Airline Pilot Retiree Reflects on Career...Writes Book:

[FN FAL]

Bullhead City pilot-author reflects on career
By JOSIE SCHLINK
BULLHEAD CITY - In a residence in Old Bullhead lie copies of “the flylight zone.”

In the preface of his recently-published memoirs, Jack Beck refers to the next 608 pages with this phrase for good reason. The book contains the lifestory of an airline captain who traveled the world and eventually found himself in Bullhead City.
Beck, 72, began writing “Flying High” shortly after his retirement and worked on it for the next 17 years.

“I decided to write down everything I did to tell my sons what I went through to become an airline pilot,” he said.

Beck also wrote the book in honor of Bill Butler, the chief pilot for Twentieth Century Airlines at Hollywood Burbank Airport who took a chance by hiring him shortly after his graduation from the Spartan School of Aeronautics in Tulsa.

“That's the guy that started me in my career,” Beck said. “If it hadn't been for him I would never have had the wonderful life I had.”

Beck's “wonderful life” as a pilot began as an airplane mechanic and progressed to flight engineer, where we worked for Hollywood Burbank International Airport in Los Angeles and for San Diego Pacific Southwest Airlines. He was promoted to co-pilot and, in 1967, to captain, where he flew until his retirement in 1994.

And during his 28 years as captain, he created enough memories to write a book.

Beck said that while flying, he preferred making several short flights in the course of a day to making only one or two monotonous, lengthy ones.

In one of his favorite frequent trips, he made the 21-minute flight from San Diego to Los Angeles as many as 13 times in one day.

“It was like a ping-pong ball,” he said. “It went by so fast because it was always busy.”

Beck was less enthusiastic about the outcome of a 13-hour flight from San Francisco to Honolulu.

“When we got there the fuel tanks were empty,” he said.

“Flying High” reflects on Beck's travels across the globe, including Germany, France and other parts of Europe. But one of his most interesting experiences, he said, was right in Bullhead City.

“The plane landed ‘gear up,'” he said. “The gear collapsed on landing. We slid on our belly.”

Beck and his companions made time to check out the Riverside Casino, and he eventually purchased a house in the north side of town.

“I thought, ‘what a nice place,'” he said.

The book also mentions some memorable experiences in Las Vegas.

Beck's sons, Mark and Kevin, are also pilots. Mark works for U.S. Airways in Pittsburgh, while Kevin is employed by America West in Prescott.

“Flying High” may be purchased on the Web site of its publishing house, www.authorhouse.com. The book sometimes contains strong language.

Beck will sign copies of “Flying High” at hastings books, music and video from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 2.

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[81Horse]

OMG. Jack Beck was one of my dad's classmates at PSA.

Thanks for posting this, FN FAL. I'm going to have to get the book, and try to send him a note.

I'm willing to bet he didn't tell all his good stories.

 

[C-150ETOPS]

I'm willing to bet he didn't tell all his good stories.

You're on the right track.

Airline Captain in the late 60's and 70's, in SoCal at that?

 

[81Horse]

Airline Captain in the late 60's and 70's, in SoCal at that?

Hookers, hooch, and hot tubs -- that's what I was expecting.

BTW, I've exchanged emails with Capt. Beck and hope to talk to him soon. Maybe he'll tell me some of those stories my dad never would.