Fred North has lived a life many people could be envious of—he has gotten to do the thing he most loves doing, which is flying helicopters. As a stunt pilot for many of the biggest action movies, he has pushed the boundaries of what is possible and come out the other end successfully. To document his achievements, he has written a compelling story of his life and how he got to where he is to encourage others to follow their dreams.

In Flying Sideways, Fred North opened up about his journey to become a professional stunt pilot. He has done stunt work on X-Men, several Fast and Furious movies, James Bond: Spectre, Mission Impossible, Transformers, and has been credited in over 200 movies. He was chosen to work on Extraction 2. He explained how they worked together to create the masterplan of landing a helicopter on top of a moving train and having it top off back guys right on top of the train. He shared how this led to him flying sideways for the epic scene. He also shared how he met his wife Peggy and how she helps him in his filming stunt career.



In the book, he explained how he told his parents that he wanted to become a pilot and fly a helicopter. At first, he was going to try out for the military. He had to pass an IQ test, psychological evaluation, and pass the assess knowledge. He failed the psychological test and was told he isn’t logical and he wouldn’t ever be able to become a pilot. On the instructor test he passed it with a perfect score but it still wasn’t enough for them to accept them. He did try out for the army proper and the EMHM program and was able to focus on alpine and arctic warfare. He also opened up about his experience in this program and how he talked them into releasing them. He still wasn’t living his dream. He went into extreme details revealing how he became a pilot and his experiences and adventures he faced.


I absolutely loved the cover design and the photos in the book. They all had a comic or superhero feeling to them. This is helped to lure readers all of ages into wanting to check out the book. I really enjoyed reading about all of his crazy adventures. It was interesting reading about how he refused to ever give up on his dream even when people didn’t support him. He bet the incredible odds despite being labeled a misfit who wouldn’t ever fly. I remember watching some of the scenes he was a part in and they were unbelievable action packed. You can tell he is very talented in his work and has cheated death a few times. This story will inspire readers to never give up on their own dreams.

"I received this book free from the publisher, Dexterity for my honest review.”