Flying Into the Sun: Surfboards, Airplanes and Weed Across the Mexican Border

In 1979, a Mexican army truck and a small U.S.-registered airplane race toward each other on a remote airstrip in southern Mexico. Their game of chicken marks the end of a young surfer's smuggling odyssey involving midnight powwows with indigenous Zapotecs of Oaxaca, paddling kilos of marijuana across the Rio Grande on surfboards, learning to fly, and a stint in the Oaxaca State Penitentiary.

Flying Into the Sun is the true story of one Texas surfer's unlikely path to a career as a professional pilot, but it is not just about flying and learning to fly. It's an introspective, coming-of-age tale that weaves through a secret Mexico and chronicles the fast-changing 1970s in the U.S. with its emergent culture of long hair and drugs, rebellious youth versus hostile law enforcement, and the music and pop themes of the times.

PRAISE FOR FLYING INTO THE SUN

"On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair; Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air . . . . Oh, the good ol' days of red-haired Mexican pot in the 70s. Paul Ogier tells an engaging and entertaining story about his youthful misadventures as a drug runner at a time when people were discovering the joys of marijuana. Not only is "Flying Into The sun" well written, but there is a quiet wit about it that had me laughing out loud at several sections. As a coming of age story, this is certainly one of the best. It's insightful and has its touching moments. The ending left me both sad and uplifted that the main character had finally reached a level of maturity that set him on another path to his dreams. But the next time I fly, I will be wondering what youthful indiscretions the captain had committed!"
~Patricia Griffon, Author "Blind Reason"

"Yup, I love books. And I'm always happy to find a surf/travel book that takes me back to places I've been to, or back to a time I've missed. Flying into the Sun is a mix of both...a time before smartphone navigation in rental cars or even planes, and what more a surfboard can be used for than just riding waves...
Worth a read."
~thefreesurfer.com

"Fantastic!! It's going to be BIG! I see a movie!"
~Chris Cantara, pilot & owner of Seaside Aviation

"I began Flying Into the Sun with my pilot's cap on, expecting a tale of youthful bounds-pushing and flying anecdotes. Well, by page two I realized a lot more than bounds-pushing was unfolding, and the flying I expected was turning into chemically-enhanced and Mexican-grown flying of the kind best enjoyed by a campfire on a secluded beach. By the story's halfway point, I was as deep into the marijuana, hash, and coke world of smugglers and risk-takers as I'd ever been, and loving every moment of Paul Ogier's narrow escapes. Until escape was no longer an option. If you are a pilot, you will find yourself back in the cockpit on your first solo cross country...you know, the one you screwed up but managed to survive? In Ogier's case, managing to survive airborne and car-borne cross countries was both physically and financially dicey. The author's knowledgeable weaving of songs of the 70s (with a backhand to disco)to add color and texture to Flying Into the Sun is simply brilliant. But this is not a book about flying or music or even youthful risk-taking and consequences.This is a timeless story of an insatiable appetite that drives some elements of virtually all societies to create markets and methods to feed that often-deadly hunger."
~Jim Moore

"If you spent anytime in Mexico in the 60s and 70s you will appreciate this read as a coming of age story. Mexico was a surfers paradise, the sweet unspoiled Mexican frontier was made for youth and adventure. Paul does a good job of showing how one matured from a surf bum to the left seat for a major airline. Understanding where you've been helps know where you want to go...especially if it's a Mexican prison. Yeah, it's that good."
~Jonathon Blair