Uplift – A Pilot’s Journey

Thanks to CWR Press for the ARC!

"Life itself is ultimately a one-way passage."

Wow, a book written by a Captain! I had never read anything like this before.

I would say it's the perfect book for those working for airlines, but also for regular people who just enjoy traveling and flying, like me. It's nice to understand what's happening on the other side. I don't know anyone who's never imagined what it's like to be responsible for so many lives on the air.

The author shares with us so many facts that marked his life and career. It's inspiring to see the challenges he faced in order to get where he wanted. I think it's beautiful how he values all his professional colleagues who crossed his path along all those years, with whom he has learned so much and also had lots to teach.

What happens when the green lights flash in the cockpit, but the red lights indicate an error at the same time? What kind of decisions does a captain have to take during a flight? And does it ever get boring?

These are only some of the questions you get answers for in Uplift. Constructed by small informative pieces in combination with true events that the author and former pilot has lived through, the books is a must for people who love flying. Written informatively and attracting the reader's attention immediately, this is a humorous story that will leave you with more knowledge about the people taking you home when you board that plane.

Uplift was a very pleasant read, strongly recommended for everyone.

I don't much like flying, but Grant Corriveau's story is wonderfully fun and written with a sense of humour. He comes across as a relentlessly positive and kind man, who followed his dream with a resolute stubbornness and loved every moment of his time in the skies. There are some hair-raising moments but mostly, these are stories about the trajectory of a career- the people Corriveau learned from, the struggles he faced both professional and personal, and the triumph of knowing, at the end of a career, that you excelled against all odds. Definitely worth a read for anyone in need of motivation or feeling scared of failure.

I quite enjoyed reading this entertaining memoir from retired Air Canada Captain, Grant Corriveau. I met Grant about thirteen years, when he volunteered for an organization I worked for. I was captivated then by the stories he would tell of life in aviation. I was captivated reading more of his stories in print.
This is an easy read, and one isn’t required to know aviation terms or even have to be a technical kind of person to enjoy this book. I learned quite a bit about the airline industry that I hadn’t known before, and found myself sucked into the cockpit with rapt attention more than once.
The chapters can be read in order (which tells the bigger story from start to finish) or one can jump around and read separate accounts, without missing pertinent details.
This is a great introduction to learning the ins and outs of the industry, and to encourage people to follow their dreams, no matter what age they are.
I received an ecopy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Unfortunately I struggled through this book. It does have some genuinely interesting insights into a pilot's world and some real moments of excitement but overall it is too bogged down with technical jargon which lost my interest. However, I think plane geeks, enthusiasts and wannabe pilots will love this book.
In the author's words, his career has been fairly routine and his stories are the more mundane type which although weren't enough to hold my attention I think would be fascinating to someone with an real interest in becoming a pilot.

If you're passionate about aviation and aircraft, this book is for you. You'll travel through the life of Corriveau and discover why he loves flying so much. If you're like me and have no idea about the terminology, have a good dictionary nearby. Finally, if you have a friend that wants to become a pilot, gift him or her this book, I'm sure it'd be much appreciated.

A Great Flight
I really enjoyed this unshowy journey through the career of an airline pilot. The use of pseudonyms for various parties featured in the book does not in any way detract from the events taking place. The struggles and stresses of forging a career in this challenging environment is well communicated to the reader.
Throughout his journey the author appears to have been able to keep a useful sense of perspective and awareness of the bigger picture. I wish him well in retirement.
This book was provided as an advance copy by the publisher in return for an honest review.

Note : This book was reviewed as above on Amazon.co.uk on 6 July 2018 https://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R2FJ90Y6D80LIB/ref=pe_1572281_66412651_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

This book was offered as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Anyone who flies often glances quickly into the cockpit and wonders what it's like to fly a plane. This book's author, a pilot who has worked for 30 years for airlines manages to give you a sense of what it's like to be up front, in charge of a plane and responsible for hundreds of lives. This memoir provides many interesting, insightful and funny stories. I found it to be filled with more technical information that I was interested in but overall it's a great book if you have any interest in aviation!

This was such an enjoyable book, especially for someone who was married to a commerical pilot for so many years and sometimes served as his navigator. I really loved hearing PIlot Grant's adventures in the sky (and a few on the ground)!

This is gives a wonderful insight into the life of a commercial pilot.
The short stories of a pilots life are light and amusing.
Well worth a read.

About the Author -
Grant Corriveau was a commercial plane Pilot. Uplift A Pilot's Journey is his first book. He is working on another book called Airline Pilot: A Day In The Life.
Know more about Corriveau.

Review of Uplift: A Pilot's Journey -
O Captain! my Captain!

Uplift is an inspiring read. It inspires you to shoot for your dreams however high they may be, however hard the situations may be. It inspires you to have precision at your job every single day. A Pilot can never make a mistake and stay alive. There is too much at stake. A Captain makes so many decisions every single day and yet there is no decision fatigue. You may have hundreds of hurdles, the hours clocked can be difficult, the weather can be monstrous, there are thousands of things that can go wrong. You have to work with the team and come up with a solution in the definite time that you have. There is no Google as your savior( like it is for many other jobs). Plus you also have the responsibility of the passenger's life and you have limited fuel.

My feelings about the book -
Captain Corriveau was not only a great pilot but is also a great writer. All chapters are crisp and to the point. There are professional words from the aviation industry used in this book but they are in bold and explained in the glossary, at the end of the book and also in the chapters wherever used. Thus this book was effortless to understand. The book emboldens and leaves an impact.

The plot of the book -
This book is an autobiography/memoir of Captain Grant Corriveau. He penned his life's experience as a Pilot and flying almost every day of his life. Uplift is an easy read. Anyone from any background can read this book and relish the experiences shared. It does not need any prior knowledge in the field. Beginning from the time when Corriveau wanted to become a professional Pilot and ending at his retirement day, this book covers almost every designation he worked at. All challenges and expectations are crystal defined.

What I didn't like -
This was a great book, the moment I started to read this book, it was unputdownable. Every Chapter is another adventure in the life of a Pilot. I am giving it 4 stars because I felt everything good about the job was well covered but something that annoyed Corriveau was not mentioned in details except for late night flights.

Predictability -
Life of a Pilot is unpredictable. Every moment is living by the rules, flying day in and day out. Every work day is different and has its own challenges.

Verdict -
This was a facile read about the difficult job of being a Pilot. It is one of the Must Reads Books. If you are an aspiring pilot then you have to read this book.

In Uplift, Grant Corriveau describes his journey from his beginnings on smaller planes to ultimately achieving his goal in becoming a commercial airline captain. Though there isn’t the polish to this book as to memoirs taken on by bigger publishers, Corriveau has played to his writing strengths in making each chapter a snippet of either his experiences in the sky and, occasionally in life. Each chapter is short but enlightening with a glimpse into commercial aviation in its training or regulations, pilot experiences and all the in between. Throughout, Corriveau keeps an upbeat attitude and the effect is indeed “uplifting” in its approachable dialogue to the reader with small life lessons as well as entertaining stories like that of a captain Corriveau worked being mid air when he realized he had left his car parked at the drop off gate with the keys still in it. I also highly recommend the rules of flying at the end which had me laughing out loud as I read them.

Each industry has its own jargon and culture and pilots have often been shrouded in a sort of mystery. Corriveau demystifies some of the job and the industry that goes with it while still inspiring a heavy respect for those who navigate our airways. An enjoyable light read.

My thanks to the publisher, CWR Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.