I never considered I would become an airline pilot. It was always " too expensive "or "took too much time", or I would not be hired "with-out a four college degree". Perhaps because " I wore eye-glasses..." I was content to offer Flight Instruction in my community, and did quite well teaching new low time private pilot students, and Advanced certificate pilots. I have been employed by six airlines, and the only reason I was hired at each one was because the airline needed pilots to operate the airline! I began researching the commercial pilot status and numbers, and realized there truly is a pilot shortage world wide. In my book I speak about the training and preparation that go into obtaining a pilot license. I will take the reader on an actual Airline Transport Pilot check-flight, describing the sensations and maneuvers required for the Captain candidate to master. We will fly a simulator during our training, and I will relate a humorous story that helped to break up the monotony of performing the same flight profile over, and over again. I will explain the various aircraft systems as they pertain to flight, so perhaps a non-pilot airline passenger may feel more informed of how an aircraft operates. I will also address the aircraft performance factors that may actually aid the passenger in selecting routes and times, to ease their occasional travel delays. Lastly, I will relate a few "super-natural " instances that by my only explanation the Christian Lord was watching over my flight. I have truly been blessed in my life by becoming a commercial airline pilot!
About the Author: If one has ever considered to become a Private Pilot, or advance further in the Commercial flying realm, airline Captain Jim Vaughan has compiled his over fifty years of aviation experience into a very readable, understandable, and non-technical writing for early adults on up in " Thanks for the Great Flight". His suggestions of methods, cautions and protocol in starting on the road to becoming a pilot are easily explained. Vaughan has logged almost 25,000 total flying hours, the majority of his flight time in various large Airline Transport Pilot type aircraft. Captain Vaughan has also flown over 38 models of single-engine aircraft, acting as a Certificated Flight Instructor. Vaughan gives a useful insight for seeking out a commercial pilot position, and adds suggestions and tips to enable the job-seeking pilot candidate to weather the disappointments along the journey, and the triumph of obtaining employment with an airline.