John Spadea dreamed of being a pilot as a young boy, but everyone doubted him.

He heard that his grades were not good enough, schooling was too expensive, or flying was too dangerous. Others pointed out that he wore glasses and being a pilot probably was not going to happen.

But obstacles are meant to be overcome, and Spadea refused to let others dictate what he'd achieve.

In this memoir, he looks back at how he defied the naysayers to enjoy a long and successful career as a commercial pilot – a career that is still going strong. From scary incidents to famous people who have joined him on his flying adventures, he reveals what it's like to fly all over the planet.

He also shares an uplifting commentary on the future of flying, noting that Boeing and Airbus have each predicted that the world will need thousands of new pilots in the coming years, so the time to enter aviation has never been better.