Who gives permission to land the plane. Home on autopilot. Landing is also forced

A seemingly harmless habit of clapping after an airplane has landed can lead to personal tragedy. Recently, a young man from Atlanta named Greg posted a cry from the heart on Twitter.

Picture this: You’re 31. You just married your soulmate and are on your way to your beautiful honeymoon. The plane lands in Bora Bora, as it touches the ground your wife begins clapping. She's an airplane clapper. You get on a plane right back to America and you never speak again.

Imagine: you are 31. You just got married and went with your soulmate on a trip to Honeymoon... The plane lands on Bora Bora and your wife starts clapping. She is an airplane clapper. You get on a plane to America and you don't talk anymore.

This post caused a strong response from Twitter users. “I don’t know who is worse: those who applaud after landing, or those who do it in the cinema after watching a movie”, “You will never fully recognize a person until you see how he behaves on the plane,” they wrote people.

The question of whether or not to clap after landing is still controversial. On the Reddit forum, there is a Planeclappers community where users share their views on airplane applause and their experiences. Here are some of them:

“We flew over the mountains in Southern California and I thought we were going to die because of a madwoman. Looks like we fell a couple of times and one lady practically hit the ceiling because she didn't buckle up. When the plane landed, everyone clapped, except me and her. "
“Yesterday my boyfriend and I went to a park near the airport. We were looking at the runway. And every time a plane landed, he got up and greeted him! "
“I flew in an airplane and experienced severe turbulence for 20 minutes before we landed. To my surprise, no one clapped. There was a collective exhalation of relief, though. "

Why do passengers applaud

The reasons are different. Those who return home after a long absence often clap, including for a number of economic or political reasons. Also, people show joy from a successful landing in difficult weather conditions or in cases when there was some kind of technical malfunction on board.

It happens that passengers clap for no reason, even if the flight and landing were normal. Noted: Those who fly frequently do not usually applaud. But passengers who go on vacation a couple of times a year prefer to "thank" the pilots.

More often passengers applaud on international flights, according to flight attendants. Much less often - after landing in European cities where flights are cheap and residents fly very often.

By the way, landing is not a guarantee that all the dangers are behind. In 2005, in Toronto, during a plane landing Air France with several hundred passengers had a heavy thunderstorm and rain. The aircraft landed with difficulty Passengers tell of harrowing escape and people started clapping. But they quickly realized that this was premature: the plane left takeoff landing strip into the ravine and caught fire. No one was killed, but the number of victims included those passengers who applauded.

How others treat applause

Pilots don't hear passengers clapping. The flight attendants can inform the pilots that the landing took place to applause. But this is not always perceived positively.

There are pilots What do airline pilots think of passengers who applaud after a landing? who are pleased or indifferent to the fact that they are clapped.

It doesn't really matter to me. Passengers are not experts in air travel and cannot determine how well the boarding was. But I will never give up the applause. It is always pleasant, even if sometimes undeserved.
Peter Wheeler, pilot from Australia

But many pilots are offended by the applause. They consider themselves professionals of the highest category, and therefore landing is not something out of the ordinary, but an ordinary job, which they always try to do flawlessly. It is offensive for a pilot when passengers think that flying an airplane is a game of roulette.

Passengers themselves relate to the clapping tradition in different ways. Someone

The plane picks up speed gradually. The take-off phase lasts a long period of time and begins with the process of moving on the runway. There are several types of takeoff and acceleration.

How is takeoff

The aerodynamics of the airliner is ensured by a special wing configuration, which is practically the same for all aircraft. The lower part of the wing profile is always flat, and the upper part is convex, regardless of the type of aircraft.

The air passing under the wing does not change its properties. At the same time, the air stream passing through the convex upper part of the wing is narrowed. Thus, less air passes through the top of the wing. Therefore, in order for the same air flow to pass per unit of time, it is necessary to increase the speed of its movement.

As a result, there is a difference in air pressure in the lower and upper parts of the airliner wing. This is explained by Bernoulli's law: an increase in the speed of air flow leads to a decrease in its pressure.

The lifting force is generated from the pressure difference. Its action seems to push the wing upward, and with it the entire plane. The airplane takes off from the ground at the moment in time when the lift force exceeds the weight of the airliner. This is achieved by accelerating (increasing the speed of the aircraft increases the lift).

Interesting. Level flight is ensured when the lift is equal to the weight of the airliner.

Thus, at what speed the plane will take off from the ground depends on the lift, the magnitude of which is determined primarily by the mass of the airliner. The thrust of the aircraft engine provides the speed required to increase the lift and take off of the aircraft.

A helicopter flies according to the same principle of aerodynamics. Outwardly, it seems that the rotor of the helicopter and the wing of the aircraft have little in common, however, each propeller blade has the same configuration, which provides the difference in air flow pressure indicators.

Takeoff speed

To get a passenger plane off the ground, it is necessary to develop a take-off speed that can provide an increase in lift. The greater the weight of the airliner, the higher the acceleration speed is required for the plane to take off. What is the speed of the plane during takeoff - it depends on the weight aircraft.

So, the Boeing 737 will take off from the ground only at the moment when the speed on the runway reaches 220 km / h.

The 747th Boeing model has a large mass, which means that it is necessary to develop a high speed for takeoff. The takeoff speed of this model is 270 km / h.

Aircraft of the Yak 40 model accelerate to 180 km / h to get off the runway. This is due to the lower weight of the aircraft compared to the Boeing 737 and 747.

Takeoff types

Several factors affect the takeoff of an aircraft:

weather;
the length of the runway (runway);
runway coverage.

Weather conditions that are taken into account when an aircraft take off include wind speed and direction, air humidity and precipitation.

There are 4 types of take-off in total:

from the brakes;
classic set of speed;
take-off with additional funds;
vertical climb.

The first variant of acceleration implies the achievement of the required thrust mode. To this end, the airliner stands on the brakes while the engines are running and is released only when the required mode is reached. This take-off method is used in case of insufficient runway length.

The classic takeoff method involves a gradual increase in thrust as the aircraft moves along the runway.

Classic takeoff from the runway

Aids are meant to be special trampolines. Ski jumping is practiced on military aircraft taking off from an aircraft carrier. The use of a springboard helps to compensate for the lack of a runway of sufficient length.

Vertical take-off is carried out only with special engines. Due to the vertical thrust, the take-off is similar to the take-off of a helicopter. Having taken off from the ground, such an airplane smoothly goes into horizontal flight. A striking example of vertical take-off aircraft is the Yak-38.

Boeing 737 take off

To understand exactly how an airplane takes off and picks up speed, consider a specific example. The take-off and climb patterns are the same for all passenger jets. The difference lies only in the achievement of the value required speed aircraft taking off, which is due to the weight of the airliner.

Before the plane starts moving, the engine needs to reach the required operating mode. For a Boeing 737 aircraft, this value is 800 rpm. When this mark is reached, the pilot releases the brake. The aircraft takes a take-off run on three wheels, with the control stick in neutral.

To get off the ground, the aircraft of this model must first gain a speed of 180 km / h. At this speed, it is possible to lift the nose of the aircraft, then the aircraft is accelerated on two wheels. To do this, the pilot smoothly lowers the control down, as a result, the flaps are deflected, and the nose rises up. In this position, the aircraft continues to accelerate, moving along the runway. The airliner will take off from the ground when the acceleration reaches 220 km / h.

It should be understood that this is an average speed value. In a headwind, the speed is less, as the wind makes it easier for the aircraft to lift off the ground, further increasing the lift.

Airplane acceleration becomes more difficult when the air humidity is high and precipitation is present. In this case, the take-off speed must be greater for the plane to take off.

Important! The pilot decides what speed is sufficient to climb based on weather and runway conditions.

Flight speed

Airplane flight speed depends on model and design features. Usually the maximum possible speed is indicated, but in practice such figures are rarely achieved and aircraft fly at cruising speed, which is usually about 80% of the maximum value.

For example, speed passenger aircraft Airbus A380 is 1020 km / h, this value is indicated in technical characteristics aircraft and is the maximum possible flight speed. The flight is carried out at a cruising speed, which for this aircraft model is about 900 km / h.

The Boeing 747 is designed to fly at a speed of 988 km / h, but flights are made at a cruising speed that varies between 890-910 km / h.

Interesting. Boeing is developing the fastest passenger airliner, the maximum speed of which will reach 5000 km / h.

How the plane lands

The most crucial moments during the flight are the takeoff and landing of the airliner. Movement in the sky is usually assisted by an autopilot, while landing and takeoff are performed by pilots.

Landing is what worries passengers the most, as this process is accompanied by a frightening sensation when the altitude is lowered, and then a jolt when the airliner lands on the runway.

Often, when asking how the flight went, you can get the answer that the landing was soft. It is a soft landing that is considered an indicator of a pilot's skill.

Preparation for landing begins in the air, at a height of 25 m above the threshold of the runway for large planes, and 9 m - for small aircraft. Until the moment when the aircraft comes in for landing, the vertical descent speed and the wing lift speed decrease. A decrease in speed causes a decrease in lift, allowing the plane to land.

The planes do not land on the runway immediately. When landing, contact with the runway first occurs and the aircraft lands on the landing gear. The airliner then continues on the runway on wheels, gradually reducing speed. It is the moment of contact with the runway that is accompanied by shaking in the cabin and causes anxiety among passengers.

Usually, landing speed approximately equal to or slightly different from the take-off speed. So, the Boeing 747 will be able to land at a speed of about 260 km / h.

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When the plane lands, all decisions about the need to reduce the speed are made by the pilot. Thus, a soft landing characterizes the professional skills of the pilot. However, it should be remembered that the landing characteristics of an airliner also depend on a number of climatic factors and runway characteristics.

After completing the check-in procedure and other formalities before departure, you will find yourself directly in the departure area or waiting room, where you will have to wait for the boarding announcement. Even if there is enough time left before departure, you will not be bored there - in the departure area there are cozy cafes and duty free shops for shopping lovers. In order to avoid unforeseen situations and in order not to be late for departure, it is worth knowing how long it takes to board the plane. As a rule, boarding is announced after the end of the passenger check-in procedure. Arriving in advance at the waiting room, where the "gates" or gates (Gate) are located, first of all, you have to find your boarding gate, so that later you will not look for it at the last minute and, God forbid, get lost. After the desired gate is found, it is necessary to check the flight number on the plate at the exit and the number indicated in boarding pass... The data must match.

Important! For unknown reasons, the gate numbers sometimes change, so it is important to arrive at the boarding gate no later than half an hour before departure and constantly monitor the announcements and information on the scoreboard.

Boarding pass

Without a document such as a boarding pass, you will not be allowed to board. It is given to each passenger after the completed check-in procedure. In the event that the check-in has been successfully passed through the terminals or the Internet, then the boarding pass can be printed independently. This can be done in the following ways:

at the registration desk at the train station;
through the self-check-in terminal;
through the online service.

In unforeseen situations, when the boarding pass is forgotten at home, or for unknown reasons has become spoiled (wet, torn, wrinkled), you always have the opportunity to print a new one. V this document contains important information for passengers:

flight number (referred to as Flight);
the number and location of the seat in the aircraft cabin (Seat);
boarding time & gate closes, sometimes only one thing is indicated, for example, boarding start time;
gate number for passengers to board.

The boarding pass should always be at hand along with the passport, because sometimes before the flight they may check the identity documents again.

Features of boarding passengers on the plane

The boarding pass must indicate the time when passengers start boarding. This information will be announced several times over the airport speakerphone, but it is better to come five to ten minutes earlier than the time indicated in the ticket, so as not to be late. Upon arrival at the gate or “gate” leading passengers to boarding, it is important to re-check the flight number and gate number to make sure you are on the right track. At the exit, they will be required to present a boarding pass, and in certain cases, a passport (more often an identity document is checked before boarding domestic flights). There are two parts in the coupon, the larger of which will be torn off, and the smaller will be left to the passenger. To be sure, this part of the ticket should be checked again - it contains information about the baggage (baggage tags), which will make it possible to identify and find your suitcases among the baggage upon arrival.

After passing through the Gate at large airports, you will board the plane either by a bus that delivers all passengers of the flight to the ladder, or along the accordion air corridor that directly connects the terminal of the station and the liner. Climbing the ladder or going along the "sleeve" to the plane, you will be welcomed there by the flight attendants who welcome you on board, and will help you find and take the seat in the cabin indicated in the boarding pass. Carry-on baggage should be carefully placed on a shelf to avoid inconvenience and discomfort during flight.

Start and end time of boarding

Usually, exact time the beginning and end of boarding of passengers on board the aircraft is indicated in the boarding pass, written on all the numerous information boards of the airport and announced orally over the loudspeaker. But it is not necessary to look at the ticket or wait for the announcement in order to rationally calculate your own time and not be late for boarding. Those who are unlucky and are late due to their own fault will not be refunded the ticket price. It is worth taking care of the timely arrival at the desired gate in advance. You just need to know the time of departure of the aircraft and the end time of passenger check-in.

Attention! On the international flights boarding takes place 10–20 minutes earlier than domestic flights.

Passengers traveling abroad should arrive at the gate no later than 40 minutes before departure, and those traveling within the country should appear at the gate half an hour before departure. In small airports, boarding sometimes starts 20 minutes before departure, when it comes to domestic flights, and in 30 minutes if it is international. This is due to the fact that in international airports often there is a long queue, and in small ones - a shorter one, so the check-in procedure with subsequent boarding takes much less time.

Have you ever thought about the question of what to do if due to the circumstances (loss of consciousness, injury, shock, death), the pilot cannot land the plane on his own? Agree, this is a very sensitive question, but most likely there is nothing left to do but land the plane on your own. However, the question will surely arise here that the passengers on board should survive and not suffer. Of course, not everyone can be a pilot, especially since most are not even closely familiar with how to land a plane in an emergency, but it is worth emphasizing that with the help of the dispatcher's guidance, this can be done, albeit not as professionally as pilots with hundreds of flight hours do, but, nevertheless, thanks to your actions, you can save more than one hundred passengers.

How to land a plane

To begin with, since you are the only one who decided to take on this difficult task, you will need to go to the cockpit, where you will need to take the seat of the airliner commander. As a rule, the seat of the main pilot is the most loaded with all kinds of buttons, control sticks and levers, so you can hardly be wrong here. However, and this is important, do not touch the controls of the aircraft, because if the aircraft is in automatic piloting mode, then you are on this moment you are completely safe, and try to learn that there are no unnecessary buttons in a complex machine - each is responsible for its own action, and sometimes for several, and pressing any one can lead to the most unpredictable results. If the pilot of the aircraft is unconscious right in the cockpit, then when taking his place, make sure that in the future parts of the pilot's body will not overlap the controls - the control wheel, buttons and levers, so how to land a plane in the future, if unexpected problems arise, it will be impossible.

When sitting in the pilot's seat, the first thing to do is make sure that the aircraft is in autopilot mode. To do this, you need to look at the control panel, usually located on the front panel, and if the indicator light on it is on, then autopilot is in action mode.

If, when landing in the pilot's seat, you nevertheless touched the control levers of the airliner, then most likely this led to automatic disabling of the autopilot, and this mode will need to be turned on by pressing the corresponding button, which in different aircraft models may be called differently, but more often all in all, Russian airplanes have the following names: "Autopilot", "Auto Flight", "ANF", "AR", etc. In the aircraft of foreign air carriers, the functional name of the automatic piloting mode will be called "Autopilot".

It should be noted that in a number of certain cases, it may be necessary to adjust the position of the aircraft in space. To do this, you need to look at the attitude indicator, which is usually always easily recognizable, even by people who have never been in the cockpit. Please note that the indicator has a static bar indicating the normal position of the aircraft - an artificial horizon.

If the plane has noticeably deviated from flatness, then you will need to correct its movement - raise or lower it, or correct its roll. If the plane is tilted below the normal plane, then you have to pull the control wheel towards you, if higher - push it away from you. In the event that the plane is tilted to the left, then you need to turn the steering wheel to the right side, if, on the contrary, it is tilted to the right, then turn to the left.

After the plane is aligned with the artificial horizon, you will need to turn on the autopilot function, and both a button and a toggle switch can be used as a control element. It is worth noting that the function of automatic piloting of an aircraft is used to maintain the normal flatness of the aircraft relative to space, and it itself was created with the purpose that in the event of a critical situation, even a person who does not have any piloting skills, could keep the aircraft in the air, however, so how to land a plane the autopilot cannot on its own, then in the future you will also have to take the steering wheel into your own hands.

It is worth noting that the plane will not be able to be in the air all the time, and sooner or later, you will have to land it, and here, the question of whether how to land a plane on one's own. To get started, you will definitely need to contact the nearest aircraft tower located to report an emergency on your plane. To do this, you will need to take the pilot's headset, press and hold the corresponding PTT button on the steering wheel, and broadcast the callsign “Mayday” three times, and then report the incident on board. In the event that the plane has left the area of the air tower and you cannot contact the air traffic controller, then you will need to switch to the 121.50 MHz frequency. After you broadcast your Flash, remember to release the button to receive a response.

If there are any problems with the operation of the radio station, then you can use the transponder, in which you will need to enter the digital code "7700", which will enable the dispatchers to understand that there is an emergency on board your aircraft.

In order for the dispatcher to be able to understand which aircraft the communication is with at the moment, when sending each message, inform the call sign of your aircraft in front of him.

Guided by the dispatcher's help, do not forget that an airplane has such a concept as a minimum speed, that is, at which the airplane is still in the air. You can determine the speed by looking at the same indicator of the attitude indicator - as a rule, there is an indicator with numbers on its left side, and you should make sure that its readings are in the "green zone".

A spontaneous decrease or increase in speed indicates that the plane is either losing altitude, or vice versa - gaining it. In the first case, the speed will increase, and in order to bring it to a normal state, you will have to move the control wheel slightly, in the second, the plane is gaining altitude, and you will need to move the control wheel away from you.

Before starting the landing, the air traffic controller will inform you about all the necessary actions on your part, so how to land a plane not so easy.

To begin with, you will have to reduce the power of the aircraft's engines - for this, lower the throttle a few centimeters until you hear that the sound of the aircraft has become quieter. Please note that at this moment the control wheel should not perform any actions - the plane will self-level in the plane, however, if the plane's speed drops below the “green zone”, then the throttle will have to move forward a little so that the airliner does not fall.

According to the dispatcher's instructions, you will need to take the required altitude, for which pay attention to the same artificial horizon sensor, on the right side of which the flight altitude is indicated, and using manual control, go to the indicated altitude, after which you can turn on the autopilot again.

Before, how to land a plane, the tower dispatcher will tell you how to work with the flaps and slats, which are usually located near the throttle bodies, and in preparation for landing yourself, you need to lower the aircraft landing gear. To do this, look for the appropriate lever, usually located on the right side of the central control panel, which also usually has a corresponding signature.

The aircraft will need to be aligned towards the landing strip before landing, but only the controller will tell you this best. Then, in preparation for landing, it will be necessary to raise the nose of the aircraft by an angle of about 7-15 degrees (depending on the type of aircraft).

When landing, it will be necessary to use reverse thrust, the control bars of which are located immediately behind the throttle bodies. In the event that reverse thrust is not provided in the aircraft, then pull the throttle towards you as quickly as possible, thereby reducing its speed to a minimum.

Finally, in order for the plane to start braking, you need to press the top of the pedal - it is responsible for the brake, however, keep in mind that you should brake in such a way that the plane does not skid on the runway.

Naturally, in reality, the solution to the question of whether how to land a plane, may not be as simple as indicated, but, nevertheless, the principle will not change at all from this.

Once in the cockpit (this is not difficult to do in an aviation museum), most people sigh with admiration when they see a lot of buttons, toggle switches, sensors ... It seems that in order to operate this colossus, you need to be a genius! But in reality, the profession of a pilot is science and experience, nothing more. Of course, in the 21st century, many processes are simplified thanks to the autopilot. But a man in the cockpit is still needed. For example, for the correct landing of the aircraft.

Another 400 meters above ground level, the landing approach begins: the plane “aims” at the runway (hereinafter referred to as the runway), releases the landing gear (that is, “wheels”), wheel arches, flaps, brakes. If, for some reason, it is not possible to land after this (for example, they signaled from the airport about obstacles in the lane, the signal lights did not turn on, there is a downpour on the ground with poor visibility), the iron bird will rise to the second circle.

There is a special "decision-making height", after which you cannot change your mind and fly up, you just need to go down. For most aircraft, this is 60 m.

The plane begins to land after a long descent, when 25 meters remain to the GDP. However, if the vessel is light, it will begin to land even lower - 9 meters from the ground.

The entire landing procedure before touching the ground takes only 6 seconds:

leveling: vertical speed drops to zero;
holding: the angle of "attack" increases;
parachuting: the plane is pulled by the force of gravity, the lift of the wing decreases, but does not disappear altogether, so that the touchdown with the ground is smooth;
landing: depending on the type of construction of the winged bird, it touches the GDP either only with the front landing gear, or with the whole "set" at once (the so-called three-point landing).

Sometimes one of these processes is skipped. Yes, the pilot can "skip" hold or align - everything except the landing itself!

More "specialized" types of fit

If we are not talking about a large passenger "liner" and a long runway, but about a limited GDP - say, about the deck of an aircraft carrier, where fighters land, special devices help the pilot when landing.

On the deck of the same aircraft carrier, brake cables are pulled. The fighter docks with them with a special hook, and thanks to this, it quickly slows down and does not fly into the ocean with its shaky GDP. It is worth noting that such a landing is carried out when the takeoff mode of the aircraft is turned on - suddenly the cable will pump up or the hook will miss, the expensive car will simply soar into the sky.

As for the ground runways, if they are too short, some planes throw a parachute there - it increases the braking.

Landing is also forced

Sometimes a winged bird lands at an alternate airfield. But this is not a forced, but a planned landing.

The pilot can be forced to land by uncontrollable circumstances - for example, a serious breakdown (such as engine failure), in which he must first of all think about the safety of passengers.

In the movies, such cases look spectacular (remember at least "The Adventures of Italians in Russia"), but scary live. Although this is only in relation to passengers, it is very interesting to hear about such events in the news. Let us recall at least the landing of the A320 on the Hudson River. The plane did not sink, but the passengers were forced to climb onto the wings and wait there for the rescue boat.

Needless to say, a pilot who made a landing in any non-flying conditions definitely deserves the title of super professional!