If you have noticed, there is a pattern. My previous book review was about a flight attendant writing about flying — and this book is about a pilot writing about flying. Patrick Smith is a first-officer (I think) who writes about flying — or more specifically, answers the FAQ of flying. Why we should turn off our phones, what the airline jargon mean, how safe flying is, how safe airports are and all things in-between.

In other words, while I got a pretty good tabloid-ish feel after reading Poole, Smith completes the proverbial other-half of flying. If Poole somewhat helped demystify concepts like mile high clubs and seniority systems and lifestyle of an attendant, Smith helps understand what goes on in the cockpit, what the different sounds and sights in the course of a flight mean, and what is wrong with aviation today (particularly in the States). Also, he has in detail addressed difficult questions concerning turbulence, flight security, the validity of “please turn off anything that has an on/off button” logic, the best and worst airlines of the world, why they are so and much more.

Don’t pick this book if you want to know about the sleazy aspects of flying. This is a no-nonsense book, structured mostly in a Q&A format, to answer the questions most of us have about flying. Its about 300 pages, but you move through it like a breeze, thanks to the format and the contents.