Welcome to my photography site. Please email me with any questions or more information about a photo. I am not making a living off my photos... just sharing my experiences and saving my favorites. My prices are negotiable, especially if you are buying more than one.
I was an airline pilot for Northwest (Orient) Airlines/Delta for 27 years, retiring as captain on the Boeing 747 in 2007. I never lost the travel bug. Now that I am retired, I still explore the world with my camera. There is always something new to see—something new to photograph. This life has been nothing short of amazing.
My books, Ups and Downs & To the Edges of the World, and Breakfast in Narita are available at Klindt's Bookstore in The Dalles, Oregon. They are also available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle. Ups and Downs is my story of what it took to get to the captain's seat of the Boeing 747, and I use it when I speak to teens at high schools, camps, STEAM talks (Science, Technology, Engineering, Aviation & Math), and rehab/detention facilities. To the Edges of the World is my travel book... places I've been and experiences around the world—synchronicity, close calls, and adventures.
"Breakfast in Narita" is my first fiction book, and speaks to serious topics like discrimination and sex trafficking.
“Cassie Longstreth is an international airline pilot and new mother flying to Narita, Japan in the early nineties when she finds herself in the crosshairs of the good ole boys club. Cassie is in for the fight of her life when she realizes they will do anything to get rid of her. But nothing is what it seems, and not even the support of her friends and fellow pilots can save her when she learns the reason they want her gone.”
The stories the lady pilots tell in this story are all true. One of the worst offenders was in charge of our union’s (ALPA) sexual harassment committee. He was never fired or even held accountable. ALPA blindly looks the other way. There really are management pilots who fail women on checkrides, send pilots to doctors paid off by the airlines to give false diagnoses, and wear class rings engraved with “Last Class With Balls”.
The maintenance issues on the airplanes in this book were real, but the ditching was pure fiction. I hope I never have to ditch a plane in the Pacific Ocean! I never found out why 27 engine blades were bent or why they were “pushing” planes. A mechanic who worked on our airplanes in Singapore was fired when they learned he was Al Qaeda, and that is also the station that did not want to do the turbulence inspection.
Airlines still have archaic maternity and family leave policies. With closed-shop unions that are 95% male, it’s unlikely that these policies will be a priority any time soon. Men still accuse women of being “must hires.” When so few pilots are women, it is ironic that any man would resort to harassing a woman because she “got his job.” However, the latest practice of hiring minorities who are not qualified is despicable and belittling. It hurts us all.
I retired as an Anchorage-based 747 captain for Northwest Airlines in 2007. I joined the International Society of Airline Pilots and worked for years trying to change employment interviews and maternity policies. It was an uphill battle. I compiled the worldwide statistics of women airline captains and first officers to provide an accurate picture of the industry. As of 2020, only 5% of airline pilots were women, and after retirements and layoffs, the percentage has probably decreased to 3%.
What is going on in our country today is the opposite of equality. If someone is interviewing for a job or running for office using their gender, skin color, or sexual orientation, they won’t get my support or my vote. Being the best-qualified applicant is the only thing that matters. Diversity hiring hurts all of us “minorities” who have worked hard to get to the top of our fields. You cannot right wrong by going backward. You can only go forward with the best of intentions.
A clear message needs to be sent to the world: We are a society that does not condone abuse or harassment on any level, by anyone. Pedophilia and gender transitioning of children cannot be tolerated.
Need a speaker? Contact me!
Jack Herbst
Alice Kaseberg
AWESOME photos!
Kathy