Cross Winds

In 1992, at the end of the Cold War, Steven Myers became the first American since Charles Lindbergh in 1931, to pilot an aircraft into the Russian Kamchatka peninsula. There he formed one of the first post-Soviet era joint ventures-a pioneering, expansive, business enterprise with the potential to transform the lives of the people of the Russian Far East. Steve's remarkable true story recounts the dramatic adventure, courageous entrepreneurship, and intrigue in the creation of a breakthrough business in a remote corner of the world, a wonderous place few people have been to or know anything about. The underlying theme of the story is the clash of two vastly different cultures: Americans, with go-for-broke, entrepreneurial "can do" attitudes, and Russians with a long, painful history of constraining rules, risk aversion, and fear. After years of hard work, just as the enterprise is about to achieve breakthrough success, an unexpected warning by US government agents alerts Myers that his life is in danger if he continues with his business activities in Russia. How he reacts, and what he does next, provides a gripping, dramatic climax to the story. A timeless exploration of human conflict, determination, and power, this book will inspire adventurers, aviators, entrepreneurs, business leaders, politicians, and diplomats to push past their fears and take command of their dreams. After all, "the cornerstone of courage is optimism."