Ask the Pilot | Patrick Smith | Unraveling the mysteries of air travel

Ask the Pilot | Patrick Smith | Insightful, humorous, and well worth the read

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Ask the Pilot

	Ask the Pilot Patrick Smith Riverhead Trade, 2004 - 288 pages average customer review:based on 44 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Unraveling the mysteries of air travel

I'm a tough grader when it comes to non-fiction books, probably because I've suffered so many disappointments: books that begin with a dynamite first chapter filled with revelations and insights...that are then repeated for another few dozen chapters.

Ask the Pilot manages to avoid these pitfalls, possibly because it's not trying to impart any earthshaking philosophy (other than demonstrating that flying is safe), possibly because there's so much material to cover that it's only moderately repetitious, partly because flying is inherently fascinating, and primarily because of Smith's breezy and entertaining style.

Reading this book is like hanging out with a witty storyteller, except I missed the fact that I couldn't pull on his sleeves a few times to ask pointed questions. Too, I'd love to have heard more about the economics of the industry, but I accept that this is not particularly his area of interest and can't quibble about that. Although the book jumps around a bit chronologically and topically (understandable given its origins) it's one that I could hardly bear to put down once I started it. The toilet story alone is a classic.

As one who has never quite felt comfortable buzzing about the skies in a metal tube traveling hundreds of miles an hour, I have sometimes thought about trying to start an airline (White Knuckles) that caters to my fellow fearful passengers (flight attendants who hold your hand and explain the meaning of every scary sound and bump). Until White Knuckles gets off the ground, Ask the Pilot is the next best thing.

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Insightful, humorous, and well worth the read

The essay "Not All Mistakes Are Fatal. Some Are Worse" alone is worth the price of the book. His witty writing aside, Patrick Smith gives very straightforward explanations of technical matters that will make sense to those of us who aren't engineers or physics graduates. This book offers you a better understanding of planes and the people who transport them, and what all those regulations, codes, and other stuff in the world of flying really boil down to. Granted, it comes with a heavy dose of Mr. Smith's own opinion -- which, if you're looking for an insider's view of the industry, is entirely appropriate and generally pretty common-sense. If you've ever been curious about whether it's really safer to fly in a large plane than a small one, where airport codes come from, or why the flight crew, when you mention it at deplaning, didn't seem to notice the turbulence that nearly made you lose your coffee in an unfortunate fashion -- check out this book for the answers to these and other questions about flying you may have (if you're a jaded air traveler like most of us are these days) long forgotten you ever had.

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Fun and Informative!

I picked this booked at JFK and read it on an overnight flight bound for South -America. I found answers to so many basic aviation questions and had a few laughs on the side. This book is fresh, to-the-point, light, informative and fun. Recommended to all those who love aviation and/or are afraid of flying. Suddenly, the 8+hour flight was touching down, safely!

Ask The Pilot

This Book Is amazing!! I thought I knew alot about the Airline Industry, but WOW!! I learned so much from this book. All airline travelers should read this book!!

ALMOST everything you want to know and entertaining

What a great book to pick up and open to any section and find out answers to questions we have all had at times. A bit dry at times but also humorous, and I leave even more fascinated by air travel than when I picked it up.

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