Flying Blind, Flying Safe: The Former Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Transportation Tells You Everything You Need to Know to Travel Safer by Air

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Summary: Read the facts...learn the truth, finally!
Review: As a frequent traveler and a professional in the travel industry, this book compelled me to seriously consider whether or not I wanted to remain in the business. Perhaps most disturbing is the author's documentation of aging aircraft remaining in service and the shortcuts in maintenance as well as the government's inability to oversee the industry properly. Read this book and make informed travel decisions for the first time in your life!

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Summary: A Must-Read for aviation professionals and airline travelers
Review: As a military aviator and private pilot, I was drawn-in by Mary Schiavo's story. What I learned was appalling. She has exposed the FAA for what it is, a sneaky, lying, secretive bureaucratic nightmare. Big kudos to Ms. Schiavo for being a staunch advocate of aviation professionals and the flying public who must trust the FAA with their lives daily. This book shows us that safety is NOT the highest priority for the FAA. I think for my next vacation, I'll just tune-up the truck and drive.

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Summary: Safety review by the lady who closed Columbus airport?
Review: I have a hard time accepting the testimony of a woman who would "prove" bad safety measures by passing a bag full of putty, wires, and electronics through airport security, then not boarding the plane, then sitting back and hysterically saying "I'm sorry" while thousands of passengers are inconvenienced for 4 hours.

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Summary: Excellent reading!
Review: I read this in two days! Interesting reading and fascinating finding out that the FAA isn't really concerned about you-only about you buying a ticket. The first 28 pages were about the ValueJet fiasco and I couldn't put it down. The facts are there and she proves a lot of her points. I can't help but think if it was written by a man, it would have received a lot more press.

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Summary: One of the scariest books I have read.
Review: If you fly or no someone who is going to use the airlines this is a must read book. I took it out of the local library and was so disturbed by its information that I now consider it a reference book and have added it to my library. Having 4100 hrs. in the air as a former Air Force MATS navigator and who had safety constantly drilled into me as a flight crew member, I am appalled by the accusations in this book and their implications for the flying public. This book should be a must read for every congressperson in Washington. Thank you Ms. Schaivo.

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Summary: hysterical i-told-you-so's in the wake of valujet 592
Review: in the first few pages of this post-valujet harangue, the author manages to get the following easily-checkable facts wrong: the name of valujet's principal founder and board chairman, the amount of money he and other founders put into the start-up, and the tail number of the plane that crashed. so much for the idea that a former inspector general would be a real stickler for detail. valujet was a disaster for which the FAA has been rightly chastized, but schiavo wastes whatever credibility she had as one of the first valujet whistleblowers in this long, angry tirade against the agency and anyone in it who ever dared disagree with her.the most revealing passage occurs when schiavo tells how she was waiting for a flight in a Kennedy airport coffee shop and saw a rat scurry across the room. she was so wigged out about the state of airport security -- you figure it out -- that she immediately scribbled a will and mailed it to her sister. not exactly the sort of level-headed thinking you'd expect of someone with something useful to add to the important topic of air safety.

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Summary: You can feel your intuition, now read the facts!
Review: Mary Schiavo's book is completely overwhelming and at moments frustrating, only because she carries you through the stonewalls and politcal spinning she battled as Inspector General for the U.S.Dept. of Transportation. The whole book is an amazingly detailed story and also a good precaution for passenger safety and awareness. I haven't had an idol in a very long time but I would love to shake Mary Schiavo's hand, she has done the best job in documenting her experience and should be an american household name synonymous with safety.

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Summary: Sensationalism
Review: The book is poorly written. As an average consumer I should not be expected to wade through 400 pages to figure out how to fly safely. As far as aging aircraft I ride Washington State Ferries that are much older than even the oldest jets in service and think nothing of it. What statistics does she have to prove that a a 25-year-old plane is not as safe as a 3-year old plane. It's taken over 20 years for anyone to even talk about fixing a rudder on a 737. In talking to aerospace engineers I was advised to stay off of a new model for at least 2 years until design problems are resolved. Ms. Schiavo wastes a lot of paper talking about her life, her education and I'm not interested in that my object in reading the book was to fly safely. Perhaps she was one of the top college women but I want to know about how to fly safely.She sets herself up as the hero. Oh, if only people had listened we woulldn't have the Valujet crash In one part of the book she sees something wrong with the plane and when the airline insists it's OK Mary whips out her Inspector General ID and there she is saving the day! There is some good advice she gives, such as not flying with questionable carriers to save money and speaking up if the plane doesn't look safe. This business of no art at airports is overkill. Personally I dislike looking at art by children. Also the business of every May 11 (my birthday) handing back a can of pop to the flight attendant and putting the 30 cents towards safety. Are airlines so poor? Smokehoods? by the time I unfolded one I'd be dead. Also they can melt. Just bring a wet cloth to breathe through. I really question the chapter CULT-ure at the FAA. Is this just whining to get back at the FAA when she didn't get her way? And talk about perhaps flying isn't safer than driving. I know a lot of people who have been killed or seriously injured in auto accidents. I do not know anyone who has been in a commercial airplane accident Perhaps people in Ohio don't drive like people in Washington State so it's not as obvious to her as it is to me that flying is safer than driving. Information was organized poorly (as this review is) . She doesn't quickly get to the point. It would be better to have a 100 page book I could put in my windbreaker pocket when I go to the airport to take a flight.

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Summary: WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW WILL HURT YOU!
Review: What you don't know will hurt you when flying old planes, and planes not serviced properly. Anyone who turns a blind eye to this information is living in the bliss of ignorance. (and probably still believes in the tooth fairy!)

You choose your cars with more caution, your tooth brushes and your lawn mowers. PLEASE MARY SCHIAVO, WRITE ANOTHER UPDATED BOOK. I fly SMARTER AND SAFER because of this book.

Consider you choose your childs bike safety helmet and car seat with caution. Please investigate the aircraft you are putting your family in on your next vacation.