ETA: October 20, 2026

Turbulence wasn’t just in the sky…

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A NOVEL BY
JOSEPH A CONFORTI

In the fall of 1990, Captain Tony Martin’s life is in a tailspin. Airline deregulation is redefining what it means to be a pilot. The airline he flies for faces an imminent strike. Martin splits his time between fighting with his family at home and fighting with his eccentric roommates in their dilapidated crash pad. War is brewing in the Middle East. And one of his roommates is probably certifiable- trouble is, it’s difficult to tell which one.

Martin’s just a guy trying to hold things together in a messed-up world. The holidays are coming and he could really use a vacation, preferably somewhere tropical, with lots of bourbon. But chasing drug runners in Honduras wasn’t on his Christmas list… ‍

Buckle up.

‍ ‍

Book Launch: October 20

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Definition of a Crash Pad

A shared, temporary home away from home where airline pilots and flight attendants sleep, regroup, and wait between trips—often with more crew members than beds, and plenty of stories that never make it into the flight log. It’s a place to blow off steam, and survive the unpredictable life of the airline industry.

  • “A hilarious journey into the mayhem of airline deregulation as I knew it.”

    — Tom Davis, Retired Airline Pilot

  • “Comical, compelling characters and situations make this book difficult to put down.”

    — Donald Krivitsky, Former Army Pilot

  • "The author doesn’t just invite you to join him inside his story. Instead, he reaches out from the pages, grabs you by your shirt, pulls you inside, and takes you with him on a wild, jaunty, and wind-swept ride with pilots, veterans, labor leaders, corporate executives, and families."

    -Michael Foley, Author and RET. Lt. Boston Fire Department

  • In my short career in military aviation, I met more than a few people who could comfortably be described as "not all there." This is a great read, equal parts comical and frightening. Sometimes you read something and wonder how we all survived! Semper Fi.

    -Mike Cona, Former Marine

The Novel

The Crash Pad is Joseph’s debut novel, inspired by his years as an airline pilot during the turbulent era of airline deregulation in the 1980s. It follows five misfit pilots living in a ramshackle New Jersey “crash pad” as they navigate the personal mayhem and upheaval of a rapidly changing airline industry.

A decade-long project, the novel was a labor of love for Joseph and an outlet for the deep-seated feelings that remained from his years flying the “unfriendly skies” of deregulation.

The Crash Pad on Facebook
The Crash Pad on Facebook

Five Pilots.  One Crash Pad.  No Easy Landings.