Explora Books will be displaying Burning Desire to Fly by Charles Cone at the upcoming London Book Fair, taking place March 10-12, 2026, at Olympia London, Hammersmith Road, London. The appearance at this international event brings renewed attention to a memoir that moves steadily through decades of aviation history and personal commitment. The timing feels especially meaningful as Charles Cone recently celebrated his 100th birthday on January 5, a quiet testament to a life lived close to the sky and well past a full century.
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, 21st Jan 2026 - Cone's memoir does not read like a final statement. It reads like a record of staying with something for a lifetime. Born in 1926 and raised in rural New York during the Great Depression, he did not grow up close to airplanes or opportunity. What he had was a steady idea of flight, formed through radio shows, popular stories, and the distant sight of early aviators. Even when money, health, and circumstance stood in the way, he kept moving toward that goal.
Those efforts carried him into World War II as a Navy aviation cadet, then through Korea, the Cold War, and active service in Vietnam, followed by decades of military and civilian flying. Cone writes about these years with a calm, careful voice. He describes carrier landings, long patrol flights, and aircraft that demanded focus at all times. He also recounts moments when things went wrong--engines failing, weather closing in, instruments losing their meaning. The tension in these scenes comes from their simplicity: a person, a machine, and the need to make the next right choice.
The book also looks outward. Cone writes about postwar Asia with clear eyes, noting poverty, political violence, and the uneasy rebuilding that followed global conflict. He writes about the Cuban Missile Crisis from the base level, where planes waited and people prepared without knowing how events would turn. These passages widen the memoir beyond one career into a view of history lived from inside.
Family life runs alongside every chapter. Cone's wife, Jo, and their children carried the weight of constant movement and long separations. Their reflections later in the book give the story a second voice, one shaped by patience, worry, and loyalty.
After retiring from the Air Force, Cone returned to flying in quieter ways--as an instructor, manager, and volunteer pilot helping patients reach medical care. Even in his nineties, he continued to learn new systems and fly with care.
As Explora Books brings Burning Desire to Fly to the London Book Fair, the memoir arrives not as a tribute to the past, but as a living record of what it means to stay devoted to a single calling for a hundred years.
Burning Desire to Fly is available through major booksellers nationwide.
About Explora Books
Explora Books is a Vancouver-based firm helping authors break through the noise of the self-publishing world. Our mission is pushing the boundaries of creativity in amplifying your story globally. Creativity reimagined. Using focused research and strategic marketing, we give writers clear paths to visibility and measurable growth. Our team simplifies each stage of self-publishing with practical guidance and reliable support. Committed to innovation and high standards, Explora Books works to give authors a real chance to be seen, heard, and published on their own terms.
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View source version on King Newswire:
Burning Desire to Fly Heads to the London Book Fair with Explora Books, Marking Charles Cone's 100th Year
Release id:16392
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