Love him or loathe him, most boys will go to any lengths to impress their father. Few, however, went as far as Kern and Rinker Buck. In 1966, these two young Americans, aged 17 and 15, set out to fly a tiny Piper Cub plane from one coast of the country to the other. They had no radio and no navigational equipment bar a compass and a few maps. They found their way by following roads, railways and the lie of the land. Kern was barely old enough to take charge of a plane; his brother was too young to fly solo. Their Cub was an old wreck they had restored themselves one frozen winter in the barn behind their home near New York. It doesn't spoil Flight of Passage to give away the ending and say that the Buck boys made it to California; in five days, at some risk to their lives, but also after a ride that was an obvious joy to both. Rinker Buck makes that clear from the start of this very personal book. It's the title that explains what was really going on. These were two boys living under the shadow of a larger-than-life dad; the kind you would be proud to have, but scared to live with, let alone live up to. Tom Buck was a barnstorming vagabond pilot in his youth, who nearly died in a flying accident that left him with one leg and fractured health, but which did not stop him continuing the daredevil exploits that had caused the crash in the first place. He also indulged in the kind of story-telling that might entertain an adult but which would mightily embarrass a teenager. His 11 children never knew what to make of him and, as Rinker realises, try as the old man might, he didn't know what to make of them either, except that his expectations were high. Add to that the complexities of a shy older brother's relationship with his pushy sibling and you understand that this adventure was started as much to settle family relationships as to break any flying records. Buck tells his story well; largely through the eyes of a 15-year-old, but with the hindsight that can be indulged in later life. He mixes his growing personal awareness with good anecdotes, a sense of adventure and the kind of descriptive travel writing that makes his story come to life. America looks a fine place from 9,000 feet (about 2,700 metres), as described by Rinker Buck. There is much to enjoy once the preparations are over and the trip is under way. This was the 1960s, remember, and America was a more innocent place. The brothers became celebrities as they hopped from airfield to airfield, meeting old-time, seat-of-the-pants pilots of their father's generation, sleeping under their plane, surviving engine failure and a teenager's feelings of invincibility that could have led to disaster. Even as they flew away from him, there was no escaping Tom Buck. Press interest had gathered and the old man, now a successful magazine executive, had a hand in orchestrating what for a while became front-page news. The boys spent the last leg of a remarkable journey dodging reporters, cameras and television helicopters and cursing their father for letting them loose. Thirty years later, Rinker Buck has put his adolescence to rest with Flight of Passage, but in a way it is a one-sided affair. The women in the Buck family hardly get a mention - his mother, for instance, stays in the kitchen from page one to 350. Their absence leaves an essential family dimension untouched. Most men, however, will find echoes here that they recognise; even if they have never flown a plane in their lives. Flight of Passage By Rinker Buck Hyperion, $130
