“From the beginning days of organized and regulated aviation maintenance, this book is a study in what works and what doesn’t…as relevant today as then. Great reading!
—Robert “Hoot” Gibson, Space Shuttle Commander and aircraft owner
“A King Tut’s tomb of aviation Americana centered around her father’s instrumental role after WWII making our skies the safest on the planet. A fun, insightful, informative book about a part of our flying heritage often overlooked.”
— Phill Bragg, aerial firefighter and author of Needle, Ball and Alcohol
“ Zerk ‘Em isn’t just for aviation fans. Readers who adored Maeder’s moving memoir When I Married My Mother will welcome this insightful investigation of family history and the grown up love between father and daughter.”
—Dawn Raffel, author The Strange Case of Dr. Couney
“The title will attract young and old pilots, airplane mechanics and aviation enthusiasts. But beneath the aviation prose is a father-daughter story that feeds deep meaning into the narrative. Jo Maeder has given her father a precious gift by bringing his zany (and knowledgeable) writing from the hey-day of barnstorming into today’s techno light. There are many paths into this book. If you are human with a funny bone and a heart, one is for you.”
— Clyde Edgerton, author of Solo: My Adventures in the Air
Over 25 years after her father’s death, Jo Maeder was given the contents of an old green metal filing cabinet that was his. When she finally tackled going through it, she discovered a treasure trove on the illustrious aviation and military careers of George Weitz that she knew little about. His writing success as a funny, folksy “cracker-barrel” style aviation inspector came as a complete surprise. He had grown up in Brooklyn. Determined to dig deeper, she pieced together her father’s mysterious life from misspent youth to Marine lieutenant colonel to government chief in the FAA. She also peeled back layers in his various marriages, including his last one to an outrageous Brit. Revealed against the backdrop of a post-WWII explosion in the number of aircraft and pilots that created non-stop havoc, aviation fans will love Zerk ‘Em. So will anyone who enjoys a provocative hidden history told with warmth and wisdom.