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Fly!: The Elements of Resilience
In 2010, thousands of feet in the air above Singapore, the 469 passengers aboard QF32 found themselves in a crisis that no one could have anticipated when the A380 in which they were flying suffered a catastrophic explosion.Captain Richard de Crespigny and his crew confronted extraordinary challenges over the next four hours, with only three partially working engines, and a potentially explosive plane facing an imminent emergency landing. Even experienced crash-investigators later revealed they thought recovery in such circumstances was impossible. Yet in the end all aboard walked away safely.Why was there a seemingly miraculous outcome to what could so easily have become one of the world’s worst aviation disasters? And how did the captain and his crew remain so calm in such a stressful situation? The answer is leadership, teamwork and skill. In Fly!, Richard de Crespigny shares the insights and techniques he built up over decades in the high-pressure world of military and civilian aviation. Covering leadership, teamwork, risk-assessment, decision-making, crisis management, lifelong resilience and more, it’s a book whose wisdom can be applied to challenges and opportunities in the workplace as well as to life. Including exclusive insights from fellow hero pilot Sully Sullenberger, astronaut Neil Armstrong, NASA’s Gene Kranz and others who have, like Richard de Crespigny, succeeded under intense pressure, Fly! will enable everybody to perform at their best and to succeed in any situation.
292 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 3, 2018
36 people are currently reading
160 people want to read
About the author
Richard de Crespigny
3 books13 followersMelbourne born and educated Richard Champion de Crespigny got his first taste of a future flying career as a fourteen year old when his father took him on a tour of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Academy at Point Cook in Victoria.
In 1975 aged seventeen, he joined the RAAF. One year later he started flying, joining Qantas Airlines several years later as a commercial pilot.
In 2010 Richard piloted an Airbus 380 that came perilously close to crashing. He has told the story of this amazing escape in his first book QF32.
In 1975 aged seventeen, he joined the RAAF. One year later he started flying, joining Qantas Airlines several years later as a commercial pilot.
In 2010 Richard piloted an Airbus 380 that came perilously close to crashing. He has told the story of this amazing escape in his first book QF32.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 21, 2019
Excellent explanation of what happened on QF 32. Sometimes, I feel like it kind of gets boring though.
I feel like this book is for people who loves to learn about disasters.
I feel like this book is for people who loves to learn about disasters.
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April 1, 2020The January Featured Finalist for The Australian Career Book Award – supported by The Royal Society of Arts is Richard de Crespigny for FLY! Life lessons from the cockpit of QF 32 , published by Penguin Viking
Review by Lawrence Arnold FRSA: Convenor of The Australian Career Book Award
On my 2016 LHR-MLB flight, I’d aimed to write the engaging intro to my upcoming CDAA conference paper linking the Australian Core Skills Audit to STEM careers. Our QANTAS captain started the usual flight welcome, adding a confidence-building tribute to our A380 aircraft, and invited us to chat with him on his ‘walkaround of the cabin later in the flight’. I took up the offer. Our brief chat extended as the seat-belt sign came on, and Capt de Crespigny settled into the vacant seat across the aisle from me for a fuller discussion with a captive audience. Little did he know that the captivity was mutual, and that my conference paper intro was writing itself. And little did I know that Richard’s FLY! Life lessons from the cockpit of QF 32 would be a Finalist Book for The Australian Career Book Award three years later.
Career memoirs have to be more than ‘ripping yarns’. They use the drama of career incidents as props to educate readers in building strength for their everyday career situations in the city or the suburbs – and that’s what FLY! does. Another aspect of an effective career memoir is that we have to care about the person, and the person has to care about us – FLY! shows that too.
The book links dramatic incident, background story, reflective aftermath, deep research in skilling readers to dig deep to implement explained strategies to improve personal resilience (the capacity to keep control and rebound through failure), and ‘manage career and work life’ – in the city or suburbs.
A strategy explained in depth is Deliberate Practice (DP). Without DP, the QF 32 ‘air incident’ may have been ‘air disaster’. In FLY! DP and other technical terms are used and explained consistently, and are promoted with realistic exercises enabling readers to manage career and work life. It’s the same approach with exploring and mastering the eight elements of resilience: knowledge; training; experience; teamwork; leadership; crisis management; decision-making; and risk. In Richard’s words:
Resilience is something you develop, not something you are born with. It’s like a muscle – hard effort builds it and laziness lets it fade away.
Resilience helps us make the most of the opportunities that come our way in the good times and it helps us survive the challenges that are hurled at us in the bad times.
Richard reveals that his ‘ultimate role model for resilience’ is his 90+ year-old father, encouraging us to look closer to home for life inspiration. He also draws strength from friends and colleagues: Gene Kranz (NASA Moon Landing Director); Sully Sullenberger (Miracle on the Hudson); and Neil Armstrong (One small step).
FLY! is a career memoir, and a career developer. It’s not just ‘I did it my way’: it helps us do it our way, and manage the dramatic career explosions of our everyday lives – in the city or the suburbs. See www.careermelbourne.com for all award information.
Review by Lawrence Arnold FRSA: Convenor of The Australian Career Book Award
On my 2016 LHR-MLB flight, I’d aimed to write the engaging intro to my upcoming CDAA conference paper linking the Australian Core Skills Audit to STEM careers. Our QANTAS captain started the usual flight welcome, adding a confidence-building tribute to our A380 aircraft, and invited us to chat with him on his ‘walkaround of the cabin later in the flight’. I took up the offer. Our brief chat extended as the seat-belt sign came on, and Capt de Crespigny settled into the vacant seat across the aisle from me for a fuller discussion with a captive audience. Little did he know that the captivity was mutual, and that my conference paper intro was writing itself. And little did I know that Richard’s FLY! Life lessons from the cockpit of QF 32 would be a Finalist Book for The Australian Career Book Award three years later.
Career memoirs have to be more than ‘ripping yarns’. They use the drama of career incidents as props to educate readers in building strength for their everyday career situations in the city or the suburbs – and that’s what FLY! does. Another aspect of an effective career memoir is that we have to care about the person, and the person has to care about us – FLY! shows that too.
The book links dramatic incident, background story, reflective aftermath, deep research in skilling readers to dig deep to implement explained strategies to improve personal resilience (the capacity to keep control and rebound through failure), and ‘manage career and work life’ – in the city or suburbs.
A strategy explained in depth is Deliberate Practice (DP). Without DP, the QF 32 ‘air incident’ may have been ‘air disaster’. In FLY! DP and other technical terms are used and explained consistently, and are promoted with realistic exercises enabling readers to manage career and work life. It’s the same approach with exploring and mastering the eight elements of resilience: knowledge; training; experience; teamwork; leadership; crisis management; decision-making; and risk. In Richard’s words:
Resilience is something you develop, not something you are born with. It’s like a muscle – hard effort builds it and laziness lets it fade away.
Resilience helps us make the most of the opportunities that come our way in the good times and it helps us survive the challenges that are hurled at us in the bad times.
Richard reveals that his ‘ultimate role model for resilience’ is his 90+ year-old father, encouraging us to look closer to home for life inspiration. He also draws strength from friends and colleagues: Gene Kranz (NASA Moon Landing Director); Sully Sullenberger (Miracle on the Hudson); and Neil Armstrong (One small step).
FLY! is a career memoir, and a career developer. It’s not just ‘I did it my way’: it helps us do it our way, and manage the dramatic career explosions of our everyday lives – in the city or the suburbs. See www.careermelbourne.com for all award information.
November 17, 2019
This is an excellent book. Having read QF32, I was well aware of the near disaster as a result of an uncontained engine explosion on Qantas flight QF32 from Singapore to Sydney. This follow up book “Fly!” focuses on the learnings from flight QF32 and what it took to successfully land and embark all passengers and crew safely. “Fly!” has to be one of the best books I have read on leadership and teamwork. These learnings can be applied equally in business and at home. On the 100th anniversary of Qantas, this book made be very proud to be an Australian and to know that when I fly our airline I am in safe hands.
January 15, 2019
More of a people and personal management book than a recount of what happened (you can get that with the book just entitled QF32) but it's insightful and is peppered with just enough descriptions of the event to not seem dry. I was really interested in the fall-out from a successful landing - jealousy from other pilots, misunderstanding and playing down the fuss, the fact it almost cut short his flying career, when he landed safely!
Worth reading, I may go back and read the recount of the event now one day too.
Worth reading, I may go back and read the recount of the event now one day too.
October 19, 2018
Strange mix
Coming from the author of QF32, I expected a different book.
It offers interesting information on the technical side and regarding CRM issues.
At the same time, it seems that the author "plays by ear" in other issues. Then, an important part of the book gets downgraded to a common pep-talk.
I don't regret buying it but I think it would improve simply by eliminating about 30% of its contents.
Coming from the author of QF32, I expected a different book.
It offers interesting information on the technical side and regarding CRM issues.
At the same time, it seems that the author "plays by ear" in other issues. Then, an important part of the book gets downgraded to a common pep-talk.
I don't regret buying it but I think it would improve simply by eliminating about 30% of its contents.
March 10, 2020
Fly! Es una excelente oportunidad de pensar y formular una cultura de vida con metas y valores no sólo desde el punto de vista aeronáutico, muy recomendable.
Me sirvió para pensar en nuevas metas, el valor de la motivación permanente, una conducta ética y una preparación constante que sin lugar a dudas nos abren las puertas cuando se presentan las oportunidades.
Me sirvió para pensar en nuevas metas, el valor de la motivación permanente, una conducta ética y una preparación constante que sin lugar a dudas nos abren las puertas cuando se presentan las oportunidades.
November 28, 2025
My partner is obsessed with planes and we had an agreement to read one book of each other’s choice.
I started off really strong, reading 30% quickly, enjoying the story of the QF32, both the before and after. I liked the stories and examples but once it turned into a self-help book I struggled to be engaged.
I started off really strong, reading 30% quickly, enjoying the story of the QF32, both the before and after. I liked the stories and examples but once it turned into a self-help book I struggled to be engaged.
October 20, 2018
Great read.
Excellent dissertation of how to handle serious challengers particularly when multiple lives are at risk.
A must read for people who are likely to face possible disasters.
Excellent dissertation of how to handle serious challengers particularly when multiple lives are at risk.
A must read for people who are likely to face possible disasters.
March 22, 2019
Good read if you are an alpha personality who enjoys self help books. Neither applies to myself unfortunately. Much of his advice is good and the writing is interesting, which kept me reading to the end. It's just not really applicable in a meaningful way to my life.
September 10, 2018
Cheryl Bookclub 2018
February 13, 2019
an excellent read for any want to be pilot.
May 19, 2022
Actually really good. Teaches some great life lessons and perspectives on leadership and working within a team. Really enjoyed this.
February 20, 2019
This is a very useful hands-on book re processes on how to handle stressful situations. I learned heaps out of it on teamwork and running a business.
August 3, 2019
Captain de Crespigny offers an excellent self-help guide, especially, for those who have experienced workplace trauma.
I immediately put into action suggested strategies like curb cuts to manage with bias such as sunk cost theory in a team venture to purchase communication devices for people with diverse needs. This resulted in good holistic outcomes.
If I only took home the tip to count down from my goal because it is more motivating to count down to zero, I believe it will have been well worth every minute spent reading.
The book's depth of information about teamwork seems ultimately overshadowed by Captain de Crespigny's apparent bias for hegemonic leadership.
I question why, in chapter 10, after explaining the significance of art and creativity to STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics), de Crespigny seems to fail to follow his advice. Perhaps Captain de Crespigny is humbly acknowledging his gift for writing and translating complex themes into compelling reading.
I look forward to hearing more about sentient robotics.
I immediately put into action suggested strategies like curb cuts to manage with bias such as sunk cost theory in a team venture to purchase communication devices for people with diverse needs. This resulted in good holistic outcomes.
If I only took home the tip to count down from my goal because it is more motivating to count down to zero, I believe it will have been well worth every minute spent reading.
The book's depth of information about teamwork seems ultimately overshadowed by Captain de Crespigny's apparent bias for hegemonic leadership.
I question why, in chapter 10, after explaining the significance of art and creativity to STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics), de Crespigny seems to fail to follow his advice. Perhaps Captain de Crespigny is humbly acknowledging his gift for writing and translating complex themes into compelling reading.
I look forward to hearing more about sentient robotics.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews