The Flying Book: Everything You've Ever Wondered About ... (ISBN 0802776914)

Kind of a neat book:
This is a well researched, well written book. It's not a book for pilots on how to fly, or one of those big glossy books on every airplane, but it is a great book for normal people with a wondering about the how and the history of traveling in a metal tube going 500 mph, 5 miles in the air. There are lots of books like this -- for children! Pictures at the airport, cute stuff. But now we have a book for adults. It's fascinating stuff. As an airline pilot, I get asked a lot of these questions on a daily basis. If people do want to learn some more without being bored to death or talked down to -- I will recommend them this book.

Cured!:
For the past ten years I have been terrified of flying. I never let my fear stop me going anywhere, and so on each trip I had to run the gauntlet of dread and anxiety before the flight, cold sweats and panic during the flight, and exhaustion and the occasional nightmare afterwards. I picked up "The Flying Book" in an airport last summer. I read the book during the flight, and by the time we touched down, I was cured! I thought it was too good to be true -- but I have flown several more times since then, and it still works. I am now actually looking forward to flying to new places (and I never thought I'd be saying that). How does Blatner do it? There's really no mystery: early on in the book he notes that many people are afraid of flying because a) they don't understand what's going, 'imagine the worst', and feel out of control; and b) they have no confidence in the people who are in control -- the pilots, engineers, ground crew etc... So, Blatner sets about explaining everything about every aspect of how planes work -- so that you have fewer gaps in your knowledge to fill with worst-case scenarios. And he discusses at length the extensive training given to pilots and cabin crew; and makes you aware of the vast network of support on the ground -- from the engineers who check hundreds of aspects of the plane before it takes off, to air traffic control who steer planes around storms and pockets of turbulence. By plugging these two holes in the psyche of the nervous flyer, Blatner ensures that readers retain the enormously encouraging figures on airplane safety -- statistics that would otherwise seem coldly irrelevant. Thus Blatner is able to show how the enhanced design of airplanes, and the growing experience of the industry, has led to an ever-improving safety record. There were absolutely no air fatalities in the US or Europe in 2003, for example. I now carry the book with me on every flight -- just in case, although I have yet to use it -- and flying seems no more traumatic to me than catching a bus or a train. I have also bought copies for friends and family who have similar problems with flying. And I thought I'd write this review to indirectly thank Blatner for vastly improving my quality of life, and to spread the word to other nervous flyers. Bon voyage!

A fun and rewarding read for all ages:
The Flying Book: Everything You've Ever Wondered About Flying On Airplanes by David Blatner is a straightfoward, "reader friendly", highly enjoyable, educational survey of aviation which accessibly explains in lay terms everything from how airplanes work, to air turbulence, to what goes on behind cockpit doors, to dealing with stress and fear, to building airplanes, to a brief history of powered flight, and more. A fun and rewarding read for all ages, The Flying Book is most especially recommended for nervous first-time flyers, as well as inquisitive young (and not-so-young!) minds who want to know more about the modern mechanical miracle of aviation.

Interesting Book:
I purchased this book for an amateur pilot. It was perfect for him and the entire family. However, when I ordered this product, I received a copy that has what appeared to be coffee stains on the front. Luckily, they wiped away easily. However, I would be cautious about buying this book online.