An Aviation Journey
And a Love Affair with the Boeing 747
Reflecting deep industry knowledge and historical awareness, An Aviation Journey is an information-laden, passionate memoir by a driven aviation expert.
Engineer Peter Marosszéky’s insightful memoir An Aviation Journey is about going from refugee to respected aviation expert.
In the postwar period, Marosszéky’s family emigrated from Germany to Australia, where he had a happy childhood. Thanks to supportive friends and family members, he learned to balance his work and family life—a formative lesson that he returned to in later years. Though he loved planes and the idea of flying from an early age, he took a circuitous route toward his career in aviation. He ended up working for several notable aviation companies. He picked up new skills and knowledge at each—information he was eager to pass on. In all, Marosszéky spent six decades in this demanding, precision-oriented industry.
This book is most focused on Marosszéky’s career, with some historical events mentioned in passing—events rendered almost extraneous to the book’s ultimate objectives. In contrast, the book’s mentions of Marosszéky’s family events are a source of balance, humanizing its technical discussions of airplanes, engineering standards, and management lessons. Such asides are endearing, covering the joys of fatherhood and later family updates. They are also supported by the book’s extensive introduction to Marosszéky’s family members. Still, the book is most concerned with celebrating specific planes like the Boeing 747 and aviation in general, working to impart general respect for the industry and to nurture interest in aviation careers in future generations.
The memoir is divided into sections that correspond to the major airlines that Marosszéky worked for. Personal photographs and work documents complement some of these accounts. But the decision to internally separate personal accounts from professional ones leads to narrative stalls and general unevenness. The personal sections are short and abrupt; they often interrupt Marosszéky’s more engaging discussions of important aviation milestones. And in covering Marosszéky’s stint teaching at a university, the memoir includes a lengthy syllabus that further clutters its progression. Even the photographs that are included throughout the book are more interruptive than illustrative; often appearing in black and white, they include pictures of random aviation equipment, tools, and procedures.
Reflecting deep industry knowledge and historical awareness, An Aviation Journey is an information-laden, passionate memoir by a driven aviation expert.
Reviewed by
John M. Murray
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
