Author Description

Product Description Describes what goes on behind the scenes of a Boeing 747 jumbo jet en route from Australia to England, revealing what passengers and crew do while the plane is taking-off, cruising, and landing From School Library Journal Grade 8 Up Aviation's inner workings fascinate many young people, who are currently well-served by a variety of informative books on the subject. But none are as evocative of the atmosphere of commercial aviation as this one, and few can match the wealth of detail. Hooper covers the flight of Quantas Airlines Boeing 747 from Australia to London, with detailed descriptions of various elements of flight preparation and behind-the-scenes work. The descriptions use human rather than technical similes, so readers without technical background (or interest) can easily imagine themselves in the situation. The facts are accurate, accounts are thorough, and depictions fair. The illustrations are mostly black-and-white drawings, with a few photos and color diagrams; like the text they evoke rather more than they describe. Appendixes give various airline codes, and the index is thorough. In comparison, Curt Schleier's The Team Behind Your Airline Flight (Westminster, 1981) is briefer and a bit drier in style, but it does show individuals more clearly. Jonathan Rutland's See Inside an Airport (Watts, 1978; o.p.) and Wilson and Scagell's Jet Journey (Viking, 1978; o.p.) both rely heavily on numerous color photos to convey information. They're much more technically-oriented, giving less of the feel of airline operations, but their pictures will appeal to many more YAs than Hooper's evocative prose. Jonathan Betz-Zall, Sno-Isle Regional Library System, Marysville, Wash.Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.