Outskirts Press, INC.

Trusting Your Autopilot was written by a longtime United Airlines pilot who flew commercial planes for forty years. But this is no ordinary pilot. Scott Kaye was not only one of the fewer than three hundred Boeing 747 captains in the United States, he's also among a handful of pilots throughout the world who are licensed to fly the biggest planes into the most difficult airports.

Trusting Your Autopilot has as many layers as the earth's atmosphere. It is:

• An adventurous memoir of a veteran pilot who's seen it all. Master the intricate ballet of transoceanic flight? Done that. Live with three female flight attendants in Tehran? Yep, but it’s not what you might think. Graded the skills of other pilots to determine who gets to keep flying for United? That too.

• An inspiring self-help book and metaphor for life. Scott draws meaningful lessons from flying that can be applied to our personal journeys. These connections deepen and transcend the narrative.

• A close-up look at the unusual cockpit experiences of a pilot who came up through the ranks. For example, he recounts the time he intentionally rolled a Boeing 727 in flight over South America. No passengers were aboard, but Scott files that experimental bit of aerobatics under “really stupid things I did when I was young.”

• A behind-the-scenes description of commercial aviation, including the increasing role of women (long overdue), when to “cob the power” (push the throttles to the maximum), what pilots talk about on long flights (politics and religion are rarely part of the conversation), and a glimpse of what pilots fear most (it’s not bad weather or crashes).

• A commentary on flight-crew humor. Hint: The off-the-wall comedy Airplane! is nearly irresistible to commercial pilots. What’s our vector, Victor?

• An informative guide for the curious that explains the difficult approaches at some airports, the power of jet streams and thunderstorms, how a pilot pulls an aircraft out of a spin, and much more, all in a reader-friendly style integrated with stories.

• And finally, a blueprint for those interested in pursuing a career in aviation, including advice on training, overcoming hurdles, and the critical role of seniority.

Trusting Your Autopilot is the second in a series of three books that blend stories, secrets, and insights and will appeal to everyone who has ever flown on an airplane. In the United States, that's 80 percent of the population. Every one of those passengers has questions about flying, planes, and pilots that have never been answered. Scott answers those questions and others that people never even thought to ask. The answers will intrigue, inform, amuse, and inspire.