The lost dirigible

Eighteen-year-old Jack Sterling has finally earned his naval commission and is eager for a real assignment. Ordered to report to an aviation base near the Texas–Mexico border, he leaves home with pride, uncertainty, and a promise to his worried mother that he will take every possible precaution. Jack expected ships and radio work—not flying machines—and has no idea what awaits him in the skies over the Gulf.

At the base, Jack encounters unfamiliar military routines, intriguing strangers, and a fleet of remarkable silver dirigibles. As rumors of trouble along the border grow, his technical skills and courage are soon put to the test. When he joins the crew of the airship Fate, a routine mission becomes an adventure among storms, clouds, and dangerous unknowns, where friendship may be as difficult to judge as the shifting winds.