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Ask the Pilot Paperback – 1 Jun. 2004

by Patrick Smith (Author)

4.2 58 ratings

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Presented in a handy question-and-answer format, this practical guide to airline travel draws on the expertise of a commercial airline pilot to provide valuable information on safety, security screening, passenger health, aerodynamics, and many other topics, accompanied by a glossary of common buzzwords for travelers. Original.

Print length

288 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Riverhead Books
Publication date

1 Jun. 2004
Dimensions

13.16 x 2.06 x 19.02 cm
ISBN-10

1594480044
ISBN-13

978-1594480041
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Product description

About the Author

Patrick Smith is an airline pilot and freelance writer. His air travel column appears weekly on Salon.com. He has flown both passenger and cargo jets and has visited more than fifty countries. He lives in Somerville, Massachusetts.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Riverhead Books; 1st Riverhead trade pbk. ed edition (1 Jun. 2004)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1594480044
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1594480041
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.16 x 2.06 x 19.02 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 1,141,349 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 204 in Air Travel
- 570 in Commercial Aviation
- 913 in Travel Tips

Customer reviews:
4.2 58 ratings

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5

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Neil Gibson

An interesting and entertaining read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 16 January 2014

Verified Purchase

I'm not a confident flier so thought I would research a little into the principles of flying etc. to find out more and to put my mind at ease. I haven't found out whether it has worked or not yet but I found this book to be an interesting, reassuring read and it's definitely helped in my understanding of air travel. The author's style is good, not too serious and with some comical takes on the quirks of flying alongside good explanations/summing up of complex subjects. I'll definitely be taking this on the plane with me the next time I fly!

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Northern Warrior

Everything You Wanted to Know About Flying...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 10 March 2007

Verified Purchase

This book offers an excellent read for both the aviation enthusiast and casual flyer alike. The author is (or at least was) a qualified civil aviation pilot and this book is a digest of many of the items he has published over the years on a website called salon.com. In addition to non-techie explanation of technical aspects of flying, there are some incisive insights into the current state of the airline industry.

The style of writing is whimsical and laid back, and manages to be entertaining without being patronising or vague. If you like books by Bill Bryson you will find the author's approach and style very similar.

Highly recommended!

15 people found this helpful

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Irene Ewing

Myth-Busting, Techy, but Sometimes Funny

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 23 December 2017

Verified Purchase

I ended up skipping a lot of the technical stuff, but there is one priceless chapter where the rookie pilot turns a plane toilet into a fountain. Worth the whole book. If you are a pilot or techie you will doubtless like the tech stuff.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 5 June 2011

Verified Purchase

There are hundreds of books about fighter pilots but it's much harder to find interesting books about air travel. This one helps fill the gap.
Patrick Smith - an airline pilot - has been hitting the nail on the head for a long time at the website Salon in his regular column and now he's done the same in this book. He understands the kinds of topics that interest laymen and knows how to make them interesting and readable.
Whether he's spelling out his strong, well-argued opinions about topics such as airport security, hammering the media for its ignorance on aviation matters (as a journalist, I have to agree) or explaining the ins and outs of turbulence he's always a good read.

4 people found this helpful

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Anna Lutecki

An excellent read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 9 July 2013

Verified Purchase

I absolutely loved this book from beginning to end! Patrick Smith is a talented and brilliant writer. He has a great understanding of people's concerns regarding aviation/flying and his responses to these are both extremely knowledgeable and reassuring. One's attention is held continuously as the book is extremely interesting with a wonderfully humorous touch. I learnt so much from this book and would recommend it highly to those who love anything and everything to do with aviation as well as to anyone who has any fear of flying and frankly to anyone wanting a marvellous, entertaining read.

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Tracy Wiseman

A must for all flyers

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 10 March 2009

Verified Purchase

This was given to me as a present, not because I have a fear of flying (just the opposite) but because they thought I would find it interesting. I read it 3 times ... and recommend it to anyone who is "edgy" about flying. It's a no-nonsense informative source of information for anyone who wants to know what a plane can do, when it can do it and how it does it.

8 people found this helpful

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stanza

average

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 18 September 2013

Verified Purchase

good read, but I did not think it was detailed enough for me, I would have liked more personal anecdotes from the author, but worth the money.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 10 May 2018

Verified Purchase

Came quick, no fuss, no stress. Nice and good.

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