Airframe Again (Again)

            Airframe, while a fictional story, is one of the most educational books I have ever read. Since the book was written by Michael Crichton, I'm not that surprised. Most of the things I learned from the book dealt with aviation. I found out a lot about how planes operate, how they fly, and how the airplane industry works. Here's just a sample of what this book taught me.
           Planes can lift off of the ground because of the shape of their wings. The top of the wing during takeoff is curved and the bottom is flat. This means that as the pane cuts through the air, the air must move faster over the top than it moves under the bottom, which creates a low pressure zone above the wing (according to Bernoulli's principle, an increase in a fluid's speed decreases its pressure). The low pressure above the wing gives the plane lift and allows it to leave the ground.
           Lift is all well and good during takeoff, but do you really want to ascend forever? No. When a plane reaches its desired altitude, you want the wing to be almost completely flat on the top. So how do you start with a curved wing and end with a flat wing? Slats. Slats are pieces of the leading edge of a wing that can be deployed to increase the curvature of the wing. During takeoff, they would be in the "deployed" position to increase the pressure differential, and during the flight they would be retracted. These are typically only necessary for large commercial planes or jets that go really fast.
           So what would happen if the slats were deployed mid flight? Ordinarily, they wouldn't. Suppose, however, that the plane underwent "uncommanded slats deployment." In this case, the slats would extend without warning, independent of the pilot's actions. If this were to occur, the plane's nose would tilt upwards and the plane would begin to ascend. An experienced pilot would either let the autopilot take over, which would allow the plane's computer to right the plane. If, for whatever reason, the autopilot wasn't working, the seasoned pilot would gently pull the joystick back until the plane was lever again, and would then begin the process of figuring out why the slats were deployed. The passengers might never realize that anything happened other than ten seconds of mild vibration.
           If, however, and inexperienced captain was at the helm when the slats deployed, there could be disastrous consequences. The pilot would probably overcorrect after the initial rise, which would send the plane into a rapid descent. The pilot might then overcorrect again, sending the plane into another ascent. Until the green aviator realized he or she needed to throttle it back slowly, the plane would "porpoise," or follow a sine wave pattern of ascent and descent. At point eight Mach (a little over 600 miles per hour, a common cruising speed), these oscillations could throw people, baggage, and any unfixed objects all over the plane, which could result in injury or death.
           That is but a portion of the knowledge I have gained during the reading of Airframe. What have you learned from your book?