3 Feet to the Left: A New Captain's Journey from Pursuit to Perspective

Overall, the writing of this book was pretty decent. However, the complete lack of self-awareness and “me-centric” theme of this book was a little too much sometimes. The author attempts to temper this by trying to pay lip service to the misfortunes of his colleagues. Despite this, it still feels like he is writing empty platitudes to acknowledge the bad luck and timing of others and still somehow chalk up his own success to superior planning, decision making, etc. In reality he is the beneficiary of same type of luck and timing, and nothing else, and he is very reluctant to acknowledge this in the narrative. Personally, I did not find the premise of this story compelling whatsoever. Generally, legacy airlines prefer hiring pilots who already have Pilot in Command experience in either the regional airlines or military, so that the Captain upgrade is not some grand epiphany for prospective Captains like it was for this author. The “captain party” description, and griping about seniority list integration under the circumstances he enjoyed were particularly off-putting parts of the book. It felt like this book was a pretense to write an elaborate cover letter for a management position to climb the ladder further. I think the author is a talented writer, but I feel those talents would be better put to use in industry related fiction similar to John Nance type aviation novels. There was just way too much self-adulation in this book for my liking.

I just finished the book and was really captured by it. Couldn’t put it down today, even between and while watching football playoffs. The author’s descriptions of scenery, landscapes, scenarios, relationships, trials, accomplishments and most importantly Faith, Family and Friends were so vivid and came to life on the pages. Thanks to Captain Franke for reflecting each day on what is important in his career as a pilot to make the skies friendlier and safer for all the souls on board and thanks for challenging us readers to think about how we navigate our own journey and contemplate what is most important in our life. Very well written and at times so real that it put me right there in the cock pit. The scenarios had me living them through the eyes of my Son, who also attends Embry Riddle and is studying to be a Captain someday. For sure he will be facing these same challenges in his career some day soon and I know this book will serve as a wonderful resource for him. Hoping CJ and other young pilots starting out, as well as veterans in the industry struggling to make sense of the challenges, can meet them as gracefully as Captain Franke has navigated the experiences of a pilot following his dream. The sky is the limit. Congratulations and Thank you, Captain Franke!

If you browse this book for a few minutes, you cannot help but like Captain Franke. As a frequent flyer who grew up around general aviation, I enjoyed it immensely.

The book provides plenty of interesting insights about the lives of pilots and flight crews. This is when the author is at his best. You'll learn about the misery that pilots go through as they work their way up from flying for regional airlines. You'll learn about the uncertainty many of them face throughout their careers as they deal with furloughs and mergers, and airline bankruptcies. And, most significantly, you'll get a sense of why the joy of flying is powerful enough to inspire people to put up with the hardships.

This book is Captain Franke's first, and it does come up short in a few areas. You'll occasionally get the impression that he's just trying too hard to present himself as the model United employee, the perfect husband, and the perfect friend. The voice you hear is that of someone who doesn't want to make waves with corporate headquarters and doesn't want to offend anybody. For example, he slogs through an entire 40-minute chapter telling us about a conversation with a disgruntled First Officer who lost considerable seniority in the United-Continental merger. The Captain toes the company line in an effort to mollify the guy, followed by plenty of team-building platitudes. The book glosses management's poor handling of this merger and how it disrupted or destroyed the loyalty of thousands of employees and customers alike. You come away from this chapter and some others with the feeling that you're not hearing a genuine conversation: Rather, you're hearing someone who thinks the CEO is listening and wants to shine.

The view from the back of the plane isn't as pleasant as Captain Franke's view 3 feet from the left. Anybody who flies frequently knows the reality: Passengers are getting angrier as they cope with "densified" cabins, apathetic crews, and new up-charges for things that used to be included. It's getting ugly up in the air. Nevertheless, you're likely to find it reassuring that smart, caring, insightful pilots like Captain Franke are up in the cockpit.

I cringe at everything this guy says. He had the fortune of good timing in a career and thinks he’s some kind of leader. Dig into his personal blog and you’ll see the misogynist come out too. Just look at his picture, he’s 30 going on 50. Save your $$ please don’t inflate this ego anymore

My husband is a pilot and sits in the Captain's seat. I wanted to see what another pilot said about all that he went through to get in that seat and what it meant to him. 3 Feet to the Left is a descriptive adaptation of a very technical job into a story you can understand and relate too. I'm not a pilot and don't find reading technical papers interesting but Korry Franke takes you into the story with his writing. I think anyone with any kind of interest in or connection to the airline industry will find this book thought provoking and beautifully written.

Extremely well written, Captain Franke catches your attention with a bang (literally) in Chapter 1 then expertly holds your attention throughout the remaining action-packed 13 Chapters. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about real life "high" adventures. As a private pilot myself with many hours flying single engine airplanes, including "complex", I also highly recommend wannabe pilots read this book. Captain Franke's flying and writing expertise is neatly highlighted by his ability to bring Faith, Family and Friends seamlessly into this real life high flying story. Congratulations Captain Korry Franke.

Easy read, compelling story and a book you simply can’t put down.

This is a must-read for anyone interested in aviation. Korry was very descriptive and made me feel like I was there. Well worth the time and money.

The way Captain Korry let’s us inside this important mile stone of his career can be truly inspiring for aspiring pilots, especially does who really want to know what the actual life of an airline pilot consists of. Reading this book completely is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

It was an honest look at a man's growth as a pilot and a person. The flying sequences were fascinating, and at times heart pounding , and thrilling. As the old saying goes, The job is 99% boredom, and 1% shear terror. There were those 1% moments, but handled with professionalism, and care. One would want to fly with him. The diversions from the flying to the personal added a good counterpoint, and some of it gave a pleasant look into his world, including the chapter on learning about whiskey in Scotland. So much to learn and absorb, but done in away that made it easy to comprehend. Really enjoyed the journey.