characteristic faults. Sometimes only a pilot can save your life. Bad weather conditions
Air liner or airplane is one of greatest achievements modern era. A masterpiece of engineering, a high-tech invention, amazingly complex, however, accessible to each of us.
Millions of people travel to the most remote corners of our planet, thanks to this marvel of modern engineering.
And few of us think about how much technology was used before a person could conquer the unimaginable heights of the sky and in a matter of hours get from one point the globe to another.
And it seems that we know everything about these air giants. However, there are things that even those who travel constantly do not suspect. Some features associated with the life of airliners are still unknown to us.
Aircraft explosive charge
1. There are explosive charges inside the engines
Forget for a moment that the inside of an airliner's wing is filled with flammable fuel (yes, the fuel is in this part of the plane).
In the engine of any airliner there is one or two charges of explosives, the so-called pirozapal. Surprisingly, this pirozapal is necessary in order to prevent engine combustion.
Immediately after igniting, this charge dislodges the sealed container, which is under high pressure, and flame retardant chemicals can extinguish any flames in the engine casing.
As a rule, aircraft are equipped with two pyro-igniters, although theoretically, one charge is enough.
This is provided for insurance purposes: if the situation gets out of control, a second spare charge will help the liner win a few seconds until the plane finds a suitable landing site.
Fire extinguishing systems in aviation cargo compartments operate in a similar way.
Aircraft breakdowns
2. Your plane may be crashed and you won't know about it.
It is no secret that any airline strives to operate its aircraft to the maximum, so that airliners carry a huge number of passengers as often as possible.
When one of the liners has one or another breakdown, and he can not fly, the company loses money; a plane that is not in the sky does not bring profit. Therefore, when a problem arises, airline employees try to fix it as soon as possible in order to send the liner on a flight.
However, sometimes the repair takes from several hours to several days. Sometimes there are problems of a completely minor nature. For example, the failure of the coffee pot or a broken light bulb is not so important.
How to understand how serious the breakdown of the aircraft is, and who decides whether the aircraft should operate the flight if a problem is detected?
The answer is in a special document, the so-called PMO ("Minimum Equipment List"). All possible failures are recorded in it.
The same list describes the actions that the pilot must perform in case something goes wrong on board.
According to the PMO, the aircraft can take to the skies, even if only half of the available standard systems are working. Theoretically, it is, of course, safe. However, in case of failure of the working half of the systems, there will be nothing to insure the liner.
Ultimately, it is the captain of the airliner who decides whether or not to take the plane into the sky. But the airline can hire a less picky pilot at any time.
In the midst of intense summer season the carrier company cannot afford to frequently fix these or other breakdowns, therefore, repairs are usually postponed indefinitely. This means that the equipment of many aircraft is much worse than we can imagine.
3. The air in the aircraft cabin comes from the engines, and not from the outside.
It is no secret that the air inside the liner is not the same as outside. At the altitude that airliners fly, the air has the same composition as on the ground (20 percent oxygen).
The only difference is that the air high in the sky is very rarefied, and a person can neither breathe nor be conscious.
The solution that aviation engineers have found is to use air taken from the engine, which is already compressed and compressed by the engine. This air is enough for passengers for the entire duration of the flight so that they can breathe freely.
Otherwise, the difference between the pressure outside and inside the liner would be noticeably large. Therefore, it is necessary to find a middle ground in this matter: the air that a passenger breathes in the cabin is on the ground only if you rise to a height of 2400 m.
The disadvantage of this system is that everything that passes through the engine of the aircraft ends up in passenger compartment. Ultimately, we breathe it all.
For example, if the engine catches fire, poisonous smoke, antifreeze smoke, or toxic compounds from burning lubricating oils enter the passenger compartment.
Airplane decompression
4. Emergency decompression is much worse than you might imagine
When flight attendants ask passengers to use an oxygen mask, they are not playing a prank. As you know, high in the sky, the air is very rarefied.
If complete decompression occurs, the lungs cannot withstand a strong load and cannot provide the brain with the amount of oxygen that is necessary for the normal functioning of the body.
Due to the lack of oxygen, a passenger can lose consciousness in as little as 35-40 seconds, depending on the physical condition, health status and altitude at which the airliner is flying.
Under decompression conditions, a person experiences dizziness, euphoria, then he simply loses consciousness.
Brain decompression
It seems that just one minute spent without oxygen is not a lot. However, each of us needs to get oxygen as quickly as possible. Otherwise, due to its lack, side effects may occur, such as brain hypoxia, the so-called oxygen starvation.
The situation is worsened by the fact that more height, topics colder air. Temperature -60 degrees is considered normal. Decompression can contribute to the destruction of the aircraft body, and then a kind of fog will begin to form, which can shock many.
Therefore, do not neglect the oxygen mask. In which case, you should immediately resort to its use.
Airplane oxygen masks
5. Oxygen masks won't last long
Familiar to every passenger, the small yellow masks work in a completely different way than it seems to most of us. Passengers think they are breathing in cool, pure oxygen, the kind found in a diving tank.
However, this is misleading. Each set, which includes four to five masks, is attached to a so-called chemical generator, which is a piece of flammable metal. One has only to pull one of the masks, and you will get that very burning, which is the source of that very necessary for passengers oxygen.
However, this oxygen will have a not quite familiar smell: you will smell and taste smoke, rather unpleasant and even slightly burning.
And since metal cannot burn for a long time, the effect of the oxygen mask ends after about 12 minutes. By this time, the pilot should have lowered the aircraft to a level where it is possible to breathe normally.
In addition, it should be remembered that oxygen mask leaky and has no filters. Therefore, it does not protect against various vapors and smoke inside the aircraft. However, as mentioned above, in the event of an unforeseen situation, an oxygen mask will save the passenger.
Pilots have full oxygen tanks in the cockpit. Pilots can breathe freely for two hours. During this time, they manage to land the plane if the need arises.
6. Inflatable boats and inflatable ladders work differently
If the plane crashed into the ocean, the passenger must sit in a dry and warm lifeboat. However, this is ideal. In practice, this does not always work out.
It is advisable to carefully read the safety instructions before flying. As a rule, airliners need to be equipped with only emergency ladders, thanks to which passengers will be able to get to the ground.
It is worth noting that the ladder-raft weighs more than a conventional inflatable ladder, which means extra weight on board the aircraft. This brings additional inconvenience.
Transatlantic flights of airliners are always equipped with real inflatable boats.
Why are there no parachutes on planes?
7. Basically they are useless in passenger airliners
Statistically, an airplane is the safest vehicle. Why passenger airliners not equipped with parachutes?
There is an international rule not to issue parachutes due to the high cost of their use. This is both extra weight and extra space for storing parachutes. In addition, at the time of the disaster, an unprepared person in most cases cannot use it. At the same time, 90% of all crashes occur during takeoff or landing - when the use of parachutes is generally impossible.
Panic on the plane
8. Panic is the culprit
It's no secret that it is the panic on board the airliner in case of emergency that leads to the most negative consequences. In all artificially created situations, pseudo passengers were calm and calm. Nobody panicked or got nervous. The evacuation of passengers took place quickly, clearly and smoothly.
However, as everyone knows, the reality is not so smooth. Most passengers succumb to panic, which causes the evacuation to be much slower.
Experts say that if people did not panic, it would be much easier to avoid a huge number of human casualties in certain situations.
9. All possible electronic gadgets do not affect the operation of aircraft systems
The good news is that the myth that personal electronic devices on board can interfere with aircraft systems has finally been debunked.
Passengers can use gadgets at almost every stage of the flight.
The exception when you may be banned from using mobile phones or tablets may be bad weather. In low cloud cover, fog and precipitation, pilots use special navigation signal systems to land the aircraft.
Of course, this is a good reason to turn off your cell phone. The version that portable electronic devices can interfere with the landing is quite popular.
However, there is no hard evidence to support this theory. Therefore, you can use mobile phones when taking off the plane, and during the flight, and landing.
10. …but pilots' mobile phones can be a nuisance.
However, a mobile phone can cause an emergency. This is about mobile phone if its owner is one of the crew members.
A mobile phone can simply distract the pilot and at the most crucial moment, if the phone rings, he may be mistaken. As a rule, such errors become fatal.
There is a known case when, distracted by a phone call, the pilot forgot to release the landing gear during landing.
Another airliner had just taken off into the sky when the pilot's phone rang. Answering the call, the pilot forgot to perform the necessary maneuver, which almost led to tragedy.
How much fuel is on the plane?
11. Not enough fuel is not scary
Perhaps most passengers will be intimidated by the fact that, as a rule, airlines refuel their liners with the minimum amount of fuel.
If there is more fuel in the tank than required by a specific distance, the aircraft uses up all the fuel. This is disadvantageous for the carrier. In addition, a large weight gives a strong load on the engine.
However, the so-called "minimum fuel" does not mean that there is strictly enough fuel to fly from point A to point B.
Aircraft fuel consumption
12. There is always a supply of fuel
As prescribed by international aviation rules, there must be fuel on board for a flight from one point to another. In addition to the main, there must also be "free" fuel, which is approximately 3.5 percent of the amount of the main fuel.
It is used in emergency cases, for example, when the main fuel leaks, or, if for some reason, it is not possible to land quickly. Spare fuel is enough for another 30 minutes of flight.
The recent A321 plane crash in Egypt, which claimed the lives of 224 people, made aviation security one of the most discussed topics in Russia at the moment. But while experts and specialists are breaking spears in disputes about how to “tighten the screws” in domestic aviation, for ordinary passengers, the exciting question of how to protect themselves during the flight remains open.
What should you pay attention to when boarding a plane? What should be alarming on board? And how to behave when you notice that something is wrong with the plane? We will talk about this with an aviation expert, honored test pilot Viktor ZABOLOTSKY.
- You need to understand that there are not many things in flight that a passenger can understand that something is wrong with the plane, - says Viktor Vasilyevich, - for example, you go into the cabin and see that there are worn and shabby seats . Your train of thought is something like this: "yeah, the car is old, which means it can break down, and I'm in danger." I will say right away: this is a myth. Battered planes fly on domestic flights in many countries of the world, including the United States, there is nothing to worry about. The airlines are trying to put new cars on international flights Still, it's a matter of prestige.
- Is it worth asking the crew when the plane was released? Maybe if the expiration date is exceeded, then it's not worth flying?
- You understand that if you take care of any machine, repair and update it in time, it can serve for a very long time. Any passenger can ask the crew what year of manufacture this or that aircraft is, but this is only reference Information, she won’t even tell an aviation expert about anything. Moreover, in some cases, an “age” aircraft is even good. For example, in the USSR, all civilian liners were built according to military strength standards; therefore, for example, destroying the TU-154 is a whole problem.
- Should passengers be alerted by any sounds during the flight?
- They simply will not understand them without special training. And a really “bad” sound - for example, a depressurization whistle - will immediately attract the attention of everyone on board, because of its volume and strength. What passengers should pay attention to is, for example, portholes. If there are cracks on them, you should immediately sound the alarm and call the stewardess: due to pressure drops during the flight, they can turn into holes, and this will already lead to depressurization.
- What should you pay attention to outside the aircraft? - Say, I had a case: somehow I flew from Toulouse to Moscow (it was in the early 90s). I sit at the porthole, admiring the dawn, and my place is right in front of the wing. And then I notice right on the wing, in the area of the flaps, something very incomprehensible, similar to ... a glass of ice cream! I immediately rubbed my eyes, I think - how can this be at all ?! I took a closer look. And then it dawned on me - apparently, the top layer of skin in this place did not fit tightly to the wing, and the flaps began to pull it together, chew it when moving. I immediately called the stewardess; she asked - "Are you ill?". “We will all feel bad here now,” I replied, and asked to immediately report the problem to the crew commander. While we were flying, he tried not to use the flaps on this wing, it was obvious. And when they landed, he either forgot, or “scored” that he had problems with the skin, began to use the flaps, and it jammed even more. The moral of this story is simple: if a passenger sees that something is wrong with the skin, the crew should be immediately informed about it.
- What alarming "symptoms" do engines have?
- Engines - this is probably the main thing you should pay attention to. They, for example, can smoke - this should be alarming. However, sometimes engine smoke is normal; this happens when the air is very humid - as in the tropical countries of Asia. If the engine smokes while flying somewhere in central Russia, this is bad. Pay attention to all kinds of leaks and leaks: there should not be any liquids on the aircraft engines. Once I was flying with my wife from Paris to Moscow, and when we approached the plane, I noticed that one of the engines was leaking oil. At first - a thin stream, but before our eyes this leak began to intensify. I immediately turned to the airport staff, they urgently inspected the plane, eliminated the leak, and only then we began to take off.
- To whom should a passenger contact who notices something was wrong on the plane?
- You can contact the airport staff, you can - to the crew members of the aircraft itself. In aviation, the topic of safety is very reverent, and you can be sure that your complaint will not go unheeded. The main thing is not to be silent, noticing that something is wrong: as they say, "the salvation of drowning people is the work of the drowning people themselves."
- They say that it is safer to sit in the tail of the aircraft - supposedly, in case of accidents, this part suffers less ...
- This statement would be true if all aircraft fell strictly on the front. But this is far from being the case, so it cannot be said that it is safer in the tail. Yes and central part aircraft, where all its main structural elements converge, will be much stronger. The point is something else: maybe some piece of the aircraft will survive the fall. But the chances of a person surviving a fall from several thousand meters are in any case minimal, no matter where he sits. If this happens, it's a miracle.
Hello dear friends! Vladimir Raichev is with you and today, at the request of the workers, as they say, we have another not only interesting, but also very useful article. Again, in my subjective opinion.
A regular blog visitor, my colleague, Andrey Puchkov at one time he asked me to write an article on how to visually and with the help of publicly available information assess the safety of an upcoming flight, in other words, how to find out if the aircraft is in good condition before and during the flight.
I can tell you right away that no way, and on this we can go about our business. But that won't suit you, will it? At least I really hope so. Otherwise, I would not have spent a lot of time searching and analyzing this information.
I will not pour water for a long time, but I will clarify that the aircraft is a very complex vehicle, equipped with enough big amount various systems that ensure flight and its safety. Therefore, visually evaluate technical condition aircraft beyond the power of even an expert.
And right now I was prompted to publish this article by the news that the Airbus A321, which took off in the domestic direction, returned back to the airport because it had a crack in the glass of the cockpit.
So, I present the material in the form of a conversation with experts in the question-answer mode. It seems to me that this format is somewhat easier to understand. It's just more familiar to us. Well, shall we get started?
The recent A321 crash killed 224 people, and this tragedy has made the topic of air travel safety one of the most discussed in our country and in the world. Potential tourists massively refused tours to Egypt, handing over tours and tickets.
Questions from passengers and answers from experts
Ordinary passengers, ignorant of the intricacies aviation industry, are interested in: is it possible to determine on their own whether the aircraft is working or not? What should you pay attention to, what should alert both before landing and already in flight?
Here is what experts, pilots and auto experts answer to questions from passengers.
- I went on board and noticed that the covers were worn in the chairs, and in general the appearance of the seats was unpresentable. Perhaps we are all in danger, because the plane is old?
Every passenger should know that there are very few things by which an amateur can determine the malfunction of an aircraft. And here causeless panic moods are possible.
In this case, do not rush to be tormented by thoughts of an imminent accident! Non-new cars are common on many domestic flights, that is, when flying within the country.
And this applies not only to Russia, but also foreign countries, even the United States, so there is no cause for alarm. New cars for prestige are put mainly on international flights.
- But still, for safety, probably, you need to ask the crew members the year of issue? Suddenly, the expiration date is over, why should we all be in danger?
It is not so much the expiration date itself that is important, but proper care: you need to make repairs in a timely manner, including preventive maintenance, update, keep the aircraft in order, and carefully undergo a pre-flight inspection.
Under such conditions, it can fly for a very long time. Of course, it is not forbidden to ask the year of issue, but this figure can sometimes say nothing even to an expert, since this will only be a reference, nothing more.
It is also worth considering that in some cases an “older” aircraft is more reliable and safer. A prime example the TU-154 built back in the USSR can serve.
- If any sounds are heard during the flight, will this be a harbinger of a crash? And what else can be regarded as a sign of problems?
See what sounds you hear. In general, if you do not have special knowledge, you are unlikely to be able to figure out whether the sound is “good” or “bad”. But speaking in general, the smooth buzz of the motor is normal, but the whistle is a signal of trouble.
This sound is usually caused by depressurization and is so harsh and loud that any passenger can hear it. The object of your attention, if you decide to be vigilant, should be portholes, in particular, cracks in the glass.
If you find them, call the flight attendant - this is an alarming sign! During the movement of the vessel, given the pressure drops, holes may form in the glass, which will lead to depressurization.
Will I be able to spot something dangerous outside the airliner?
If you notice a trickle of oil coming out of the engine while the plane is still on the ground, tell the airport staff immediately. A passenger sitting at the window can find a part of the skin that is not tightly adjacent to the wing, and there have been such cases!
But, of course, there are only a few of them for thousands and thousands of flights. During the flight: the flaps began to tighten this layer, as it were. If the skin is not all right, inform the flight attendant immediately.
- And what "alarm bells" can be in the engine?
It is the engine that is the main part of the aircraft, and here failures are given paramount attention. The smoke from engines always scares passengers, it is justified, although not always.
The fact is that in very humid air, for example, in the tropics, smoke is quite normal. But if it is observed when flying somewhere in central Russia or in its central part, this bad symptom.
- Where is it safer to sit: probably in the tail? This is how it is considered...
This would indeed be the case if all planes fell invariably on the front. But this does not always happen, so the statement is controversial. If we're talking about safe place, then the center of the aircraft is somewhat stronger.
In the history of aviation, there were cases when a "thieves" passenger flew to luggage compartment and the only one who survived the crash. But this is more a curiosity than the truth: only a miracle will help to escape when falling thousands of kilometers.
Estimation of the number of air crashes of the carrier
If we return to what is allegedly based on the history of the carrier, we can conclude that the flight is reliable. Friends, this is not true at all. All airlines have emergency situations, but this is just a matter of chance.
And carriers have become much smarter. In order not to spoil its reputation and image, the carrier does not have to change its name. So this kind of security assessment will not bring us any result.
Today I have almost everything, it remains only to give you some of the most helpful advice, which I traditionally left for last. Friends, take your safety seriously. Pay attention to any little things on the plane. There are no trifles in security.
If you liked the article - share it with your friends, I'm sure they will not refuse information that will allow them to evaluate the safety of the flight. Subscribe to blog updates - there is still a lot of useful and interesting ahead. Until we meet again, bye bye.
Any air crash instantly raises the question of the safety of airliners and the threat of terrorism. But until their causes are officially established, it is unreasonable to speculate about what could have caused the failure. However, there are several causes of airliner crashes that are more likely than others.
1. Pilot error
As aircraft become more reliable over time, so too does the number of accidents caused by pilot error. It currently stands at around 4%. Aircraft are complex machines and real skill is required to fly them. Since the pilot actively influences the aircraft at every stage of flight, there are many possibilities for something to go wrong, from a misprogrammed computer to a misjudgment of the amount of lift fuel.
Sometimes only a pilot can save your life.
And while such mistakes are unforgivable, it's important to remember that a pilot can also be your last resort when things get dire. For example, in January 2009, an Airbus A320 crashed into a flock of geese over New York City. The ship's captain had to weigh all the options and act very quickly. Using his extensive flying experience and knowledge of aircraft handling, he flew the aircraft into the Hudson River. Thus, the lives of 150 people were saved not thanks to computers or any automated systems. They were rescued by two pilots, although many fans technical progress say that people can be replaced by computers and dispatchers. 
2. Airliner mechanical failures
Equipment failure still results in 20% losses aircraft, despite improvements in manufacturing quality and design updates. Even though engines are more reliable than they were half a century ago, they still sometimes create catastrophic situations.
In 1989, a disintegrating fan blade led to the failure of the left engine aboard a British airliner. Difficulties in reading gauge readings led the pilots to turn off the right engine instead of the damaged left. Due to the lack of working engines, the plane crashed into runway airport, which led to the death and injury of many passengers and the captain of the ship. 
More recently, one of the Indonesian airliners also began to crash due to engine failure. Only thanks to the skill of the pilots, he landed safely.
Sometimes new technologies also cause disruptions. In the 1950s, for example, for jet aircraft a new threat emerged due to the introduction high flights. Due to excessive pressure on the case, the metal wore out. After several crashes, models of some aircraft were retired from service pending changes to their designs.
3. Bad weather
Bad weather results in 10% loss of aircraft. Despite many electronic aids such as hydroscopic compasses, satellite navigation and the availability of weather data, aircraft still get caught in storms, snow and fog. In December 2005, one of the planes in America tried to land in a snowstorm. He left the limits runway and crashed into a number of parked cars. A small child was hurt. 
One of the most famous incidents bad weather occurred in 1958 when a British twin-engine passenger plane crashed while trying to take off. Investigators determined that the ship was slowed down by polluted runways, so it was unable to gain the required speed. Surprisingly, lightning does not pose a threat to airliners, despite the fact that the fear of them is quite common among passengers. 
4. Terrorism
About 10% of aircraft losses are caused by sabotage. As with lightning, the risk associated with terrorism is far less than many people are used to thinking. Nevertheless, there were numerous shocking attacks on aircraft. In September 1970, three passenger jets were hijacked in Jordan. This was a turning point in the history of aviation and prompted better attention to safety. Hijacked by representatives of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, these three aircraft were blown up in front of the world press. Despite all the improvements in security, terrorists can still get on board the aircraft. Fortunately, this really happens very rarely.
5. Other human factors
The remaining losses are related to other types of human error. Air traffic controllers, dispatchers, forklifts, gas trucks or maintenance engineers may allow them. Sometimes you have to work long shifts, and all these people can theoretically make catastrophic mistakes.
In 1990, a blowout windshield on a British airliner nearly cost the captain of the plane his life. According to research department air accidents, almost all 90 windshield bolts were smaller than the required diameter. But instead of being held accountable for the discrepancy between bolts and countersunk holes, the maintenance engineer who is responsible for installing the new windshield put the blame on oversized countersinks. In fact, this event was preceded by a sleepless night, and since the engineer was very tired, he could not properly install the windshield.
Igor Obodkov Assistant to the President of the Sheremetyevo Aircrew Trade Union
— Where can I find out what fleet of aircraft the airline has?
- The website of the Federal Air Transport Agency should contain data on the fleet of airlines. Some companies, such as Aeroflot, publish data on their website about what types of ships they have. There is also the average age of the fleet. At the same Aeroflot, it is no more than five years old. But the age of the ships is not the most important thing to pay attention to. First of all, you need to make sure that flights are carried out regularly. You need to look at the history of the company, how many years it has existed.
“When pilots board an old plane, they probably understand that it is a wreck. Does it happen that the crew refuses to fly for this reason?
— There are such cases. There are principled pilots, but there are also those who think that if everything went well on the last flight, then the next time it will work out. There is a list of malfunctions with which you can and cannot fly, but still a lot depends on the pilot. Someone may refuse to fly because of a crack of one or two millimeters.
We are trying to ensure that pilots have guaranteed pay, because now everything depends on the number of hours spent at the helm. Understandably, piecework pay often causes pilots to neglect both malfunctions and fatigue. For the sake of money, many fly to the limit, especially when it comes to short flights - to Kazan or St. Petersburg.
In conclusion about the Tyumen disaster, the experts noted that the crew had over a hundred days of vacation debt. International associations have long introduced a pilot fatigue monitoring system. In Russia, no one is in a hurry to implement it, although fatigue is the very notorious human factor that is most often cited as the cause of accidents.
- Should someone warn passengers that the plane is going around?
- No one warns about this, since the situation is standard and the pilots work out the go-around on simulators. The reasons are different: they could lose speed due to strong wind, maybe the flaps are not extended, maybe the pilot realized that he did not fit into the landing zone. The decision to go around the pilot usually takes at an altitude of 30-60 m.
- Judging by the footage of CCTV cameras, the Boeing in Kazan fell into a tailspin while landing. Why could this happen?
- For each position of the wing there is minimum speed. As a rule, the aircraft goes into a tailspin when it reaches critically low speeds. Most often this happens if the pilot chooses the position of the aircraft incorrectly. But a stall can also occur at high speed, if, for example, the pilot pulls the steering wheel sharply towards himself. Then the speed can reach a critical value.
It is almost impossible to understand that you are falling. When a person flies in an airplane, he is lost in space.
- How ordinary person flying on an airplane, to understand that something went wrong?
It is almost impossible to understand that you are falling. When a person flies in an airplane, he is lost in space. Even the pilot will not be able to clearly determine the position of the aircraft in the air if the horizon is not visible. But, for example, shaking is not an indicator, since it can be an ordinary chatter. Another bad sign is if the board smells burnt. This is already more realistic, you need to immediately call the conductors and find out what happened. Maybe something burned in the kitchen, or maybe the wiring is smoking.
- Should the pilot warn passengers about emergency situations?
- My opinion is that it is better for the pilot not to inform the passengers that something is going wrong, it is better for them not to know, because a panic may begin, which will only complicate everything.
- What is the level of training of graduates of our flight schools?
- They, as a rule, are trained on one type, and they have to work on another. All graduates complete their studies for a year and a half to master the type that is in the airline. Often graduates of Russian flight schools complete their studies abroad. Knowledge of English is required even on domestic flights. In the conclusion of the IAC on the plane crash in Tyumen, by the way, poor knowledge was noted in English- they simply could not understand some part of the aircraft documentation, it is all in English.
Do I need to look at the weather forecast when choosing a flight?
“Paying attention to the weather before the flight does not make sense. The crew itself sometimes reports, for example, that the weather is sunny, but in the end, almost nothing depends on this. Basically, flight safety depends on the level of crew training.
To determine whether a flight will be affected by weather conditions, you need to know the minimum of the aircraft, airfield and crew - the minimum visual range on the runway. The lower the visibility at which an aircraft can land, the better. The minimum of the aircraft depends on the level of its automation, the minimum of the airfield depends on the technical equipment, and the minimum of the airfield depends on the experience, number of hours and landings, all simulators must be completed. Of course, no one will tell you these indicators before the flight.
- Do day and night flights differ in terms of safety?
Day or night, it doesn't matter at all. Although at night, high-intensity lights are sometimes better visible, by which the pilot is guided when landing. During the day, especially in foggy weather, they are more difficult to see. True, it must be borne in mind that pilots are also living people and they may want to sleep.
— And by outward signs can a passenger identify a malfunction of the aircraft or problems with the crew?
- Only if you approach the plane, and fuel flows from it. Or if you see a noticeable crack on the plane. It happens that passengers begin to suspect that one of the crew members is drunk. I have never encountered any of the above, but theoretically it is possible. Airlines strictly monitor that pilots sit at the controls sober, but pilots can drink already in flight. In America now, for example, pilots go through random control after landing. In Aeroflot, the administration also has such a right.
Abroad there is a system of voluntary notification so that pilots can tell the controllers about the malfunction, but in many Russian companies such a report will be sanctioned against the confessed pilot
“That's not entirely true. It's one thing if we are talking about an already run-in and approved model. But the percentage of failures on older aircraft is indeed higher. The old technique requires high costs. They have lower lease payments, but the maintenance is much more expensive, and parts often need to be replaced. It happens that airlines, saving on leasing, simply do not change the details in time.
— How controllers should behave in a situation where pilots report a malfunction. Is there any general scheme from which they do not deviate, or do they decide on their own?
“Pilots make their own decisions, and controllers can only clear the area if an emergency landing is required, or give directions on the route if visibility is poor.
- Does the scoreboard somehow reflect the fact that something happened to the plane? Will it just be written "delayed" or is there some other wording for such cases?
- Usually they write one of two options - for technical reasons or because of weather conditions. But I would not panic because of the wording “for technical reasons”, because this does not mean at all that some kind of malfunction was discovered - maybe there is simply no backup aircraft or no fuel.
- There are frightening statistics of air accidents in Russia. How much can you trust her?
The statistics are really bad. And then, not all incidents fall into the statistics. There are malfunctions that dispatchers did not have time to fix. Let's say the wheel went flat on landing, there was a decrease in the safe height, or the landing gear could not be released the first time. Such incidents also affect the rating of airlines. Abroad, there is a system of voluntary notification so that pilots can tell controllers about a malfunction, but in many Russian companies, such a report will be sanctioned by a confessed pilot.
