Airframe by Michael Crichton

[mglenn]

This is one of my favorite books. From Amazon:

Cruising 35,000 feet above the earth, a twin-engine commercial jet encounters an accident that leaves 3 dead, 56 wounded, and the cabin in shambles. What happened? With a multi-billion-dollar company-saving deal on the line, Casey Singleton is sent by her hard-driving boss to uncover the mysterious circumstances that led to the disaster before more people die. But someone doesn't want her to find the truth.

You'd think this book would freak you out about flying, but really its the opposite. Crichton, in his ussual style, gets into the details of the aircraft manufacturing industry, showing the reader the ins and outs of an accident investigation and how safety and design go hand in hand. Like Disclosure he maintains a great balance between technology and character development.

[Nothingman]

This is a great book. I especially liked all the detail about manufacturing airplanes and explaining how they are designed for so many cycles and how they do fatigue testing. I guess it’s the engineering nerd side of my personality, but I don’t think you have to have any background prior to reading it for it to be interesting. One of my favorite characters is the old guy who makes horrible coffee and lives in a shack out in the airplane grave yard where he does fatigue testing. All I could think of was, “I know that guy!”, he taught my machine design class. I also liked that the main character was a woman, it was a nice change of pace from most of his books.

[mglenn]

Ya and I want a pair of those holographic goggles so I don't stub my toe at night when I'm walkin around with the lights off.

[dTheater]

I don't remember much about this book as I read it around when it first came out, but I remember liking it a lot and suggesting it to people. I know nothing of airplanes and have never flown, but I still enjoyed it. Not my favorite Crichton book, but one of them.

[mglenn]

Not my favorite Crichton book, but one of them.

Well don't leave us hangin like that, which one is your favorite?

[dTheater]

Not my favorite Crichton book, but one of them.

Well don't leave us hangin like that, which one is your favorite?

First rule of internet posting: always leave 'em wanting more.

Favorite Crichton book: Sphere, no question. One of the best books by anyone I've ever read. Although that set me up for one of the bigger disappointments of my life with Sphere the movie.