I was on the last leg of my first cross country flight. My next radio call would be to ask permission to land. I began to relax. I was nearly home. That is when the aircraft's engine stopped.


The Self Improver is an autobiographical account about how a university drop-out took his first steps towards becoming the world's most experienced Boeing 747 captain. Author Nick Eades was going nowhere fast when it struck him that after all, he was destined to follow in family footsteps and become a pilot. The book takes us into the cockpit to follow his journey to captaining one of the most iconic aircraft ever flown. The Self-Improver relates Nick's step-by-step path up the aviation ladder. Working his way through a variety of jobs, he enrols and passes the necessary training courses to achieve the licences and ratings that will move him towards ever improving jobs up the pilot hierarchy. His journey takes him from close to home in the UK over to the US and back again, as he makes his way in the world of aviation. Including many amusing anecdotes and gripping incidents mixed with tragic ones too, The Self Improver is a personal account of one man's mission to reach the skies and achieve the ultimate dream.