The latest edition of this renowned text provides answers to thousands of questions about the world of the jumbos: How does a big jet fly? How long is the take-off run at maximum weight? How much fuel is carried on a trans-atlantic flight? How do the radios work? What is it like talking to Bombay 1000 miles away? What aircraft maintenance is required? How often are the tyres changed? What is the lifestyle of a pilot? Answers are given in sufficient detail to satisfy the most inquisitive of readers.

The reader is guided through from the basics of the big jets to the sophistication of the glass cockpit in preperation for the pilot's seat on an actual 747-400 flight from London to New York.
Examine the weather forecast with the pilots, monitor the take-off from the flight deck, listen to radio reports along the way, view the mid-Atlantic weather from above the clouds, witness the preparations for descent and experience the landing at Boston. Flying the Big Jets is a comprehensive book that reveals, as never before, the every-day working environment of the modern long-haul airline pilot.

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.

In this detailed look at the Fokker 100 you join the Chief Pilot (Fokker fleet), Captain Ian Lawrie and First Officer Euan McLean. Our journey begins at East Midlands International Airport (EGNX), in the crew dispatch office for pre-flight preparations. Ian and Euan begin with a detailed briefing for our flight.

Guided Tour of externals Next we join Ian at our aircraft (G-BXWE) for a guided tour of the externals of the aircraft. We then join Ian and Euan on the flightdeck for our round trip to Nice Cote D'Azur Airport (LFMN) in Southern France. We depart EGNX using runway 27. During our outbound sector (BD289) Ian is Pilot Flying and gives you lots of information regarding the aircraft, systems and operation.

Navigation Log description Follow our manual landing into Nice using runway 04L. On our return sector (BD290) Euan is Pilot Flying for our zero flap take-off from LFMN runway 04R. Ian describes in detail the Navigation Log and fuel calculations and Euan takes you through the overhead panel in detail. We then settle into the descent for a Cat IIIa Autoland into East Midlands runway 27. During our flights you can follow our Air Traffic Control, briefings and the checklists

Captain Ian Lawrie Captain Ian Lawrie commenced flying lessons aged 16, completing his first solo flight on his 17th birthday. In order to advance his flying hours and total experience, Ian spent some time in Vancouver, Canada prior to training to become a flying instructor on his return to the UK. Ian worked at a flying school specifically involved in ATC Flying Scholarship contracts in addition to instructor training.

If your dream is to be an airline pilot, or you would like to know what it takes, this book reflects the experiences, thoughts and findings of a trainee pilot throughout the journey that took him into the right-hand seat of a jet airliner.
The book covers everything that you need to consider before and during the training process, including where to train and how to raise funds. The flying course structure and ground school subjects are detailed, and many sample exam questions are included to give a flavour of what lies ahead. The book also looks behind the scenes, at life on a training campus, and considers all important practicalities before going on to look at how to find that dream job.