Born into a nation divided by race and class, and a home cleaved by tragedy, George Kelham’s wants were few. He wished for a happy family, a place to belong, and the freedom to find success through hard work. Oh, and somehow, to fly… Conscripted into service as a teen by a country at war with itself, George's first experience on a helicopter was spent peering out its open door with a gun on his hip. As he fought to keep himself and others alive, he vowed that someday he'd be that guy: the one who dropped platoons into thick wilderness, and the one everyone longed to see show up for rescue after. A pilot. Fleeing home at the behest of his parents when it became clear how little those in command valued the life of young men, George journeyed the world alone through the unforgiving terrain of African nations, London's wild, wonderful, and impoverished punk rock scene, America's stretching highways, and through the relentless cold of Canadian winters. Through it all, George held on to his dream. Little did he know, obtaining a pilot's license would only be the beginning of a much wilder ride. Vertical Lift is the dramatic and inspiring true story of how one man can lose everything, time after time, before eventually achieving freedom, family, home, and success. Reviews Restless seeking leads a man from Rhodesia to Canada — and to his calling as a pilot. "George Kelham’s memoir Vertical Lift: A Heli-Pilot’s Mission for Freedom, Family, and Success has layers of meaning about identity and career drive. As told to K.H. Bickell, the story recounts how the author formed a family and developed a business while dealing with the challenges of frequent migration. A wide audience will find much to admire in this unusual personal story. There is great attention to historical detail in this memoir, whether talking about Rhodesia in wartime ( “cigarette lighters were impossible to find, so people used matches” ) or a 21st-century Canadian wildfire ( “residents returned to scorched earth where their homes had stood” ). The tone is suffused with nostalgia. George’s identity is tied to the countries he has come to know, yet he seems ambivalent about his homeland and his family of origin, and he longs for a better life in which he can follow his bliss. Vertical Lift rigorously sticks to chronological order. This makes George’s flight path easy to follow. Readers could take away a number of lessons in Vertical Lift , and they may have to decide for themselves what the story means for them. Someone might notice, for example, that some helicopter pilots thrive in the military while other pilots, like George, do well in private business. Is that difference driven by innate personality or by situations? Here, it’s left open. Life presents vast possibilities for each of us, despite our challenges and constraints. This thoughtful memoir implicitly asks us to consider how war and immigration restrictions affect people’s lives, and it invites us to imagine what next year might hold for us if we put in the hard work today." - Tucker Lieberman, Independent Book Review