In his new book, “The Vaulted Sky,” published by iUniverse, R.P. Moffa tells the tale of a young Italian-American from New York City who risked it all to pursue his love of flying to protect his country.
Patrick Montalto’s fascination with flying began when his father and a friend chipped in for an airplane ride from a small grass airstrip in the Westchester Hills. A budding fascination catapults young Patrick into the harsh realities of chasing a dream during the Great Depression in this coming-of-age novel.
As World War II engulfs Europe, Patrick finds himself recruited by a British operation, and facing the life-changing choice between his dreams of flying or getting a college education.
In choosing the former, he finds himself flying through cold skies of Canada and then through the gray, damp air of Northern Ireland, where he makes lifelong friends and learns the basics of being a fighter pilot. Though he expected to join fellow Americans flying Spitfires in the RAF Eagle Squadrons, instead his mission is to fly American P-40s in the skies over Egypt’s Western Desert in order to try to stop Rommel’s Afrika Korps from rampaging to Suez.
Moffa is an author and historian living in Westerville, Ohio. A private pilot and Air Force veteran with a special interest in World War II, his characters and stories are inspired by the real men and women he has known, his research, and his own experience. Moffa attended Ohio State University, earning his bachelor’s degree in international studies. After spending four years in the Air Force, he went on to receive his master’s degree from Syracuse University in public administration and environmental management.
For more information: TheVaultedSky.com.
