Flying

Flight Emergency: What are the pilot’s actions when an engine fails in flight?

Emergencies, Flying / By

A Delta Airlines Boeing 777-200ER at Tokyo Narita Airport. Photo Credit: Konstantin Von Wedelstaedt (http://tinyurl.com/4e5fbkxp) Flight Emergency: What are the pilot’s actions when an engine fails in flight? An engine failure on a twin-engine plane is very rare, yet it remains one of the most extensively trained and tested exercises in a pilot’s career. Engine …

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Ocean belly landing: Will an airliner survive the plunge?

FAQs, Flying / By

Ocean belly landing: Will an airliner survive the plunge? This question, although answered before, still arouses some interest on whether an airliner can survive a belly landing on the ocean. First, let’s us clarify this concept: a belly landing occurs when an aircraft lands without extending its landing gear, relying on its underside for the …

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How many airliners would have run out of fuel if it weren’t for the “final reserve fuel” as required by law?

FAQs, Flying / By

A Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-312(ER) Photo credit: byeangel (https://tinyurl.com/wusm83hv)  How many airliners would have run out of fuel if it weren’t for the “final reserve fuel” as required by law? The fuel planning policies by airlines are there for ensuring the safety of each flight. It would include the fuel required for a specific journey, …

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What caused the business jet to collide with the Boeing 737 in 2006?

FAQs, Flying / By

GOL Boeing 737-800 Photo credit: Paul Hunter Alvarenga (http://tinyurl.com/adz8xujh) What caused the business jet to collide with the Boeing 737 in 2006? In 2006, a tragic collision occurred between a business jet and a Boeing 737. This event defied the typical conventions of air travel, where aircraft rarely collide head-on during cruise due to established …

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Is it safe for planes to take off with blown tires?

Emergencies, FAQs, Flying / By

A British Airways Concorde in 1985 Photo Credit: Eduard Marmet (https://tinyurl.com/t626sac7) Is it safe for planes to take off with blown tires? This really depends on the type of aircraft, the speed when the blowout occurs and the consequential damages. While such incidents are rare, cases of planes successfully taking off and landing after blown …

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Do pilots ever allow friends or family members to sit in the cockpit during take-off or landing?

Air Travel, Flying / By

An Aeroflot Airbus A310 Photo Credit: Yevgeny Pashnin  Do pilots ever allow friends or family members to sit in the cockpit during take-off or landing? This practice was permitted in the past, prior to the tragic events of the September 11 attacks in New York in 2001. It was possible for passengers, friends and family …

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Why is it crucial for pilots to know the weight and balance of a loaded plane before take-off?

Flying, Safety / By

An Australian GAF Nomad Photo credit: Bidgee Why is it crucial for pilots to know the weight and balance of a loaded plane before take-off? Ensuring that an aircraft stays within its weight and balance limits is of utmost importance for pilots before commencing a flight. If there is too much weight towards the back …

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What happens if a plane runs out of fuel during take-off or cruising at high altitude?

Flying / By

An US Airways Airbus A320 Photo: 123RF What happens if a plane runs out of fuel during take-off or cruising at high altitude? It is highly unlikely for a plane to “run out” of fuel during take-off. This response is focused on commercial airplanes where their operations are tightly regulated. Before take-off, airliners carry a …

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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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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 …

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

FAQs, Flying / By

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 …

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

FAQs, Flying / By

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 …

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