Dancing the skies and falling with style

by Calvin Shields

At the dawn of the jet-age flying was romantic, exciting and exclusive. Drab post-war austerity surrendered to a less restrained, less politically-correct more vibrant era. Britain prospered and with a newfound sense of optimism businesses flourished and airlines expanded. Colin Fairdale, an insecure public schoolboy, stumbles into a career as a pilot with BOAC at the end of the ‘Swinging Sixties.’ He is a boy in a man’s world of hard drinking, boorish war-time pilots and a naïf among wild carousing cabin crew. The high pressure, high octane lifestyle plays a heavy toll on his relationships as he blunders through life. The terrorist attacks on New York heralded a more serious and rigid age.Everything had changed, forever….

384 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 2, 2019

About the author

Calvin Shields was born in 1949 in North Piddle, Worcestershire, UK.
His father was in the Royal Air Force and as a result, he spent his childhood living in the far flung corners of the crumbling British Empire
He joined BOAC as a cadet pilot in 1969 and completed his career with British Airways as a Captain on Boeing 747's. He subsequently flew for Singapore Airlines where he became deputy chief pilot training. He finished his flying career with TNT Airlines based in Belgium
He was fortunate to experience the 'Golden Era' of aviation at the dawn of the jet-age when 'politically correct' meant Labour or Conservative and air travel was less regulated.
Ever a sportsman, he crossed Greenland on skis in 2016 at 66 years old, and suffered a stroke while attempting to cross Corsica on skis in 2018.
During his convalescence he wrote his semi-fictional autobiography "Dancing the skies and falling with style" to chronicle an extraordinary life.


https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dancing-skie...

Reviews

[MRS JULIA BARTHRAM · Rating 5 out of 5]

WoW is all I can say! What a life story. I thoroughly enjoyed this so much so I read it in 48hrs! Having been cabin crew myself in the 80’s 90´s an early 00´s it confirmed all the stories I used to hear when I first joined and the description of the Captains in those early years was hilarious and so true! It brought back wonderful memories and had me laughing out loud so much my husband now wants to read it. There are also some very sad times as well but overall the book is fun to read and Calvin has brought to life an era that will never be forgotten 😍

[Jolie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An overall good read. A well-written description of an incredibly adventurous life with numerous jaw-dropping moments that had me completely stunned and a great insight into a realistic view of a different era. Thoroughly enjoyable, with not only humor but also sadness and shock at times, giving you a plethora of emotions throughout the book.

[Fiona · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you need an easy read with a good dose of humour and sense of adventure then add this to your list of must reads. I enjoyed the story of the journey of this pilot through his formative training years through to the travels across the miles. It makes flying fun.