Southern California Book Festival Award In 1999 the world teeters on the edge of war with Russia as a fleet of experimental Russian attack subs wage an all-out assault on the Atlantic shipping lanes, increasing the need for the U.S. to transport military cargo by air. America urgently needs to replace its aging fleet of giant C-5 Galaxy cargo planes, one of which crashed due to wing failure. Responding to this need, an aging, visionary industrialist assembles a crack team of engineers to refurbish and fly the giant 52-year-old Hughes H-4 Hercules Flying Boat, the Spruce Goose , as a prelude to building a fleet to replace the Galaxies as quickly as possible. These events set the stage for a tale of international intrigue, undersea warfare, cut-throat competition between aircraft manufacturers, and an unexpected military rescue mission into Northern Russia the Hughes Flying Boat must undertake. It is a fast-paced story about the resurrection of a legendary aircraft and the redemption of the man destined to fly her.