* * * * * Alcoholism, I was discovering, is a shadowy figure that lurks among some of the best airline pilots. And, in spite of the pressure and stress in the cockpit when things go wrong, amazingly, I’ve also found that a few pilots fly one hell of a lot better half in the bag. One such pilot was Captain Cardinale, a rangy, haggard individual with thinning salt and pepper hair (formerly a USAF fighter pilot, who had flown F-86 Sabres against Commie MiG-15s, in his youth during the Korean War). When we crossed paths, Cardinale was in his early fifties and had recently experienced a traumatic divorce. Slaving overseas to support his wife back in the States, with two grown daughters at university, required lo...