"THE ADVENTURES AND ENLIGHTENED OPINIONS OF A PERIPATETIC CANADIAN PILOT WHO WRITES HISTORY - AND ALSO MAKES IT."
He continues: "If you enjoy aviation history that comes straight from the cockpit, you will not go wrong in procuring a copy of "More Than a Pilot", the fifth aviation volume turned out by Don McVicar, whose work is well known and appreciated in England and Canada. His colorful experiences have run the gamut from bush flying, charter pilot, airline captain, survey work on Arctic routes (including the D.E W Line), WW II RAF North Atlantic Ferry operations, which produced many awards, citations and the prestigious Officer of the Order of the British Empire. McVicar writes in typical, plain pilot vernacular, a relief from "ghosted" aviation books. The book includes a potpourri of succinct essays that never get old to legitimate history buffs so long as fresh information or new interpretations are presented,"
Flypast magazine (UK) Ken Ellis: "Don McVicar is another well known and well regarded name, albeit in other circles. More Than a Pilot is the post-war survival story of the author's World-Wide Aviation concern. An amazing catalogue of air racing, tramp freighting, air routes in the USA and Canada. A few photographs would have gone down nicely, but the text is very compelling.
Warbirds (EAA) Jeff Ethell: "This fifth of Don McVicar's autobiographic books is interspersed with his own account and those of other pilots and their adventures, including Lindbergh, Earhart, Wiley Post and Howard Hughes. Since I have written a book about Amelia Earhart I can vouch for the accuracy of that chapter, and the others seem just as strong. The central theme is an undying love of flying which dominated Don's life and the lives of so many others. It is an excellent read. If you order the book ask him to also send "the Hissing Chapter" which his editors would not let him keep in!" .
The Aerospace Historian (USAF) Professor Robin Higham: "Bush and ferry pilot, racing pilot, post entrepreneur, Arctic flyer -- Don McVicar has been all of these things. Now after a lifetime in aviation he has turned to writing about his varied past. He retells in very concise form the tales of some of the world's greatest flyers and comments on their difficulties and achievements from the point of view of one who had done the same things with much the same equipment and can understand and explain why they did the things they did. He admires Anne Morrow Lindbergh, but has little good to say about Amelia Earhart. Readers may not like McVicar' 8 opinions, but they cannot ignore them because of his experience."
Quill & Quire: "From his lore of flight history, his experience as a pilot, and a lifelong enthusiasm for amateur radio, Don McVicar has distilled a pleasant brew. Personal narratives and intimate details of his aviation heroes are skillfully blended to make easy reading and a minor contribution to the history of flight. Although each chapter deals with a separate subject, all are cleverly linked. The book will be enjoyed by aviation enthusiasts and general readers alike."
Globe and Mail: "Like McVicar's previous four volumes, the book is an important contribution to Canadian aviation history. A veteran of the RAF Ferry Command, which delivered thousands of aircraft across the Atlantic during the Second World War, McVicar describes the hectic post-war period when surplus aircraft abounded. Interspersed in McVicar's narrative are commentaries on many of the legendary pilots of the world. For anyone interested in the forces that have shaped the twentieth-century, More Than a Pilot will be profitable reading. It is an entertaining portrait gallery of the people who both generated and succumbed to many of those forces."
Horizons: "The fast-growing number of enthusiastic readers of Don McVicar' s style of aviation story will once again be delighted with his new release. Along the way he includes some admiring, perceptive and sometimes surprising comments on the pioneering achievements of some of America' 6 best know aviation figures. His shrewd analysis of Amelia Earhart's last flight, including some previously unpublished facts is particularly interesting."
The Telegraph-Journal: "For anyone even remotely interested in aviation, this book is a definite must. Even if you don't know the difference between a deHavilland Mosquito bomber and a Douglas DC3 the yarns are fascinating."
The Recreational Flyer: "Here is a book on flying that will keep any pilot grounded for a while, for once he/she picks it up and starts reading it will be hard to put down."