A flying start to your aviation knowledge - ‘101 Flying Secrets’ book released

Hyderabad, December 5, 2019: IATA (International Air Transport Association) in its 2018 Airline Industry Statistics released on 31st July 2019 revealed that airlines carried 4.4 billion passengers in the year 2018 alone. The passenger numbers are expected to rise up to 6 percent this year. It has just been over 100 years since Aircrafts were invented in 1903. We fly all over the world… for business, to meet family, to visit new places, etc. But even as adults and perhaps even after commuting thousands of air miles, we wonder at the marvelous aircrafts and the baffling things that we experience or see in connection with them at the airports.We have various questions but don’t know whom to ask or fear if we will be able to comprehend the answer given the enormity of the subject. Answering those questions for the curious flyers on Aviation and Flying is the newly launched book 101 Flying Secrets by Rakesh Dhannarapu. As the title suggests, the book covers 101 questions that arise in the minds of the air passengers and are answered in a simple and lucid manner without going into the humongous nitty-gritties involved. Within this book, you’ll discover answers to questions like: If aircraft are so safe, why wear seatbelts? Why are aircraft painted white? How fast can an aircraft be evacuated? Do aircraft dump fuel mid-air? What is airport curfew? What is run way excursion? What is the fate of retired aircraft? …and more. The book covers everything a curious and inquisitive air passenger would like to know. Flying is regarded as the safest mode of travel next only to an elevator ride. But, it has many standard operating procedures (SOPs) and humongous manuals for everyone across the chain - pilots, ground crew and cabin crew except the passenger. The passengers in their naivety often end up committing small mistakes that may endanger everyone else. The book is a unique kind of a ‘Passenger Friendly Manual’ to promote safer air travel. The book101 Flying Secrets aims to demystify flying, educate passengers and promote safety. 62% of air traffic in India during the year 2017 was towards domestic flying. This shows a surge in regional traveling. Udaan Scheme (RCS) is adding to it. When more and more are expected to travel by air in near future, informed passengers are always an asset to the airlines. He or she can be the Safety Ambassador in their own right. Aviation is the amalgamation of different engineering branches such as Civil, Electrical, Computer Science, Mechanical, Software and Chemical. The book attempts to explain the intricacies of a complex subject such as aviation in a simple, demystified, bite-sized explanations that are sure to educate and enthrall in equal measure. 101 Flying Secrets is an easy to carry coffee table style book with vivid images along with few QR codes that let you peek into the world of aviation through your smartphone. Spread over 268 pages, each topic explained in the book has an accompanying picture / illustration (and a few videos too) to help the reader understand better. The reader can scan the QR Codes with freely available apps like Google Lens and instantly watch the concerned video and enjoy the unique learning experience. Twenty-three-year-old debutant author Rakesh Dhannarapu from Hyderabad, India has just completed his Master’s in Aviation with a vertical in Airworthiness at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), Melbourne, Australia. Rakesh did B. Tech in Aerospace Engineering from SRM University Cennai. During his Engineering, Rakesh interned with BrahMos Aerospace, Bharat Dynamics Ltd, GMR Aero Technic Ltd, Tata Advanced Systems Ltd, National Aerospace Laboratories and Zetatek Industries. After his Engineering Graduation, he went on to join Asia Pacific Flight Training (APFT), Hyderabad to pursue his dream of becoming a pilot. He completed 900 plus hours of ground training as part of the Commercial Pilot Programme. Like with any aspiring pilot, he had to undergo ‘Pilot Medical Certification.’ That was when a quirk of fate grounded his plans. Rakesh suffered a health issue and was misdiagnosed/wrongly treated with and underwent a small surgical procedure. Rakesh paid a heavy price for an avoidable surgery which denied him an opportunity to become a pilot. Rakesh overcame his tryst with ill fate and has authored a book ‘101 Flying Secrets’ is also helping to promote and nurture the dreams of others in his chosen field - Aviation. He has been continuously visiting various schools and colleges, giving lectures about interesting aspects of Flying, Aviation, Careers in Aviation etc. The book is the outcome of his learning experiences and questions from inquisitive friends and family. Realising that not many people are aware of the various interesting aspects about flying, Rakesh took it upon himself to pen down a book during his three-month-long summer vacations 2018-19. While in his first year, he worked part-time with UberEats (an online ordering and delivery platform for food), delivering food to hungry customers in Australia to earn money to publish the book. 101 Flying Secrets is his contribution to the industry that he loves. 101 Flying Secrets claims and does bring information on Aviation with easy to follow explanations accessible to the laymen with no pre-requisite requirement of knowledge of physics, mathematics or other sciences. It is a super read for both laymen as well as students, frequent flyers and aviation enthusiasts. Author Rakesh believes that an informed passenger, knowing and understanding why things are done in a particular way, will help making the flight safe and appreciate and admire the experience. Mr. Hemanth DP, CEO – Asia Pacific Flight Training Academy Ltd., and Former Chief Commercial Officer, GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd has written the Foreword for the book. The book received advance praise in the form of testimonials from the likes of GuntreddyBhaskara Rao, Head of Solutions & Innovations, Etihad Airways; Capt. Atul Chandra, M.D. – Golden Eagle Aviation and CEO – Sylys Aviation; Vijay Mohan Raj, M.D. of Uniglobe SameeraTravels and Intl. Director of SKAL, the world’s largest travel organisation of travel and tourism professionals; Ramesh Loganathan, Professor Co-innovation at IIIT Hyderabad and Chief Innovation Officer (Interim), Telangana State Innovation Cell, Telangana, India among other distinguished personalities. Published by Notion Press, the book priced at Rs.2,100/-and is available all over the world at various book stores.