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From the Flight Deck: the diary of an airline pilot
Ever wondered what happens behind the closed door of the flight deck?
This eye-opening and unforgettable diary charts Nigel Knot's thirty years as a commercial airline pilot as he travels to the far corners of the world.
Laugh-out-loud hilarious for those who are looking for a fun, enjoyable read.
Informative for all the aviation enthusiasts out there.
And reassuring for the countless number of people who would rather have root canal surgery than step inside an aeroplane.
After graduating from Nottingham university with a degree in Civil Engineering Nigel joined the RAF on an eight-year commission. He flew Chinook helicopters in the European theatre and the Falkland Islands.
After leaving the RAF, he joined a leading British airline and flew the Tristar, Airbus A320 family and Boeing 777. He spent nine years as a first officer before being promoted to captain in 1999.
During his 30 years with the airline, he flew both short and long haul routes, travelling to all corners of the world.
His hobbies include a life-long passion for scuba diving, chalk stream fly fishing, and music.
He is married, and has two grown up children.
This eye-opening and unforgettable diary charts Nigel Knot's thirty years as a commercial airline pilot as he travels to the far corners of the world.
Laugh-out-loud hilarious for those who are looking for a fun, enjoyable read.
Informative for all the aviation enthusiasts out there.
And reassuring for the countless number of people who would rather have root canal surgery than step inside an aeroplane.
After graduating from Nottingham university with a degree in Civil Engineering Nigel joined the RAF on an eight-year commission. He flew Chinook helicopters in the European theatre and the Falkland Islands.
After leaving the RAF, he joined a leading British airline and flew the Tristar, Airbus A320 family and Boeing 777. He spent nine years as a first officer before being promoted to captain in 1999.
During his 30 years with the airline, he flew both short and long haul routes, travelling to all corners of the world.
His hobbies include a life-long passion for scuba diving, chalk stream fly fishing, and music.
He is married, and has two grown up children.
260 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 29, 2023
11 people are currently reading
2 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 15, 2025
I really loved this book! A real mixture of technical details and lots of stories from Nigel's many many years as an airline pilot on the TriStar and 777. I love the dry, sarcastic wit that the stories are told with, made me literally laugh out loud on a number of occasions. The only downside for me was the number of proofing errors, which mainly seemed to be around mixing tenses in the same sentence; that drove me a bit doolally! Other than that a great book for anyone with a remote interest in flying or aircraft.
November 13, 2025
Happy memories
Well done Nigel (an apt name!) Like you I have managed to survive the very best years of aviation with so many happy memories. From sticking a sextant out of the roof of a VC10 to the technical brilliance of the 747-400 I can now enjoy my pension and let someone else do the hard work, hopefully with as much pleasure and sense of fulfilment as I had.
Well done Nigel (an apt name!) Like you I have managed to survive the very best years of aviation with so many happy memories. From sticking a sextant out of the roof of a VC10 to the technical brilliance of the 747-400 I can now enjoy my pension and let someone else do the hard work, hopefully with as much pleasure and sense of fulfilment as I had.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews