Jack J. Hersch is a writer, an instrument-rated commercial pilot, and an expert in the field of distressed and bankrupt companies. He has served as a public company board member, and has guest-lectured in the business schools of M.I.T., U.S.C., and U.C. Berkeley, among others.
The Dangers of Automation in Airliners is his second book, following Death March Escape, winner of the 2019 Spirit of Anne Frank Human Writes Award.
He has a BS degree from Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and an MBA from Columbia University Graduate School of Business.
He is currently a senior reporter for LCD, part of PitchBook. He and his wife live in New York City.
(Photograph: Robert Ammirati)
The Dangers of Automation in Airliners: Accidents Waiting to Happen
Automation in airliners can be a lifesaver, guiding a plane through stormy weather to a safe landing.
Or it can be a murderer, crashing an aircraft and killing all aboard in the mistaken belief it is doing the right thing.
This book tells the story of aviation automation, from the invention of the first autopilot, through Airbus and the 737 MAX.
Death March Escape: The Remarkable Story of a Man Who Twice Escaped the Nazi Holocaust
In 1944, the Nazis shipped 18-year-old Dave Hersch in a boxcar to Mauthausen Concentration Camp, the harshest, cruellest camp in the Reich.
Slaving in the granite mine of its subcamp, Gusen, after ten months he weighed 80lbs. Then, forced onto a death march, he escaped. Recaptured, he escaped again.
This is his story