A kid in the tower, a pilot without license and other things

The unprecedented success of the air transport industry is due mainly to the spectacular improvements in safety booked overt the years. True, the convenience of being able to travel to the other end of Europe for a meeting and back the same day count for a lot, but without the safety factor, few passengers would… Continue reading A kid in the tower, a pilot without license and other things

KLM and Aeroflot take-off from taxi-ways

Strange as it may seem one of the more difficult things that pilots have to deal with is finding their way around airports. Despite ICAO standardisation many obvious things like airport signage are not always the same at every airport, and even if they were, airport layouts will always differ. Surprisingly, navigating the aircraft down… Continue reading KLM and Aeroflot take-off from taxi-ways

A taxiway will do, take 2 – Aeroflot Airbus takes off from taxiway in Oslo

EUROCONTROL’s Preventing Runway Incursions Portal has a quiz designed to test the knowledge of pilots, air traffic controllers and vehicle drivers about, among others, the runway and taxiway environment. One of the questions shows a concrete surface with white markings in a limited visibility environment, seen from the cockpit window. The question: are we on a… Continue reading A taxiway will do, take 2 – Aeroflot Airbus takes off from taxiway in Oslo