Ask The Pilot

Though we routinely take to the air, for many of us flying remains a mystery. Few of us understand the how and why of jetting from New York to London in six hours. How does a plane stay in the air? Can turbulence bring it down? What is windshear? How good are the security checks? Patrick Smith, an airline pilot and author of Salon.com's popular column, "Ask the Pilot," unravels the secrets and tells you all there is to know about the strange and fascinating world of commercial flight. He offers: A nuts and bolts explanation of how planes fly Insights into safety and security Straight talk about turbulence, air traffic control, windshear, and crashes The history, color, and controversy of the world's airlines The awe and oddity of being a pilot The poetry and drama of airplanes, airports, and traveling abroad In a series of frank, often funny explanations and essays, Smith speaks eloquently to our fears and curiosities, incorporating anecdotes, memoir, and a life's passion for flight. He tackles our toughest concerns, debunks conspiracy theories and myths, and in a rarely heard voice dares to return a dash of romance and glamour to air travel.

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 popular website www.askthepilot.com, separates 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 delays, congestion, 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 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. "Patrick Smith is extraordinarily knowledgeable about modern aviation...the ideal seatmate, a companion, writer and explorer." —Boston Globe "Anyone remotely afraid of flying should read this book, as should anyone who appreciates good writing and great information." —The New York Times, on ASK THE PILOT.

A poetic and nuanced exploration of the human experience of flight that reminds us of the full imaginative weight of our most ordinary journeys—and reawakens our capacity to be amazed. The twenty-first century has relegated airplane flight—a once remarkable feat of human ingenuity—to the realm of the mundane. Mark Vanhoenacker, a 747 pilot who left academia and a career in the business world to pursue his childhood dream of flight, asks us to reimagine what we—both as pilots and as passengers—are actually doing when we enter the world between departure and discovery. In a seamless fusion of history, politics, geography, meteorology, ecology, family, and physics, Vanhoenacker vaults across geographical and cultural boundaries; above mountains, oceans, and deserts; through snow, wind, and rain, renewing a simultaneously humbling and almost superhuman activity that affords us unparalleled perspectives on the planet we inhabit and the communities we form.

Why don't planes hit each other in the sky? Do you start a plane with a key? Why do my ears feel funny? Flying is fascinating, and kids have questions! In Ask a Pilot, author, pilot, and dad Justin Kelly puts kids at ease by answering twenty of their most pressing questions. With friendly language, simple explanations, and colorful illustrations, Ask a Pilot is the perfect handbook for aviation lovers and nervous flyers alike!

Ever wondered what goes on inside the cockpit of a passenger plane? Ever wanted to know how a jet engine works or what happens if a plane is struck by lightning? Behind the Flight Deck Door provides insider knowledge about everything you have ever wanted to ask a pilot! Since 9/11, flight decks of modern airliners have become off-limits to the flying public. This is despite the fact every year more people take to the skies than ever before. Pilot Brett Manders wants to help you become a savvy traveller by providing insider tips, expert knowledge, and an understanding of what goes on behind the scenes to get you up in the air. All told with a dash of humor, this book will demystify the art of airline travel, address those urban legends, and settle the nerves of any anxious flyers. Simple, concise explanations cover a multitude of things passengers have asked Brett and his colleagues over the years. What is a small technical delay? Can the cabin door be opened mid-flight? How much do pilots really earn and do they get free flights? Can you get stuck to the toilet? Is it still possible to view the flight deck? Brett Manders is a pilot with an Australian Airline. He has over 10,000 hours flying experience on Airbus A320, A321, A330 and Boeing B787 Dreamliner aircraft. Praise for Behind the Flight Deck Door "Brett's uncomplicated, honest, and easy to understand book is a welcome addition on any flight. It offers an enlightening point of view of the all-important necessity of air travel with rare glimpses of the secret world airline pilots inhabit." JULIE POSTANCE, AUTHOR, BREAKING THE SOUND BARRIERS "I really enjoyed reading this as it is an easy read, and really relatable and quite entertaining. As a nervous flyer myself it was quite interesting and reassuring to read all the different things that go on behind the scenes and learn about the ins and outs of flying." SARAH EMERSON, NERVOUS FLYER "This book has so much valuable knowledge that every passenger wants to know and ask. So many things about aircraft, airlines and airports are such a mystery to many people, it is nice to have it explained is simple terms. After reading, I feel lots of little things that bothered me have been put in perspective and it has helped my fear of flying significantly. Behind the Flight Deck Door is a must have book for anyone who travels on airlines!" NISHA SHARMA, NERVOUS FLYER

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.

An expert in business turnaround shares his inspiring approach to problem-solving: “A fascinating read” (Mitt Romney). Visionary leader Greg Brenneman believes that true business success and personal fulfillment are two sides of the same coin. The techniques that will grow your business will also help you achieve a rich, purposeful, and integrated life. Here, Brenneman takes what he’s learned from turning around or tuning up many businesses—including Continental Airlines and Burger King—and distills it into a simple, clear, five-step roadmap that anyone can follow. He teaches you how to: *prepare a succinct Go Forward plan *build a fortress balance sheet *grow your sales and profits *choose all-star servant leaders *empower your team For more than thirty years, Brenneman has seen these steps foster dramatic results in a variety of business environments. But he also came to realize that he could apply these same principles to improve his life and build a lasting moral legacy. He found he could make better decisions by carefully taking the most important facets of his life—faith, family, friendship, fitness, and finance—into consideration. Brenneman’s inspiring examples, from both his business and his life, demonstrate the astounding effects these steps can have when you apply them—right away and all at once.

Life in the Skies is a unique compendium of tips, advice, anecdotes and tales from the storied career of life-long pilot, Captain Lim Khoy Hing. Captain Lim provides insights into every aspect of air travel – informing passengers of all the hidden mysteries of airplane safety and regulations, enlightening those who wonder how someone trains and becomes an international airline pilot, and entertaining readers throughout with anecdotes, tales and jokes from his own personal experiences in the air. Complemented with more than 40 full-colour personal illustrations of the Captain, Life in the Skies will be a valuable and useful guide for air travellers and budding-pilots alike!

Entrepreneurs and professional Pilots Bill and Colleen Hensley take readers on a thrilling ride that will fundamentally change the way they think about leadership. A reader-friendly format that blends storytelling with crucial leadership insights. Through the actions of fictional student pilots and instructors, the authors demonstrate the leadership skills that they have seen through decades of firsthand experience, translated from the cockpit to the business world. It's a novel technique -- think Stephen Covey meets Top Gun -- that keeps readers engaged in the message and shows rather than tells how the best leaders operate. Each chapter ends in a debrief that distils the lessons from the previous pages and confronts the reader with perspective-changing questions. An individual-focused presentation of high-stakes leadership concepts, intended for CEOs, entrepreneurs, and managers. The Pilot is punctuated with concise, focused discussions of practical applications that leaders at all levels can begin to use immediately. Readers will find it an invaluable how-to on specific techniques that help them perform flawlessly under extreme pressure in any situation.

No aircraft ever captured the curiosity & fascination of the public like the SR-71 Blackbird. Nicknamed "The Sled" by those few who flew it, the aircraft was shrouded in secrecy from its inception. Entering the U.S. Air Force inventory in 1966, the SR-71 was the fastest, highest flying jet aircraft in the world. Now for the first time, a Blackbird pilot shares his unique experience of what it was like to fly this legend of aviation history. Through the words & photographs of retired Major Brian Shul, we enter the world of the "Sled Driver." Major Shul gives us insight on all phases of flying, including the humbling experience of simulator training, the physiological stresses of wearing a space suit for long hours, & the intensity & magic of flying 80,000 feet above the Earth's surface at 2000 miles per hour. SLED DRIVER takes the reader through riveting accounts of the rigors of initial training, the gamut of emotions experienced while flying over hostile territory, & the sheer joy of displaying the jet at some of the world's largest airshows. Illustrated with rare photographs, seen here for the first time, SLED DRIVER captures the mystique & magnificence of this most unique of all aircraft.