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What happened to passenger planes with propeller engines? Are they all gone now?

Air Travel / By

A Malindo Air ATR 72-600 Turboprop plane Photo Credit: Teerawut Wongdee What happened to passenger planes with propeller engines? Are they all gone now? Many people believe that propeller planes are obsolete but the truth is that they are still very much alive and operating in many airlines around the world. They are generally flown …

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Have you ever wondered why pilots sometimes take longer to land even when there’s a technical problem?

Air Travel, Safety / By

  Photo credit: BobMil42 An Airbus Fuel Dumping in progress Have you ever wondered why pilots sometimes take longer to land even when there’s a technical problem? Recently, an unhappy passenger on an Airbus A320 flight from Guangzhou to Kuala Lumpur was left frustrated when the captain decided to fly for about three hours before …

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Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! What does this actually mean?  

Air Travel, Emergencies / By

Mayday call of Qantas flight after an engine failure Photo: 123RF Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! What does this actually mean?   ‘Mayday!’ when repeated 3 times with details and broadcasted over the radio is a cry for help in a life-threatening situation. In days gone by, radio communications could be bad and any distress call must …

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How often do airline pilots fly the plane manually, rather than relying on autopilot and computers?

Flying / By

Bombardier Q400 operated by Colgan Air Photo Credit: Hawaiian717.  How often do airline pilots fly the plane manually, rather than relying on autopilot and computers? This question seems to express concerns that some airline pilots are relying too much on automation such that a few have forgotten how to fly. Indeed, this has resulted in …

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Why did the Concorde stop flying, and is there any chance that it might return one day?

Air Travel / By

  The last three British Airways Concordes in 2003. Credit: BAA Why did the Concorde stop flying, and is there any chance that it might return one day?   There were many reasons that killed the Concorde. This plane was the most powerful commercial pure jet flying from 1976 to 2003. It flew faster than …

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If an engine fails on take-off, will the pilot abort the take-off or continue?

Air Travel, Flying / By

My last London flight, completing 25,500 hours without experiencing an engine failure If an engine fails on take-off, will the pilot abort the take-off or continue? When an engine fails on take-off, a pilot’s decision to go or not, would depend on the speed it has attained. From day one, a pilot is reminded that, …

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Plane came within seconds of disaster when a pilot mistake sent it plunging towards the ocean.

Air Travel, Flying / By

Plane came within seconds of disaster when a pilot mistake sent it plunging towards the ocean. Photo: 123RF On 10 January 2023, a Qatar Airways Boeing 787 flight from Doha to Copenhagen nosedived and narrowly avoided striking the Arabian Gulf shortly after take-off from the Hamad International Airport. According to Flightradar24, a Swedish internet-based service …

Plane came within seconds of disaster when a pilot mistake sent it plunging towards the ocean. Read More »

A major air disaster at JFK Airport avoided by the captain on Friday the 13!

Air Travel / By

A Delta Airline plane loading for departure A major air disaster at JFK Airport avoided by the captain on Friday the 13! There are many emergency-drills a pilot practices in the flight simulator in anticipation of a real one in his flying career one day. Indeed, on Friday the 13, January 2023, the captain of …

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Is it possible for someone who has never flown before to successfully land an airliner?

FAQs, Flying / By

Photo: 123RF A Boeing 737 Cockpit Is it possible for someone who has never flown before to successfully land an airliner? For that someone who has never flown, the chances of successfully bringing the plane down safely are almost nil. But, if that passenger is a general aviation enthusiast, a computer geek on the Microsoft …

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