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. 

The above review has already been placed on goodreads, waterstones, Google books, Barnes&noble, kobo, amazon UK where found and my blog https://ladyreading365.wixsite.com/website/post/this-is-your-captain-speaking-by-doug-morris-ecw-press-5-stars either under my name or ladyreading365 or lady Reading365 or ladyc reading

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!”

If you have questions about commercial flying or you are an all out geek concerning commercial 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.

DNF @ 20%

I am an frequent flyer and thought this would be very interesting for me as from the blurb, I thought this would have more details about the kind of things that happen during flights - not a detailed insight into exactly how to become a pilot.

It was far too technical for me that it started boring me as I didn't really understand what the author was talking about.

I think this is more suited for people who are keen aviators, who want an insight into pilots jobs and aircraft operations.

Thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

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.

As somebody who overcame a fear of flying to travel the world, I thoroughly enjoyed this fabulous read.
I loved the format, it is set out as a flight plan, the humour was brilliant (Ive seen Those passengers) and also felt like I learned a lot, brilliantly interesting and fascinating book.

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!

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.

If you enjoy flying or are curious about the skill required, this book will be of interest.
The author is a well established pilot and author.
There is a careful and methodical explanation of the various systems and above all acronyms in the flying world. If you thought this was a glamorous job, then prepare to be enlightened.
Sure the view from the flight deck must be amazing, so perhaps that is some compensation.
It's only in the air at altitude that the pilot free and his mind can turn, albeit briefly, to things philosophical.
The book has a gentle humour, tempered , no doubt, by a huge number of years of experience. This is the captain who you would like to steer you gently round the awesome power of thunderstorms or sort out a problem with the passengers.
A very good book.

I wasn't sure what this was about but as I already listen to an aviation podcast, I figured why not!

It's got a bit more technical jargon in than the average 'flight memoir' type book but it's managable. This is an ideal book for someone that's really super interested in aviation.

For the more ... casual reader, perhaps it's a bit much to cope with!

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.

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.

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

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.

"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.

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.

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.

I like behind the scenes books like this but sadly this one just never connected with me. It seemed to jump around too much ans switched from being highly technical to dumbed down beyond belief from paragraph to paragraph

Such a fun and informative read. I loved each and every word.Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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.