The Starship Diaries

Two Years Exploring the Planet in the Last Aircraft of Its Kind

By: Dallas Kachan

Narrated by: Dallas Kachan

Length: 19 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

What would YOU do with a multi-million-dollar aircraft and time on your hands? Join the adventures of a Silicon Valley salaryman whose good fortune put him in the pilot's seat of a radical, high-tech Beechcraft Starship airplane, one of only a handful ever made. He set out on what many only dream of: slowly meandering around the world with no fixed route and no fixed return date. Discover new countries and cultures. Learn about the science, art and challenges of flying a high tech business jet-class plane around the world. And find out how the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001 midway through the trip changed aviation and the world's perception of America. The book features extensive detail of places visited, including historic, economic, social, geological and other information. It also includes 150+ footnotes explaining aviation-related concepts, defining acronyms and demystifying flying for non-pilots. Read by the author Dallas Kachan, former Canadian national news anchor and broadcaster. With music and ambient sound accents.

©2004 Dallas Kachan (P)2015 Dallas Kachan

Amazing story!

What made the experience of listening to The Starship Diaries the most enjoyable?

I really appreciated being able to listen to the is story in my car on my commute over the past two weeks. It was awesome to "be" somewhere else in my mind.. other than in traffic.

What did you like best about this story?

The story is inspiring. I loved the author's sense of courage and adventure.

What does Dallas Kachan bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The story tellers voice is just perfect for audio books. Clear, warm and pretty much exactly how I would have imagined the narrator sounding, and then it turns out the author was the narrator! So you get the emphasis and personal touch that comes with that.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

This was a book that was nice to digest in smaller pieces. It was nice to think about the sections I listened to in between sittings.. and I even looked forward to my commute to hear what happened next.

Riveting for the geeks out there with wanderlust

Riveting. Dallas takes the reader on a journey, so sweet, honest and badass that I felt as though I was his vicarious passenger. Interspersed with fascinating technical explanations of flying - perfectly satisfying for the geeks out there with wanderlust.

And with bonus musical interludes - Dallas Kachan doubles as the exceptional EDM DJ Boom Human. I understand better why we call him Boom.

Written as fiction, reads as true travelogue.

Would you consider the audio edition of The Starship Diaries to be better than the print version?

I believe the soundscape would make this a better book than the print version.

What other book might you compare The Starship Diaries to and why?

I would compare Starship Diaries to most other nonfiction travelogues but this one has the extra interesting part of the aviation experience.

What does Dallas Kachan bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narration, although a bit heavy on pauses, gives a real depth of feeling to the emotions and thoughts experienced by the main character. You feel like you are there for much of the book.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Do you ever have dreams of piloting your own aircraft? Do you ever have dreams of traveling around the world? Do both with this movie.

Any additional comments?

I didn't realize this was a book of fiction at first. However, it didn't much matter. The book is written in a true travelogue style and seems absolutely plausible and reasonable. The detailed descriptions of locations, events, and thoughts made the book feel thorough and perfectly natural. It definitely made me want to buy my own aircraft and fly around the world.

Best variety in an audio recording ever.

I loved the usage of sound effects, voices, music and impressions. It made the story come alive more than any other book I have heard. Having the author narrating gives a warm personal connection to the story especially with the interpretations of actual sayings. With the length of the story, the narrators voice became a delightful friend.

Do I have any constructive criticism?
Not really. The fact you appeared to stick to the facts of your diary rather than embellishing made it more real.
I hope you do more and inspire others to put as much into the recording of the story.
Inspirational recording.

Wouldn't you fly around the world if you could?

Where does The Starship Diaries rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I'm somewhat new to the audiobooks, having listened to just three in my life. So I thought it was great.

What did you like best about this story?

I really liked the mix of technical detail and plot. I've always wondered what it would be like to be a pilot and I got a feel for that while being brought around the world. And of course flying a plane around the world isn't always safe so the main character had some interesting situations to get out of!

What does Dallas Kachan bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

It's the author who read the book so I felt like the right parts of each sentence were emphasized. Plus, he has a great voice for this sort of thing.

Any additional comments?

I found this to be the perfect story to listen to on my road trip to Baja, Mexico over the Christmas break. And some of the adventures in the story coincided perfectly with some of the adventures I was having.

What an excellent adventure this was!

Greatest author read audio book I have ever listened too. Your inflections of the emotions of the things you wrote were spot on. That made it the greatest audio book of my life.

Like you I am a pilot who was lucky enough to retire at a young age. (@46). I have vivid memories of the days of the Starships around the flight lines of my life. I’d see one about once a month at KHIO. The buzz sound of one of them flying would always catch my ear and I would gleefully look around the sky for the unusual planform of a Starship.

In retirement I have volunteered at the Evergreen Air Museum where I believe one of the aircraft you mention in your book as having gone to museums resides. Having been in and on and around that museum bird was a great prequel to enjoying your fine audio book.
I have returned for the paper copy so I can read it with my own eyes.

Best Regards,
Doug