“Flying for example, to India and back, at night, can leave you feeling like the living dead” – Interview with Nicholas Johnstone

Nicholas Johnstone is a British writer and pilot, currently based in Singapore where he is Captain of an Airbus A320. He was born in London in 1963 and has travel extensively around the globe, both as a backpacker and as a pilot. His debut autobiographical book So you want to be an Airline Pilot? was published in 2009 by Big Wave Publications. In this interview, Nicholas talks about his love of traveling, writing, flying aeroplanes and finally putting his feet up!

Mihnea Voicu Simandan: You’ve been on the move for more than half of your life? Where did the travel bug come from?

Nicholas Johnstone: My stepfather was in the British Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm and later British Airways Helicopters so we were always on the move. My dream at school had nothing to do with studies and everything to do with escaping into the real world – to see all of it if possible. At the age of 23, I sat down with my mother and over a cup of tea we went through the family address book. Including my changes of address since leaving home at 18, I’d moved house 21 times and haven’t stopped since. Perhaps it’s in my blood.

MVS: You’ve visited so many countries and experienced so many cultures, but I would like to know, which one left the biggest impression on you? Why?

NJ: It has to be Thailand followed closely by New Zealand. There was a magic to Thailand that I hadn’t experienced traveling through other parts of the world. Very friendly folk and an absolutely stunning cuisine – all wrapped up in an unsploit paradise. Talking of an unspoilt paradise, New Zealand is way up there too. Just a little cooler.

MVS: What did Thailand mean for you 30 years ago and what is Thailand for you now?

N.J. Thailand in the late 80s was magical, exciting and exotic. And it still is in parts and at times – though these days it’s more simply where we go as a family just to chill out and take a breather from a hectic life in Singapore. Then I was very much a visitor – now with a Thai wife and family, I feel I’m more part of the furniture.

MVS: One could say that you’ve settled down, started a family and committed to a well-paid job. Has the travel bug disappeared? Is travelling now just work?

NJ: Well, sad as it may sound, the travel bug – certainly of the penniless variety, is all but dead. I leave Singapore four or five times a week through work and though admittedly I normally come straight back again – it does probably help in quenching the thirst for travel. I did go up market on a trip to the UK a few years ago now, which made the traveling experience fun again. On arrival at Heathrow, I collected an old Rolls Royce and wafted down through the quiet Dorset lanes to visit family. It made a pleasant change to hitch-hiking.

MVS: A recurrent theme in So you want to be an Airline Pilot? is your constant struggle to “come up” with the money needed for flight training. How did you manage in the end?

NJ: I begged and borrowed though admit the thing that really got me started was borrowing with a friend, 100% of the purchase price of a near derelict house in the South of France, outside the small delightful town of Bedariuex. I was also tempted to rob a bank or convenience store but just as I was donning my ski mask a friend of a friend offered to buy my half share. It had accumulated in value by about six thousand sterling and then I was off. And then I ran out of money and made do with the pittance I was making as a flight instructor, still training for different licenses and ratings at the same time. On a good month, I could almost afford to eat.

MVS: Were all the sacrifices you’ve made worth it?

NJ: I’m pausing before answering as I know the standard stock reply is a resounding – yes! But, ‘yes’ has to be the answer, though I wish my parents had been loaded to such an extent that being broke for years on end was not on the cards.

MVS: Apart from a sense of power, what are some of the differences between flying a one-engine aeroplane and an Airbus?

NJ: I can stand up straight and go to the toilet for a start. It’s also a lot quieter and I have a co-pilot (First Officer) with whom I can engage in stimulating conversation – depending on the First Officer. The money’s a lot better too!

MVS: Is the myth of “the handsome, bright and well-mannered pilot” true?

NJ: Of course. And of course not. Working for Swiss International Air Lines a few years ago, my (male) First Officer showed up with an earring. Shock, horror – I bet they didn’t do that in the good old days when men were men and women were doing the dishes. (Letters to my publisher). Mind you, I suppose you can still wear an earring and be well mannered and as it happened, this guy turned out to be very sharp and a good flyer. Mind you, we might all still be incredibly handsome, but I don’t think the glamour is there any more – at least not to the extent it was in the days when men were men and …

MVS: The first part of your book follows your early travels in quite a lot of detail. My guess is that you’ve kept a travel journal from the very beginning…

NJ: Funnily enough, I didn’t keep anything – except lots and lots of photos which have been my memory jogger. Also, for some strange reason, that period of my life is locked inside my brain in exquisite detail, apart from the rice wine and Mekong whiskey moments of course.

MVS: Speaking of writing, how long did it take you to finish your first book?

NJ: After being diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis last year (for the second time), I was grounded for ten months. I still worked in the office and in the aircraft simulator but it did give me more time to write. Flying for example, to India and back, at night, can leave you feeling like the living dead. Ground work is much less of a strain on the system and so I was more awake more of the time to come up with the book. How long? – about a year on and off.

MVS: Do you have a writing routine, or do you write whenever you feel like?

NJ: Whenever I feel like it and whenever I can sneak an hour in the ‘home office’ away from family duties. OK, the real answer is when the wife allows it.

MVS: After reading your book I was left with the impression that the message you wanted to get across to the reader was that nothing is impossible as long as one truly believes in his/her dreams.

NJ: Quite true. If it really is your dream and you’re incredibly motivated or like me, you were desperate to escape the prospect of a normal job, you’ll do it – whatever it is. What’s that about the woods and the trees? Consider finding your way through the whole wood all in one go and you’ll quickly persuade yourself not to – but take one tree at a time and you’ll breeze through – no worries. Just start putting one foot in the direction you want to go – not in the direction you don’t want to go – and the rest will fall into place. And if it doesn’t – dust yourself off and try again.

MVS: Has your book been well-received? When will the first book launch be? Will there be one in Thailand too?

NJ: So far so good. It’s doing well in Singapore bookstores and I should know – I’ve bought nearly half of them. My wife bought the other half. Still working on a book launch in Thailand but it should be in the shops before long, if it isn’t already.

MVS: Will you stop at authoring just one book or will you keep writing? Do you have any plans for future books? Maybe fiction?

NJ: No fiction – just cold hard facts – cancer to be precise. The title is still under review but ‘Cancer Sucks’ is currently the favourite. I’ve had it and might get it again. My dear sister Suzy had it and has now got it again. Diet, lifestyle and a life full of ingested toxins must be in part to blame.

MVS: Fifty percent of the author’s royalties are donated to fighting cancer and helping those who already suffer from it. What is your experience in this area?

NJ: I have come, as have various members of my family, far too close for comfort. My left kidney was probably sold on the streets of Shanghai, once they’d scraped the malignant tumour from it of course. My sister had breast cancer five years ago and now it’s gone to her liver and dear Granny had it in her ovaries. What is going on here? I have an idea and I’m working on it. Stay tuned.

MVS: Thank you for your time and God’s speed.

NJ: An absolute pleasure – and in the words of Dave Allen – may your God go with you, too.

Bangkok, Thailand
November 20, 2009

Initially published in Bangkok Times Saver (January 2011)