Photo: BobMil42 Airbus A340 Fuel Dumping in progress Why pilot dump fuel during an emergency? Prior to hanging up my uniform as a captain on the Boeing 777 in 2006, I encountered an emergency which potentially could have led to a depressurization if not properly handled. We could have ended up like the Helios Airways …
Photo: DavidCB N1819U McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 United Airlines What happens if the pilot loses complete control of the aircraft? This week’s question comes from Herbert Garrison. I assume he meant the total failure of the control wheel or control column, a device to physically fly the plane. On the modern Airbus, we refer to it …
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Source: Wikipedia Helios Airways Boeing 737 If both pilots were incapacitated, would the flight attendant know how to land the plane? Scott Richards asks the above interesting question. Well, AIRPORT 1975 was an attempt to portray such a possibility. In this movie, the captain of a small plane suffered a heart attack and crashes into …
Image: 123RF An upside-down plane? Can an airliner fly upside down? This is an interesting question from Lisa Anderson. Perhaps she may have seen the movie Flight where Academy Award winner Denzel Washington ‘skillfully’ maneuvered his plane during an uncontrolled dive. Miraculously he put it upside down before rolling the wings to right-side up for …
Boeing 787’s wings are incredibly strong Why a plane’s wings don’t break? When sitting by the window seat, one may notice the wing tips shaking up and down during turbulence. In aviation jargon, this is known as flexing of the wings. This may lead some nervous flyers to imagine that the bending motion may …