Cockpit Confidential: Everything You Need to Know About Air Travel: Questions, Answers, and Reflections

A New York Times bestseller!―The perfect book for the frequent flyer, nervous passenger or world traveler.

Reassuring secrets of commercial aviation: For millions of people, travel by air is a confounding, uncomfortable, and even frightening experience. When you go behind the scenes, however, you can see that the grand theater of air travel is actually fascinating. From the intricate design of airport architecture to the logistics of inflight service, the business of flying is full of surprising secrets.

Get facts and answers: Patrick Smith, airline pilot and author of the popular website www.askthepilot.com, offers answers for the curious, reassurance for the anxious, and unexpected facts for the deceived.

Separate fact from fallacy: Commercial airlines like to hide the truth from customers and do nothing to comfort nervous fliers. But what's more scary than the unknown? Patrick Smith breaks down that barrier and tells you everything you need to know about flying, including:

• 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
• Airfare, seating woes, and the pitfalls of airline customer service
• The true colors and cultures of the airlines we love to hate

Cockpit Confidential is a thoughtful, funny, and at times deeply personal look into the strange and misunderstood world of commercial flying: If you liked Cruising Attitude, Soar, Skyfaring, or Flying Without Fear, you'll find reassurance, humor, and guidance in Cockpit Confidential.

"Patrick Smith is extraordinarily knowledgeable about modern aviation...the ideal seatmate, a companion, writer and explorer." ―The 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