Flying is about more than just reaching a destination; it’s about the experience, safety, and efficiency with which you get there. For those who regularly take to the skies with Nicholas Air, the pilots play a central role in shaping that experience. In this article, we dive into reviews and testimonials from passengers who have been fortunate enough to fly with Nicholas Air’s pilots.

Nicholas Air Pilot Reviews: Excellence in the Skies

Safety First

A constant theme in Nicholas Air pilot reviews is the emphasis on safety. Passengers frequently comment on the meticulous attention to detail pilots display before, during, and after each flight.

“Every time I’ve flown with Nicholas Air, I’ve been impressed by the pilots’ commitment to safety. They always keep us informed and ensure that every procedure is followed to the letter,” says Jane M., a frequent flyer.

Professional and Courteous

Passengers also highlight the professionalism and courtesy shown by the pilots. Being part of the private aviation sector, Nicholas Air pilots understand the importance of creating a warm, welcoming environment for their clientele.

Richard G., who chartered a flight for his family vacation, remarked, “From the moment we boarded to the time we landed, the pilots were nothing short of amazing. They answered our kids’ curious questions, and their professionalism made us feel right at home in the skies.”

Smooth and Efficient Journeys

Many reviews discuss the smoothness and efficiency of their travels. Nicholas Air pilots are lauded for their ability to navigate challenging weather conditions and provide smooth, pleasant flights.

Christina F. shared her experience during a particularly turbulent weather day: “While other flights were delayed, our Nicholas Air pilot skillfully navigated us to our destination with minimal bumps. I was amazed at his expertise.”

Deep Knowledge and Experience

It’s no secret that Nicholas Air hires some of the best talent in the aviation industry. The deep knowledge and vast experience of these pilots shine through in the way they handle flights and engage with passengers.

Derek L., a business traveler, remarked, “Having flown with various charter companies, I can confidently say that Nicholas Air pilots are some of the most knowledgeable in the business. Their insights on the aircraft, weather patterns, and flight paths have made me a loyal customer.”

Open Communication

Good communication is key in any service industry, and aviation is no different. Passengers appreciate when pilots keep them informed about flight details, potential turbulence, or any changes in the itinerary.

Sophie R., who frequently travels for work, said, “I always appreciate how our Nicholas Air pilots keep us in the loop. There’s a comfort in knowing what’s happening, and they always make sure we’re well-informed.”

Conclusion

Nicholas Air’s reputation for excellence in private aviation is not only due to its fleet or customer service but also largely because of its highly skilled pilots. As reviews consistently indicate, these pilots embody the values of safety, professionalism, and superior service. For those lucky enough to experience it, a flight with Nicholas Air is an encounter with some of the best in the business. Safe travels! Visit their official website for more info.

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Book Review: ‘So you want to be an Airline Pilot?’ by Nicholas Johnstone

Reading Nicholas Johnstone’s book, So you want to be an Airline Pilot? (Big Wave Publications, 2009), reminded me that, as a little boy, there were two things I really liked: books and airplanes. These days, although I’m in my early 30s, I still like them! My love for books was triggered by a very large library that covered literally almost all of the walls of my parents’ apartment in a small city in western Transylvania. They still do, and even if there’s no more space left, my father still buys books on a monthly basis. I do the same here in Bangkok, 8.000 kilometers away from my childhood’s library in Romania.

My love for airplanes also comes from a family member, my late grandfather on my mother’s side. Not only was he an avid reader, he was also a pilot who flew reconnaissance aircrafts during World War II. He flew his airplanes over enemy territory in Russia, took photographs of potential targets, and returned to the airbase where the information he had gathered was used by the Romanian Air Force in further battle missions.

Hollywood contributed a lot to romanticize the life pilots had led during one war or another, but the reality is that the job was a highly dangerous one. The closest encounter my grandfather had with death was when his airplane was shot at and one engine broke down on his return journey. He landed his aircraft safely, but the noise the damaged engine had made left my grandfather deaf in one ear. Other pilots were unfortunately not that lucky!

After the war and upon retirement, my grandfather often told war stories he had been part of to myself and my elder brother, often browsing together with us a huge encyclopedia of world aircrafts which he had in his library. From oral stories to actually making kites and, later on, as we grew up, model planes, was quite a natural progression.

From my childhood I grew up dreaming of the missions my grandfather had flown in and it wouldn’t have been unlikely for me to pursue a career in the airline industry had it not been for my linguistic prowess rather than mathematical efficiency. So, my brother went on to do a degree in computer engineering while I graduated in History and Philology.

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However, the fact that I never got to fly a plane didn’t alter my passion for airplanes, nor did it stop me from dreaming that one day I’ll be in the cockpit of an aircraft, even a small one, enjoying the ride and the experience that came with it.

When Aaron Le Boutillier, the director of Big Wave Publications, told me that the next book to hit the bookstores in Thailand and Singapore with his publishing house’s logo on the front cover was one written by a pilot, I told myself that I had to get my hands on a copy. Courtesy of the author himself, I opened So you want to be an Airline Pilot? by Nicholas Johnstone and stepped back in time to my childhood and teenage years when I was surrounded by stories and models of airplanes.

With a very inciting title, Nicholas Johnstone’s debut book is about exactly what I’ve written about in this long introduction. So you want to be an Airline Pilot? is a book about the author’s love, or, to be more exact, his obsession with planes and his dream of becoming a pilot. Obviously, having authored an autobiographical work, Nicholas Johnstone is also a lover of letters, and his writing includes the ingredients of a complete bestseller: wit, humour and sarcasm.

Books and airplanes make a great connection. Ask anyone the question which is the title on the front cover and, I’ll assure you, they’ll most probably say: “Oh yeah, of course I want (or would like to) be an airline pilot. Flying planes is one of the coolest things one could do in this life!” But, it’s important for everyone to understand from the very beginning that So you want to be an Airline Pilot? is not a guide book that one could follow as such and in the end find himself/herself in the cockpit of an airplane, getting ready for take off. The book is a very personal account of how Nicholas Johnstone fulfilled his childhood dream against all the odds. And guess what his childhood dream had been? Yes, you got that one right! To fly airplanes.

So you want to be an Airline Pilot? starts off with the author’s recollection of the first time he had his hands on the throttle of an airplane and flew for a short while a Hawker Siddeley 748. At that time Nicholas Johnstone was still a child. The reader is also made private to the fact that the writer’s other name is Paul Steward, which he mostly used in his pursuit of becoming a musician. Although his career as a pilot has seen more success than that of a popstar, the author is not afraid to share with his readers both the failures and successes.

Nicholas Johnstone has been “around airplanes from an early age, but have since flown with pilots whose parents were basket weavers, needlework specialists or something more humble – accountants for example.” Unfortunately, “a history of asthma and an IQ of ninety” denied him entry in “the Royal Air Force, the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air or an airline cadet program.” However, despite this he didn’t give up and, although he had to spend his own money on training and certification, Nicholas Johnstone still made it to become a Captain.

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The overarching theme of the entire book inspires the reader with the following motivational credo: regardless of one’s financial status or academic achievements, if one really wants to achieve something in life nothing can stand in their way!

After travelling around the world and doing odd jobs here and there (among which being a maintenance man in a girls’ summer camp in the USA), Nicholas Johnstone finally started his flight training. The tone of the book is quite relaxed, the author showing that he can take life at face value and accept the ups and downs that are part of our every day human existence.

The first part of So you want to be an Airline Pilot? reads as a travel book with the writer trying to find end’s meet in different parts of the world, but at the same time, with one future goal in mind: to become an airline pilot.

Nicholas Johnstone’s recollection of his first flight, when only six years old, remained vivid in his mind for the rest of his life: “It was my first airplane ride and I can still recall the moment when the aircraft began moving under its own power as we taxied out for the take off. Funny – I have no recollection of the take-off itself, only the taxi out to the runway. I can recall however occupying the Captain’s seat en route and noting the sweep of the monochrome radar which had a little hood over it to cut down the glare.” It was 1969 and the future pilot-writer was travelling to Singapore with his family.

Nick’s first contact with Thailand made a great impression on him, the Land of Smiles remaining a destination he would return to for many times as a Singapore-based pilot. When writing about Thailand, the one thing that surprised me was the fact that Johnstone shared the same opinion with fellow writer Aaron le Boutillier who had, in And Then One Morning, wrote about the disappearance of the paradisiacal atmosphere the remote island of Phi Phi in southern Thailand had once had.

Speaking of Koh Samui, Johnstone writes that it “was a dream island. I mean ‘was’ in the very definite past tense – it isn’t quite the same anymore. ‘Least not for me. To its detriment, people like me showed up in the 70’s and 80’s and then went home and told everyone else about it. And so they came, and to service the needs of the masses, hotels and large resort complexes were constructed. In their shadow, sprang up bars and clubs and 7 Elevens and more bars.” This is a recurrent theme in all travel writing concerning Southeast Asia in general, and Thailand in particular. Also, in the chapter about Thailand, Johnstone recalls the devastation and havoc caused by the December 2004 tsunami.

What makes So you want to be an Airline Pilot? a good read is not only the writer’s travel stories and his struggle in becoming a qualified pilot, but also Nicholas Johnstone’s ability to maintain a relaxed atmosphere. Metafiction elements are artfully incorporated into the text and also come to make this point: “All very nice, but where was it getting me? One third of the way through a book about becoming an airline pilot and I’ve yet to seriously get off the ground.”

So, let’s fast-forward a few chapters involving months of travelling and studying for the pilot’s exam and really see what a prospective pilot will need to do to be able to legally fly a plane:

– UK Civil Aviation Authority Private Pilot’s License
– Commercial Pilot License and Instrument Rating
– Certified Flight Instructor Certificate (there’s decent money in teaching others how to fly!)
– US Federal Aviation Administration Airline Transport Pilot Certificate

Of course, these were the steps Nicholas Johnstone followed, whereas the licenses and certifications that are required might be different depending on the part of the world where you wish to be a pilot in. On top of all this, for every new kind of aircraft pilots want to fly, they will need a type rating that qualifies them to fly that particular plane.

The author’s travel stories before he actually became a pilot are equally matched by the ones he shares with his readers in the second part of the book, when he started earning money doing what he’d always dreamed to do: fly planes.

The chapters on Zanzibar, Tanzania and Kenya are memorable, leaving the reader the impression that, if on a relaxed night Nicholas Johnstone might feel like telling his friends a story over a hot cup of tea, it would definitely be one from his days in Africa.

After flying dodgy airplanes in Africa for three years and four days, the author decides it was time to move up in his flight career. Many more trials, hardships and type ratings later, Nicholas Johnstone becomes a pilot in Australia and Europe, to finally settle for the position of Captain on the Airbus A320 for a Singaporean airline.

As a Romanian who’s seen what life is like in two different regimes, one oppressive and the other a democratic one, I can only recommend the writer to visit Romania again. His first brush with my country was not too rewarding after the plane he was in had to do an emergency landing in Bucharest. At that time, still a child, on a school trip to Sofia, the author was escorted out of Romania by armed guards, as the group of children he was part of “were quite obviously a major threat to the national security of Romania.” Today, the same country is part of the European Union and the political and social life have now reached quite high standards.

At this stage in my life, after I’ve witnessed people of modest backgrounds becoming professionals in charge of millions of dollars, it has become very clear to me that no dream is impossible to achieve. There’s no such thing as “It’s too difficult. It’ll never happen, so I’d better do something else.” That’s not the mentality of a winner and, for sure, it was not the mentality that drove Nicholas Johnstone through many hardships and frustrations in order to achieve his dream. Was it easy? No, it wasn’t. Was it worth it? You bet it was! Reading So you want to be an Airline Pilot? will make you understand all that in intense details.

Now that we’ve established that the book is not a “how to guide,” then what exactly is it? When I turned the last page of the book I realized that it can be many different things for many different people.

For hardcore travelers, who have done the entire globe on a low budget and just one backpack, it can be the book they could have written themselves, but never got around to doing it. Well, it’s not too late, and Nicholas Johnstone proves just that.

For armchair travelers, who have never left their hometown but, for the last 20 years, have never skipped a page in their monthly National Geographic magazine, it can be the next great adventure to delve into.

For those who find themselves daily going to a job they hate doing, regretting the chances they’ve never seized, the book can be a wake up call. It can be the decisive factor in realizing that life isn’t just a series of eight-to-four days at the office, answering phone calls and replying to e-mails. Yes, sure, the office job pays the mortgage and the monthly bills, but Nicholas Johnstone shows the reader in So you want to be an Airline Pilot? that people can succeed in whatever they want to do if there’s passion and an undaunted attitude to life itself.

For myself, the book is about the strength of character the author had shown in order to fulfill his lifelong dream. It’s a dream that took him years to achieve, it’s a dream he fought so hard for, sometimes against incredible odds. Nicholas Johnstone’s book inspires and sets an example for all the people out there, still dreaming that one day they will…

I highly recommend So you want to be an Airline Pilot? to all travelers, dreamers and book lovers who feel like globetrotting from their living-room armchair. I hope that the second print will also include pictures of the planes the writer has flown, as for some of the readers, a Lockheed Tristar L-1011 is just another name, with little to no visual meaning at all.

A short version of this review was initially published in
Bangkok Times Saver (January 2011)