Imagine that the speakers in the plane start to crackle. The plane has just shaken a little extra. No danger – it’s probably just turbulence. A cabin attendant’s voice breaks through the plane noise. It is not as quiet as you would expect.
– Do any of the passengers have experience of flying? Both pilots are unlicensed and we need someone to land the plane with assistance from the air traffic service.
No one comes forward. No one answers.
Would you answer? Would you be able to land the plane?
According to one examination As of this year, nearly 50 percent of American men believe they could land a plane. Altogether, 32 percent of Americans generally thought they could manage it, write CNN.
Watch video: You may have swum with this one
Small planes
There are several stories of passengers saving the situation when pilots have lost consciousness. For example, last year Darren Harrison was able to land a twin-engine plane in Florida with the guidance of an air traffic controller who also happened to be a flight instructor.
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However, what is a recurring feature in such stories is the planes’ small sizes. If, on the other hand, you have to fly a commercial passenger plane, the rules of the game change drastically.
Although many of today’s flights can be carried out with the help of autopilot, the most demanding maneuvers are those where the pilots have to take hold and control the aircraft themselves.
First and foremost, there is talk of taking off and landing, which are seen as the most demanding, and these are also operations that are done manually. Only in a small selection of aircraft models is it possible to land with autopilot.
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How to land?
Landings are perhaps the most complicated and require precise control of the aircraft’s direction and descent.
To land successfully, a pilot must maintain an appropriate speed while managing the gear and flap configuration, complying with air traffic rules, communicating with air traffic control, and completing a variety of analog and digital checklists. As the plane approaches the runway, they must accurately assess altitude, reduce power and adjust descent to land on the correct part of the runway, according to CNN.
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When the plane is first on the ground, the brakes must be applied and the jet engines must be put into “reverse thrust”, which causes the power to be sent forward and thus helps to slow down the plane.
It all happens over a relatively short time, and all the processes described are controlled by “a million” buttons and levers.
Take time
From the time you start as a student until you become a commercial pilot, you must go through extensive training. You have to go through several levels of certificates before you can fly commercial flights professionally. Before entering a cockpit, you must study subjects such as aerodynamics, air law, meteorology, navigation and aircraft systems.
After mastering basic skills, students are trained by instructors in small aircraft, with the use of a simulator towards the end, before several years later they can handle commercial aircraft.
If you haven’t learned the basics of flying, the chances of safely landing a passenger plane with the help of air traffic services are next to zero.
2023-12-09 19:22:36
