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Ask the Pilot weekly column
"I wish I could fold up Patrick Smith and put him in my suitcase. He seems to know everything worth knowing about flying.
"Trenchant and insightful."
"Patrick writes clearly and informatively about issues that affect the flying public, and frankly that's almost everyone on the planet. I daresay his column is... unique."
"Salon.com tends to bury the work of Patrick Smith under a pile of political diatribes and pop-culture effluvia. That's too bad, because more people should see his Ask the Pilot column, in which he shares his expertise on the airline industry — with mild snark and delightfully gratuitous references to 80's alt-rock."
"Patrick has the ability to answer my questions even before they occur to me. And even those that don't occur to me. Who knew that the airlines could be so interesting?"
"As comfortable debunking myths and misconceptions as he is talking about the really important stuff: airline logos and liveries."
"I've known Patrick Smith since the 1980s. He was always a secretly very talented and funny writer, but steadfastly resisted my encouragement. Today he's the greatest columnist on the Internet, and so he owes me one."
Best Travel Book of 2004 - Editor's Picks and Customer Favorites
"Anyone remotely afraid of flying should read this book, as should anyone who appreciates good writing and the value of great information."
"Ask the Pilot is...brilliantly down to earth and reassuring.
"Patrick Smith is extraordinarily knowledgeable about modern aviation, and communicates beautifully in English, not in pilotese. The ideal seatmate and explainer."
"Patrick Smith is one of the best writers around, period, which certainly makes him the best writer ever to have earned a commercial pilot's license. Ask the Pilot is deliciously stylish and informative. A soaring accomplishment, and an indispensable book for anyone who travels by air, which means everyone."
"Smith has both aviation expertise and the ability to write with sassy intelligence, which turns out to be a winning combination for this book on the weird and fascinating world of commercial flying."
"Smith's brief essays cover a huge range of topics, and he speaks to airplane enthusiasts, disgruntled travelers, extreme aerophobes, and the merely curious...addressing everything from post 9/11 security concerns to economy-class seating woes with optimism and humor..."
Patrick Smith and Ask the Pilot have appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Times,People, Allure, Men's Health, USA Today, The Boston Globe, Robb Report, Salon.com, MSNBC, on PBS, over 75 radio and several television stations aross the nation.
Available at bookstores everywhere. Or click here to order.
For signed copies, click here.
