Retired Airline Pilot, Former Marine Aviator, Author, Filmmaker and Cartoonist
Welcome Aboard
I've spent a good part of my life in cockpits, crew rooms, crash pads, and places I'm probably better off not mentioning. Along the way, I collected plenty of stories—and drew a few cartoons about the people who made them memorable.
Eventually, those experiences found their way into The Crash Pad.
So have a look around. You’ll find cartoons from then and now, films, and a few stories worth telling.
Thanks for flying with me.
— Joe
ETA: October 20, 2026
Turbulence wasn’t just in the sky…
A Debut Novel by
Joseph A Conforti
In the fall of 1990, Captain Tony Martin’s life is in a tailspin. Airline deregulation is redefining what it means to be a pilot. The airline he flies for faces an imminent strike. Martin splits his time between fighting with his family at home and fighting with his eccentric roommates in their dilapidated crash pad. War is brewing in the Middle East. And one of his roommates is probably certifiable- trouble is, it’s difficult to tell which one. Martin’s just a guy trying to hold things together in a messed-up world. The holidays are coming and he could really use a vacation, preferably somewhere tropical, with lots of bourbon. But chasing drug runners in Honduras wasn’t on his Christmas list.
Buckle up.
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In the Shadow of Suribachi: Sammy’s Story
A Documentary Film
WWII Marine and Iwo Jima Survivor Sammy Bernstein’s story of two battles. The first, his 36-days of hell on Iwo Jima; the second, serving as a Jew in the WWII Marine Corps.
Produced and directed by Joseph A. Conforti
Distributed by MultiCom Entertainment
Featured Cartoon of the Month
