What is a hard landing of an airplane? Interesting things on the web! Why do the main lights turn off during landing?

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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. That's why many pilots and other airline workers are happy to tell you what you really should be afraid of and why airplanes are wonderful!

website chose 16 clear answers to the most exciting and complex 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?

A beard, a bushy mustache, piercings and any other jewelry or “growths” on the face prevent the pilot from using an oxygen mask, which must fit tightly to 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 the engines fail?

During each flight, the aircraft switches to a mode in which. If you move the lever to neutral in a car with a manual transmission while going down a hill, the same thing will happen. Complete engine failure is extremely rare, and in this case there are special instructions for restarting them.

But also without engines, the plane can land on a gliding descent. The most famous incident occurred with a Boeing 747 over Java in 1982, when the plane 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 were injured.

13. How long are oxygen masks designed to last?

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

In modern aircraft, control systems guide the aircraft along a route from an altitude of 300 meters until almost complete landing on the runway. During landing, an automatic landing can be used, but the pilot must activate this mode and monitor it by setting specific configurations for landing.

Already before landing directly on the runway, the plane is guided by a course and glide path system: the airport radio beacon guides the plane, correcting its path. This system works even if the aircraft is completely without power.

What is a “hard landing”

A hard landing in aviation is a colloquial term among non-specialists, the opposite in meaning to a soft landing. The technical term among professionals is “rough fit.”

Landing is the final stage of flight when the aircraft returns to the ground. A hard landing occurs when the aircraft impacts the ground with greater vertical speed and force than during a normal landing. The average vertical landing speed is about 2 meters per second, and in technical terms, it is not the speed that is important, but the vertical overload at the moment of contact - it is the overload that is prescribed by means of objective control and the quality of the landing is determined by its value, as well as the possibility of further operation of the aircraft.

A hard landing may be caused by weather conditions, technical problems, excess weight of the aircraft, piloting errors. The term "hard landing" usually means that the pilot is able to maintain full or partial control of the vehicle, as opposed to an uncontrolled descent (crash), which usually results in the destruction of the vehicle.

Hard landings can range in severity from mild discomfort to vehicle occupants to serious injury. Vehicle and fatalities for people. If the aircraft has experienced a hard landing, then, even in the absence of visible damage, a list of mandatory work is performed on it, determined by the technical documentation, such as flaw detection of struts and a full check of the landing gear systems with control testing of functionality (the aircraft is hung on lifts) and so-called “leveling the aircraft” using reference points, that is, checking the fuselage geometry for deformation. All aircraft have geometric tolerances for deformation, in accordance with the design documentation, beyond which the aircraft becomes “crooked” (that is, asymmetrical in control). There are known cases when almost new airliners were written off precisely because of airframe deformation, after they were “hit the ground” by inexperienced pilots.

January 30th, 2016

Many of us spend a significant part of our lives on airplanes, especially if our profession is somehow connected with frequent flights. At one specialized forum, workers civil aviation asked the following question: “Stewards and stewardesses, pilots and flight engineers, what subtleties and secrets do we, passengers, not even realize when we fly on airplanes?” There were a lot of answers, but here we tried to select the most interesting for you.

The whole truth about oxygen masks

“From the moment you pull on the dropped oxygen mask, your oxygen supply will last about fifteen minutes. However, for the pilot, this time is more than enough to descend to the optimal altitude, where the person can already breathe normally.” “But it is much more important at altitude to know that you will have about 15-20 seconds before you lose consciousness. Put the oxygen mask on yourself first and only then on your child. Even if your child loses consciousness for a few seconds, nothing bad will happen to him.”

Why do the main lights turn off during landing?

“When landing at night, the lighting in the cabin should be as close as possible to the natural light outside in case of possible evacuation. Passengers will be able to better navigate when leaving the plane because their eyes have already become accustomed to the darkness.”

Don't blame the pilot for a hard landing

“During a hard landing in bad weather, you shouldn’t blame the pilot for lacking the necessary professional skills, because, in fact, he did it on purpose. When the runway is covered with water, the contact of the aircraft with the ground must be precisely rigid in order to prevent hydroplaning.”

The toilet valve can be easily opened from the outside

“The mechanism that allows you to open the door from the outside is usually hidden behind a “No Smoking” sign on the door. By lifting the flap up and sliding the latch, you will unlock the door.”

What happens if the crew receives a bomb threat?

“About five years ago, a pilot friend of mine was on a commercial flight from Los Angeles to Tokyo when an anonymous tip was received about a bomb planted on board his plane. The crew took this information particularly seriously because there was a group of high-ranking foreign officials in the first class cabin. Of course, for this kind of incident the pilots have developed a certain scenario, only at that moment the plane was just above Pacific Ocean, and nothing could be done except to remain calm and, if possible, not to disturb the passengers. According to a friend, the entire remaining flight when hit air pocket the concentration of adrenaline in his blood reached its maximum values.”

If you are bringing a musical instrument

“If you are bringing a musical instrument, never check it in your luggage, but take it directly to the gate. If there is no room for it on the plane, the instrument will be placed in luggage right during boarding, that is, as a last resort. Upon arrival, he will already be waiting for you at the exit of the plane. True, I heard from baggage handlers and flight attendants that they don’t like it when musicians do this, but in my case the flight attendants were always very kind. As I already said, if there is no space, the instrument will be sent to your luggage, but you are guaranteed to receive it first immediately after landing the plane.”

Airlines are picky about food

“This is what my dad, who works at major airline. Pilots receive completely different food and cannot share it with each other. This measure is provided in case of possible food poisoning of the crew. Theft of food products, even those intended for disposal, is punishable up to and including immediate dismissal. You can ask permission from your superiors to take these products for yourself, but you do not have the right to do this without permission. Airlines do not want to deal with dishonest employee behavior.”

How to win over flight attendants

“My friend works as a flight attendant. She says that no one ever tips flight attendants, but otherwise you would probably get free food for the rest of the flight.”

“Bring a box of chocolates for the crew, especially if you have a long flight, so the flight attendants will treat you like a king throughout the flight.”

One of the forum readers wanted to test this advice in practice and this is what he said about his experience after landing:

“Upon entering the plane, I handed the flight attendants a box of chocolates. I note that our flight was not one hundred percent full. Before we took off, a flight attendant came up to me and told me that the first class cabin had free places, and she can transfer me there without any additional payment. They poured me two extra glasses of wine and asked me about ten times during the flight if I needed anything. I can confirm, this advice definitely works!”

What do your four-legged pets experience during the flight?

“I cannot ignore the issue of transporting pets. While airlines are concerned about improving service, there are things that are difficult to change, such as noise on the airfield. A person cannot be there without special headphones, but imagine what your pet is going through while waiting to board the plane. Please think twice before checking pets in your luggage."

A little trick to increase the space of your chair

“You can raise the armrests of the chairs located near the window and in the aisle. Reach along the bottom of the armrest and feel for the button. Press it and the armrests will rise. If you sit by the window, you will have much more more space, similarly, it will be much easier for you to get up if you are sitting in the aisle.”

The whole truth about electronic devices

“Turning off electronic devices on an airplane makes no sense.”

“If you refuse to turn off mobile electronic devices, no plane will, of course, fall, but it really irritates the crew. Just imagine a pilot preparing to take off, who, sitting in the cockpit, hears interference from numerous mobile phones receiving signals. I myself missed the take-off clearance a couple of times.”

“My sister is a flight attendant and she tells me that she sits at the back of the plane, takes out her phone and starts texting right after she asks all the passengers to turn off their electronic devices.”

One engine is enough for an airplane to fly.

“Absolutely correct: the majority large aircraft if necessary, they can fly with one engine.

Pilots sleep most of the flight time

About fifty percent of pilots sleep during flight, and in almost one in three cases they find their partner asleep when they wake up.

Duty-free shops fleece customers like crazy

“Duty free items can be purchased online for much less money.”

What actually happens to your luggage

“When we see a 'FRAGILE' (fragile) sticker on your luggage, you can rest assured that we will give it a big bounce. If it's a "Do Not Flip" sticker, we'll flip it over on purpose. We have to squeeze over a hundred pieces of luggage and cargo into the cargo hold. And if we must, then we will do it in any way. But I’ll tell you this, when we see a tag on a suitcase saying “I love you, movers,” we will treat your junk with care.”

Some things on board are terribly dirty

“I used to work as a flight attendant. Do you know what happens to used blankets and pillows after the plane lands? They are simply folded and put away in bags until the next flight. I saw clean blankets only once, during the very first morning flight after we received completely new things.

In addition, you risk swallowing something inedible if you spill peanuts on the tray, or even if you just touch the tray. I saw far more dirty diapers on these trays than food. However, I don’t remember that anyone ever washed or disinfected the trays themselves.”

“Under no circumstances drink coffee or tea on the plane; it is better to ask for bottled water. It’s no secret that the aircraft hot water tank is very difficult to clean, so dirt and bacteria accumulate in it.”

“Drinking water intended for making tea and coffee simply cannot be drunk. Some planes are up to sixty years old, but no one has ever washed their water heating tanks. So much greenish dirt has accumulated on the walls that its layer in some places can reach two centimeters. This is well known to all airline employees.”

Security organization is not perfect

“If everyone were aware of the security flaws, passengers would be able to get on the plane, onto the runway and onto the taxiways themselves if they wanted. When you know how a system works, you always notice its shortcomings.”

Something is bound to be broken on your plane.

“In the plane you are going to fly, something is bound to break down, because it is a large and complex machine, where something breaks down from time to time. The good news is that all important mechanisms on board have dual or even triple redundant controls.

If a problem occurs, the crew will receive a message and can take appropriate action, such as switching to manual control or requesting maintenance if the aircraft is still on the ground. In most cases, we are talking about banal things, like a reading lamp, a coffee maker or upholstery.

You shouldn’t give up flying because of this. Modern airplanes are incredibly reliable machines. Typically, even in the event of a really serious malfunction, they are able to make a safe landing.”

The plane can continue to glide if both engines fail.

“A pilot I know told me that if both engines fail, the plane can glide about another eleven kilometers for every one and a half kilometers of altitude. Thus, at an altitude of more than ten thousand meters, an aircraft without engines will be able to fly about another eighty kilometers. But most accidents happen during landing or takeoff.”

What happens during a theft?

“During the landing of a hijacked aircraft, the pilot will leave the wing flaps in the raised position. This will slow down the rate of descent and give airport controllers a signal that something has happened on the plane.”

Why haven't the ashtrays been removed yet?

“Even though smoking on airplanes was banned some time ago, ashtrays in toilets are still required equipment. This is done to ensure that smokers who violate the ban use an ashtray for their cigarette butts, rather than a trash can.”



 

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