Life Lessons From Cockpit

Unlike the older generation of aircrafts, modern airplanes are capable of flying longer distances and can remain in the air for longer periods. As the popularity of point-to-point flights between cities increase, flights lasting between 14 to 18 hours are becoming the norm nowadays.

Have you ever wondered how do pilots navigate and find their way to the destination over such long periods of flying? Flights of such duration will pass through many time zones and will fly throughout the night. While the passengers are sleeping, how do the pilots see where they are going? How can the flight arrive at the destination and be able to land on runways only 150 feet wide, touching down precisely at the right spot?

When I first started my flying training, I was using the topographical maps for navigation. Finding my way around was by relying on visual cues. I had to fly low to remain below clouds to maintain visual contact with the ground. Landmarks such as roads, rivers, buildings and any other prominent features were used to determine my position. The navigation instruments fitted in those aircrafts were very basic and lacked sophistication, thus the reliance on ground features to find my way around during flight.

Topographical map

Nowadays we fly above clouds at altitudes above 30,000 feet for long periods. Instead of the topographical maps we use the “airways” map to help us navigate, to determine our position and to know where we are going.

The difference between the old generation of aircrafts and the new generation of aircrafts is in the equipment fitted that are used for navigation. These new equipment changes the way pilots navigate. We do not have to rely on ground features anymore. How could we when we have to fly throughout the night and over oceans for long periods of time.

With the modern aircrafts the route of the flight is programmed into the onboard computers before the flight, from takeoff right up to landing at destination. Apart from the routing, the pilots will also program other information such as the weight of the aircraft, the thrust required for takeoff, the initial cruise altitude as well as the forecast enroute wind for the selecting route.

Flight Management Computer where the route of flight is programmed

Once airborne the autopilot will be engaged and it will follow the route as programmed. The pilots will have to continuously monitor the accuracy of the route flown by the aircraft against the airways charts. Should there be a requirement for the aircraft to be re-routed for whatever reasons, the pilots will refer to the airways chart and reprogram the new route into the onboard computer. This process will be repeated until arrival at destination.

Sample of airways chart used for North Atlantic crossing

Written by Azharuddin Osman

Tags: airplanes, charts, computer, Lessons learned from cockpit, navigate, Pilots

The recent incident involving a Qantas B747 aircraft that experienced a loss of cabin pressure whilst flying from Hongkong to Melbourne has stirred a lot of interests and debates amongst aviation enthusiasts and flight crews alike. Common after every incident or accident, where comments and speculations are aplenty and some people are even quick in apportioning blame.

What I would like to do is to comment on the incident and lessons learned from it. These comments are purely my own expressed views based on my experience as a pilot, as a flight instructor and from the information obtained from the internet and newspapers.

Modern airplane rarely encounters malfunctions with the aircraft systems that could cause major problems let alone such structural damage. This is attributed to the advanced technology that could detect potential problems with the aircraft systems, improved systems reliability, systems redundancy, plus the stringent regulatory requirements for aircraft maintenance. Despite the above, malfunctions and incidents still continue to happen.

As the last line of defense, this is where the skills and the training of pilots are called upon to solve those problems. In fact the reason why pilots have to attend training classes, simulator training and undergo periodic checks and tests is to prepare themselves for such eventualities.

Yes flying is becoming safer and safer despite the occasional incident and accident. There are more fatalities on the road than in the air. Because of this, we tend to take safety for granted. Whilst sitting down comfortably in the cabin we place our trust in the hands of the pilots flying the airplane assuming that they are well trained and able to handle any problems during the flight.

Looking at the picture of the QANTAS aircraft one could not help but wonder what had happened and was it a miracle that the aircraft landed safely? Well to allay any fear, aircrafts structures are durable and airplanes are known to be able to sustain flights even after experiencing such structural damage. Two classic incidents involving a Boeing 737 and another, a Boeing 747 will attest to this. The B737 had part of the upper fuselage torn off, whilst the B747 had its forward cargo door blown off in mid air. In both cases, both aircrafts landed safely.

After the above incident both the aircraft manufacturer and the regulator’s safety board will disseminate information to all concerned operators on the outcome of the investigation, lessons learned and any other recommendations such as modifications to the aircraft systems or structure that would further enhance safety.

Therefore if you still have any fear of flying, don’t worry anymore. Be rest assured that flying has become one of the safest means of transportation. Both aircraft manufacturers and airlines have put in a lot of efforts and energy to make flying more comfortable and safer. The regulators too have played a pivotal role in enforcing safety oversight and requiring operators to invest in safety management systems and mandating crew resource management (CRM) training for pilots.

Written by Azharuddin Osman

Tags: airplane, incident, Lessons learned from cockpit, Training

One of the many things that we could learn from the strict pilots training and discipline which is taught during the pilots’ crew resource management (CRM) training program is the subject called situational awareness. Apart from applying the lessons learned here in our daily life, we can also use the situational awareness concept in management training, as well as safety training. In this post I will relate it to something that we do everyday in our life, which is driving our car.

How many of us are aware of our surrounding such as the condition of the roads, the driving style of other drivers, while driving? Even the prevailing weather such as the presence of strong winds and rain could have an influence on our driving. And how many more are aware of the state of our vehicles before we set off on our journey?

Well to be able to apply this concept to help make driving safer, let me explain what situational awareness is.

Situational awareness is about knowing our position with regards to the environment, that is to say our orientation with the surrounding and how the state of our surrounding could affect what we are doing. In aviation we call this spatial orientation.

Pilots do this all the time, before and during the flight. As part of pre-flight preparation, they study the weather maps looking for weather activities enroute and the forecast weather at destination as they could and would affect the flight. When they arrive at the aircraft, they will do a general walk around the aircraft and go through the log books to determine unserviceable items. During flight they would keep on monitoring the weather patterns on route as well as the weather trend at destination.

Apart from being aware of the weather trend, pilots stay alert and take cognizance of other aircrafts in the vicinity, how far the other aircrafts are and how high they are from them. Pilots will also review the enroute charts and take note of the height of the terrain that the aircraft is flying over. A high level of situational awareness is important for a safer flight operation.

The above concept could be used before we set of on our journey and to make driving safer as follows:

Before the journey:

• Check the conditions of the vehicle such as the tires, radiator, brake and transmission fluid and any unserviceable items.

• Check the forecast weather and take note of weather phenomena such as thunderstorms, rain and strong winds.
• Find out as much information as possible on the conditions of the roads.

While driving:

• Be aware of the conditions of the road especially the road surface as this could affect braking action.

• Be aware of the presence of other vehicles, in particular the drivers’ driving styles.
• Look out for signs of strong cross winds, and lastly,
• Be aware of our physical and physiological state.

Written by Azharuddin Osman

Tags: driving, Lessons learned from cockpit, situational awareness