The pilot of the plane spoke about the most frightening situations at work. Other emergency situations. The most difficult situations

Ever since man first took to the air, he has known the fall. Every year, flight technology has become more complex, more perfect and safer, but aircraft crashes still occur. The mass death of people in the crash of a passenger liner becomes not only grief for the inconsolable relatives of the victims, but also a national tragedy.

At the same time, people who survived after a plane crash become celebrities who are spoken and written about by the media in all countries of the world. This happens because there are very few of them.

Plane crash statistics

If we take statistics for the entire historical period of the development of passenger air transportation, we can conclude that they are extremely rare. The chance that the vehicle will crash during flight, takeoff or landing is 1/8 million. This means that it would take a person more than 20,000 years of daily flights on random flights to board that unlucky one.

If we take the statistics of the identified causes of the fall of equipment, then in percentage terms it will look like this:

• when the aircraft is being loaded, 5% of accidents occur (most often a fire);
• during takeoff - 17% of accidents;
• when climbing only 8% of cases;
• during the flight 6%;
• when the aircraft descends - 3%;
• approach is the cause of 7% of cases;
• aircraft landing - 51%.

The statistics of all recorded cases of airliner crashes show that the greatest risk is present during takeoff and fall. This is probably why passengers applaud the pilots after they complete this stage of the flight.

Survivors after a plane crash most often indicate that something “suddenly” became wrong with the plane. In fact, meticulous extras and workers responsible for flight safety note that the reasons for a sudden breakdown of instruments or ignited engines are flaws that have not been identified on the ground, which means that the reasons for the crash of the liners should first of all be looked for there.

Causes of plane crashes

No matter how you say it, but the main cause of all air crashes is the human factor. Machines do not spoil themselves and do not incapacitate. The lack of due attention during their assembly, during daily checks for malfunctions and the conscious work of pilots and dispatchers - all this most often leads to the crash of equipment.

Is it possible to survive in a plane crash if the specialists did their job poorly? And in this case, the answer will be yes, since today there are cases when more than 1 person remained alive.

Aircraft crash statistics as a percentage is as follows:

• pilot error is the cause of 50% of cases;
• errors of personnel serving during the flight were revealed in 7% of tragedies;
• the influence of weather conditions account for 12%;
• malfunction of instruments and the machine as a whole - 22% (what was not properly identified before the flight);
• terrorism and others (unidentified causes or collision in the air) - 9%.

Of these reasons, except for the weather, everything else is the activity of people. This suggests that the tragedy could have been avoided, and the cases of survivors of the plane crash were significantly higher. If we take the statistics of the largest crashes over the past 30 years, then their causes are:

• DC-8 crashed in Newfoundland in 1985 on takeoff due to loss of speed, killing 250 passengers;
• the crash of a Boeing 747 in 1985 in Japan was caused by poor repairs, resulting in 520 casualties;
• Il-76 en route from Kazakhstan to Saudi Arabia crashed in India in 1996 from a mid-air collision with a Boeing, resulting in 349 deaths;
• Il-76 crashed in Iran in 2003 due to impact on the ground in poor visibility, killing 275 people;
• 224 people who did not survive the Kogalymavia plane crash in October 2015 added to the sad statistics: the reason is a possible terrorist attack.

These are far from all the major crashes that occurred from 1985 to 2015, but even they show that their cause is most often human inattention or dishonesty. The list of plane crash survivors would be much longer if flight safety professionals did their job well and passengers knew what to do to stay alive.

What to do in case of a plane crash

It turns out that there are rules that really help people stay alive when the liner crashes. The most basic instructions are given by flight attendants before the start of the flight. Unfortunately, most passengers do not listen to them, and even more so they cannot put them into practice. Among the simplest recommendations, it is considered mandatory:

• be fastened during takeoff and landing (ideally, it is better to be fastened during the entire flight);
• know where the life jackets are and how to use the oxygen mask;
• in an emergency, do not leave your seat, and even more so do not try to get into the luggage compartment in order to save your belongings;
• concentrate and take the correct posture before the aircraft collides with the ground or water (bending your head to your knees, covering it with your hands).

In addition to these simple rules, there are several conclusions of emergency specialists that people who survived after a plane crash applied intuitively and did not suffer.

Most of the passengers die after the plane crashes and catches fire, because they cannot get out of it in time. To prevent this from happening, you should know in advance:

• How are the seat belts unfastened?
• the exact direction to the exit (especially if there is smoke in the cabin);
• panic is 100% death.

For example, George Lamson, still a 17-year-old teenager in 1985, survived only because at the time of the collision of the plane in which he was flying with his father, his chair was thrown out of the cabin. If the boy had not been fastened and had not pressed his head to his knees, and after the fall he had not been able to quickly unfasten himself and run to a safe distance, he would have died, like the other 70 people.

As the cases of survivors of a plane crash show, if a person does not panic and knows what to do, then he has every chance of surviving. Examining examples of such tragedies, scientists have come to the conclusion that many passengers, instead of getting out of the plane, are waiting for someone's instructions or instructions. It is important to know that in such a situation everyone is responsible for their own safety.

High risk situations

Although it may seem that the survivors of a plane crash are just the lucky ones, in reality they are not. As the data of scientists from England, who studied more than 2,000 rescue cases in such an accident, showed, these people were helped not by a simple coincidence of circumstances, but by specific knowledge and actions, plus a bit of luck.

It turns out that there are high-risk zones and safer areas in airplanes, as evidenced by survival statistics:

• for example, those who sit in the first five rows in the nose of an aircraft have a 65% chance of survival;
• it is even higher for those who sit in these rows on the outer seats (67%), and not near the windows (58%);
• passengers at the rear of the aircraft have a 53% survival rate if they are also seated in the first five rows from the emergency exit;
• people who survived after a plane crash and sat in the middle of the cabin are extremely rare.

In addition to risk areas in the cabin, the aircraft itself also plays an important role. So, statistics say that 73% of all air crashes occur in small aircraft designed for up to 30 seats. The fatal outcome of a single-engine or small aircraft crash is 68%, which suggests that the chance of survival for passengers and pilots of such vehicles is tantamount to a miracle.

One conclusion suggests itself - you should fly large planes of reliable companies. It is unlikely that only the right choice of vehicle and the place in it will save lives in an emergency, but its passengers will have more chances of survival, and rescuers in the crash of a large liner do not ask the question “are there any survivors in a plane crash”, but save them.

The most difficult situations

The most difficult and dangerous part of the disaster is the collision of the aircraft with the ground or water. After this happened, people only have 1.5-2 minutes to stay alive. It is at this time that it is necessary to meet in order to unfasten, find a way out and jump out as far as possible.

The biggest threat to life is a fire and carbon monoxide filling the cabin, which is confirmed by a woman who survived the plane crash. Larisa Savitskaya survived after the plane in which she was flying with her husband collided with a bomber. Having received burns from the fire that started, she managed to concentrate and take the correct position in the chair, which saved her life when she fell on it from a height of 5200 m for 8 minutes.

Tree branches “softened” her landing, but even after surviving such a fall, she had to endure a severe shock both from her injuries and from the fact that rescuers were in no hurry to search for the crashed plane, confident that no one had survived.

“Are there people who survived the plane crash?” - this question should be in the first place for those who deal with similar situations. Larisa waited two days for help with a fracture of the cervical spine and a head injury. She is the only one who got into the Guinness book twice for the same event:

• first time as a survivor after falling from a height of more than 5 km;
• the second - as having received the most meager compensation for the damage received - only 75 rubles.

No less a threat to human life is a collision of an aircraft with a water surface, although most passengers naively believe that it can soften the fall. Such ignorance of the elementary laws of physics cost the lives of many people.

Fall into the ocean

When a plane crashes over the ocean, it's not uncommon, but the death toll remains shockingly high, although there are survivors of a plane crash on the water.

This happens for several reasons:

• firstly, people often cannot find and put on a life jacket because of panic;
• secondly, they put it into action too early, and when inflated, it prevents not only moving, but also swimming out of the cabin if water has entered there;
• thirdly, they do not know that the impact of an aircraft on the water is tantamount to a collision with a concrete surface, and they may not buckle up to take a rescue position.

Except when the pilot makes a forced landing on the water, falling into the ocean is just as dangerous as falling to the ground, as the only girl who survived the plane crash confirms.

Bakari was 12 years old when she and her mother flew from Paris to Yemen. For an unknown reason, the plane crashed into the ocean 14 km from the coast of Bolshiye Komory Island. From the impact on the water, he was torn to pieces, and the girl fell into the water. She was lucky that parts of the liner remained on her surface, on one of which she waited 14 hours until she was picked up by a nearby fishing boat.

The story of the girl went around the whole world, as this is one of those examples when, perhaps, there would have been more survivors if help had arrived in time. Hypothermia and life jackets not put on in time claimed the lives of other passengers.

This is not the last example where the sole survivor of a plane crash had to fight for her life due to the lack of help on the ground.

Fall in the jungle

Although there are examples when the fall of the plane was softened by tree branches, the number of passengers and crew members who survived did not increase. How a person behaves during a tragedy still plays a big role.

An example of this is the story of a German 17-year-old schoolgirl traveling with her mother from Lima to Pucallpa (Peru) before Christmas 1971. In fact, it was a small flight, which became tragic due to the fact that the plane got into turbulence during a thunderstorm.

From a lightning strike, the systems of the airship went out of order, a fire started in the cabin. Juliana Koepke is the only survivor of the plane crash during this flight. At an altitude of 6400 m, both wings of the aircraft came off, after which the liner, which had gone into a tailspin, began to fall apart in parts.

The girl was saved by the fact that she was wearing a seatbelt and took a rescue position when a row of chairs, along with her seat, was “thrown” overboard. During the fall, it, along with the debris from the cabin, was rotated by a strong wind, which led to a decline along an inclined plane and falling into the dense thickets of the Amazon jungle.

The consequences of the “landing” were a broken collarbone, abrasions and bruises, but even greater trials awaited her. Located 500 km from Lima, in the thick of the jungle, without knowing the way, this young woman who survived a plane crash was forced to fight for her life in an unfamiliar area.

For 9 whole days she walked down the river, afraid to move far from it, so as not to lose the source of water. Eating fruits and plants that she recognized and could pick, the girl went to the parking lot of the fishermen, who took her to the hospital.

If Juliana had stayed to wait for help near the crashed plane, she would most likely have died. Based on these events, the Italian television company filmed the feature film “Miracles Still Happen”, which subsequently saved the life of a Soviet girl, Larisa Savitskaya, who had been waiting for two days for rescuers.

Surviving crew members

It is quite rare to hear that the crew members survived when the plane crashed. Perhaps they are busy rescuing passengers or are at this moment in the most “unfavorable” part of the aircraft, but this is a fact.

But there are examples when a flight attendant who survived a plane crash was the only one saved. Vesna Vulovic was only 22 years old in 1972 when a Yugoslav airline plane fell apart in the air as a result of a terrorist bomb during a regular flight from Copenhagen to Zagreb.

This case can be attributed to a "miracle", since Vesna was able to survive being in the middle of the aircraft cabin when falling from a height of more than 10 km. The fragment of the car she was in fell into the snow-covered trees, which greatly softened the blow.

The second "miracle" was that while she was unconscious, a farmer from a nearby village found her and took her to the hospital. The flight attendant, who survived a plane crash after falling from such a height, was in a coma for almost a month, and then struggled for another 16 months to be able to move around and live a normal life.

Vesna Vulovich became the Guinness book record holder as a person who made a parachute jump from a height of 10 kilometers. There is hardly a daredevil who, of his own free will, decides to surpass her result.

Russian plane crash in Egypt

One of the hottest topics in autumn 2015 was the plane crash in Egypt. Today, “are there any survivors” is no longer the most important question in this tragedy. If at first there were rumors that not all of the 224 people died, now this is a sad fact.

Today, the public is interested in the cause of the death of the airliner, and the guarantee that this will no longer happen to Russian aircraft.

Completely different versions of what happened are presented by Russian and foreign media. The airliner, which took off without delay, 23 minutes after takeoff, disappeared from the controllers' radars for unknown reasons.

One of the versions why the survivors of the plane crash in Egypt have not been found is the explosion of the bomb on board. The plane exploded in the sky, so the passengers had practically no chance.

Egyptian authorities claim that the presence of the bomb was not found in the wreckage. These data were published by them after experts from the USA, England and Russia came to a different conclusion.

The only reason for the inconsistency of the experts' conclusions is Egypt's unwillingness to lose potential customers during the tourist season and pay compensation to the Kogalymavia company for a plane crash in its airspace. If there were survivors, they would also receive compensation for the damage.

It is to be expected what agreement both sides will come to, but, looking back at the history of aeronautics, we can say that planes do not just fall apart in the air and do not disappear from the radar. There are no final conclusions yet, but the world community understands what caused the plane crash in Egypt today. Are there any survivors, the answer to this question is unequivocal - “no”.

positive statistics

Knowing the meticulousness of scientists in their desire to calculate and measure everything, there is no doubt that they also studied the question of why people do not survive in a plane crash.

The reason is actually the most banal - all the same human factor. If we take the statistics of changes in the causes of aircraft crashes since 1908, then it will look like this:

• at the dawn of aircraft construction from 1908 to 1929. 50% of crashes were due to technical problems, 30% to weather, 10% to fire and 10% to pilot error;
• by the second half of the 20th century, the air fleet came up with different statistics - 24% are related to technology, 25% - the weather is to blame, pilot error - 37%, fire - 7%, and terrorist attacks occupy only 5%;
• in the 21st century, statistics have completely changed - 45% - the culprit is the human factor, 13% - the weather, 32% - technical problems, fire - 3%, and terrorist attacks occupy 4% of cases.

This is how the causes of air disasters in the air have changed in 100 years. Nevertheless, today it is the safest form of transportation, because crashes occur with a probability of 0.00001%. In addition, more and more facts are appearing when not 1 person survives a plane crash, but a significant part of the passengers.

For example, 4 people survived in a plane crash that occurred in Japan in 1985. 12 minutes after takeoff, the aircraft suffered a depressurization in the tail compartment. The pilots managed to keep the car in the air for 32 minutes, after which the board crashed 100 km from the capital of Japan. As the survivors said, there could have been more rescued, as people asked for help, but by the time the rescuers arrived, who were in no hurry at all, 520 people were dead. They were killed by hypothermia and wounds received during the fall.

Unfortunately, information about the saved does not always correspond to the truth. So it was when it was reported that 4 people had survived a plane crash over Egypt. In this case, one can only sympathize with people who found hope for a miracle, but then lost it again.

There are also examples in the Russian history of aviation when passengers survived the crash of an airliner. So, the people who survived the Kogalymavia plane crash in 2011, when the plane caught fire, which was just taxiing to the runway, received only three people from 116 passengers and 6 crew members, while the Tu-154 completely burned down.

Flying for the first time, worried? Do you know why they ask you to fasten your seat belts and forbid taking pictures on the plane?

In this article, I will tell you in detail about the basic rules of conduct on board an aircraft, explain what certain requirements of flight attendants are connected with and why it is so important to comply with them, and also answer the question “What can / cannot be done on an airplane?” .

In any civil aviation aircraft, the first and most important person is aircraft captain/commander(abbreviated - FAC). The PIC is personally responsible for everything that happens on board: for flight safety, for making decisions about landing, takeoff, fuel draining in flight, baggage drop, forced landing, etc.

According to the legislation of the Russian Federation, and also of other countries, the PIC has the right to give orders to any person on board the aircraft, passenger or crew member, as well as to demand their execution. For disobeying orders, you are in for big trouble with the police on the ground. Second pilot assists the commander in piloting the aircraft.

In the cabin of the aircraft, a team of stewards, flight attendants, led by senior flight attendant. The chief flight attendant is the deputy PIC in the cabin of the aircraft (aircraft).

Some passengers have an erroneous opinion about the role of flight attendants, who consider them to be something between waitresses and, excuse me, girls of easy virtue. Dear friends, flight attendants are really responsible for the service, your comfort during the flight and perform passenger service work.

But, Firstly, these are the people who monitor the safety of the flight, they are always ready to help in case of an emergency on board, and in the event of an emergency, save your life. They have a tough job with a lot of stress, keep that in mind and please treat them with respect and a smile.

Takeoff and landing of the aircraft. What should the passenger do?

According to the statistics of all aviation accidents, the vast majority of accidents occur during the takeoff and landing of an aircraft. All this is connected with proximity to the earth and lack of time to make some important decisions.

Moreover, if during takeoff the plane picks up speed, accelerates and moves away from the surface, and the farther and higher, the safer, then during landing, the plane approaches the ground, the speed drops and this is a very crucial moment.

What should the passenger do at this time?

It's simple - follow the standard flight attendant command:

Ladies and gentlemen, we are preparing for takeoff and we ask you to turn off all electronic devices, remove the folding table, return the seat to an upright position, open the window shade and fasten your seat belts tightly!

Now I will tell you in detail why all this is needed and why it is VERY IMPORTANT to fulfill this request.

• turning off mobile phones on the plane

Imagine a situation when an airplane takes off, say 1 km from the ground, when 300 phones simultaneously start looking for a network where it simply does not exist. It can really turn out some kind of porridge from the magnetic field. And if so far there have been no precedents, this does not mean that there is no likelihood of their occurrence. Therefore, be responsible, turn off your phones or put them in Airplane mode. Don't take risks.

• seat backs in upright position

In the event of an emergency, the lowered back of your seat may block the passage of passengers sitting behind you.

• fasten the belt, assemble the table

In the event of an emergency braking, hard landing or aborted takeoff, you may lose your seat and fly forward through the cabin or hit your head on a disassembled table. Also, it is desirable that during takeoff and landing you do not have heavy objects in your hands. Do not hold it and this thing will fly like a brick, forward over the heads of passengers. Related to this is the ban on photography and video filming during these phases of the flight.

• open window blinds

First of all, this is due to the difference in lighting outside the aircraft and inside the cabin. If twilight reigns in the cabin, and the sun shines brightly outside, then during an emergency evacuation, blinding for a few precious seconds is guaranteed. The same is true if there is a bright light in the cabin and it is night outside. Therefore, on night flights, the lights are dimmed during landing so that the eyes adapt.

Secondly, in the event of an emergency, such as an engine fire, the passenger can see this and inform the flight attendant.

• It is not recommended to listen to loud music with headphones

If you are using the aircraft entertainment system, it will turn off during takeoff and landing, this is due to the fact that the passenger may be distracted and not hear the important message and commands of the flight attendant.

Climb and descent. Turbulence and air pockets

During climb and descent, an aircraft passes through the first layer of our atmosphere, the troposphere. This is such an environment where air turbulent flows are highly developed, clouds of various types arise, cyclones and anticyclones develop. It is during this phase of flight that the “turbulence” is most strongly felt in the aircraft. What does this mean and what to do?

This means that getting into the eddy turbulent currents, the aircraft can shake and "talk" up and down, left and right. In pilots' slang, "turbulence" is just "chatter".

Sometimes such shaking can be very strong and prolonged, especially when the flight takes place in difficult weather conditions: thunderstorms, fog, heavy clouds, wind, etc. In this case, the PIC or the Chief Flight Attendant announces that the aircraft has entered a zone of severe turbulence and asks everyone to take their seats and fasten their seat belts.

You should not panic in this situation, even when it shakes very strongly, and looking out the window, it seems that the wings will just fall off from the vibration. This is a common practice that, to one degree or another, all aircraft face. You just have to take your seat, buckle up and wait out the chatter. The larger the aircraft, the less turbulence and vice versa.

As for the feeling that the wings are about to fall off (I often come across this question) - do not worry, in the entire history of aviation, there have never been such cases on production aircraft. Wings are tested at much higher loads, and the swaying of the wing indicates its correct and normal operation, under conditions of variable loads and diverse pressures.

Level flight

When the aircraft has gained altitude, taken its level and flies in a horizontal plane, this is the most calm and pleasant time of flight. Modern passenger liners fly in the lower layer of the stratosphere, at an altitude of 10-12 km, high above the clouds, where almost no weather conditions are felt, there are no birds, ears are not pawned and absolutely nothing bothers. You can get up from your seat, stretch your stiff limbs and do whatever you want on the plane: sleep, eat, work, watch movies, listen to music, play on your laptop, read. In general, relax and enjoy the flight.

Although sometimes turbulence is felt in level flight, especially when flying over the Atlantic.

If you have a long flight ahead, take a book or tablet with you, you can use the in-flight entertainment system, the latest long-haul liners are equipped with a personal screen for each passenger with a wide selection of movies, music files and so on.

Landing. Braking. Taxiing

An airplane is the safest means of transport. However, unforeseen incidents do happen. A clear sequence of actions for each emergency will help minimize damage or avoid it altogether.

The captain of the aircraft monitors all events that occur on board the aircraft and is responsible for them. The 2nd pilot helps him manage the transport, and the flight attendants (led by the senior flight attendant) work in the cabin. If you have any questions, then you can safely ask them to the stewards. Our website will help you choose cheap tickets to any destination.

Basic Rules

First of all, you need to be vigilant at the beginning and at the end of the flight. Most accidents happen at this time. Keep calm and keep an eye on what's going on. If you are planning a long flight, then in no case do not take off your shoes on the plane. This will prevent rapid collection and hasty exit of the aircraft in case of accidents or fires.

Practice unbuckling your seat belt beforehand. During an emergency, it can be easy to panic and forget how to do it. It is best to think over the evacuation plan in advance and land as close to the exits as possible. Carefully study the memo to the passenger and the mechanism for opening emergency hatches.

An emergency situation can throw even an experienced aircraft crew into confusion. In this case, do not expect help and instructions. Try not to panic and get out of the plane as quickly as possible. In the event of a fire, smoke must also not be inhaled. Never try to take your things. The most valuable thing you have is your life.

If the captain of the aircraft is forced to make an emergency landing, take a safe position. The seat must be set in a vertical position, put your head and chest on your legs and clasp your knees. The feet should be located further under the seat than the knees and firmly pressed to the floor. Always wear comfortable clothing in which you will feel comfortable moving around the cabin.

Other emergencies

Significant discomfort during flight can cause entry into turbulence zones and air pockets. Air flows of different temperatures shift and the aircraft can rise or fall sharply. During turbulence, things on board fly up and fall on passengers. The following rules will help you avoid injury:

• do not sit next to sharp or heavy objects and luggage that has not been secured;
• always buckle up;
• follow the instructions in the memo to the passenger;
• do not take small items with you, it is better to pack them in suitcases (a pen in your pocket can also hurt).

Decompression often frightens passengers, although this is not a cause for serious panic. It is accompanied by noise, air escaping from the aircraft cabin and dustiness. In this case, you need:

• do not panic;
• immediately put on an oxygen mask;
• wait for the crew to eliminate the consequences of decompression;
• calmly endure an emergency landing.

In unforeseen situations, the aircraft can be landed on the water. It can stay afloat for approximately 40 minutes. All planes are prepared for such a situation, so absolutely all passengers will have time to leave it. Stewarts will help launch inflatable rafts and evacuate people.

The main thing in all emergency situations is to remain calm. If you are subject to a panic state and do not have time to perform the necessary actions, then even a minor nuisance will cause great harm and injury.

Now there are a lot of articles and interviews with pilots on the Internet, with stories about how planes fly with hundreds of interesting and sensible posts on the topic of aviation. However, this area is still covered with a bunch of myths, conjectures, etc. According to my funny statistics, many passengers do not trust the pilots, despite the fact that they are directly involved in the control of the aircraft.

I would like to talk about what is happening in the aircraft while the cockpit is trying to solve a technical problem. Still, flight attendants are in the cabin with passengers and take part in preparations for landing. We are something between a pilot and a passenger - a link: we know something, but we cannot influence the situation.

In my life, there was exactly one return to the airport of departure due to a technical problem, but the reason was quite serious. There were many other things, but so far there is only one return. The morning began as usual: the crew arrived at the airport, passed the medical control and proceeded to check the aircraft. After completing all the necessary procedures, the commander gave readiness to the aircraft and after a while passengers were brought to us. The plane is serviceable, the food is loaded, the passengers are fastened. Flight attendants take their places, the commander reports readiness for takeoff. Takeoff, takeoff, climb. After a while, the “fasten your seat belts” sign went out, and we started serving the carts.

They say that when you know every sound in an airplane, then even without instruments you can understand that something is wrong. I can’t speak about it with certainty, but I had a feeling of “something wrong” only because I have experience in piloting the aircraft on my own and because I knew the exit routes from this particular airport.

I hesitated a little, not knowing whether to put the carts back. The crew was silent, the display did not light up, but it was obvious to me that offering tea to the crew or going to feed the passengers was a bad idea. Just in case, I removed the insert with prepared drinks and began to wait for the command. They opened the cabin door for me. There was a failure on the dashboard, the 2nd pilot read the QRH, the commander turned the course in the opposite direction. In the cockpit there was a lively radio exchange and negotiations within the crew.

The commander threw a quick glance at me:

Are we returning?

Tell passengers?

No, I'll tell you myself, get ready for landing, now let's turn on the belts, everything is normal.

They began to remove the carts and everything that was already prepared for service. The fasten seat belt sign lit up: “Dear ladies and gentlemen, unfortunately, due to technical reasons, we cannot continue our flight to our destination. To ensure your safety, I have decided to return to the airport of departure. Please take your seats and fasten your seat belts, and don’t worry, the boarding will take place as usual.”

The fun begins not only for the milking of the pilots, but also for the flight attendants. It is necessary to quickly fasten the passengers, answer their questions as briefly as possible and reassure the worried ones. The task is not easy, because, "What happened?" almost everyone asks, but there is nothing to answer, and moreover, there is no time. Some of the passengers began to panic, although for the most part we were lucky with them. My colleague from another airline had a return with running out of fuel over the airport, and the passengers were children with their parents who flew to Anapa and the plane was full.

She said that the panic on board was terrible, the children were sick and generally it was difficult to defuse the situation.

We safely returned to the airport of departure, then the airline resolved the issue of replacing the aircraft and repairing the returned one, etc., etc.

Was it scary? No, but it was annoying. To be honest, I realized that something was wrong only because I have little experience in piloting aircraft. The passengers did not understand anything until the commander reported the breakdown.

What is happening in the cockpit at this moment? Work and nothing more.

What is the moral of this fable?

1. If a similar situation arose, as I described above, do not ask the conductors what happened, but simply follow their requests. With a high degree of probability, you still will not be able to influence the situation and even assess how serious this failure is. Moreover, most likely the crew did not have time to explain what happened.

2. No, this is not a bad plane and not an airline: there are things that cannot be checked on the ground. For example, it is difficult to check the landing gear retraction on the ground, but in the air you can understand that the wheels do not go away. Yes, planes sometimes break down. Like any equipment, they require repair and maintenance. And they break not only here in Russia. Checked personally. We do have service issues though.

3. Not all failures end in disaster. Not all, but rather a few.

4. Pilots also want to live, they have families, children and relatives, so it is unlikely that someone will fly on a faulty plane “at random”.

All safe flights, friends!

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It is easier to believe in magic than to understand how a person manages to lift a multi-ton iron bird into the sky. Ignorance breeds fear of the unknown. Therefore, many pilots and other airline employees are happy to tell what is really worth fearing and why airplanes are wonderful!

website chose 16 understandable answers to the most exciting and difficult questions that interest everyone who has seen an airplane at least once in their life.

16. How to get to the pilots if their door is locked from the inside?

There is a special code that the flight attendant dials to get into the cockpit. This is necessary for cases when, for example, both pilots have lost consciousness. The commander before the flight learns the code and informs the crew of it. After entering the code, the door will open within a minute, but only if the pilots take no action. If the pilot sees through a video camera that a non-crew member is standing at the door, then he completely blocks the door, and the attacker cannot get inside.

15. Are pilots allowed to wear bushy mustaches or piercings?

The beard, bushy mustache, piercings, and any other decorations and "growths" on the face prevent the pilot from using an oxygen mask, which must fit snugly over the face. Therefore, the pilot's face is always clean, sometimes slightly unshaven is allowed. Otherwise, a situation is created that endangers the lives of passengers.

14. What happens if all engines fail?

During each flight, the aircraft switches to a mode in which . If in a car with a manual transmission to shift the lever to neutral, going down the hill, it will be the same. Complete engine failure is extremely rare, and in this case there is a special instruction for restarting them.

But also without engines, the plane can land on a gliding descent. The most famous incident was with a Boeing 747 over Java in 1982, when the aircraft was caught in a cloud of dust from an erupting volcano and all 4 engines failed. The crew managed to land the plane at the nearest airport, and none of the 263 people was injured.

13. How long do oxygen masks last?

The oxygen level and pressure inside the aircraft are maintained artificially. If the cabin depressurizes at high altitude, a person develops hypoxia: he loses consciousness and may die without an oxygen mask.

Oxygen. This time is enough for the pilot to lower the plane to a height where you can breathe normally. The pilot has his own stationary oxygen mask designed for more time - to lower and even land the plane without losing concentration. Before each flight, pilots check the performance of their masks.

12. Do pilots sleep at the controls?

Approximately 56% of pilots accidentally fall asleep during the flight, although it is better to say they can doze off. Fortunately, modern aircraft operate almost all the time in autopilot mode, and controllers require constant feedback from pilots.

On long-haul flights, two crews or three pilots can work at once, replacing each other with a break for rest. The pilot, having worked his shift, sleeps in a special cabin. It is important that the crew is constantly in touch with the controllers and that at least one pilot controls the flight.

11. Why does the plane go around?

This . The plane can go around for various reasons, for example, some object or animal is on the runway, a strong side wind is blowing, or the airport is temporarily closed for an urgent landing of a special aircraft.

Passengers are worried because the plane suddenly gains altitude before the long-awaited landing, but in fact everything is under control - this is the standard way of go-around.

10. What nationality does a child born on an airplane get?

Exists . This will be the passport.

• the country where the airline of the aircraft on which the birth took place is registered;
• the country over which he was born;
• country where the aircraft landed.

In most cases, in practice, the first option is obtained, but the decision is made by the airline, taking into account the current legislation. Some airlines give kids a bonus as a gift: the opportunity to fly free of charge on their planes anywhere in the world for life.

9. Can an airplane land on autopilot?

In modern aircraft, control systems guide the aircraft along the route from a height of 300 meters and almost to a full landing on the runway. During landing, auto landing can be used, but the pilot needs to activate this mode and monitor it by setting certain landing configurations.

Already before a direct landing on the runway, the aircraft is directed by the course-glide path system: the airport radio beacon guides the aircraft, correcting its path. This system works even if the aircraft is completely de-energized.

8. Hard landing on water or on land - which is safer?

7. How do pilots eat during the flight?

For pilots, a separate menu is prepared with several dishes to choose from: if the commander wants chicken, then the co-pilot will get fish or meat for lunch. This is the best way to avoid food poisoning. Pilots take turns eating, some right behind the wheel at special tables.

But there are airlines where this rule is not respected and pilots can get the same portion of food as passengers.

6. Why do pilots sometimes fly in the cabin with passengers?

Sometimes, as part of their work, pilots fly with passengers from one airport to another. If they are on board in uniform, then with passengers they will sleep, eat or watch movies with headphones. The sight of a pilot in uniform during such activities can be misleading and lead to panic among passengers. But more often, uniformed pilots fly in spare seats in the cockpit or in first class.

5. What is more terrible - crashing into a bird, getting hit by hail or getting struck by lightning?

Lightning often hits the plane, but the passengers do not even notice it. In extremely rare cases, this can lead to a blackout of the aircraft. In this case, the pilots have several instructions that literally reset the electronics on board, and the flight continues as usual.

Birds are a big danger than it seems. Entry into a fan or turbine can result in engine destruction, failure, and even fire. Not every windshield will survive