Review: Ask the Pilot by Patrick Smith
I recently read a copy of Patrick Smith’s well written book, Ask the Pilot: Everything You Need to Know About Air Travel. As soon as I was a few pages in to it, I knew that I had to finish the book because it was both informative and entertaining, a rare combination especially considering that aviation can be considered by some to be a boring subject.
At the start, Smith goes in to the hows and whys of flight. He explains how the airplane stays in the air, and why you hear that distinctive ‘buzzsaw’ sound on takeoff from the engines. He paints a wonderful picture of how the wing works, and what the flaps and slats are used for. He also speaks to how all of the major important systems of an aircraft are doubly or triply redundant.
Nearly the first half of the book is spent reassuring the reader on many questions they would ask an airline pilot. Patrick Smith hits upon many of the most popular questions, including questions about safety, the age of an airplane, ‘propeller planes’, turbulence, dumping fuel, speed, lightning, and many more questions are answered with clear, concise explanations and a great sense of humor.
About halfway through, the book departs from the safety and concerns of the passenger for a while and tells about the life of an airline pilot, which disappointingly enough, isn’t all that glamorous, although he does have some good stories to tell.
After this short diversion, Smith again launches into a discussion of safety and discusses many famous aviation accidents, and why they are so rare. Toward the end of the book, he discusses his opinion on airline livery designs and other issues that are interesting to the flying public.
At 269 pages, the book is a quick read and over much too soon, as you learn a lot and are entertained at the same time, a rare combination.
You can purchase an autographed copy from the author at his website.
Written by tb_neg on December 13th, 2006 with
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