The Vaulted Sky 

R. P. Moffa 

iUniverse (2009) 

ISBN 9781440152511 

Reviewed by Charline Ratcliff for RebeccasReads (02/10) 

Just for the record, I was unsure exactly what to expect when I started reading "The  

Vaulted Sky" by R. P. Moffa. Yes, I did request this book. Yes, I do love airplanes. Yes, I 

also love historical fiction but in looking the book over before I cracked it open I briefly 

wondered what I had gotten myself into. Not to worry though, I was immediately swept 

into Moffa's well written story and the pages had a way of almost turning themselves for 

me. 

My journey through time began in nineteen twenty-four where I met a younger Patrick 

Montalto, the book's main character. I was present for his initial encounter with a biplane 

which sparked the love affair he had with airplanes from that day forward. After this we 

fast forward to his teenage years, his first ride in a nineteen twenty-eight Waco and we 

follow along as he juggles his schooling, his responsibilities to his family and learning to 

fly. The years progress and he is not unaware of the turmoil erupting in the world outside 

the borders of the United States. In following his inner sense of what is right he finds 

himself in Canada training to become a fighter pilot in order to defend a country not his 

own. 

Moffa effortlessly takes us through one of the more horrendous periods of world history, 

World War II, and more often than not I was amazed by the accuracy of his portrayal 

both prior to and during the war. His tale came across as a believable accounting and 

even though "The Vaulted Sky" is a work of fiction it seemed as if the author had lived 

and experienced it firsthand.  

Moffa paints a realistic picture of what it was like to live as a fighter pilot; where every 

day could be one's last. He shows us the daily struggles, the pain, the loss, and yet he also 

shows us honor, integrity and pride. He recreates a different time; which encompassed a 

different set of values; when even your "downed" enemy was generally treated with 

respect. His words remind us that the only thing which really separates friend from foe is 

merely where one is born and that insight still rings true today. 

I have given "The Vaulted Sky" a five star rating. I highly it as a "must read" and I look 

forward to the continuation of Montalto's story in the upcoming sequel "The Sky  

Suspended."