Alice’s White Queen claimed she could believe ‘six impossible things before breakfast’. Pilots come a close second. What about that most basic bit of aeronautical knowledge, how an aeroplane flies? In the English speaking world the usual demonstration is to blow over a sheet of paper and watch it rise.. Let’s admit it, it is… Continue reading ..and do you really understand how aircraft fly?
Category: View from the left seat
News from the pilot world
What have we learnt from TCAS?
If there’s one sure bet in this world it is that pilots and controllers will disagree about TCAS. Controllers believe it is an invention of the devil, pilots love it, if it is u/s, they feel naked. It is a remarkable technical achievement. I remember several UK CAA briefings in the very early 80s which… Continue reading What have we learnt from TCAS?
Do you really understand how your trim works?
Many do not, and why it matters. Picture yourself in a conventional airliner, say a 737 of any generation. You have to do a low level go-around, perhaps because your fail passive Cat lll has just failed, er, passively. You apply GA thrust, and the aircraft pitches up. If you are low enough, you may… Continue reading Do you really understand how your trim works?
Fly on the right – A mid air mitigation
On 29 September 2006, A GOL B737-800 and a private Embraer Legacy business jet collided at FL360 some 200 miles north of Brasilia, over the Amazon Jungle. The Embraer’s left winglet hit the 737’s left wing, and the 737 crashed killing all on board. The Embraer was luckier, and made a successful emergency landing at the Cachimbo air base.