Find solution
What is the fastest airplane?

What are good books to read about airplane engineering and physics to feel more safe in a plane?

  • What/where to read about airplanes? I never feel really comfortable while flying. I want to understand what is an airplane and how it works so that I wont be afraid of flying. I want to know the basic physics- aerodynamics, how the engines work, how do you steer it etc. I want to know what are the highest risks for a plane. I want to know what are the "limits" for a plane (what can you do with it in the air so that it is still controllable). I want to know what pilots know about airplanes and flying, what do they learn. How well they react to emergencies and what are the procedures when an emergency occures. What kind of accidents a plane can take, like fire, engine failure, lightning strike, pressure loss etc. How long does the emergency oxygen mask can last? For how long time there is this oxygen enough? What are the chances to survive whe landing in a water compared to landing on a land (emergency landing). And what passengers should do when landed in a water? I would really appreciate if someone could breafly explains these questions and give me some directions where to look for the information. :) Recommend Some university books to go through. The Idea of this is to feel safe and cimfortable in a plane and to understand of what the airplane is capable of. P.S. I know that these things depends on the type of a plane. So assume it's something like boeing 737-800 Than you!

  • Answer:

    I'd recommend a book on statistics. Once you know how many accidents happen per hour of flight time then no other information has any bearing on how safe aircraft are. For example, if you know that one fatal accident happens every million hours, then knowing how a pilot recovers from a stall doesn't change the fact that one accident happens every million hours. In fact, my experience is that people who know the details of failure mechanisms tend to exaggerate the risk compared to people whose knowledge is purely statistical in nature.

Dan Piponi at Quora Visit the source

Was this solution helpful to you?

Other answers

In addition to all these great points made, aviation is heavily regulated.  Meaning that life cycles for parts and preventative maintenance are carefully monitored and planned.  You can rest assured that the plane's parts are within their lifetime and and preventative maintenance like lubrication, calibration, or inspection on critical parts are done on time.  On the road, there is no guarantee that the driver in front of you did the necessary repairs and maintenance -- or even inspection -- for safe operation.  Furthermore, for comparison, on the road there are lots of drivers with rules that may or may not be followed.  In aviation, there are far fewer other vehicles in play, constant communication going on between each plane and ground control, and a much stricter adherence to rules.  There is no such guarantee on the road.

Vladimir Satchouk

Skip the book and take pilot's ground school.  In the US, ground school is often offered at community colleges, in the evenings and for a reasonable price.

Tricia Chitwood

Commercial airline pilots log hundreds of hours in a simulator before they are permitted to fly a heavy with passengers.  Belting up will make you much safer than reading books.

Robert J. Kolker

Related Q & A:

Just Added Q & A:

Find solution

For every problem there is a solution! Proved by Solucija.

  • Got an issue and looking for advice?

  • Ask Solucija to search every corner of the Web for help.

  • Get workable solutions and helpful tips in a moment.

Just ask Solucija about an issue you face and immediately get a list of ready solutions, answers and tips from other Internet users. We always provide the most suitable and complete answer to your question at the top, along with a few good alternatives below.