Langewiesche strikes again.

Here's a real shocker: I enjoyed William Langewiesche's short book Fly by Wire: The Geese, the Glide, the Miracle on the Hudson, about US Airways flight 1549, piloted by Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, that crash-landed in the Hudson River in New York City on January 15, 2009.

Now, if you know me at all, you know that I love William Langewiesche's writing beyond all reason. His writing is what I think of when I think of "well-crafted nonfiction prose." I am particularly enamored of Langewiesche because he can make highly technical information sing, and he can make any subject interesting. I promise you that I've read nothing else about the Hudson crash, and I have no real interest in the story whatsoever.

Langewiesche starts the story with the investigation of the crash, and then offers short chapters describing what happened on every step of the short flight, which took off from LaGuardia around 3:30 p.m., hit a flock of Canada Geese mere minutes after take-off, and made the emergency landing in the river a few minutes after that. He also manages to discuss the airline industry and its labor issues, as well as (and I found this the most fascinating part) the differences between Boeing and Airbus airplanes, and how Airbus has endeavored to engineer not only "crash-proof," but also, to some extent, "pilot-proof" planes (which are referred to as "fly-by-wire" planes). This is how he begins his description of the Airbus A320:

"Without doubt, it is the most audacious civil airplane since the Wright brothers' Flyer--a narrow-bodied, twin-turbofan, medium-range jet with the approximate capacities of a Boeing 737, but with extensive use of composite materials, a brilliantly minimalist flat-screen instrument panel, sidestick controls without tactile feedback, and, at the core of the design, a no-compromise, full-on digital fly-by-wire control system that radically redefines the relationships between pilots and flight." (p. 103.)

All right, I may not have picked the most exciting bit to quote, but I found it all very interesting nonetheless. The book will probably face the same criticism that Langewiesche usually faces--that it was first published as a series of magazine articles and is not as cohesive as a book, but I'm never really bothered by that. Mainly I enjoyed his writing about flight and the insight into the airline business (the author is a pilot himself, so he knows his stuff) and the fact that he got his story told in fewer than 200 pages.

Comments

[Miranda]

I've been meaning to send my grandfather, a still-not-retired aerospace engineer, a care package; he recently had heart surgery and is painfully bored being stuck at home all day. This sounds like a surprisingly fun read, so you've made me want to look into sending it to him. Thanks!

[Laura]

Sounds very interesting! A question for you, CR, and anyone else who has read this: I'm always looking for new NF writers to read and I'm thinking about getting this one. The rub: I'm am deathly afraid of flying. The question: will this make me more nervous next time I'm dragged aboard, screeching all the way?

[Citizen Reader]

Oh, Miranda,
You are a good granddaughter. If he's not read any Langewiesche I might also suggest his earlier book on flying, Inside the Sky: A Meditation on Flight. Langewiesche is not only the pilot, he's the son of a pilot (his father Wolfgang wrote a pioneering text on flight called, I think, "Stick and Rudder"), so that one might be even more fun. I'm not sure but I would guess an aerospace engineer might already know a lot about the Boeing vs. Airbus design fights that are described in this book. (If he doesn't, there was a good business history a few years back titled "Boeing vs. Airbus" that might also be of interest.)

Laura,
It's hard for me to tell. I'm not afraid of flying (I'm more afraid, statistically, every time I get in my car) so the inside look didn't bother me. But I can see it conceivably bothering someone who is nervous about flight. It may depend on how you deal with your nerves--if it helps you to learn more about the subject of your fears, maybe it would be all right. (That's not how my fears work, though, I rather like to be blissfully unaware when possible...)

If you're looking to try Langewiesche I wouldn't start here. His favorite book of mine is also the first one I read, titled "Cutting for Sign," about conflict along the US/Mexico border. I also found "Sahara Unveiled" very interesting, and "American Ground" (about rebuilding the World Trade Center, if you can stand that topic) was a whopping good read too. Good luck if you try him!

[Aoife]

Oh Miranda!

In addition to "Inside the Sky," Penguin Modern Classics (big leagues) just published a compilation of his aviation pieces called "Aloft."
Not available in the States until October, but you can get it at Amazon.co.uk. Costs about 22 bucks, including shipping.

And yes, his father, Wolfgang, was a wonderful writer. "Stick and Rudder" is still a classic. But I would also recommend "America from the Air:" the writing is beautiful, chatty, and lively. And it includes a lovely and intimate introduction by William.

[Citizen Reader]

Aoife,
Wow, someone who appears to be a bigger (and better informed) Langewiesche reader than I am! Fantastic! Thanks for all the great info; I've GOT to get that "America from the Air" book now.