FERRY PILOT: Nine Lives Over the North Atlantic
Dangerous job
Being a ferry pilot is a dangerous job. We are talking here about ferry flights from Canada to an airport in Europe with small planes. Every year about 3 pilots disappear during their ferry flight and
are never found again. Reading the book you understand why. Pilots flying 8 hours and more over the ocean are often confronted with engine problems, fuel shortage, bad weather, loss of position,
instrument loss etc. You need real balls to stay calm and look for a solution before you end up in the ocean and disappear. McCauley writes about hair raising situations that will give you goosebumps and will be recognized by every pilot.
Flying job
The author of this book was looking for a flying job after he earned his CPL but wanted more then just a routine job and started as para pilot dropping skydivers. Soon he got a chance to start as a
ferry pilot and there his adventurous live in the air started. Right away on his first flight he had to assist his boss finding a safe place to land after he lost his navigation instruments due to a malfunction after a long flight over the ocean.
Transatlantic flights
The rest of his book describes all kind of situations during his long transatlantic flights with singles and twins that could all end up in disaster if he did not stay cool and could solve the situation very quick. Many of those flights experienced hazardous situations which needed action. Imagine also that at that time ( during the eighties last century) gps was not introduced yet and ADF and dead reckoning were the only way to navigate. Also weather information was sometimes guess work and not every plane was in top condition.
Surviving
Anyhow he survived after many years ferrying planes and negotiating with authorities and plane buyers ( some stories are about delivery problems after a safe arrival and weird situations with the
new owners) and he started successful his own sky diving school. It is an exciting book to read and the author is a good story teller and if you are a GA pilot or flying business planes a book that will teach you how to handle stressful situations.
Special recommended. You can purchase it as e-book or paperback and certainly a book worth reading by single and twin pilots.
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