Pilots can be a bit of a mixed bad: arrogant like the "bad" good guys in Top Gun (Iceman, Hangman), or humble and down-to-earth like Captain "Sully" Sullenberger from the "Miracle in the Hudson" fame. I didn't know who I was going to get when I opened this book, but I am pleased to report that it is the latter. It is an excellent read.

“A superior pilot uses his superior judgment to avoid situations which require the use of his superior skill.”
- Col. Frank Borman

Hasard Lee really managed to write much of himself out of the book and put you, the reader, in the cockpit - this is what makes it so effective, didactically speaking. Its effect comes from skipping the heavy theory and instead relying on great storytelling to set the stakes for what is about to happen, and then guide you through the decision-making process. Some of the stories will have you on the edge of your seat, while others (such as the tragedy of Air France Flight 447) will more or less terrify you into staying home...

“There is no problem so bad that you can't make it worse”
- Col. Chris Hadfield

What you won't find here are any fancy, complex, or esoteric workflows, and that is fine. When in the hot seat, where things are moving fast and picking up speed, simple and effective is the order of the day. And there's plenty of that to keep you out of trouble in these pages.

So, if you want a book that reads like an action novel but ends up teaching you a few things about effective decision making, then pick this up without reservation.

“Whenever we talk about a pilot who has been killed in a flying accident, we should all keep one thing in mind. He called upon the sum of all his knowledge and made a judgment. He believed in it so strongly that he knowingly bet his life on it. That his judgment was faulty is a tragedy, not stupidity. Every instructor, supervisor, and contemporary who ever spoke to him had an opportunity to influence his judgment, so a little bit of all of us goes with every pilot we lose.”
- Anonymous

Highest recommendation!