Biographic Information

John J. Nance, a native Texan who grew up in Dallas, holds a Bachelor's Degree from SMU and a Juris Doctor from SMU School of Law, and is a licensed attorney.  A decorated Air Force pilot veteran of Vietnam and Operations Desert Storm/Desert Shield, he is also a Lieutenant Colonel in the USAF Reserve, well known for his involvement in Air Force human factors flight safety education.  John has piloted many jet aircraft, including Boeing 727's, 737's, 747's, and Air Force C-141's and has logged over 13,000 hours of flight time in his commercial airline and Air Force careers.  John flies his own aircraft and also continues to serve as a Boeing 737 Captain for a major airline.  

John J. Nance is an internationally recognized air safety analyst and advocate, best known to North American television audiences as Aviation Analyst for the ABC Television Network and as the Aviation Editor for Good Morning America.  

John has also had multiple appearances on Larry King Live, PBS Hour with Jim Lehrer, Oprah, NPR, Nova, the Today Show, and many others.  John's editorials have been published in newspapers nationwide, including the Los Angeles Times and USA Today.  

He is listed in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in American Law, Who's Who in the World, and Who's Who Among Emerging Leaders in America.   

John is the nationally-known author of twelve major books, four non-fiction: Splash of Colors, Blind Trust, On Shaky Ground, and What Goes Up, (all published by William Morrow), and eight fiction bestsellers:  Final Approach (Crown Publishing, 1990) NTSB investigator Joe Wallingford faces his own personal crises as he works through conflicts and cover-ups to arrive at the true cause of an airline disaster. Scorpion Strike (Crown Publishing, 1992) a military techno-thriller set after the Gulf War. Phoenix Rising (Crown Publishing, 1994) a gripping novel set against the backdrop of today's changing airline industry. Pandora's Clock (Doubleday, 1995; paperback, St. Martin's Press, 1996) a New York Times Bestseller about a race against time with a doomsday virus threatening the world. Medusa's Child (Doubleday, 1997; paperback, St. Martin's Press, 1997) an edge-of-your-seat thriller with five people aboard a cargo jet working desperately against an exotic nuclear weapon which could destroy all the computers in North America. The Last Hostage (Doubleday, 1998) a child's murder, a father's rage, and a skyjacked 737 are the challenges facing rookie FBI negotiator, Kat Bronsky, who has 24 hours to bring a killer to justice and save over 130 lives - including her own!   Blackout (Putnam, 2000) FBI Special Agent Kat Bronsky is back and fighting for her life and the lives of seven survivors of a terrorist-caused accident. A sexy thriller with heart stopping action.  Headwind (Putnam, 2001) The real-life Pinochet extradition case inspires this international legal thriller peppered with razor-edge escape scenarios and death-defying aviation theatrics.  

Pandora's Clock and Medusa's Child both aired as major, successful two-part mini-series on television.  

John J. Nance is a well-known international advocate of crew resource management and expanded human performance training and is a dynamic professional speaker/consultant, presenting pivotal programs on Teamwork, Risk Management, Motivation, Coping with Competition, and other topics.  He speaks to a wide variety of audiences, including medical and pharmaceutical professionals, CEO's of major business-oriented corporations, and environmental, aviation, engineering, and travel-oriented groups.  With his entertaining, highly motivational, yet informative style, he is in demand to give keynote speeches at conventions and symposiums worldwide.

John is a founding board member and is on the executive committee of the National Patient Safety Foundation.   He lives in Tacoma, Washington.