Month: February 2020

Flying Swing Wing (MiG23/27): My Experience

Anil Goyal

What is a Variable Sweep Wing aircraft? A variable-sweep wing, colloquially known as a “swing-wing”, is an airplane wing, that may be swept back and then returned to its original position during flight. It allows the aircraft’s shape to be modified in flight and is therefore an example of a variable-geometry aircraft. Typically, a swept wing is more suitable for high speeds, while an unswept wing is suitable for lower speeds improving field (take-off and landing) performance. A variable-sweep wing allows a pilot to select the correct wing configuration for the plane’s intended…

Military Pilot to Commercial Pilot

Anil Goyal

At age 40+, you are almost two decades into your military aviation career. And if you have been in flying assignment for more than 15 yrs you would have accumulated great deal of experience in aviation. You may have wealth of leadership and managerial experience as well as undergone coveted military courses. If you’re still serving, the prospect of leaving services can be very daunting. It was a long-drawn battle between a mix of feelings from betrayal to service, nation, and myself. It took time to realize that having done…

MiG 21: Love her OR Hate her?

Anil Goyal

The most widely produced supersonic jet fighter of all time, the MiG-21 (Western reporting name Fishbed) is an incredibly prolific aircraft. Dated but nimble, it has allowed skilled pilots in past decades to defeat more advanced aircraft. Though its days look to be numbered. To me, it does not. I think it will continue to live in the heart of pilots and adversaries alike for decades to come. Single-seat, single-engine, supersonic, all-weather, day-night capable, jet fighter aircraft produced by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau was an improvement on prior generations of…

What pilots should do to avoid mid air collision?

Anil Goyal

The risk of midair collision is greatest from takeoff to top of climb, and again from start of descent to landing. Don’t assume you’ll always be able to ‘see and avoid.’ You, the pilot, are responsible for your own separation and lookout. Air regulation prescribes that when weather conditions permit, regardless of whether the operation is conducted under instrument flight rules (IFR) or visual flight rules (VFR), each person operating an aircraft shall maintain vigilance so as to see and avoid other aircraft. Remember that most midair collision accidents and…

Where you Seat matters…

Anil Goyal

The aircraft seat is becoming more than just a place to sit.  Be assured as you take your place on the assigned seat, someone somewhere is drawing up plans on how airline seats could be more effective on how it does.  An airline seat is a seat on an airliner in which passengers are accommodated for the duration of the journey. Such seats are usually arranged in rows running across the airplane’s fuselage. Safety and Comfort For safety, the seats are attached to rails on the fuselage and this facilitates their removal or reconfiguration if the airline…

What pilots should know about circuit breakers and the risk of resetting tripped CB?

Anil Goyal

I was recently asked to re-cycle PA system CB on ground by the engineering staff as the system was not working. Without giving it a second thought I did that and the system was working again. Subsequently this made me think. Is this normal? But then what about tripped CBs? What are circuit breakers? The single most “proliferated” item of the electrical system in a modern cockpit is the circuit breaker. These round black heads line the cockpit’s walls and ceiling. AC or DC, ganged, multi- or single-pole, they control,…

What pilots should know about lightning and its effect?

Anil Goyal

Recently I was operating to Colombo. ATIS reported thunderstorm activity around aerodrome and heavy rain. Subsequently, the Director reported Aerodrome lightning warning. After we landed, we realized that all ground movement has been suspended due to lightning warning, and passengers had to wait for 45 minutes before de-boarding. Airplanes get struck by lightning frequently. Fortunately, they’re built to handle it. The average commercial airliner gets hit by lightning a little more than once a year according to Lightning Technologies Inc., a Massachusetts-based company that manufactures lightning protection for aircraft. The last confirmed commercial plane crash directly attributed to…