Cockpit Confidential

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 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 themStraight talk on turbulence, pilot training, and safetyThe real story on congestion, delays, and the dysfunction of the modern airportThe myths and...
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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 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 themStraight talk on turbulence, pilot training, and safetyThe real story on congestion, delays, and the dysfunction of the modern airportThe myths and misconceptions of cabin air and cockpit automationTerrorism in perspective, and a provocative look at securityAirfares, seating woes, and the pitfalls of airline customer serviceThe colors and cultures of the airlines we love to hateCockpit 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.