This Is Your Captain Speaking: Stories from the Flight Deck

by Doug Morris

For everyone from frequent fliers to aviation geeks, travel buffs to nervous travelers, Captain Doug Morris tells you everything you want (and need!) to know about flight Captain Doug Morris has been writing for his airline’s in-flight magazine for 24 years and has answered a gamut of questions. This Is Your Captain Speaking will draw from his extensive experience and explain everything you ever wanted to know about airline whether airliners have keys, why the bumps, what aircrew get up to on layovers, what’s the deal with “mile-high memberships,” and how to become a pilot. It also provides entertaining anecdotes from air travel’s unsung heroes ― flight attendants. It’s the A to Z of airline travel with a twist of humor. The flight deck door will always be closed, but Doug exposes the unique inner world of aviation to the public.

Genres: Nonfiction, Aviation, Travel, Business

272 pages, Paperback

Published April 5, 2022

Reviews

[Petra X · Rating 3 out of 5]

In question & answer format, Captain Morris answers all the questions you ever had about flying, all the questions you didn't have but someone else did, and all the questions you wish had been red-lined by the editor's pen as they are just plain boring. I am interested in turbulence, not so much in how much paint and how much it costs to paint a plane. Not at all in the various codes (not just the ones we know for airports) that the airlines use. There was a lot of information about the airline industry which was mildly interesting, but to be honest, quite a bit of the Q&As were common knowledge anyway.

I used to be frightened of turbulence, and I'm still not exactly calm, but I had a good lesson on how really irrelevant it was when I flew back to the island on an 8-seater and asked if I could sit in the co-pilot's seat. As soon as we get up in the air, the pilot gets out his sandwiches and his paperwork which seems to need a lot of concentration. Turbulence hits, the papers fly everywhere and the sandwiches fall off his lap. I am gripping the armrests like the world is ending and doing everything I can not to scream (I may have let out just a little one).

The captain picks up his papers and sandwiches and despite the turbulence resumes munching and looking at the paperwork. The third time everything goes flying, he folds the papers nicely, and digs in his bag for another pack of sandwiches and some biscuits and gives me a broad smile. So ok, if the pilot isn't worried about imminently plunging to earth and dying then I shouldn't be either. I do think he could have offered me a biscuit though, chocolate-coated Hobnobs. Chocolate is a known calmer-of-nerves, right?

The author is a very clever man with degrees in meteorology (endless cloud and fog details) and physics as well as being a top-ranked captain. He also writes a monthly column, 'Enroute' for an Aviation magazine. I think that it is probably really interesting, but the author doesn't have the writing chops for a whole book.

There are quite a lot of authors who can't do a whole book, but do collections of columns and essays and I think that Doug Morris would be more successful at that, rather than a jumble miscellany of Q&As in thematically-named chapters.

Interesting in many respects, boring in others, a classic 3 star, "I liked it".

[Remo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un comandante de Air Canada (I fly for a Canadian company, one with a maple leaf on the logo) nos cuenta un montón de curiosidades sobre el mundo de la aviación comercial. El libro está estructurado en capítulos más o menos temáticos con preguntas y respuestas en orden aparentemente aleatorio dentro de cada capítulo. El resultado es, previsiblemente, un batiburillo por el que vamos circulando. Algunas cosas nos gustarán más y otras menos. El comandante Morris es además meteorólogo, por lo que los capítulos sobre la turbulencia y la meteorología llevan un extra de chicha.

No ha dotado dios con el don de la palabra a este señor, por lo que, a pesar de que lo que cuenta es muy interesante, el tono general del libro no lo es. Y a veces se nota, cuando pasamos por las zonas menos interesantes (que para mi fueron entre otras cómo minimizar el jet lag -bebe líquido, descansa antes de volar etc-, y los tipos de niebla que existen, así a bote pronto).

En conjunto queda una lectura aceptable, que te hace pasar el rato, que te puede instruir en algún detalle, y poco más. Supongo que para los aerotrastornados este libro será mejor de lo que fue para mi.

[Andrea Pole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Is Your Captain Speaking by Doug Morris pulls back the curtain on the aviation industry, and answers just about any question you could possibly have about flight. As a frequent flier myself prior to being grounded by Covid, I was fascinated to learn some trade secrets from a veteran industry insider, and to have some common myths debunked.

I would happily recommend this informative and entertaining read to anyone who has even a casual interest in aviation, as it will certainly provide much food for thought the next time you take to the friendly skies.

Many thanks to NetGalley and ECW Press for an ARC.

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

Written with approval by the supervisors at his airline ("I fly for an airline with a maple leaf on their tail"), this is a senior captain answering a wide range of questions about flying. It is all about flying commercial passenger airlines (not cargo or private) and gives answers for both budding airmen and also regular passengers. The author has a background in meteorology so answers about weather issues are detailed indeed. In all, it is easy to read, the pilot is personable in a 'dad jokes' kind of way, and there is a lot of great information.

Since the format in the book is straight questions and then answers, it only loosely follows a structure. So although some sections e.g., about pilot seniority and assignments may be less interesting to the layman than to a person interested in flying, they are good information to passengers to inform the conditions under which their crew works. That said, the bulk of the book really is about all the questions this pilot has been asked by passengers over the years about flying. Some may be silly ("Do you really have a girlfriend at every airport!?") but others more detailed ("Why does an airbus engine have that high pitched whine?").

The subtitle of the book could be, "all the questions you always wanted to ask and then the ones you never knew you wanted to ask' since a very wide range of topics are covered. Some sections, especially on meteorological questions do get a bit long due to the author's knowledge on the subject (you probably don't need to know every type of cloud or Aristotle's history with meteorology) but it's never onerous. The author does a good job of being concise and informative at the same time.

This is a very easy read and should allay a lot of fears about travel while also giving great tips on everything from jet lag to explaining all those beeps you hear in the plane during your trip. And though I am a frequent flyer, I still learned quite a bit here. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

[Shelleyrae at Book'd Out · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doug Morris draws on his twenty years experience as an airline pilot for a large Canadian airline to address the mysteries of commercial flight In This is Your Captain Speaking: Stories from the Flight Deck.

Written in a personable tone Morris attempts to answer every question you might have about the career of a pilot and the operation of a commercial aircraft -including what they carry in their flight bag, how routes are planned, fuel tolerances, and the universal usefulness of duct tape; as well as queries about the notorious mile-high club, difficult passengers and shrinking seat sizes. As a certified meteorologist Morris also confidently address concerns related to weather such as turbulence, icing and the phenomenon of St Elmo’s Fire. The author’s explanations are concise and detailed but appropriate for a lay audience, with a glossary provided for further edification. Morris also includes good humoured asides and anecdotes throughout the book which are generally entertaining and offsets the technical minutiae.

While not the gossipy industry exposé I was hoping for, This is Your Captain Speaking did prove to be educational. I believe it would particularly be a good choice of reading for a nervous flyer, a young aspiring pilot, or someone with specific interest in commercial aircraft operations.

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a nervous flyer, I read this book during a long transatlantic flight and it helped me enormously. Doug Morris is a pilot with a background in meteorology, and has been writing for inflight magazines for decades. This Is Your Captain Speaking is written in a similar style, like he’s telling you his trade secrets over a beer. He’s nice and honest, and will set to rest the worst case of aerophobia. Some parts were a little too technical, but mostly it’s clear enough for any reader. Captain Morris makes everything easy to understand by using anecdotes from his long career. I’d recommend this book to anyone who flies a lot, and to nervous flyers like me.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/#ECW Press!

[Marika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meet Doug Morris, arguably the most famous Air Canada pilot today. He's not only a pilot; he also has a degrees in Physics AND in Meteorology. (He's a certified meteorologist) Oh, and did I mention that he writes a monthly column for an in-flight magazine? Morris is the person that you want writing a book about flying as he answers all your questions. Questions that you never knew that you had.
For example, readers will learn how often planes are painted, why Airport codes are 3 letters and what they mean, what pilots really think of post 9/11 regulations and even that pesky question about turbulence. Author Doug Morris does a stand up job of taking the mystery out of flying in a tin can.

* I read an advance copy and was not compensated.

[Emily Correia · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are someone who loves learning about the inner workings of flights and the airline industry, this is the book for you. I expected this book to be a little more anecdotal, but found myself really enjoying the FAQ format.

This book is full of tidbits and fun facts about the airline industry and the author’s experiences, but I do with there were a few more stories about some of his more unique experiences.

[Sophie Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

For someone who considers herself a nervous flyer, Sophie is mildly obsessed with commercial aviation and happily spends her summer days sat by the fences of local airports photographing planes and logging down their registration numbers. That’s why This is Your Captain Speaking by Doug Morris appealed to her.

In this book, Captain Doug Morris—a pilot with decades of flight experience—answers dozens of questions about being a pilot. He covers everything from how to get your wings in the first place, how pilots are assigned routes, and what they do during layovers. The vast majority of the pages, however, are dedicated to technical questions you’ve probably thought about yourself while thousands of feet in the air. Do airplanes have speed limits? How do they navigate when there are no roads to follow? Is turbulence dangerous? And just how does a jet engine actually work? All these and more are answered in a friendly and easy-to-understand way, giving you a look at what it means to fly a plane today, as well as how the aviation industry itself works, with more than a few barbed comments throughout about things that need to change or that simply make no sense.

Sophie thoroughly enjoyed this tour through the world of aviation and raced through it in less than a day—although she was a bit baffled about the inclusion of what is apparently an excerpt from the author’s forthcoming fictional book that was stuffed into a section focused on flight simulators. Her favorite moment was in reference to the five-letter codes used to denote GPS waypoints used for navigation. The sequence of these codes for the approach to the airport at Portsmouth, New Hampshire reads: ITAWT, ITAWA, PUDYE, TTATT, IDEED—can you spot what brought a grin to her face? The answer is below if you can’t spot it.

Anyone with an interest in aircraft, aviation, or simply hearing from those with interesting jobs (few jobs can be as varied and well-traveled as that of a pilot) will love this one.

Answer: Read the codes again thinking about Tweety Bird’s famous catchphrase, “I tawt I taw a puddy cat, I did!”

[Flora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many of the questions you’ve ever wanted to ask about being a pilot, about airplanes or as an air passenger will be answered here. All the info is presented in a Q&A format which you can pick and choose to read according to your interests. I found myself more interested in the stories and the answers that concern passengers, and not so much about a pilot’s career path or general plane mechanics. Those passages about turbulence may come in handy for nerve-soothing again soon!

A fun and worthwhile book for a potential pilot or anyone interested in the airline industry.

[Thomas Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have questions about commercial flying or you are an all out geek concerning commerical flying and all things associated this book is for you. The author got his start as a meteorologist but eventually made his way to being a commercial airline pilot with trips literally allover the world. But as you will see he also writes as evident from this book but he has been for the last 23 years contributed to his own in flight magazine. After reading this book I would find it hard to believe you would be left with any questions. The author with a careers worth of experience gives insight from just about every aspect from those in the terminal, ground crew and flight crews along with how flying works, maintenace can you imagine paying $120,000 dollars for a paint job or $40,000 for brakes ? And you thought maintenance was expensive on your car. You also get introduced to one Carolyn Hopkins a resident of the state of Maine who you probably heard her voice in a airport as she can be heard in 50 countries and hundreds of airports. After you read this you will think twice about using the airplane lavatory in your bare or stocking feet. Oh and by the way he reveals plenty of information if you are thinking about a career in this field. This structure of this book was a little different as it remind of me of someone of pulling slips of paper from a jar with a question written on it and answering that question. Overall a well written book. Thank you to Netgalley and ECW press for an ARC for a fair and honest review.

[WorldconReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

"This is your Captain Speaking: Stories from the Flight Deck" by Captain Doug Morris offers an entertaining and educational insider's view of the airline industry. The book is largely formatted as a series of detailed answers to frequently asked questions under chapter headings such as "Planning - before the flight", "Before start checklist", "After start checklist", "Before takeoff checklist", "Cruise Checks", "Pre-descent, in-range, landing and after landing checklists", "Postflight checklists and reflections", "and "Weather stuff" along with a very useful and entertaining aviation glossary. As a frequent flier I found the content interesting and somewhat familiar. A couple of tidbits I learned include that an airplane's autopilot is generically referred to as "George", grey waste water is immediately voided from the aircraft via a "drain mast", and smooth landings are easier on wet runways. I also enjoyed the author's description of his favorite foods and where they are found.

I suspect this book would be particularly enjoyable to read while actually taking a long flight or while waiting for a flight in an airport.

I thank the author and publisher for providing an electronic review copy of this book.

[Lady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow this book was amazing. I loved every second of it. The captain of a Dreamliner plane actually tells us every we would possibly need to know about planes, passengers and airports around the globe. I learnt so much from reading it and was so engrossed in it I actually lost track of time. I loved the way the author wrote this book as it flowed wonderfully. I thought it was amazing at just how funny and witty the author was. I really do recommend this book to all those frequent fliers and all those with a love of the industry. Even those like me who just love to learn new very interesting things. I loved the way he also suggested other books you can read on the different subjects he covered. There are so many fantastic things to learn while reading this book. The author has definitely lived a very interesting life. I'm positive you will not be able to put down this book. You will love it just as much as I did. I'm sad that it ended I could of read it for a very long time.
The highest praise goes out to the author and publishers for creating this truly amazing and fascinating book. I will definitely be looking out for more books by this fantastic author.

[Marie]

DNF, returned it to the library after a chapter and a half, so I won't give a star rating

It wasn't what I expected, from the title I assumed to hear stories from a captain's long career that might be entertaining to hear. Instead the first chapter told me all kinds of obvious stuff like put some ribbon on your suitcase, so you can tell it apart from other peoples luggage (been doing that for years) and wear comfortable shoes when traveling (duh).

While I might have stuck around even after these obvious things, I got a strong sense of entitlement from the author who feels that he shouldn't have to go through security checks or have to declare leftover food items when entering a country. Planes have been brought down by crew members before, so why should the crew be allowed to skip security checks? And pests that are carried into a country can wreak havoc and decimate crops, so being a crew member doesn't make you exempt from food regulations.

After not liking the author and his topics, I decided this one wasn't for me. I'll go back to watching Mentour Pilot on YouTube, you get a lot of good information from this guy without the entitlement.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow this book was extremely informative and interesting. I liked the way the author has planned the book as if they would plan a flight route out. I really enjoyed the humour and comical aspect of the author as although there were many facts within this book there were points where the author added humour which was great as it stops you getting fed up!

I think every single possible question ever asked about flights, flying, weather, aircraft has been asked and answered in this book. I enjoyed the read as just a nosy person in general, but this book would be great for aspiring pilots, people who enjoy flying and what to read the inside truths, or anyone who enjoys biographies.

Thank you to @netgalley and @ECWpress for allowing me to read this ARC.

#ThisIsYourCaptainSpeaking #NetGalley

[Eule Luftschloss · Rating 3 out of 5]

dnf on page 57

dnf for the curious reason that the file ran out on me, and the publisher decided to take it off Edelweiss+ so I could not re-download it.

From what I've read, this is a pilot sharing tid-bits from his line of work, not so much for the general passenger, though they are welcome to read this, but for people who consider becoming a pilot themselves. He freely admits that his focus is on Canada, and North America in general, and that life somewhere else might be different, despite his job bringing him nearly everywhere he wants to go.

So far, this hasn't been personal drama from his life, but stricktly work-related stuff, which I appreciate.

Three stars because it was fine. It didn't thrill me, but it did what it set out to do.

The arc was provided by the publisher.

[Xanthi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this on audiobook format.
I actually have no aspirations in regards to working in the airline industry in any way, nor do I fly all that often- and yet, I find myself interested in this field. I blame the show Air Crash Investigation.
The author covers a lot and does it with sincerity, and a touch of gentle humour. I like it when author’s narrate their own books but it did take me a while to get use to his speaking style. He’s not an actor or voice actor, and it shows. But after a while, this didn’t matter and I even found myself enjoying his odd timing, accent, and general speaking style.
I was already familiar with some of the topics covered but there was a lot in this that was new to me. Yes, there’s a fair bit of technical stuff but he describes it in layman’s terms, so I found myself more or less following along.

[Jocelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who loves the idea of flying but really hates it in practice (think severe airsickness and inability to sleep while sitting), this was a fun and informative read. Captain Doug Morris is like your pilot uncle who regales you with dozens of anecdotes accumulated over years of experience.

This is Your Captain Speaking is sometimes a bit disjoined, with some repeated information; it's more a book to flip through or reference than something to read straight through. But overall it's interesting and very often quite funny, and great for anyone who wants to learn more about air travel.

* Thanks to NetGalley and ECW Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. *

[Heaven Protsman · Rating 5 out of 5]

My life plan was to be an airline pilot. With the steep cost of flight training, I had to give it up after my PPL (private pilot). This book was a joy to read. It was a lot of, "I knew that!", and also "Who would have thought?".

Captain Morris is witty and knowledgeable, humble and seems very kind. This is a great read for anyone who is curious about flight, who is scared of flying, or is like me and has the aviation bug.

It did bounce around a lot for me, but I liked the intention of setting the flow up to mimic flight stages & checklists.

Overall a great read, and I'm thankful for the advance copy!

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
Aviation is fascinating to me and getting a glimpse from the cockpit makes it even more interesting. My uncle was a captain on a major airline for many years and he loved it.
This book gives a good variety of educational material on aviation and meteorology but also some fun facts and stories too. There definitely is a lot involved and many variables that prove one airline or airport is not like the others.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doug Morris' "This Is Your Captain Speaking" is a fun, informative read, even if you have been flying 100K miles annually for years. Written in approachable (no pilot's license required!), folksy prose, the information Capt. Morris shares puts the nervous flyer at ease and leaves the most frequent of flyers saying, "Well, that I never knew. Now I know." This is a quick, captivating read, too. Thank you to #NetGalley and #ecwpress for the chance to preview this book.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Doug Morris gives a good insider view of flying commercial aircraft. As someone who flew a lot, I found a lot of my questions answered, and even found answers to questions I hadn’t thought about. I liked the conversational writing style and the occasional attempts at humour, most of which didn’t really generate laughs but did give an atmosphere of lightness. Thank you to Netgalley and ECW Press for the advance reader copy.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a frequent flyer so this book was perfect for me. There are so many questions I’ve wanted answers to. Doug Morris author and pilot answers all those. What are the pings for? Can your pilot take a nap? What do you do with a dead body..
Doug uses his extensive knowledge of the aviation industry to give you a very interesting and informative read.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to see an arc

[Vikki Bullock · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the way that this book told a story, answered questions and contained loads of humour about the aviation industry!
A quick, easy read that is superb in it’s simplicity, hard to put down and a fabulous page turner!

Thanks so much to the publisher, NetGalley and the very talented author for giving us the pleasure of tapping into your knowledge!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Fuuma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would say I really loved the first three quarters of this. It's not a narrative; it's just facts on facts on facts, told conversationally. It was really fun, but hard to remember, a little repetitive, and I got exhausted toward the end. I do feel very informed about air travel and I'm glad to know all this trivia going into my next flight, but I think the information could have been better organized and edited to make it a bit easier on my brain.

[David Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

So i like reading about the lives of people who work in various industries and this book fits the pattern.

I've read some of his articles in the in-flight magazine for the airline they work for so i was familiar with the name.

Doug did a great job without getting overly technical and covers a wide range of questions he's faced as a pilot over the years.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and informative book. A chatty style that makes it very readable, explaining the things that as flyers we never even consider. From how cloud formation can affect how smooth the journey to the mysteries of the language used world wide to communicate with air traffic control.

[Asha Chikani · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected more anecdotal stories from this book.
For the most part, the author explained terminology well. There were some instances where he didn’t define terms during the section. So I got a bit confused as to why those terms were important.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

The content presented is interesting, but the structure and pace make it boring, even for someone who flies all the time.

[Tina Miles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of interesting facts about airlines, planes and being on the crew. Worth reading for that level of detail and clarity.