BEHIND the COCKPIT DOOR

Signed and dated on the front endpaper by

Captain Arthur Whitlock

Merlin Books Ltd. First edition 1991.    318 pages and well illustrated with the author’s own drawings.

Fine condition hardback book in yellow covers with a Fine condition unclipped dust jacket. 

Arthur Whitlock learned to fly at the Madras Flying Club shortly after World War II. His first employment was flying Dakotas based at Calcutta and Bombay in 1950. Returning to the UK, he joined BKS Aerocharter Limited and was promoted Captain in 1955. He flew Dakotas, Vikings, Bristol Freighters, Ambassadors, Britannias, Tridents and eventually Lockheed Tristars with British Airways. A talented artist, his work was exhibited with the Guild of Aviation Artists.

Balancing nostalgia and adventure with plenty of humour, Whitlock recounts not just the triumphs and inevitable tragedies of early commercial flight, but recalls the colourful characters, eccentric passengers, and light-hearted moments of life in the air. Enhancing his witty prose, the book features numerous superb pen-and-ink illustrations and cartoons drawn by the author himself. 

An entertaining read for anyone looking for a humorous, authentic glimpse into the cockpit during a bygone era of flight.