Prelude to a Super Airplane (Chapter 20)

(The following is an excerpt from my book, Prelude to a Super Airplane. It can be purchased by clicking on any of the roughly 400 banners adorning this site, or by clicking here. It’s also available on Amazon.

I’ve posted the first 20 chapters (roughly 55 pages of PTSA) on this site. Links to each of those are at the end of this post, or you can download all of them as a pdf by clicking here.

A good friend of mine from back in high school actually runs a company that sells airplanes rides.

When I told him I was writing this book, he agreed to submit to an interview. This was done over Facesbook instant messaging, so that I could copy/paste, rather than transcribe. I’ve fixed typos and edited things down, so that it’s a smoother read.

I’ll pick up the conversation at that point wherein we actually started chatting about airplanes.

His name is Michael J. Mikolay, and yes, I know how ironic it is that he owns my favorite airplane ride company, Southwestern Airplane Rides. (I swear, I’ve refused any and all free airplane ride tickets during the writing of this reading book.)

BRIAN: I’ve always been curious if you think about airplanes as much as me. Being that you’re in the business, logic would say you must think about them quite a bit. Along that same conduit of thought, you must want to not think about them when you go home, since you think about them all day at your airplane ride selling office. What do you think? A simple yes or no answer is fine.

MICHAEL: I’m not sure what the question is, B.

B: YES OR NO – do you think about airplanes as much as I do?

M: I don’t know how much you think about them.

B: YES OR NO? omg lol

M: So I’m just supposed to guess if I think about airplanes as much as you do?

B: Yeah.

M: Don’t you write movies?

B: Yeah.

M: Are you writing something right now?

B: Yeah, this book.

M: Are you going to try and make the book into a movie?

B: Yeah I’m writing a book and then turning the book into movie.

M: Why don’t you just write the movie?

B: I thought you had to be smart to run an airplane ride company lol lol
B: j/k

M: brb I got a call.

B: Is the call about an airplane? Just so you know, I’m thinking about airplanes right now. So like if you’re talking to your wife or something, I’m winning.

M: Sorry, I’m back. I gotta go soon though.

B: Did you see where I said I’m winning? lol

M: I didn’t read back – what are you winning?

B: I was thinking about airplanes while you were on the phone with your wife and/or child. lol
B: I just read back – why did you call me “B” up at the top – you never called me that in high school ever.
B: wtf?
B: j/k it’s no big deal lol
B: Mike – yo yo yo yo yo yo yo. ATTENTION MICHAEL J. MIKOLAY!

M: I have another call – can we do this tomorrow maybe?

B: I’m on a deadline.

M: Cool – soon, I promise.

B: Real quick before you go – do you want to invest in a movie? I’ll put you in my book if you do – you’ll get famous, I promise. I have a web series too – we’re talking to a huge company about it. Just let me know – talk to you soon – thanks yo –

M: Okay.

B: I’ll send you a rough draft of the book so far – I’m like 50 pages in and it’s awesome lol. I say that objectively lololol
B: j/k it’s subjective
B: I mean whichever one is right. lol rotf ttyl lol
B: That’d be the best if I wasn’t laughing out loud and I was just rolling on the floor for no reason lol

Michael J. Mikolay is offline.

B: wtf??

(You can follow Michael J. Mikolay on Twitter here.)

Brad Radby’s Foreward, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14, Chapter 15, Chapter 16, Chapter 17, Chapter 18, Chapter 19, Chapter 20, Chapter 31