviews

[Debbie Zapata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aug 29 ~~ Review asap.
Sep 1 ~~ This was one of the many flying books in the Zapata Reading Club pile. I want to thank former GR member and friend Alan (wherever he may be these days) for his review of the book. I knew from the moment I read the review that Marco would enjoy the story. I just wish he had been able to see the pictures inside.

Author Stephen Coonts spent one summer flying his Stearman biplane across the USA, keeping a journal that turned into this book.

The first phase of his trip was spent with his teenage son along as passenger and sometimes co-pilot. The rest of the trip was solo. It was an interesting book, especially the parts describing time spent in the air.

But I did get annoyed with Coonts at times for his digressions into the politics of those years (early 1990's, when the Soviet Union was breaking up), and for his unexpected razzing of his home town of Boulder Colorado. That especially made him seem like the grumpiest of grumpy old men, fussing about people who had a different point of view of life than his own.

But the flying parts were wonderful, as well as the way Coonts made us want to be up in the air too. Maybe not with him as pilot, because he did seem to worry an awful lot, and got lost a few times, but still, this book gave us a taste of what it would be like to fly in such a lovely plane. We both enjoyed it very much.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

What to expect? Author flies his small plane around the USA (literally) as a quest. Primary focus is on the aviation aspects; however, as a hardcore geography geek I found the many stops at small cities and towns of interest. If you're not into aviation or geography, you'll likely find it rough going. There's a bit about his background and personal life as well, which neither added nor detracted for me. Trip was in 1991, so it's dated, but could be seen as a snapshot of an earlier era.

[Dave Monti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent travelogue written by the man who wrote Flight of the Intruders (BTW, book is MUCH better than the movie!) As a licensed pilot, it made me ACHE to fly across the country in an open cockpit plane!

[Clay Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun book about a man's love of flying.

[M.T. Bass · Rating 5 out of 5]

Add the The Cannibal Queen: A Flight Into The Heart Of America to my list of favorite travel tales: Blue Highways and Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values—this time in a fifty-year-old World War II Stearman bi-plane. It’s a leisurely romp across America as former Naval Aviator and novelist Stephen Coonts spends a summer landing in every state in the continental U.S. The book is not really a piloting primer, but there’s a fair share of reflection on weather, winds, and landing a tail dragger properly, with a little bit of news (the fall of the U.S.S.R.), opinions about book publishing before eBooks, and the colorful characters who own and operate General Aviation Airports. Coonts belonged to my flying club while I lived in Colorado during the Eighties. Sorry I never got a chance to meet him.

[Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book goes beyond the title. Yes, it is a great narrative of the Author’s experiences as he pilots his vintage Boeing Stearman across the contiguous 48 US States. While the book provides a simple journal-style outline of his day-to-day journeys, the author skillfully incorporates deep insight to his lifelong love/passion for flight, and masterfully links his daily risks, challenges, and struggles of flying with those experienced throughout his personal/professional/family life. For those who call themselves ‘a pilot’, the book is written with a level of detail and technical-speak to engage/relate. That said, however, the author avoids alienating laymen, novices, and the true ‘land lovers’. Perhaps one of the greatest aspects of the book (at least in my humble opinion) is the interaction between the author and his preteen son. Tagging along as a part time copilot, passenger (deadweight), lackey/luggage tender, entertainment coordinator, etc., the author’s son adds an entertaining and, at times, a heartfelt example of the relationship experienced between all fathers and sons.

[Hans · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1991 the author went on an adventure, flying his Boeing Stearman over the US. The first part of the journey his son took part in this trip. Later on it was a solo flight, but he met quite a number of interesting people along the way and visited many interesting places. Fun, for me at least, was that I visited the US twice in the 80’s and visited some of the places and museums mentioned by the author. So for me it was a trip down memory lane at times. And being an aviation nut myself I loved the flying parts of the book.

The way he describes his experiences, encounters and trials, takes you inside the cockpit. You see him looking around for a gap in the clouds, feel for him when he tries to make a flawless landing, but doesn’t pull it off, and his fooling around with his son. I also loved his humor and dry wit.

A really enjoyable read, written in an easy and engaging way.

[Tom sage · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book.
Aviation version of Steinbeck’s “Travels with Charlie.”
Retired airline pilot with many hours of WW2 Warbird time. (BT13, PT26 and PT23.)
I like the way Steve described his landings with a tailwheel airplane. I agree with most everything he said about his technique. I subscribe to the other school of thought about crosswind landings though.
I prefer wheel landings because with lots of rudder jammed in,the tailwheel is turned on touchdown. (3 point.) Wheel landings allow me to center the rudder for a moment just as the tailwheel comes down.

[Robert Wellston · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic story of America

Stephen Counts tells a gentle story of America. It is a combination of travel log and social commentary. If you're looking for a hard hitting fast paced story, this isn't it. But if you want a story about life in general and general aviation in particular, you've found the right book. The pace of the story is measured and unhurried. Once you start you will want to on this journey with the author, and fly along on his gentle of a summer well spent.

[Robert tessier · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a classic read for me. Read this years ago after Flight of the Intruder and recommended it then. I’m an aviation nut and read many books relating to aviation and this was one of my favorites along with Ernest Gann (Fate is the Hunter a must read). When I got my Kindle I got it again and really enjoyed re-reading it. Highly recommended.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book. Not great but certainly entertaining. You really have to have a background in aviation to understand some of the author's references. Not a very philosophically deep book but I did enjoy it.

[Travis Vanover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any aviation enthusiast would appreciate this adventure of the author flying all over the US in a summer. While a little too detailed when Coonts goes off in tangents, overall it is a solid representation of true, general aviation flying.

[Beverly Hollandbeck · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the parts of this airplane travelogue when the author/pilot described the towns and people he met along the way, but this book is obviously written for other pilots, as it contains much aviation jargon. Those paragraphs are easy to skip.

[Bob Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read of the author's adventures as he spends a summer in his restored vintage airplane visiting 48 states and interesting sites and small airports that cater to personal small aircraft.

[Shane Snelling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. Kind of a Travels with Charley if Steinbeck were Chuck Yeager, but you don’t have to be an aviator to appreciate it. Overall, the author offered some insights in 1991 that seem prophetic reading them in 2025.

[Ann Amadori · Rating 2 out of 5]

Same old same old chapter after chapter

[Kent M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth reading!

Stephen Coonts flies, discovers America, and it's still a place worth loving.

I would love to follow in his footsteps, but until I can, I have the Cannibal Queen.

[Susan]

Summer 1991 about a trip to all 48 States in a biplane by the author

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve always wanted a Stearman.

[Arctic Blue · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did learn about planes, But I get so lost sometimes! and then there was stuff that does not belong in the book in my opinion?

[Preston Pendergraft · Rating 5 out of 5]

This as a fun book to read. I had it for a while. It is a bit dated since it takes place in the 1990s. But if you like airplanes you will love this book.

[wally · Rating 3 out of 5]

finished 27th july 2025 good read three stars i liked it kindle library loaner non-fiction aviation memoir. coonts flies his biplane around the country visiting the states.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did you ever have a passion in life that you wished your children shared, but they just weren't into it? Imagine planning an adventure-of-a-lifetime with your son and having him react with a yawn. Well then, meet Stephen Coonts. How he eventually wins him over is an underlying theme of this book.

This is one part Travels with Charlie and one part Stranger to the Ground. It is an endearing diary of a father and son bonding on a three month, cross country flight in an open cockpit Stearman. Along the way we get a wonderful view of rural America and the characters that inhabit small airports. The author's pure love of flying shines through. The flying details are spot on, but not so technically involved that they would turn off non-aviators.

This is one of the few books that fall in my re-readable category. It is a nice feel good story that holds up well on the re-telling.

[Aaron Ash · Rating 3 out of 5]

In retrospect, this is one of the most boring books I've read. There is no plot. The story doesn't have much flow. Many things are repeated to the point where the author might have been using cut and paste heavily.
But I never found myself bored. I never questioned whether I was going to keep reading. I enjoyed the descriptions of America and flight and would read another book like this.

I borrowed this e-book from Nevada Public Library.

[John P · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a true story of a flight through 48 states in a Stearman biplane over a particular summer. As an ex-pilot, I really enjoyed the story and felt like I was in the Stearman with the author. This book is not an edge-of-your-seat kind of story but a leisurely one that can be read over a long period. I usually have three or four books going at the same time and I read this one over a three year period (very leisurely). An enjoyable read indeed.

[Troy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An oldie but goodie - I've read this several times over the years, partly for the flying, partly for the depiction of America. What was interesing this time was the passage of time. A LOT has changed in the aviation world since 1991 when this trip took place, and the comparisons to modern-day are intriguing, given it's been less than 20 years.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A neighbor of mine gave this to me because he knew I enjoysed "Travels" by Michael Crichton. I had no idea who Stephen Coonts was but really enjoyed this simple but touching father/son relationship narrative. It turns out Stephen Coonts writes aviation-focused, Tom Clancy-esque techno-thrillers. Tried a couple but they didn't hold my interest like this book.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently re-read this book and enjoyed it the second time as much as the first. I very much enjoyed the adventure in familiar mountain passes of Washington State where I live. I also enjoyed the story of this father spending time with his son. Those are two snippets that don't dominate this book but they hooked me and brought the story home for me.

[David Strawbridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal. I would add this story to the likes of Fate is the Hunter (which I must re-read now) in the halls of aviation rites of passage. To think of flying a Stearman to all the lower 48 is a dream. Well written and a story truly lived. This will be one I read and re-read for years. Very well done.

[Daniel Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks for the adventure Steve. I'd love to fly across the country in a Stearman!