Your seat back is in its fully upright position and your hand luggage is stowed neatly under the seat. But as the engines roar and propel the aircraft down the runway, you can't help wondering: how is a 200,000-pound metal tube possibly going to get airborne? Are those rumbles you hear and the bumps you feel normal? For those who want to know more about how an airliner flies, airline Captain Julien Evans, an experienced Boeing 757 pilot who has comforted many a nervous passenger, answers these questions and more. He describes in simple language the make-up of a modern plane, its engines, controls and operational systems. Evans also explains the physical forces at work as a plane takes flight and the methods by which a pilot controls it while aloft and the critical moments of take-off and landing.