Cleared for Takeoff

by Scott Kaye

Cleared for Takeoff is an adventurous memoir of a commercial-airline pilot who has navigated it from close calls and dangerous airports to aviation politics. After forty years on the job, Scott Kaye is no ordinary pilot. Kaye was one of the fewer than three hundred Boeing 747 captains in the US. And unlike most US commercial pilots who are trained during their military service, Kaye got to the top of the profession by owning a flight school and flying for foreign airlines before being hired by US carriers. More than just a fast-paced story for aviation and airplane fans, Cleared for Takeoff also appeals to a general readership. Writing easy-to-understand, amusing, informative, and inspiring stories, Kaye offers not only his expert take on airline disasters but also personal life lessons that can be applied to everyone's life journey. This book is one of three written by Scott Kaye.

162 pages, Paperback

Published September 26, 2019

Reviews

[Kathleen Garber · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a window into the life of a pilot. This was eye opening for me because I’ve never even been on a plane. I definitely don’t know anything about how they work or what being a pilot is like.

Since I’m not particularly “into” planes I did find some of the tech talk a bit much. However the stories including with them were interesting. This book reminded me of another book I read about boats called River Queens. Instead of stories on a boat, it was stories on a plane.

Scott, the pilot, has 40 years of experience being a pilot so he has seen it all. In the book he not only tells stories he finds lessons in his experiences for life in general.

You will read about: jet lag, layovers, pranks, close calls, weather, airports, major airline disasters, 9/11, different planes, de-icing, landing, flying lessons, cargo and much, much more.

If you know a pilot, want to be a pilot, are interested in aviation or just like flying in planes, you’ll enjoy this book.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Denese Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever wondered what REALLY goes on in the cockpit of the airplane you are flying on? With forty years of commercial flying experience, Scott has many fascinating stories to tell including an engine fire, his interesting path towards commercial aviation, his take on what might have happened to Malaysia Flight 370, and much more. Scott shares the ins and outs of what happens in the cockpit and what it’s like to be a pilot with enough technical talk for those interested in aviation but still understandable to those of us who aren’t. Throughout the book, Scott includes lessons he’s learned from his career and how he uses those lessons in other parts of his life. Scott’s light, conversational tone combined with short chapters make Cleared For Takeoff a quick read that anyone will enjoy!

[Art Ziemann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very engaging

A great journey into a fascinating life and career, passionately written, educational, and motivating for anyone looking to reach new heights.