In a world where a successful airplane is a big jet plane, a little turboprop with big dreams faces headwinds and hardship as she navigates her own unique path to success.
"Because flight rules are also there to be broken!"
FLIGHT SCHOOL follows the high-flying adventures of Alea, a humble little turboprop who dreams of growing up to be a globe-trotting big jet plane.
As she fights against the odds to turn her dream into reality, Alea and her winged friends team up to help the forest-dwelling marmels achieve a goal they thought was beyond reach: a return to their beloved homeland of Peaceful Peninsula.
When Alea learns the hard way that big jet plane life comes at a sky-high cost, she will finally understand where her own personal success and happiness are to be found. Her adventures will also reveal the unimaginable fate that befell her missing parents - which, against all odds, will lead to her biggest and most extraordinary dream of all coming true.
Consistently funny, poignant, heartfelt, and thought-provoking, FLIGHT SCHOOL is effectively an extended adult fable styled as a warm and humourous children’s story.
Through a child’s eyes, the story will be enjoyed as a delightful and empowering hero’s journey woven through an exciting and unpredictable storyline. Through an adult’s, it will additionally be interpreted as a powerful allegory with insightful observations about human nature, ambition, meaning-making, and our modern-day society.
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Who are the main characters in FLIGHT SCHOOL?
Alea's diverse group of flying friends - and foes! - includes:
CAPTAIN MOODY: the damaged old water-bomber who can no longer transport water and dreams of finding a new purpose
SPLASH: the rain- and puddle-loving turboprop who was always destined to become a seaplane
DOC HOPPER: the rescue helicopter who dedicates her life to helping others
MONTY: the colourful hot air balloon who shows the world that you don't need to go fast to fly far and high in life
GIMLI: the glider who failed to finish school and therefore never earned his engines, but who nevertheless excels at flight
SPEEDBIRD, CLIPPER, CACTUS: the standout students whose shiny future as big jet planes was never in doubt
SMASHFACE: the school bully and nepo child who would only ever feel at home in the armed forces
PRINCIPAL PISTON: the authoritarian and out-of-touch director of Flight School, who should have retired long ago
ALEA'S PARENTS: the couple whose love was forbidden and who both went missing, but not before a daughter who would stop at nothing to find them came into the world
And of course, we can't forget the MARMELS! They include Marcel, Maddox, Maisie, Marvin, Malea, Massa, and Marley. They may be part-marmot, part-squirrel, and entirely wingless... but who said a marmel can't fly?! The how and the why of history's first-ever marmel flight is revealed in Act III of FLIGHT SCHOOL.
About the Author
Andy Ryan is a screenwriter with a keen interest in airplanes, education, and ecology. He has a passion for talent development, and for crafting stories with compelling narratives and luminous characters that resonate with audiences young and old. He speaks four languages and lives in Switzerland.