Capt. Dale BlackRezensionen

A Pilot's true story.

Flight To Heaven is a beautifully written and amazing account of life, death - and life again. In the early days of his flying career, Capt. Dale Black was a passenger in a horrific airplane crash which some have called the most ironic in aviation history. He was the only survivor. In the gruesome aftermath of the crash Dale experienced a life-changing journey to heaven.

When I picked up this book I could not put it down until I had finished it all. At age 19 he was in a plane flight in which he survived only by the grace of God. Others in the same plane did not survive. It was indeed a miracle that he survived. For days after the wreck it did not look like he would pull through. For days he hovered between life and death. He experienced an after death experience but did not tell his story for some 40 years after the incident. He wanted his story to be focused on God and not him. He managed to focus on God entirely in the telling of his story. I highly recommend this book.

I came to this book deeply skeptical. All too many people and books these days claim to have visited Heaven and yet their experiences do not match up to the revealed Word of God (e.g. entirely too many near-death-experiences taking place in Heaven instead of Hell).

This book, however, I felt was different. Although it too could potentially be a hoax, it was written very differently. Heaven actually was only described for a couple chapters and was not a key plot point. (This could be because for a good chunk of the time, amnesia was preventing him from remembering what had happened.) The real book was about Captain Black's accident, recovery, and the ramifications in his life. And there did seem to be effects, a closer relationship to God, much more concern about others and their salvation, etc. I found myself thinking multiple times that if he were really to have gone to Heaven, these are exactly the types of responses you would expect. I'll give him the benefit of a doubt and allow God to work outside the box occasionally.

(On the bad side, the book needs some editing work before general release, hence the 4.5 rating.)½

“Flight to Heaven” is a page-turner.
This true story is both a page-turner and a faith-learner. The author tells how after being involved in a deadly plane crash in 1969, his life was irrevocably altered. The dramatic event took him on a journey that most of us have likely not yet taken—to heaven and back again. Cautioned by his grandfather not to commercialize his sacred experience, the author told no one else for almost 40 years. His subsequent physical struggles and growth in faith through having been given a glimpse of heaven are deeply inspiring. I highly recommend this true life account to everyone who desires to have their faith lifted just as it did mine.”
Pastor K. Cetton
Park Terrace Baptist Church, Binghamton, NY

Interesting and provocative. A topic that often provokes much scepticism. However, a lot of what Dale had to deal with following his accident and the long recovery period especially I can relate with. Determination and the will to live with the the underpinning of faith in God can go a long way to producing positive results in a person's life. Dale has proved this in this account and I would acknowledge that fact.
I enjoyed reading this book and the certain emotional level which it engendered in me. It is to be hoped that it would offer encouragement to some who seriously wonder about the circumstantial effects of life.½

Like other authors who recall their experience in heaven, Capt Black also qualified his attempt at putting it into words - very restrictive. Black's description of heaven in "Flight To Heaven" is glorious! I believe I will reread these chapters about heaven many more times, to feel its sense of peace!

Yet don't misinterpret anything here, I feel you must read this book from cover to cover to understand Black's human side. He struggled so unbelievably as a result of the accident - physically, emotionally and spiritually.
---Ann

While Flight to Heaven presents an interesting story, I felt it bogged down in places and I began to be anxious, several times, for the author to get to the point and get on with the story. I am pleased to see Capt. Black share his story as an inspiration and encouragement to others, and to share his testimony. Though I felt frustrated at some points in the book, I would recommend Flight to Heaven to others who enjoy reading inspirational literature or accounts of near-death experiences.

Flight to Heaven..a pilot's true story..wow!! this book kept me so interested that I could not put it down.. I read the whole book one afternoon. The story is about a young pilot who was the only survivor in a plane crash. He shows how God was working in his life and how He healed him even taking him to Heaven for awhile and allowing him to come back and carry out the work God had planned out for Him.. It shows that anything is possible with God!!

Flight to Heaven by Captain Dale Black

Flight to Heaven seriously needs a copyreader and editor--maybe a professional ghost writer could have saved this book, but I doubt it. Many typographical errors as well as syntax errors jar the reader’s sensibilities and create an unpleasant experience. The dialog does not help the plot as both are trite and silly. Black skips around chronologically with no apparent plan or reason and to ill effect as the time traveling is confusing rather than enlightening or interesting. Some events such as Black passing the physical for solo piloting when he was obviously not adequately healed must be true but lack credibility nevertheless. Black’s motivation for writing this book is to describe his after-death experience including a trip to heaven. Black’s description of heaven lacks imagination as it is the typical golden city with angels singing and great joy emanating from everywhere. I would never have continued reading had I not felt a commitment to Librarything and the free book evaluation policy.

I wasn't sure where a book like this might go. I've read a few personal accounts of people's spiritual experiences, and at times been concerned that the person had allowed their personal experience to redefine their theology - and their suggestions for other people's theology. Subjective experiences are limited in what they can mean for everyone or anyone else.

Dale Black is aware of this risk. His first words express his long term concerns that he not misappropriate his experience as have some others who've used their experiences or stories as a means to attention or an attempt at fame. Black's decision, instead, to try and live out his experience privately for forty years means that this book is interested more in the question of what to do now. While the book does describe his experience, it does so in the context of what was happening in his life and recovery outside of the spiritual experience itself. I think the book perhaps plays down Black's long term commitment to missions and Christian service - though I would have liked to hear more about where God has taken him. The story which frames the book is wonderful, but I do wish there was a bit more depth of reflection around the questions of God's sovereign hand.

Saying that, I mean to suggest that the book is simply written, and so has the flavour of many of the simple Christian biographies and autobiographies that I've read. This book does not really contain the reflections of a theologian or philosopher; rather this is a factual account of a person's experiences and thoughts. The Christian thinking in the book is direct that way, and often the accounts of Black's interactions about Jesus and the Christian faith have that air of radical simplicity about them.

This is the kind of book that a skeptical non-Christian may find a bit frustrating should they try to engage with it. You can hear them demanding: "All this wonderful spiritual experience and transformation and it turns into asking people if they know Jesus?!! That's it?!!" In response some conservative Christians might just reiterate the evangelistic question, some reflective Christians may engage in conversations of depth from that point, and some mature Christians will just nod with a slight smile.

I would have liked a little more in terms of depth and reflectiveness, but knowing myself the experience of God's hand day to day, I could feel the way that Black has experienced God's hand guiding and providing as matter of practical daily reality. Sometimes I'm not sure I could actually say much more about it myself. I know what was, and what now is . . . and really that's all we can say.

Dale Black says it faithfully. His vision was not about a bunch of secret spiritual insights, but was instead a powerful redirection to the God who gives insight. Dale is clearly a man more interested in walking with God than talking aimlessly about him, and that keeps this kind of account from wandering into the sort of speculations that can lead people astray, chasing experiences instead of the one who gives them.

I do think something that would have made the work significantly more compelling would have been numerous photos from over the years. Pictures of his physical state after the crash and through recovery, of newspaper headlines or articles from the time, or even of the monument or aircraft would nail down any questions of credibility and for the skeptic who does engage . . . perhaps that would be good?

Thanks Dale, for hearing God, for seeking his kingdom work first, and for being open to sharing your story. I was through it in two eager sittings, and was touched by it's sincerity and simplicity. May you fly for him again and again.½

Flight to Heaven is inspiring, encouraging and a testimony of what God can do when He is allowed to work in the life of an individual. Brilliantly written with profound truths inside, the book challenged me to trust more in a personal God who cares for me and my family. Anyone who wants to know more about a real God should read Flight to Heaven.

At age 19 Capt. Dale Black miraculously survived a horrific plane crash with extensive injuries. During his hospital recovery he experienced a visit to heaven.
I was very excited to read this books as I am fascinated with peoples' accounts of their near death experiences. I find that there is a reoccurring similarity between accounts which I find reassuring. That is not the case in this book. The story reads pretty well at the beginning and the end of the book but I had trouble with his trip to heaven. It didn't flow like the rest of this book.
If I was editing this book I would shorten the forward written by Paula Black as I feel it gives away to much of the story itself. It also sounds like opening remarks a lawyer would make at a court hearing in some places. Although I believe that his experiences are authentic as he remembers it, I felt disappointed in the actual book itself.

I had a love hate relationship with Dale Black autobiography. On the one hand it is a story of one man’s powerful spiritual experience that changed his life and led him to dedicate himself to helping folks around the world with his gifts of piloting. He is a person who loves people and cares for others and tells a good story of growth and spiritual development after suffering a great personal tragedy.
However, it is again one of those books that makes the most important experience the one that the individual has with God apart from others. It’s “you and me, Baby (God)” Christianity and faithfulness is measured by how much you love Jesus and feel all warm and fuzzy about your Christianity. I do not believe that reflects a true Christian experience, does not speak to a realistic faith experience and is not an experience that is even biblical. So in that respect, the story endlessly annoyed me. However, that said, it is an uplifting story, and for someone who wants an example of a fine personal relationship with God, and need a story to inspire them, it works great.½

No matter what you believe regarding life after death and near death experiences, there can be no doubt that Capt. Dale Black believes in both. In this memior he reveals what happened to him after he survived an unsurvivable plane crash. He died. He went to heaven. Then he came back. It changed his life. Everyone who knows him says so, and the way he lived his life from then on proved it.

This brief memoir is a compelling story that encourages you to expand your beliefs about heaven and what motivates the human spirit.

FLIGHT TO HEAVEN is an engrossing, well-written autobiographical account of Dale Black’s near-fatal place crash and subsequent recovery – both physical and spiritual. While Capt. Black goes into some detail about his near-death experience (NDE), what he actually *saw* in heaven (while fascinating) is secondary to what he *learned*. This is what I found most compelling about Dale Black’s story, and his life: how his NDE re-ordered his priorities and granted him God’s serenity.

This small book, although unavoidably simplistic about the Christian walk because of its brevity, exudes love and compassion. I found it a comfort, and a refreshing change from the self-righteous judgmentalism that seems to be rampant in our society today. Kudos to co-author Ken Gire for helping Capt. Black weave together the threads into an engrossing, coherent narrative that is an eloquent witness to grace and love.

"Flight to Heaven" will inevitably be compared to "90 Minutes in Heaven." I found "Flight to Heaven" more to my liking than "90 Minutes." While the description of heaven is not especially vivid, it evokes a feeling and impression in the reader. I preferred the emphasis on the change that a glimpse of heaven made on the author's life to the endless details of physical suffering that made up much of "90 Minutes." Having recently lost a loved one, I find myself searching for information about heaven. "Flight to Heaven" was a satisfying read.

In "Flight To Heaven", Captain Dale Black has put to paper one of the most incredile stories of survival, recovery and faith that you will ever read, and that's before he even tells you about heaven.
As a young pilot in training, Dale was a passenger in a small jet with two other experienced pilots. Just after takeoff, the plane clipped a grove of trees which diverted its path and they slammed into a seven-story monument known as "The Portal of The Folded Wings," which ironically is a memorial to famous aviators who have passed away. The other two pilots died from the impact of the crash, but Dale somehow survived and was rescued and brought to the hospital. What follows in the book is a two-sided story: one of recovery from massive and brutal injuries, and one of a brief but mesmerizing view of Heaven.
Being somewhat of a skeptical person, I have generally held a cynical view of claims people have made about going to heaven temporarily and returning back to earth. However, after having the pleasure of meeting Dale and then reading his book, I have no doubt that his story is true. The man is the definition of genuine, and to me the most striking part of his story is that he waited 40 years to tell anyone about it. While some people have attempted to cash in or commercialize their out-of-body experiences, Dale kept his a secret from everyone except his grandfather for four decades. Imagine having experienced Heaven and not telling anyone about it! But this particular aspect of the story made me truly believe.
As far as Dale's descriptions of heaven, they are truly breathtaking. I won't try to do them justice here or recap them, but rest assured that you will be mesmerized and inspired by his experience with the afterlife. It's hard to know what to say after reading it; but you will come away with a sense of awe and wonder, and longing to hear more about it.
The other half of Dale's incredible story has to do with his physical recovery after his Heavenly experience. His injuries were so severe that most would not have survived at all. Evel Knievel's doctor was called in due to the nature of the injuries, and he took on a challange that most would have given up on. The relationship that grows between Dale and the doctor is one of the most touching parts of the book, and the ending of that subhead is gratifying. What comes across very clearly in reading about the injuries and recovery process is the depth of Dale's faith, even as a young man. He refused to give up in the face of insurmountable odds; even with setback after setback. However, Dale's story is also one of human doubts, and his frustration with God and doubt through the recovery are there, and this makes him all the more real. Who wouldn't doubt God through such an arduous and painful process? But God continued to show his power and plan to Dale through his recovery; and this is extremely interestin to read about.
The way this book is written is phenomenal considering the subject matter; and it is definitely very difficult to put down. The ending to the story is incredible, and I won't give it away here. But you will come away with amazement at Dale's life and story, and also at his faith and God's faithfulness to him. An incredible person and an incredible story. Mr. John Dorman, Sr. Business Banker

I was given an advance copy of Flight to Heaven by a friend, having read no less than fifty books about life after death, heaven and NDE (near death experiences). Without doubt Flight to Heaven by Capt. Dale Black is the most comprehensive description of heaven I’ve ever read. The book kept me on the edge of my seat from cover to cover but the concepts regarding heaven were a little deep for me at first. The story was very credible, even to my critical mind, but as such, I was not able to fully comprehend the magnitude of the heavenly experience without reading those chapters twice. I strongly encourage anyone searching to understand more about the God and life hereafter to read this book. In fact, you should read it twice.

Spoiler alert. A compelling story of life after death. A disasterous plane crash that should have had no surviors...did have one. Dale Black relives a miraculous story of events that strengthened his spiritual life and gave him purpose to live. This extroidinary story restrengthened my spiritual life and was so gripping I couldn't put it down. I thouroughly enjoyed it!

I was expecting something a bit different but was not disappointed by Flight to Heaven. Having read 90 Minutes in Heaven I think I was expecting more descriptions of the authors time spent there. The author does share some about his time there but this book is more about how the trip affected his life. How he became a changed man by his experience in heaven and his recovery. Flight to Heaven is worth the read.

Biography - Heaven