--- id: flying-free-00-front-matter title: Flying Free — Front Matter category: Book Front Matter predicted_narrative_arc: crisis-to-level-flight sentiment: Hopeful emotions: - resilience - faith - gratitude - determination keypoints: - Aviation checklists and level flight as metaphors for crisis recovery - Three life phases mirroring in-flight emergencies - Vietnam combat, three cancers, startup failure, and 9/11 business collapse as lived events - Dedication to wife Vickie as accountability partner and family as future inspiration - Endorsements from pastors, NASCAR driver, generals, and executives summary: 'Dean Rush shares his personal framework for recovering from life crises using aviation metaphors drawn from his experiences as a fighter pilot, entrepreneur, and pastor. The book outlines three phases: Analyze the Situation, Take Proper Action, and Land as Soon as Practical. It includes dedications to family and endorsements highlighting his combat service, multiple cancer battles, business setbacks, and faith-based resilience.' tags: - childhood - family - faith - work - military - testing - gratitude - anxiety - reverence - warmth - conviction - washington - flying-free - aviation-metaphor - personal-crisis - faith-journey sycophancy: 2 truth_score: 9 entropy: 3 updated: '2026-09-08T18:40:17Z' vault_stage: 07_CODEX headwaters: COMPA prefix: COMPA enrich_status: ok enrich_blockers: [] enrich_method: llm pipeline_filename: COMPA_2026-09-08_flying-free-front-matter.md proposed_topic: Wisdom lane: Wisdom description: Praise, dedication, foreword, acknowledgements, and introduction to Dean Rush’s book on recovering from crisis and finding new purpose. corpus_topic: Wisdom --- # Flying Free: Life after Crisis **Dean Rush** **Full book:** https://deanrush.net/downloads/flyingfreebook.md --- ## About This Book Dean Rush’s *Flying Free* is a deeply personal guide to navigating life’s crises—whether the sudden loss of a loved one, a devastating diagnosis, the collapse of a career, or the shattering of long-held plans. Written by a man who has lived through combat in Vietnam, three battles with cancer, the failure of a start-up airline, the breakup of a company after 9/11, and the long road back to purpose, this book offers both hard-won wisdom and genuine hope. Dean draws on his extraordinary background as a fighter pilot, aviation entrepreneur, executive, and pastor. He uses the language of aviation—checklists, instruments, emergency procedures, and the pursuit of “level flight”—to give readers a practical framework for staying in control when life throws them into a spin. The book is divided into three clear phases that mirror how a pilot handles an in-flight emergency: - **Section I – Analyze the Situation!** Stabilize, gather information, and understand what is really happening. - **Section II – Take Proper Action** Make decisions and move forward with faith and clarity. - **Section III – Land as Soon as Practical** Find safe ground, rebuild, and help others who are still in the air. --- ## Praise for *Flying Free* > “Dean Rush is an angel without wings and one of the finest mentors in America. He has packed five lifetimes into one: family man, fighter pilot, aviation entrepreneur, aviation executive and pastor. He is my friend and co-worker. I get to enjoy his grace, wisdom and common sense every day. And now, you do too!” > — Robert Emmitt, pastor, Community Bible Church, San Antonio, Texas > “This is a must read. Dean’s description of his life, and lessons learned, is not only captivating, but will provide the proper motivation for anyone going through any type crisis! I only wish I had read this book nine years ago.” > — Bobby Hillin, NASCAR driver and business owner > “Dean Rush is a wonderfully wise and skillfully competent leader and pilot. In *Flying Free,* he provides us a rich reservoir to draw from as we learn to face personal tragedy and resume full flight.” > — Dr. Dave Earley, Director of the Lovett Center for Ministry Training, Director and Chair of Pastoral Leadership and Church Planting, Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary > “With a strong belief in God, Dean Rush shares his living testimony of faith and flies on an eagle’s wings above the darkest of storms.” > — Chuck Carroll, Major General USAF (Retired) > “Dean provides some excellent ideas about how God often uses specific problems to lead us to His very purpose for our life.” > — Norm Miller, chairman, Interstate Batteries --- ## Dedication This book is dedicated to my life partner of more than fifty years, Vickie, who has shared with me the numerous events outlined in these pages, accepted me for who I am, and loved me in spite of my many faults. She has listened when I needed a sympathetic ear, encouraged me when I was down, and served as my accountability partner when I needed direction. Like so many other aspects of my life, God provided Vickie when I didn’t know I needed a soul mate. Her intelligence has been a shared asset of our partnership, her perception the guide for most of our good decisions, and her allegiance the key to my success. I also dedicate the book to Ryan and Lana Rush, Holly Fulton, and four beautiful grandchildren, Ryley, Reagan, Lily, and Morgan, who have proven to be my inspirations for the future of our world. They have illustrated for me the reassurance that only God can make life as beautiful as it is. Last, I dedicate this book to everyone who has endured a crisis and found the freedom of flying free from the turmoil to arrive at their dream. Thanks to all of you. --- ## Scripture **Life’s Opportunities Are Often Hidden in Problems.** *Isaiah 40:31* *But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.* --- ## Foreword You are about to embark on an incredible flight through the pages of a plan to recover from personal tragedy and unforeseen turbulence, a flight plan to return your personal life to an atmosphere of smooth air and clear skies with visibility unlimited. Level flight is the foundation for sustained aircraft performance and forms the basis for advanced pilot training. Without the ability to sustain controlled flight, an aspiring aviator cannot hope to learn the skills necessary to enter combat, master the challenges of aerobatics, or survive the hazards of inclement weather. In life, we too encounter turbulence and challenging conditions that test our ability to maintain self control, analyze the situation, and then take proper action. Unlike a pilot who may be alone at night in the weather when an emergency situation develops, we have many resources available to help us to stabilize our crisis and return to level flight where new opportunities await. Dean was my instructor in the advanced phase of Air Force pilot training. Although he was a lieutenant, he had just returned from a distinguished combat tour in Viet Nam. Beyond his extraordinary pilot skills, he is a man who exudes the power of positive thinking that formed the foundation of my own family’s beliefs. As my instructor he had the skills to turn aspiration into excellence, and he reinforced the high ideals of professional service to our country. Today, he continues to be my inspiration and my rock. I commend the inspirational guidance offered herein by Dean as he takes you on a personal journey through recovery to free flight. He has served his country, his family, and his friends, and throughout his own personal tragedies, he has without question trusted his Lord. Dean is a man of God who has dedicated his life to others and now provides a flight plan from tragedy to victory roll. — David Eberly Colonel, USAF (Retired) Author, *Faith Beyond Belief* --- ## Acknowledgements Though many people contributed to this book, only the few I will mention here were the ones I can capture at the time of this writing. Many others took time from their lives to share with me, befriend me, and even pray with me about my desire to put these ideas into action. My wife, Vickie, edited my work over and over again to the point of saying she was ready to see it go to print. Her ideas and edits gave me new perspective and positive reflections on the substance of this book. My administrative assistant, Diane Beavers, on her own time, poured over the content and the structure many times without complaining. My father and mother influenced this venture by patiently putting up with my desire to fly when I was very young and teaching me that God would be there, even through turmoil, to pick me up when I was down. They instilled that point deeply into my character so that I experienced an inherent confidence, which often allowed me to endure the bad times. I appreciate the time my friend David Eberly took from his life to read and edit these pages. His contribution was enormous and brought many ideas into focus when they seemed to have been perilously close to flying off into space. He has given so much good advice that, at times, I began understanding myself better through his eyes and words. Additionally, the editors at Brandylane Publishers have performed a great service in putting up with this novice author who simply decided to relay some of his life experiences to others. The lead editor of the effort was Annie Tobey and her efforts are especially appreciated. I also credit the great aviators with whom I have been privileged to fly over the years. Many have gone on to heaven but I have learned from them, laughed with them, and even feared with them at times. We shared a bond beyond the space in the cockpit and for each of them, I will be forever grateful. Last, I wish to acknowledge the great peers I work with, who allow me to work with the people we see daily at our church. The people who walk in the doors of the church are, like me, just people who seek to improve their lives. Their desire to be more like Christ inspires me, every day, to know Him better. --- ## Introduction > “Never give up when life presents a problem, for there is something to be gained from every challenge.” > — My Grandfather Rush I’ve had a blessed life, but I am not a perfect person. My life has been marked with challenge both personal and public, yet immeasurably fulfilling. I believe that where I am weak, strength is provided through the God of the universe who created me. Seeking His guidance daily and understanding His plan, not mine, remains the cornerstone of my faith and serves as my flight plan through life. And I believe that working in tandem with Christ is the key for everyone who desires to move to a new level of satisfaction in their lives. My life has been molded by dreams of flight and the rigors of the aviation industry. As a child I looked longingly to the skies at the sound of an airplane and then later followed that contrail to the U.S. Air Force. During my tenure in the Air Force I had some great flying adventures and I experienced the opportunity to serve my country as a forward air controller in Vietnam. I was gifted with some great educational moments during that combat tour and suffered exposure to Agent Orange. Exposure to the carcinogen has three times grown a cancerous tumor that resulted in surgery and ongoing rehabilitation. All the cancer episodes interrupted a career, my family, and the security we all value for stability. Ironically, the disease began to show up long after I exited the Air Force and entered the private sector. It, with surprising clarity, seemed to dominate our lives at a time when we least needed a diversion. I experienced moments of depression during the first episode, which pointed to thoughts of giving up, but somehow the light at the end of those tunnels proved to be greater hope. Each episode resulted in a change that I would not have anticipated but the new direction seemed to be predestined to add fulfillment to my life. The first lessons after my military experience came when I was involved in a start-up airline. Being too naive to know that you cannot just start an airline, I forged into the realm of commercial aviation, which eventually moved me from military processes to the civilian regimen in aviation. All of those lessons later combined to add credibility to the decision-making processes required as a career grew and responsibilities widened my ability to manage complex situations. Unknowingly, God was putting me through an educational process, which would be used later as new challenges arose. After years were spent climbing the corporate ladder with challenges both mentally and physically, I began to search for the elusive satisfaction that comes with complete fulfillment. Only after being knocked off the proverbial ladder by economics (a business failure), health issues (cancer), and business circumstances (the company I was running was broken up and sold) I finally succumbed to a call to full-time Christian service that had come when I was only fourteen years old. The fifty-plus years in the interim were filled with lessons that added strength to my new vocation. Some of my trails led to dead-end canyons and some flights ended in crash landings, but eventually the education proved fruitful. It just took me more years than most to reach the peak of career satisfaction, and this book is intended to help others learn from some of my experiences. With a supportive wife, a great family, and a wonderfully sustaining church family, I have realized a dream that allowed me to use all those life lessons for the benefit of others. My prayer is that through the transparency of some embarrassing failures, both financial and physical, I can share experiences that might help others gain enough knowledge to avoid some of my pitfalls. The intent of this work is to have others learn from my experiences as a help in exiting their own uncomfortable situations. If you can follow a smooth pathway and avoid the rock-strewn roads, life’s highway can be much more satisfying, and lead to greater accomplishment. The following pages will provide insight that illustrates the fact that my pathway was not always smooth but always exciting. Each new career impediment for me proved to be an opportunity to jump to a new experience that built a stronger foundation for future challenges. My last hurdle came when I had just signed a long-term contract to be president of a company building airplanes internationally and was called by our chairman to be told that the company was going to be broken up and sold in pieces after the tragedy of 9/11. He simply stated there was no way of seeing what the future held for aviation after that catastrophe in New York, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania, where so many Americans died. The chairman was right, but it left me in the proverbial lurch over what to do next and led me to a lunch with our pastor who offered me the opportunity to use all my past experiences in life to help others in the church. Unknowingly, I had been funneled into an opportunity. It was a chance to experience a career that God had spent six decades preparing me to enter. All the successes and even the failures were being piled into one event that I never anticipated. My new position with the church gave me more fear of failure than anything I had yet experienced because it was unfamiliar territory and required straight-up truthfulness about limitations. I had washed airplanes, fueled airplanes, flown over 121 different types of aircraft, tested airplanes, and run airplane companies, but never had I been directly asked to lead someone to Christ. Flying airplanes, even in combat, is a completely different experience than combating the problems of others who face life-altering decisions. Finally called to serve Him, I began to realize I had been prepared to help others through lessons learned during my own tragedies and experiences. God had been preparing me all along with lessons from experiences. Now I could share what I had learned. In addition to learning the basics of fair weather flight, a pilot learns how to manage an aircraft in emergency situations: how to maintain control, analyze the situation, take proper action, and land as soon as practical. As we experience emergency situations in life, we too must follow steps that lead to recovery. The steps used by a pilot for recovering a troubled aircraft can also be utilized by people piloting their way through life. This is the metaphorical journey the reader will take in this book. --- **Next:** Begin with **Section I – Analyze the Situation!** starting with Chapter 1: *Steady as You Go – Unseen Opportunities*. **Full book download:** https://deanrush.net/downloads/flyingfreebook.md