"The Flying Phaeton" is historical fiction that follows Nicholas Throckmorton from adolescence to maturity. Youthful innocence is destroyed by violence and as the years pass, personal revenge transcends criminal violence and transforms to international comeuppance. Lives are left to rust in junkyards ... relationships are ground to mulch ... and loves are recycled as Captain Throckmorton leaves a trail of memories across the globe. Nicholas pilots through an arid marriage and climbs away from a dying love affair in the Roaring 20s. He levels off to lusty one-night stands, harsh revenge and personal reflection in the Dirty 30s. The world becomes engulfed in war and his flight through life then detours to Indochina and the Southwest Pacific as he navigates around steamy relationships and self realization throughout the Fighting 40s. As World War II comes to an end, a changing world presents personal and professional challenges for the fighter pilot. Studying the view from the cockpit, Nick sees someone approaching from an unfamiliar horizon at ten o'clock high and quickly learns that he cannot clearly see the world around him if he continues to focus on his stormy past.