Reviewed by Richard Tutin
It has been said that the mystique of flying disappeared years ago yet there is still the thought, as we take our seats for a flight to somewhere, that vestiges of it still exist. Captain Jeremy Burfoot, a pilot of more than thirty-five years’ experience, lays bare some of that ongoing mystery by sharing with us, the reader and possible air traveller, some of the secrets that are done behind the scenes as an aircraft and its crew prepare for take-off, the journey and eventual landing at its destination.
As well as some technical information, Jeremy Burfoot shares many anecdotes of what can and did happen as planes flew from one port to another. He shows the human side of what it means to be a staff member of a large airline in these days of stiff competition and high expectations. The high expectations are not just the preserve of the passengers who file on board but also of management whose aim is to save on costs wherever possible.
While the paying passenger sees the team of flight attendants and aircrew on their plane, they may be unaware of the veritable army of people that are needed to prepare an aircraft and keep it in the air. A glimpse of this is seen when passengers disembark. The various crews come on board to clean and restock the plane while others on the ground unload it and refuel it.
Burfoot’s book is for those who love flying and want to know more about it as well as those who are tentative about the experience but are willing to find out more about it. We are also treated to the many experiences of Burfoot’s extensive flying career that covers airlines such as Qantas and Japan Airlines as well as his time with the New Zealand Airforce as a navigator. He also shares his biggest regret that his flying career ended due to the Covid crisis when he and thousands of other airline employees were stood down and eventually laid off due to the bans on flying over that period from 2020-2021.
While you may feel that Burfoot is cynical about some aspects of modern flying he is, by the end of the book, upbeat about its future. Even now airlines are still finding their feet in our everchanging world. While elements of flying are not as luxurious as they once were, things are changing as new planes come online and better meal and entertainment options are incorporated. The face of flying is changing in some instances as long-distance routes are lengthened and done without the once common stop overs along the way.
Whatever you feel about flying or its future The Secret Life of Flying is entertaining and informative. Reading this book may make us more observant as we show our boarding pass, take our seats and watch the aircrew put their behind the scenes work into action as we fly to our next destination.
Captain Jeremy Burfoot is a pilot with more than 35 years’ experience and 23,000 hours of flying for Qantas and Japan Airlines. He also coaches people to overcome their fears of flying.
The Secret Life of Flying: What really happens when you travel by air
by Captain Jeremy Burfoot
(2024)
Pan MacMillan Australia
ISBN: 978 176126 953 0
$36.99; 308pp