Capt Lim – Page 4 – From the Skies to the Bar

Do planes ever really crash into each other in the air?

Image: Wikipedia A Russian Ilyushin Il-76 Do planes ever really crash into each other in the air? On 12 November 1996, a Saudia Boeing 747 from Delhi to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia and a Kazakhstan Airline Ilyushin Il-76 from Shymkent, Kazakhstan to Delhi collided over Charkhi Dadri around 100 km west of Delhi. It was the world’s deadliest mid-air collision which killed all 349 …

Do planes ever really crash into each other in the air? Read More »

What do pilots do if they get scared while landing?

FAQs, Flying / By Capt Lim

Photo: 123RF A pilot can opt to go around anytime during a landing What do pilots do if they get scared while landing? Pilots are trained to handle all sorts of difficult situations but that doesn’t mean they don’t get scared sometimes. Landing is not something a professional pilot is fearful of unless there is …

What do pilots do if they get scared while landing? Read More »

Concerned Flyer: Should I be worried about climate change?

Air Travel / By Capt Lim

United Airlines history-making sustainability flight Concerned Flyer: Should I be worried about climate change? Careen wrote to me asking numerous questions about winds, heavy rain, extreme weather, tornadoes and clear air turbulence. She was baffled and wondered whether climate change could affect the safety of air travel. Firstly, climate change defines the increasing changes of …

Concerned Flyer: Should I be worried about climate change? Read More »

What does a pilot say when he thinks he is going to crash?

Emergencies / By Capt Lim

British Airways Boeing 747 flying into a volcanic ash cloud What does a pilot say when he thinks he is going to crash? On 24 June 1982, a British Airways Boeing 747, flying from Kuala Lumpur to Perth encountered volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Galunggung in Indonesia. It caused all the 4 engines …

What does a pilot say when he thinks he is going to crash? Read More »

You have only 30 seconds left before losing consciousness!

Air Travel / By Capt Lim

Oxygen mask be correctly worn over the mouth and nose You have only 30 seconds left before losing consciousness! Yes, this will be further reduced to 15 seconds if you are a senior citizen or moving around a lot when a plane is fully depressurized at 35,000 feet. This answers Asmiati Utari’s question on “What …

You have only 30 seconds left before losing consciousness! Read More »

Why people don’t listen to inflight briefing?

Air Travel / By Capt Lim

Photo: 123 RF Paying Attention to Safety Briefing Why people don’t listen to inflight briefing? Last weekend, I was on a flight to see the world’s tallest tropical timber tree at the Tawau Hills Park in Sabah, Malaysia. This was my first flight after more than 2 years of the Covid-19 pandemic. I was looking …

Why people don’t listen to inflight briefing? Read More »

Help me! I am scared of flying!

Air Travel, Fear of Flying / By Capt Lim

Photo: Travel3Sixty Fear of Flying Help me! I am scared of flying! Careen Loo wrote to me by forwarding this Instagram video with screaming passengers https://tinyurl.com/27y52tcs She asked me 3 questions: 1: Whether the turbulence was considered moderate or severe. Well, I would classify this as severe turbulence. Turbulence is categorized into: Light – just …

Help me! I am scared of flying! Read More »

Is it safer to crash a plane on land or water? What are the chances of surviving a water landing?

FAQs, Flying / By Capt Lim

Ditching – An Emergency Water Landing Is it safer to crash a plane on land or water? What are the chances of surviving a water landing? These 2 questions come from Praveen Upadhyay. Whether it would be safer to crash on land or water would depend on the choices available. If the misfortune happens near …

Is it safer to crash a plane on land or water? What are the chances of surviving a water landing? Read More »

Why is flying on an airplane so nerve-racking?

Air Travel, Fear of Flying / By Capt Lim

Photo: 123RF Flying without Fear Why is flying on an airplane so nerve-racking? For more than 2 years after restrictions and lockdowns due to Covid-19, people are rushing back to fly again. As the urge to fly to places where international borders are opening up, air ticket bookings are reported to be fast picking up. …

Why is flying on an airplane so nerve-racking? Read More »

Breaking News! Virgin Atlantic, the first UK airline to allow their cabin crew to show off their tattoos!

Air Travel / By Capt Lim

A Virgin Atlantic Airbus A340-600 Breaking News! Virgin Atlantic, the first UK airline to allow their cabin crew to show off their tattoos! Virgin Atlantic cabin crew are permitted with effect from May 31, 2022 to display their tattoos to ‘encourage staff to be themselves’ and ‘champion individuality’ according to its chief People Officer, Estelle …

Breaking News! Virgin Atlantic, the first UK airline to allow their cabin crew to show off their tattoos! Read More »

Goodbye to the Iconic 747 as she flies into the sunset

Air Travel, FAQs / By Capt Lim

Photo: 123RF A QANTAS Boeing 747-400 Goodbye to the Iconic 747 as she flies into the sunset Imtiaz Hussain who has fond memories of the 747 Jumbo Jet asks why Boeing has decided to stop producing this plane. Well, Boeing had indeed announced on July 2020 that they have decided to retire this very famous …

Goodbye to the Iconic 747 as she flies into the sunset Read More »

Why do airplanes not just fall out of the sky due to gravity?

Flying / By Capt Lim

Photo: 123RF A Super Jumbo Airbus A380 Why do airplanes not just fall out of the sky due to gravity? Gebo Pol wants to know how an iron bird, such as the Airbus A380 weighing about 560 tonnes, is able to stay in the air and not fall out of the sky due to gravity. …

Why do airplanes not just fall out of the sky due to gravity? Read More »

Why you shouldn’t be scared about flying

Air Travel, Fear of Flying / By Capt Lim

Photo: 123RF Singapore Airlines Boeing 777 Why you shouldn’t be scared about flying I have just received a query from an air traveler in my Messenger. She asked whether she should be concerned about flying on her upcoming flight on the Boeing 777 with Singapore Airlines. This concern probably arose after the crashes on the …

Why you shouldn’t be scared about flying Read More »

Do planes fly in straight lines or follow the curvature of the Earth below?

Flying / By Capt Lim

Do planes fly in a straight line or follow the curvature of the Earth? Do planes fly in straight lines or follow the curvature of the Earth below? When I began to learn how to fly, during my first lesson, my instructor told me to maintain a ‘straight and level’ flight at 3000 feet. …

Do planes fly in straight lines or follow the curvature of the Earth below? Read More »

It felt as if we were going to die!

Flying / By Capt Lim

A Malaysia Airline Boeing 737-800 It felt as if we were going to die! Recently, a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 737-800, similar to the China Eastern Airlines plane which crashed on 21 March 2022 in Wuzhou, China, encountered an unusual event that caused the aircraft to dive. The CAAM (Civil Aviation Authority Malaysia) press release attributed …

It felt as if we were going to die! Read More »

What happens if a plane window shatters mid-flight?

FAQs / By Capt Lim

Can a plane window shatter in mid-flight? What happens if a plane window shatters mid-flight? Airplane windows are relatively strong. The main thing to know is that aircraft cabin windows are not made of glass but with stretched acrylic. You won’t be able to break an airplane’s window with your fist as it has …

What happens if a plane window shatters mid-flight? Read More »

Why pilot dump fuel during an emergency?

Flying / By Capt Lim

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 …

Why pilot dump fuel during an emergency? Read More »

What happens if the pilot loses complete control of the aircraft?

FAQs / By Capt Lim

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 …

What happens if the pilot loses complete control of the aircraft? Read More »

If both pilots were incapacitated, would the flight attendant know how to land the plane?

FAQs / By Capt Lim

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 …

If both pilots were incapacitated, would the flight attendant know how to land the plane? Read More »

Can an airliner fly upside down?

Flying / By Capt Lim

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 …

Can an airliner fly upside down? Read More »