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Ask The Pilot
Ok, so we missed it the first time around, when it was published, back in 2004. But it's made its way to paperback and is now at Hudson News (at a lot of airports, so it's easy to pick up while traveling). It's Patrick Smith's Ask the Pilot.
Based on his salon.com "column" of the same name, it's really a series of questions and answers about air travel related issues, by a straight-talking writer, who happens to be a commercial passenger jet pilot.
The tag line says that the book is 'for anyone who's the least bit afraid to fly,' but this book has enough in it to inform and amuse even the more "seasoned" flier.
He answers questions like, "what happens if a bird flies into an engine during take-off?" "What's that smoke that trails from the wings?" "Will turbulence crash a plane?" "What's a commercial pilot's life like?" "What were the 10 worst airplane crashes?"
The one question he didn't tackle: why is airline food so bad?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Patrick Smith Jan 2nd 2007 9:47AM
Actually, I do address the issue of airline food. And as the author, I'd like to point out that "ASK THE PILOT" is not a book about flying, per se, but rather about the entire theater of air travel, taking in everything from airport architecture to the service cultures of the world's airlines. The book was written for TRAVELERS, not airplane buffs.
For reviews, excerpts, and to order signed copies, I invite readers to visit my home page: www.askthepilot.com The site also links to the full archive my weekly columns at Salon.com
- PS
Iva Skoch Jan 3rd 2007 4:56AM
Hi Patrick,
Thanks a lot for your comment. I enjoyed your book very much.
Glad to see you on Gadling!
Iva