Rob Schapiro

Rob Schapiro was a professional pilot for more than 30 years. Born in Cape Town, he started his aviation career in the South African Defence Force at 17. He became one of his squadron’s youngest-ever commanders at 20, flying Dakotas in the Border War in the late 1970s.

In 1979 he joined South African Airways, flying Boeing 727s, 737s and 747 jumbo jets. He transferred to Japan’s Nippon Cargo Airlines in 1994, where he flew out of New York until his retirement from aviation in 2010 as a Boeing 747 captain.
Schapiro went on to develop and teach courses to help those afraid of flying. He died of cancer in 2017 at age 59.