I heard about the book shortly after it was released, at one of my favourite ABC National's morning programs, on my way to work. That very evening, I already had it in my hands and started reading. It had a gentle, simply narrated start - it talked about the author, from the first person's perspective, taking us from his early childhood experiences to the latest events, from his first love for air planes to the official closure of what he calls an 'avoided air-disaster'.



From the start, I felt the story, through that unique process of 'literary osmosis', entered my soul.



The book is written in plain English, managing to clealry convey very complex technical details to the average reader. It's narration is gripping, while managing to flow at an even pace from the beginning to the end, unveiling the story in nicely spaced, bite-sized chapters.



Richard talks about the most difficult piloting experience of his life in a calm, uncomplicated manner - with an objective approach to moments, dialogues and thoughts that were happening in the cabin of the injured Airbus A380, his Nancy Bird. He paints the picture like the old French artists called pointillists - dot by dot, word by word, thought by thought, and by the end of the book the reader is left with an amazing picture of a couple of hours of the 'event' and a couple of days that followed.



The clarity of Richard's thoughts during the events, his ability to tell us the story that could have never been imagined in the Airbus testing laboratories or film directors' chambers, is bordering on brilliance. Equally brilliant is the manner in which he moved through the events following the landing back to Changi and his handling of the passengers, his colleagues, media, Qantas executive, his friends and family. His highly ethical and conscientious approach to every detail of The Ordeal during the writing of the book, his obvious and relentless search for the truth, his gracious and self-critical acceptance of an (undercurrent) blame are all subsumed in his enormous love for his profession.



The highest levels of emotional and mental pain are clearly present in his account of this multifaceted, profound experience. The book is read in one breath. It is one of the best accounts of a true story delivered in Australian publishing I've encountered over the past few years.



Thank you Richard.