Menu
I grew up, well, got older, pilots never really grow up, on the south coast of England. My passion for flying came relatively late. Totally underwhelmed by my first flight and shunning my family’s extensive aviation history, I set out to make my fortune in the world of economics and second-hand car sales.
Less than a year later, my sanity restored, I decided to give flying one more chance.
Despite being unable to achieve my initial medical and being turned down by every airline I applied to, I refused to take “No” for an answer.
It was a decision that, despite the years of hard work and near bankruptcy, I would never regret.
Now, 50 years and two distinct careers later, I was finally brought back down to earth as covid grounded both myself and my beloved Boeing-747. What would the future hold ? To find out please read on.
As Covid grounded the B747, for the first time in my long career, I finally had time to reflect on my six decades of flying.
Having self-funded all of my initial training, I was now known as a “Self-Improver.” As I was soon to discover, this was a derogatory term used by the airlines to describe a pilot who had not received professional training.
Despite this label and my failing eyesight not meeting the required standards, I refused to take “No” for an answer. I went on to start my own executive jet company. From there, I went on to fly the world’s most iconic aircraft, the Boeing 747. After nearly 35 years I became the world’s longest-serving 747 Captain.
During my flying career, on the many stopovers in exotic, beautiful, and sometimes just scary parts of the world, I would lace up my running shoes and set off to explore places where no sane runner would dare go.
I have now retired from flying and am enjoying a new career as a full-time writer.
My first three books, “The Self Improver”, “Still Improving”, and “Overtaken By A Butterfly”, are autobiographical accounts of a unique and world-record-breaking career in aviation.
My next book, is out later this year.
“Rogue Pilot” is my first aviation thriller. It is a fast-paced, thrilling and exhilarating story of a man, Slater, whose sole intent is to seek out and expose pilots who deliberately or recklessly put their aircraft in danger.
If you didn’t fear flying before reading this book, you may soon develop one. Do such pilots exist? Nobody is better placed to shine a light into a murky corner of aviation that all airlines want to keep as dark as possible.
EARLY MORNING ARRIVAL INTO CAPE TOWN
