Customer Reviews

Safety Last: The Dangers of Commerical Aviation; an Indictment by an Airline Pilot

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

First look at the number of reviews that are by 'AReader'

I wonder who that could be.

What a clever way to get a good rating.

Second this is all based on incidents/accidents that happened in the sixties. No new data here at all.

I feel like a chump for wasting $20 on this.

Brian Power-Waters was an exceptional pilot, but that really has no bearing on the validity of this book. Unfortunately, this book is just a reprint of the original with nothing new to offer. It should not have been represented as a "true account", and shouldn't be taken as factual. This book, whether intended or not, misleads the american public with half truths. As someone who has known him for almost 40 years, I can say with 100% certainty that the situations discussed did not take place as he claims, but were "embellished" for entertainment purposes.

Critical views of the aviation industry are very rare, so this counterblast to the peddlers of half-truths about safety is extremely welcome, very well written, and authoritative, coming as it does from a retired airline pilot. Instead of improving the safety of flying, airlines would prefer you to have therapy to overcome fear of flying. That's no way to run a railroad.

HOWEVER, and this is a biggie, this book was first written in 1972 and contains NO NEW DATA. To describe this as a 2001 book is very bad practice. I bought this book because this is a field I want to stay up to date in, and I now feel deceived.

Captain X says some pilots also contribute to unsafe air travel by often ignoring adverse weather conditions and mechanical defects in their aircraft to meet airline insistence that planes fly on schedule. Walter Stovill, Associated Press

I'm a retired Air Traffic Controller who first read Captian Waters book back in 1972 at the recommendation of my then Supervisor Mr. Fred Reed. This book is indeed 36 years old but still has a relevance to todays safety issues. It is inciteful and at times even humerous. I don't know why Mr. Britton's opinion is that he was " ripped off " is based on the age of the book. Is he an accident chaser? looking for current information on crashes and or failings of the Federal Aviation Administration, then as now the chapters are relevant. Look ( Mr. Britton ) into the recent books by this author. Is It Safe? 93 Seconds to Disaster and Danger in the Air. These more recent offerings from Captain Waters should make you feel less "ripped off ". I highly recommend these books to the reader interested in gaining incite ito the Aviation Industry.

Safety Last is an exceptional book written with courage and conviction. This book helped me to understand more of the corruption in our commercial airline industry. I wish more people with extensive knowledge, like Capt. Power-Waters, would write the truth and not be afraid. The general public does not know what is going on behind closed doors and they have the right to know!

As for the previous reviews regarding the time of the book. This book is marketed with the printing date of 1971. There is no misleading the reader, as Amazon clearily states the title, then below that the reader and date of publishing. It is unfair to give this talented and courageous author a negative rating when the book is exactly what it is shown to be. The author did not indicate there were any updates with current information. The book is fascinating and I believe there are a lot of these things still going on in this industry. Disregard those negative reviews as the buyers obviously did not read the description before they purchased the book. Read the dozens of other reviews who are in the industry and LOVED IT!!

Safety Last by Captain Brian Power-Waters courageously describes real life in the airline industry and sounds the alarm for urgently needed reforms. It documents the abysmal performance of the Federal Aviation Admiistration in enforcing air safety standards and the shocking insensitivity of many airline officials. This book should be read by any airline passenger, executive, regulator or legislator who is concerned about protecting human life and safety in air travel.
Reuben Robertson III, Director of the Aviation Consumer Action Project and Aide to Ralph Nader

Safety Last is an excellently written, thoroughly frightening, expose of the airline industry. John Austin, Hollywood Mirror News.

Safety Last is a fascinating and sobering journey into the realities of commercial aviation. It vividly describes the hazards of non-professionalism in our industry. The reader will also see the critical importance of professional aircraft maintenance along with the need for a more imaginative and aggressive FAA establishment. . . . Captain Power-Waters has courageously assailed the FAA-approved Minimum Equipment List and exposed it for what it is . . . a killer of airline passengers.
James Douglas Sparling, Director, Safety and Standards, Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association

Fortunately, most of the flying public is unaware that many in airline management place a greater emphasis on making profits than on adhering to safety regulations. I compliment you on providing us with a damn fine insight into many of the problems which have been either overlooked or purposely evaded. I strongly concur in your book's closing observation that the real key to airline safety must be through a better utilization of the expertise of the pilot and the controller, who know flying best. These men are indebted to you for your daring to buck the tide, and call it as you see it.
John F. Leyden, President, Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization