Book: Cockpit Confidential by Patrick SmithDrink: chocolate milk
When Asiana 214 crashed short of the runway at San Francisco International last month, I did what you may have done in this age of Twitter feeds and instant uploads. I clicked with sick fascination through pictures of the ruined plane, checked on the status of the wounded several times in the days that followed and had a feisty internal debate about whether to watch the video (I didn't). What I didn't do was wonder what the media would say the minute 'pilot error' became a possible cause of the crash. As expected, automated flight systems were the first to come under attack. What I also didn't do, which you may have done, was nod my head in agreement as pundits squawked about pilots not even having to fly the plane anymore. I knew better, thanks to Patrick Smith, a United airlines pilot, Salon.com columnist and author of Cockpit Confidential, a peek into the what it's like to become and remain a commercial pilot in the airline biz these days.
I thought about this book when I flew this summer, and I probably will every time I fly from now on. There's nothing like five or six long hours at 35,000 feet to contemplate life in all its mysteries, not the least of which is how the tin can you are buckled into remains aloft, at high speeds for thousands of miles at a stretch. That we don't have at least three airline disasters a week can be credited to the much-squawked-about computerized systems, which ferry millions of passengers across the globe, month after month, year after year, with nary a mishap. Yet even the smartest computer can't get a 747 off the ground in Los Angeles, guide it around storms and hundreds of other airplanes, and land it safely in Tokyo, a point Smith makes repeatedly and emphatically throughout the book. Learning to pilot a plane--from taking classes, to accumulating hours, to inching your way up an airline hierarchy (a process that can take an entire career)--is a labor of love to rival any artistic or athletic pursuit. The odds of a pilot making it onto the flight deck of a major carrier are about the same as making it to the major leagues, with just as many potential pitfalls along the way.
That was one of the biggest surprises from Smith, who also explains esoteric details like plane design, airline branding and Bernoulli's principle with chatty aplomb. There is a fascinating section that reveals the truth about turbulence, as well as the naming conventions of runways and airports. People behaving badly while flying also make an appearance, but Smith doesn't snipe. His goal is educating the public about an activity they do all the time and think they know a little about. In truth, we know almost nothing, as Smith generously informs us with fun facts, interesting anecdotes and pithy commentary. One of his constant reminders is that both plane crashes and hijacking used to be much more common than they are today, something that unfortunately serves to magnify the scrutiny on the blessedly few tragedies, like Asiana 214, that do occur. Speaking of tragedies, Smith keeps it light most of the time, though there is a long, sickly fascinating chapter on the worst and most famous plane crashes. For this reason, I paired this book with chocolate milk, a sweet, comforting drink that you will never find on an airplane beverage cart--
and one, like this book, that is best enjoyed on the ground.
