Squawk 7700

By: Peter M. Buffington

Narrated by: Thomas Block

Squawk 7700 is a first-hand account of author Peter Buffington's experiences as a commercial airline pilot and the journey he took to reach his childhood dream. Buckle your seatbelt and prepare for an eye-opening, turbulent ride into the world of aviation from the pilot's seat. From student pilot at age 15, to flight instructor, to nighttime cargo pilot, and finally as first officer aboard the ATR 72 turboprop airliners island hopping the Caribbean, Squawk 7700 is a riveting aviation adventure.

©2010 Peter M. Buffington (P)2013 Peter M. Buffington

Pilot in progress

it really is a sobering read, if your goals are to be professional pilot. Read this book.

Holding Short

This book is fine and worth a read I guess, for the most part I thought it was a bit of a pity party from someone not willing to pay the price required to achieve ones dreams. The book fell short of my expectations.

Something's "off" here.

Is there anything you would change about this book?
The story has a weak foundation, as has any memoir written by a young man. His story is just beginning, he is / was inexperienced. He seems to be grinding an axe. But in his defense, he describes real mistreatment and recklessness on the part of the airline in Puerto Rico. (I suspect that, before it became part of the American Airlines family of feeder carriers, this airline was something of a loosely-run, local, "flying club"-type outfit. When the white-shirts from the States incorporated them into their system and began enforcing regulations and sending young USA pilots to fly with them, the local pilots took it as an affront, and undertook to make them miserable.)

Do you think Squawk 7700 needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?
No. Let this book stand. It deserves telling because its anecdotes are so exceptional. But more like it would skew the public's perception of the industry. This author happened to encounter fools. His was not a normal career progression.I cannot tell you how many times I flew co-pilot for airline captains who made proper, safety-first decisions, even when it meant we wouldn't arrive home in time for whatever. Same for my own flying as captain. Passenger boredom is the airline pilot's stock in trade. What excitement is there in approaching a destination and choosing not to attempt a landing until either the weather or the braking conditions improved enough to produce an unexciting landing?

Any additional comments?
That Puerto Rican outfit was just crazy, and the author did the right thing. Of the standards of the small, general aviation outfits he encountered, I cannot speak, except to guess that this man's experiences with his various employers are not the norm. Rather, I like to think that he just happened to encounter slipshod employers everywhere he happened to turn.

Exceptional - not realistic - in terms of the norm.

The career ladder is long.

Peter, in all professions, when you are new and inexperienced there's long hours at low pay. Doctors, Lawyers, Engineerings, etc. You have to pay your dues. Unfortunately for you the rewards will not be seen because you didn't stick it out. Oh well.

Good Audio book, BUT

I completely agree with the authors suggestions that safety and professionalism should be top priorities in the airline industry. But this guy wants to ignore the laws of supply and demand. He wants to blame low pilot wages on everything from being so rich that you can afford to buy a right seat to affirmative action. The transportation industry has ALWAYS been highly competitive with thin profit margins. It's a good audio book. But the author suffers from a bad case of if you don't look like me, act like me, think like me, or talk like me, then something is wrong with you. America is a melting pot of cultures that some people embrace while others run. This guy is in a full sprint.

Excellent story that keeps a good pace.

Great storytelling here. This pilot tells it all in great detail without bogging down on any one area. I felt really bad for what this pilot went through to find his dream job. Before you go for that big ticket you need to listen to this!

Good story if...

It's a good story and the author tells of his problems that he had in the airline industry and of the problems the airline industry has or had. My problem with this book was the narrator at times I felt he was reading just to past the time away and never really put an effort into the reading except when he announced the next chapter. If you get a hang in with the story the book does have some very informative parts to it and some very eye-opening parts as well.

Commercial pilot

So... listened to this through in a couple of weeks. Story line isn’t bad and does offer insight into a real aviation career. Some of what he’s complaining about is valid, some I think is a bit picky. But the writing..... the writing is truly sub par. There were stretches of 10 minutes or more, on multiple occasions, where every sentence started with “The ATR 42.” It was extremely difficult listening.

Great Story

Great story but absolutely awful voice performance. Would be 5 stars with a better reader.

A sad but true account of the aviation industry.

IF your thinking of flying for a living, read this first! Some day things might change, but I doubt it.