I grew up in an era of three day work weeks, militant trade unionism, IRA attacks, miners strikes and three million unemployed.
I knew my life wasn't going to amount to much.
Not with one O-level and 2 CSE grade one's to show from my age 16 school lever Comprehensive education.
Four years of City and Guilds of London from Southall College of Technology in Aeronautical Engineering would have to do for advanced education.
I went to America in the early 1980s having completed a four year British Airways aircraft engineering apprenticeship and a PPL/IMC holder and about 115 flying hours.
My life in America has been absolutely unbelievable. I don't know if it was me (somehow I doubt it, for God knows I'm nothing special), good timing, or just plane lucky. But it's hard to fathom quite how well I did.
For I've been a Captain at one of the worlds finest airlines for the last 27 years. It was a strange moment in time, for I only spent four months as second officer and two and a half years as first officer.
Now I find myself mid fifties, number eighty out of thousands, flying twenty five hours a month, four on - ten off, and I don't expect anyone to believe this, but it's true. Half a mill a year (including dividends in company stock).
Who else out there has saved ten mill from doing this lark?
Nobody would be my guess.
So you ask yourself why I'm so pro American
Well if it's not me, it must be America that's great.