Logbook Affairs
How I Became a Pilot
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On a cold February day, I was called from the hotel to fulfill a special mission. I was assigned to the Captain seat of a Boeing 747-400, along with a new, young copilot by my side. The heavyweight aircraft has a maximum gross weight of 910,000 pounds. The freshly plowed runway, with a length of over two miles would be our launch pad to the skies above. We were obligated to fly at night in moderate icing conditions, through turbulent weather to our destination less than two hours away. It should've been an uneventful night from our maintenance base, to reposition the jet for its journey around the earth, in the day to follow. We were looking forward to completing the flight...until everything went against us. All of our skills were needed. This was just one of my memorable experiences that got me to where I am today. Join me on my road to becoming an airline pilot.
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About the Book
John Spadea dreamed of being a pilot as a young boy, but everyone doubted him.
He heard that his grades were not good enough, schooling was too expensive, or flying was too dangerous. Others pointed out that he wore glasses and being a pilot probably was not going to happen.
But obstacles are meant to be overcome, and Spadea refused to let others dictate what he’d achieve.
In this memoir, he looks back at how he defied the naysayers to enjoy a long and successful career as a commercial pilot – a career that is still going strong. From scary incidents to famous people who have joined him on his flying adventures, he reveals what it’s like to fly all over the planet.
He also shares an uplifting commentary on the future of flying, noting that Boeing and Airbus have each predicted that the world will need thousands of new pilots in the coming years, so the time to enter aviation has never been better.
About the Author
John Spadea graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with a bachelor’s degree. He became a certified pilot instructor at several flight schools. He traveled west to obtain multi-engine experience, returned back east to be a corporate pilot and spent time at five different airlines. He is now employed as a B-747 Captain, flying all over the world.