In his colorful, gripping reminiscences, Brenlove describes what it's like to be an air traffic controller. During his tumultuous fifteen year relationship with the FAA, Brenlove witnessed both an explosion in in air travel and an explosion of another sort: the 1981 nation-wide strike of air traffic controllers. The author chronicles the history of that strike, analyzing the causes and lingering effects of systemic problems in the FAA. Besides providing a thoughtful, inside look at a defining moment in FAA history, Brenlove weaves a witty account of his career. Readers learn what it's like to scan the skies for traffic from the glass-enclosed tower, to time landing and runway crossings to the second, and to guide enroute pilots and passengers from the inner sanctum of the radar room. Vectors to Spare is an absorbing narrative that will be of interest to pilots, controllers, air travelers, and anyone with even an armchair interest in aviation