Cap’n Meryl - Keynote Speaker

FROM CAP’N MERYL

Link to this week’s column at USAToday.com/travel:

USA Today column

With the airline industry in such an unsettled
state, I decided some time ago I’d better branch
out and get good at something else. The writing
thing is going well with one book out (The World
At My Feet) and the sequel in the works. I have
some other ideas for books as well.

I’m also starting to speak as the keynote for
companies and events and to that end I spent most
of the week at a speaker’s conference in Las
Vegas. Being on the speaking circuit has as much
to do with marketing as it does with having any
talent as a speaker and I learned so much my head
is still spinning. I know that many of my readers
are either authors themselves or would-be authors,
and being a speaker is something that ties in very
easily. If anyone has any interest in public
speaking, whether for high schools, colleges or
corporations, this is the one event I would
recommend. Please contact me directly for further
information: info@fromthecockpit.com and put
Speaking in the subject.

I met someone who has some good information about
self-publishing as well. If you’re looking for
information about this subject, use the same email
address I just gave and put Self Publish in the
subject and I’ll get some information right out to
you.

I met dozens of interesting people at this event
but one thing was kind of funny: There were maybe
80 people in the room. I sat in the front row as
I usually like to do. It took only a few hours to
discover that I was seated next to a Delta
Airlines pilot! He has his own book and I’ll put
out some more information on that when I receive a
copy of it. For now, you can see him in the
Cap’n Meryl & Friends Album of my Photo Gallery.
Just click here:
Photo Gallery
His own book is not autobiographical like my own,
but a collection of interviews with people around
the country about the one thing they would do over
again if they had the chance. I was able to
glance at a copy but after I receive it I’ll write
more info about how you can get a copy if you’re
interested.

You’ll also see a few other pictures of some of
the people I met at this conference including a
female firefighter and the former Miss Virginia,
also in the Cap’n Meryl & Friends Album.

I also added a few more pictures to the U.S. Album
which is getting a little unwieldy. The best way
to view the new pictures is to go to the U.S.
Album, then click “Latest Uploads” which you’ll
see at the top. Our flight was full so I rode in
the cockpit and took a few airborne photos as long
as I was there anyway. The following link will
take you right to the latest uploads so you can
see the Las Vegas shots:

Photo Gallery
The first five pictures are the new ones and
you’ll have to click on them individually to see
the captions.

The host of the seminar took the entire group to
see Cirque du Soleil’s “O” (water in French is
“eau,” pronounced “o”) at the Bellagio. It was
just spectacular with some of the cast members
diving from the very high ceiling right into the
water that made up part of the stage. It made my
heart stop every time. Just watching the stage
change from water back to a hard surface was
interesting and I could never really tell how they
did it. It seemed like one minute the stage was
deep water, then shallow enough to walk across,
then a dry surface.

This week I received a few inquiries about a B-777
that had something go very haywire in its computer
systems. My friend Captain Lim has a new Weblog I
am pleased to introduce to my readers. He
addressed this situation, which you can see on his
blog: http://askcaptainlim.com/blog If you
scroll down the page, there are some pictures,
including a really nice one of Captain Lim and his
copilot. By the way, Captain Lim has a law degree
from the University of London. He’s going
through the same kind of internal self-debate I am
about what to do after retirement. He may opt to
continue to fly with another carrier after he
retires from Malaysia Airlines, one without the
age 60 requirement. It’s a tough decision for
pilots when they get to retirement age and my own
is not that far away—a little less than eight
years now.

Al The Web Guy was Cap’n Al until he retired as a
B-747-400 captain. He certainly found his after-airline
calling and I wouldn’t be able to produce any of
the things I do without him. All I do is write
stuff but it’s Al The Web Guy who makes sure it
gets out into the world, so my thanks to him as
always.

One more note: Just a reminder that if you would
like to attend a banquet where I’ll be the keynote
speaker for the 99’s (women’s pilot organization,
but men are welcome, too) in Colorado Springs on
Saturday, October 1st, write to me at
info@fromthecockpit.com and put 99’s in the
subject, and I’ll send you all the info. The cost
for attending just the banquet is $33 per person.

Since I was gone most of the week, I don’t really
have anything else to report for now so…

Until Next Time,
Maintain Airspeed!
Cap’n Meryl
www.fromthecockpit.com
www.flyingfearless.com
www.fromthecockpit.com/profile.htm
(keynote speaker information)