Dangerous Lessons and Guardian Angels

An Airline Pilot's Story

By: P. J. Spivack

Narrated by: Tom Lennon

Length: 7 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

This is an action-packed, true adventure book that spans 35 years of airline flying. There are stories about transporting guns to Biafra in order to help the Independent Nigerians, flying cargo up and down the Berlin Air Corridor during the Cold War, as well as missions deep into Russia. Many of the stories in this book will put you on the edge of your seat; for example, when the author is forced to make a death-defying landing of a four-engine jetliner in total fog. During that landing, the runway never seen until the airplane is brought to a complete stop. This exciting book also chronicles treasure diving with frightening visits by man-eating sharks, exploring the anchorages off dreamy Caribbean beaches, and fly-fishing for huge trophy trout high in the Andes of Argentina. These true adventures are told in a series of fascinating short stories. Besides featuring dramatic and sometimes humorous tales of adventure, this information packed book also has a chapter on how to become an airline pilot and land that airline job. Finally, there is an inspirational message to be persistent, focused and never give up, even when faced with overwhelming odds.

©2012 Paul Jay Spivack (P)2015 P.J. Spivack

Excellent book - great aviation experiences...

Excellent book - great aviation experiences - a helpful resource for any aspiring Aviator. Thanks

I loved it.

Really cool and useful insight into the world of being a pilot over the lifetime of one man. Recommended for both aspiring pilots and established professionals alike. As someone thinking about whether or not I want to go to a vocational flight school or not, I found this to be very inspiring and was a wonderful book to listen to.
The narrator, to me, had the perfect voice to match the content. Great work.

Loved It

As an airline pilot that also got to fly some of the old freighters before they were phased out, it was great to hear all of the author's old stories. Told in great detail and fun to listen to. Couldn't agree more with the advice given to aspiring pilots in the last chapter. I would've flown with you any day Captain Spivack!

Interesting

Any additional comments?

I am not a pilot (though a frequent flyer) and don't care for fishing, and that pretty much covers the two things this book is about. Yet I really enjoyed it!
Captain Spivack has a very easy to read style. Just technical enough to actually teach a few things, but light enough so no novice gets confused or lost.
Much is extremely humorous and frankly makes you understand why he is so glad his career ended up as it did.
The narrator did a good job of being Captain Spivack and his not overly serious manner added greatly to the somewhat irreverent text.

Not to bad. a little bit long winded.

You should read this book, it's very easy to read. Very informative if you're thinking about becoming an airline pilot. The ups and downs of airplane life are spoken about freely. It will give you all the information you need to make a confident decision.

Awesome!

Loved this. Listened to it every day on my way to and from work. Enhanced my love for aviation!

Interesting but not captivating.

It was worth the read, but a bit lack luster at times. Was hoping for a more exciting book.

You don't need to be a Pilot to Enjoy!

Been a frequent flyer for over 40 years so this memoir about a real pilots experience got my interest enough for me to purchase this.

His career spanned from the early era of sexy/glamorous stewardess just about up until today's no frills merger happy airline industry.

I found the book interesting and well written. If you have any interest in flying at all I recommend this book.

The narrator I also thought did a very good job.

Excellent 1st person history

Can a pilot ever have enough pictures of airplanes? No. If my personal library from a similar career were lacking in terms of vivid sights and experiences I think Capt Spivack has pretty much filled in those blanks. I highly recommend this work of history to anyone with an interest in just how things used to be in the good ol' days and perhaps why one might consider the train when contemplating travel in 2019.

If you're a fan of the DC-8's? This book is for you!

Captain Trig Johnston
NWA (Ret.)

Really good book

This is a wonderful book. I could listen to it all day long. It held my attention so much that I wanted to listen to this book instead of do my work! I would highly recommend this book.