Those of us of a certain age grew up with the Sky King television show. Those old black and white TV shows inspired many aviation careers. That includes many airline pilots, flight instructors and even astronauts.

I met and got to know Kirby Grant and his wife, Carolyn, after they retired to Central Florida in 1971. I visited Kirby as he was recovering from heart surgery in 1978. He told me he was writing a book. The title would be the iconic words of the announcer at the opening of the Sky King television shows. The title was to be “Out of the Blue”. Kirby even mentioned the not-yet-started book in an interview on Good Morning America. That interview can be found on YouTube.

After Kirby’s passing in 1986, Carolyn Grant told me that “book” had existed only in Kirby’s mind and intentions. Writing this book is the fulfillment of a promise I made to Carolyn Grant.