A New York Times bestseller
For millions of people, travel by air is a confounding, uncomfortable, and even fearful experience. Patrick Smith, airline pilot and author of the web's popular Ask the Pilot feature, separates the fact from fallacy and tells you everything you need to know...
?How planes fly, and a revealing look at the men and women who fly them
?Straight talk on turbulence, pilot training, and safety
?The real story on congestion, delays, and the dysfunction of the modern airport
?The myths and misconceptions of cabin air and cockpit automation
?Terrorism in perspective, and a provocative look at security
?Airfares, seating woes, and the pitfalls of airline customer service
?The colors and cultures of the airlines we love to hate
Cockpit Confidential covers not only the nuts and bolts of flying, but also the grand theater of air travel, from airport architecture to inflight service to the excitement of travel abroad. It's a thoughtful, funny, at times deeply personal look into the strange and misunderstood world of commercial flying.
It's the ideal book for frequent flyers, nervous passengers, and global travelers.
Refreshed and vastly expanded from the original Ask the Pilot, with approximately 75 percent new material.
The world of air travel, often in the news, is fascinating but a little wacky. Patrick Smith has a particular talent for underscoring these features with irresistible wit and wisdom. In addition to his knowledge of all things aviation-related, Patrick shares his personal and sometimes surprising insights into geography and culture from his travels to over 70 countries. Cockpit Confidential is a completely revised edition of the 2004 Riverhead book ASK THE PILOT, with 50% entirely new material & another 30% or more revised, updated, and expanded material. New discussions cover a wider variety of topics with an emphasis on the most newsworthy: security, airfares, pilot training, as well as airline customer service issues. Also included are an informative air travel glossary and an index.