The novel Airframe, authored by Michael Crichton, is a captivating piece that gains momentum towards the conclusion. It centers around the aviation industry and a fictional company named Norton Aircraft, specializing in plane manufacturing. The protagonist, Casey Singleton, a middle-aged divorced mother serving as vice president of Norton’s Quality Assurance Incident Review Team, takes center stage. This team handles investigations and resolutions for any plane-related issues at Norton. While there are few supporting characters, John Marder stands out. Despite a slow start, the novel picks up pace in its final hundred pages.
The chief operating officer of Norton Aircraft, he is responsible for running the factory. He has been kind to Casey initially, but ultimately reveals himself as a deceitful individual. Jennifer Malone, a reporter for Newsline, plays a crucial role in the novel Airframe. The show she works for resembles the program 20/20. Intrigued by the recent issues surrounding the N-22 aircraft, she covers the incidents in her news story. Lacking a clear understanding of the aviation industry, Jennifer displays a negative attitude. As a result, Casey confronts her towards the end of the book. The plot of Airframe is intricate and captivating. The book commences with an exhilarating opening chapter, where an airplane faces intense turbulence leading to numerous passenger injuries.
At Nortonis, a team is established to investigate a situation that endangers their billion-dollar airplane deal with China. Despite diligent efforts, the team fails to uncover any leads. Consequently, the media seizes this opportunity and publishes sensational stories that raise concerns about airline safety. Given pre-existing anxieties regarding airline safety, negative reports about manufacturers attract significant attention. Meanwhile, Casey finds herself in perilous circumstances as she becomes aware of unidentified individuals who are following and observing her. Sensing something amiss, she becomes convinced that there is a hidden conspiracy at play. Nevertheless, Casey keeps her startling discovery concealed until the second-to-last chapter when she divulges it to Jennifer Malone. Ultimately, it is revealed that the entire incident was caused by an error made by one of the pilots.
The pilot, who had experience, allowed his son to take control of the plane while he went for coffee. Unfortunately, the son lacked experience and almost caused a crash. Casey Singleton investigated various possibilities before reaching the simple conclusion mentioned above. One possibility was that the wing slats extended without command. Another possibility was that counterfeit parts were installed in the plane with intent to cause damage. However, no evidence supported these possibilities. Later it was revealed that John Marder planned to exploit this incident to ruin Norton’s current president’s reputation. He believed that once Newsline aired a critical news story about this incident, both the president and Casey Singleton would suffer reputational damage since she conducted the interview. Additionally, Marder had been negotiating a deal with North Korea to sell more planes than Norton intended to sell to China. However, he needed to become president first for this deal to proceed.
After successfully selling the Korean stock, Norton’s shares would surge, resulting in John Marder’s wealth accumulation due to his significant ownership of it. Sadly, his scheme was foiled as the story failed to air because of the pilot’s error. It was later revealed that the manufacturer was not at fault. The public had no interest in hearing about a young child causing fatalities and injuries since such news is deemed unfavorable. Once exposed, Marder lost his job and Casey Singleton assumed his position. Airframe featured numerous conflicts that were too numerous to tally. The primary disputes centered around Casey Singleton and her colleagues who constantly engaged in arguments and disagreements regarding the accident’s cause. Another conflict emerged when suspicious individuals were found tailing Casey, only for it to be revealed that they were actually employees of John Marder.
The central conflict in Airframe revolves around John Marders’ efforts to conceal damaging information that could have destroyed both Hal Edgarton, the president of Norton, and Casey Singleton, the vice president of the QAR team. From my perspective, the main message of the novel is that our modern society is governed by a media driven by greed and possessing an excessive amount of power. They possess the capability to freely disseminate any information about anyone at any given moment, regardless of its accuracy. Ultimately, this conflict can be perceived as a clash between one individual (Marders) and society as a whole. The author of Airframe is Michael Crichton, who was born in Chicago in 1942 but grew up in a New York suburb. Despite attending Harvard Medical School with aspirations of becoming a doctor, Crichton maintained a strong passion for writing and even published his first novel titled In Case of Need under the pseudonym Jeffrey Hudson.
Michael Crichton, also known as John Lange, is a highly acclaimed writer who has received numerous awards for his prolific work. In addition to being a novelist, he has also successfully ventured into the world of film directing and created the immensely popular TV show ER. Some of his notable literary works include Airframe, The Lost World, Disclosure, Rising Sun, Jurassic Park, Sphere, The Eaters of the Dead, The Great Train Robbery, The Terminal Man,
The Andromeda Strain,
and In Case of Need.
Among these works,
I would particularly recommend Airframe to aviation enthusiasts and those intrigued by advanced technology. It has universal appeal and can be enjoyed by both men and women due to its incorporation of masculine themes despite featuring a female protagonist.
Despite not being considered Michael Crichton’s finest masterpiece,
Airframe still remains an impressive novel that revolves around gripping suspense within the fascinating realm of aircrafts. It serves as an ideal companion for a gloomy winter day.
