There are few people in this country who have written more about aviation than John Laming.

Since his retirement from commercial flying in 1992, John has been pouring out stories to entertain aviation lovers at a rate few people can match.

John emigrated to Australia in 1947. His first job after school was with the Sydney Morning Herald Flying Services at Camden near Sydney.

He joined the RAAF in 1950 and retired as a Squadron Leader 18 years later. He then joined the Department of Civil Aviation before taking up a role as a pilot with Air Nauru.

So he can rightly say he's been there and done that. He has more than 23,000 flying hours and there's no doubt hat he is a keen observer of life.

This book is a record of the places he visited throughout the South Pacific during his time with Air Nauru and the stories, most of them very funny, are a record of what happened to him along the way. I don't think he intended it to be, butt his book will also end up being a history of both aviation in the South Pacific region and other countries and lifestyle he documents.

There are places, people and customs he records here which no longer exist.

AOPA often runs John's stories, as do other aviation magazines in Australia and for good reason. They are a great read for anyone who loves flying. This book has 31 stories. It will keep you entertained for hours.