The novel hatchet, is an honor winning young adult wilderness survival series written by Gary Paulsen.
In the novel, Brian's mother gave him a hatchet before he left for New York.
The pilot teaches Brian how to steer the Cessna, the pilot eventually died of heart attack forcing Brian to attempt to control the plane's descent. Brian was able to correct the plane's altitude, Brian used the pilot's radio to call for help every 10 minutes before the plane ran out of gas and Brian planned to land the plane.