June 8, 2006
“Can the plane still fly if one of the engines fails?”
How many of us have ever wanted to knock on the cockpit door and ask the pilot something like “What was that noise I heard just now?” or “How do the pilots know the landing gear is actually down…?” There is a fascinating book that is a collection of such obvious and not so obvious questions that – let’s face it - most of us who have ever flown, have wondered about from time to time.
The author of "Ask the Pilot", Patrick Smith, is - of course- an airline pilot as well as a freelance writer. His book is based on a series of questions and answers originally posed on the web, by regular passengers. His style is informative yet humorous, never condescending; and the complicated topics such as the mysteries of aerodynamics are presented in an easy to understand manner.
The book is divided into several sections, dealing with different aspects of the flying experience: airports, the mechanics of flight, how an aircraft actually gets off the ground with all that weight, security, the ups and downs of a career as a flight attendant or pilot.
Much of the fascination of the book comes from the offbeat questions that everybody secretly wants to know the answer to: Where exactly does the lavatory waste go to? What happens if the aircraft is struck by lightning? How much money do pilots really make?
In case you are wondering, the lavatory waste is vacuumed into a huge airtight container and is emptied upon landing. It doesn’t fall from the sky as some people would tell you. And planes are regularly struck by lightning; to a pilot it is as routine as running over a small pothole. And yes, pilots are well-paid for the most part, although you will agree it is well deserved.
Interspersed with the fascinating questions and answers are some of the author’s personal observations on flying in general and the not so glamorous job of being a pilot. The book was written after the terrorist attacks on 9/11 and includes a lot of useful information about security on planes and at the airport. There’s also a good deal of discussion about the general financial state of the airline industry.
Much of the information in the book will reassure nervous or first-time flyers - although if you fall into either category you may want to skip the section that lists the top 10 worst air disasters of all time. Whether you fly regularly for business, or you are just about to board a plane for the first time, this is an indispensable book.
Ask the Pilot, by Patrick Smith published by Riverhead Books.
