Normal life these days is flying a Pilatus PC-12 executive turboprop from a London based airport which is exactly what I wanted to be doing when I left Indonesia in 2016. My love for Pilatus aircraft is no secret and the PC-12 is a testament to their status as the manufacturer of the world’s best single engine aircraft. I do miss flying the Porter, of course, as nothing can compare to that aircraft or the places I used to fly them but the PC-12 is about as interesting flying as you can get in Europe whilst still being able to cover distances. I still get to fly amongst mountains (although the Alps are a bit less green and a bit more white that the ones in Papua) and thus far have landed on many alpine airstrips includes Gstaad in the Swiss Alps and St. Johann in the Austrian Alps. Both not a patch on what Papua had to offer but I think my passengers these days appreciate being able to step out of the aircraft onto a sealed surface rather than a muddy patch of grass.

I still fly the Catalina flying boat although since the Loch Ness adventure, I am no longer a shareholder. Instead, I am now a qualified TRI (Type Rating Instructor) and help teach new shareholders how to master flying these magnificent machine. I do however own a share of a Piper Supercub. Some of you might recall me harping on about how lovely Cubs are from my Flyer Magazine writing days and so I had to back that all up with owning one. It doesn’t disappoint and, when it’s not broken, allows me to keep my tailwheel flying hand in.

Coming back to the book, I’m hoping to source an agent and publisher in the coming months but if that doesn’t pan out, I will be going down the self publishing route. It turns out writing a book is the easy part but getting it out there to you all is proving somewhat more work than I imagined. Fear not however, as I will persist with it as the stories within were very cathartic for me to write and I know you’ll enjoy reading them.

To keep up to date with how it’s progressing, please subscribe to the blog on the pop-up that appears on this page or using the link at the top. The more subscribers I can generate, the more likely I’ll be able to convince an agent my book’s worth publishing so please share with your friends and families. I’ll also try and post some other updates on what I’m getting up to these days including Catalina flying and Supercub shenanigans (if it ever gets fixed again!).

During that time I had a small article published in Loop Aviation Magazine which is available for free on your iPad from here. It’s a short piece in the PT6 50 year celebration about flying the Porter in Papua. Enjoy! And I’m now back in Indonesia ready for another year of adventures to bring you all.

]]> https://mattdearden.co.uk/2014/01/06/loop-magazine-article/feed/ 1 31 https://mattdearden.co.uk/2013/07/11/backcountry-pilot-article/ https://mattdearden.co.uk/2013/07/11/backcountry-pilot-article/#respond Thu, 11 Jul 2013 00:07:00 +0000 http://www.bushflyingdiaries.com/2013/07/backcountry-pilot-article.html/ Read More »Backcountry Pilot Article]]> A little while ago I wrote an article for an up and coming website, Backcountry Pilot, which focuses on flying in the US back-country. The website has existed as a forum for a long time and the owner has been developing the new, article based site for a while. It’s finally been launched and my article can be found here:

http://www.swaynemartin.com/share-your-story/share-your-story-matt-dearden-indonesian-bush-pilot/

For those of you still chasing the dream, don’t give up! And check out Swayne’s blog for more inspiration and articles on how to achieve that dream.