Cockpit Confidential Audiobook By Patrick Smith cover art

Cockpit Confidential

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

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Cockpit Confidential

By: Patrick Smith
Narrated by: Charlie Thurston
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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 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

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.

©2013 Patrick Smith (P)2016 Tantor Anxiety Disorders Aviation Engineering Mental Health Personal Development Psychology & Mental Health Transportation Travel Writing & Commentary Health Funny

Critic reviews

"Smith paints an unflinching portrait of modern air travel with several fresh and unexpected insights." ( Publishers Weekly)
Insightful Aviation Information • Comprehensive Explanations • Engaging Performance • Accessible Writing Style

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after flying back and forth from Iraq several times I became quite educated on long distance flying. this gave me some good background information on flying.

great listen very informative

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This book was really impressive. As an aviation professional, student and fan I can say this book occupies my no.1 favorite aviation book. This book goes into explaining every detail from a need to know basis for a regular person who is probably not as familiar with aviation. If you know nothing of aviation this book will end having feel smarter about the subject. It’s interesting how the author takes the time to explain briefly aviation history and mention accidents have long been forgotten by the general public. The book ends with a vocabulary to get familiar with common words heard at the airport/plane. I will definitely be coming back to listen to it. I have not heard an aviation book as chronologically complete as this one.

My new favorite book

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Very informative. Learned a lot about flying and airplanes. As a frequent flyer i really appreciate the book.

Great book

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Objective Information in this book is great. The opinions of the author come from a very negative point of view. Very much a glass half empty perspective.

Very informative, negative perspective.

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There is not much in this book that is not already available in his blog or the recent Freakonomics Podcast interview. I am sure that the interview will send people here. Not much new.

Just go read the blog

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brilliant balance between interesting, technical and entertaining content in the form of easy to follow question and answers as it would've been asked (and probably have been) to the author over his career as an airline pilot.

aviation for non aviation people

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I have been in aviation in one capacity or another for over 30 years. While not a pilot, rather I fly a desk, I know quite a bit about this wonderful industry. I purchased this book as I enjoy anything and everything there is to know about airlines and airplanes. The author and narrator truly made this a great read/listen.

Kudos From one Aviation Professional to Another

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Thoroughly enjoyable. Must reading for anyone even the least bit curious or has trepidation’s about flying.

Great reference

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Anyone who flies on a regular basis will find this to be a great read. Smith is an excellent writer with great wit and humor. He reveals the how and why behind so many of air travel’s little mysteries and frustrations.

A fascinating dive into the airline industry!

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This book is full of information if you are curious about the air industry. Not extremely technical but technical enough to get the point across. I learned a lot by listening to it and can't wait to fly the friendly skies again!

Informational

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