Robert Cassidy inspects the plane before passengers aboard. Photos by Jiang Dong 

Captain Robert Cassidy waits for his passengers to board the Boeing 737-800 from Shanghai to Tianjin. Inside the 1.5 m wide cockpit there are hundreds of switches and complicated instruments, even on the ceiling.

The cockpit is so small the Australian can't stretch out his legs properly and places papers on his lap to take notes. It's far less comfortable than economy class, but Cassidy enjoys it.

"The cockpit has been my home away from home for nearly 30 years. I am most comfortable here," the 53-year-old says.

Cassidy started working for Shanghai Airlines Co Ltd (SAL) in June. He and a South Korean pilot were the company's first foreign captains of a passenger plane.

He has flown about 130 different kinds of airplanes and helicopters, with an accumulated 13,000 hours in the air and says he has never encountered an emergency situation. Even so, he has flown through three typhoons over Shanghai in the past six months.

"Nothing is dangerous as long as the flight is well-planned and follows procedures. It is much safer than crossing a street in Shanghai," Cassidy says.

He looks a bit like the American film star Richard Gere and dresses formally even when he is off work. His shoes are immaculate.

"I never ask my wife to polish them for me. I do it myself to maintain a military kind of discipline," he explains.

Born in New York, Cassidy started flying helicopters when he served in the US military, from 1974 to 1994. He worked as a corporate pilot and did medical rescue. He has flown company executives, VIPs, including popular screen stars, singers and even astronauts.

He became a civil aviator after he left the army and has worked for American Southern Air Transport, Taiwan China Airlines and Air Atlanta Icelandic. The largest airplane he has flown, as a captain, is the Boeing 747-400, which carries 400 passengers.

Cassidy emigrated to Australia three years ago and is now a citizen. Even so, he has been dreaming of flying in China since he was 10 years old.

His parents, he says, were not rich and could not give him much except inspiration. They bought him a book about general Claire Lee Chennault and the Flying Tigers, based in Kunming, capital of Yunnan province.

Cassidy was inspired and has been looking for a flying job in China for many years. He wrote directly to airlines, but his break came when a British contract agency suggested the time was right.

Though he holds Airline Transport Pilot Licenses from several nations, he says getting a license from China was the most difficult. According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), foreign pilots must receive two months of intensive training and pass 48 courses, including flying management, warning systems, government culture and the aviation security manual.

Exam pressure turned him into a bookworm who hesitated to leave classes during breaks but carried on studying instead. He says he used every waking moment to study.

Last May, Cassidy and three other foreign candidates sat the Airline Transport Pilot License written examination, administered by the CAAC, but he was the only one to pass it.

"I feel I have reached heaven by eventually flying in China. My dream has come true after more than 40 years."

Cassidy regards flying as a kind of religion. "I am that dedicated to my career, like a monk."

As such he has to be disciplined with his habits. He eats more fish and vegetables, rather than meat and is forbidden to drink alcohol at least eight hours before departure.

Normally, a captain checks in about an hour and a half before departure at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport or Shanghai Pudong Airport. Cassidy hangs a crew pass around his neck and carries a big black suitcase.

"It weighs about 17 kg. That's why my right arm is longer than the left one," he jokes.

It includes pilot's licenses, a flying map of China, an airport diagram, flight logbooks and a flashlight. Other items include a special calculator, his favorite sunglasses, an overnight bag, an umbrella, rain coat and personal items.

Half an hour after arriving he performs a safety inspection, but rather than going straight to his cockpit, Cassidy first greets every crewmember and introduces himself.

"I am not a one person band, it's team work," he says.

Searching for good restaurants is a hobby of Cassidy in Shanghai.

Then he programs the computers on the airplane with an electronic flight plan and gauges the airplane performance, to get ready for take off.

He can fly to five major cities across the country - Beijing, Tianjin, Shenzhen, Shanghai and Chongqing. He says he enjoys every route and is fascinated by the texture of the landscape when the aircraft lifts off or comes in to land. Pollution, however, frustrates him.

"I can see the air in Beijing is getting cleaner, however, other cities are still generating smoke up to 48 km away and the wind blows the fumes to the capital," he says, narrowing his eyes. "It is not enough to reduce the pollution in Beijing, the neighboring cities should also be included."

Cassidy is never happier than when he is talking about aviation and believes everyone should be given an opportunity to fly.

"I always notice some people are observing the planes. I am sure some of them want to fly. Scholarships should be set up for people from poor areas to help realize their dreams of flying," he suggests.

Last October, Cassidy donated 3,000 yuan ($412) to Fengliang Primary School in Wuning county, Jiangxi province, to help the school get an electricity connection.

Currently, Cassidy and his wife live in Shanghai. He says he loves the way Shanghai comes alive at night and likes photographing the city.

"I regret that I did not come to China earlier in life. I pray my one-year contract with SAL will be renewed and I hope to retire and remain in China for the rest of life," he says.

(China Daily January 12, 2008)