Aerobatics and Fun!

Aerobatic flight means manoeuvres intentionally performed by the pilot that involve
(a) bank angles in excess of 60 degrees; or
(b) pitch angles in excess of 45 degrees, or otherwise abnormal to the aircraft type; or
(c) abrupt changes of direction angles of bank, angles of pitch, or speed.

Triviality Effect and Flight Deck

Pilots are responsible for many time-consuming duties before, during and after a flight. In addition to actual flight duties which are shared between pilot flying (PF) and pilot monitoring (PM), most of them are routine in nature like including weather assessments, filing flight plans, performing pre-flight checks on aircraft and filing post-flight reports, to ensure each flight is operated to the highest level of safety. The workload of flightdeck crew varies during different phases of flight and is maximum during critical phase like taxi, take off, initial climb and subsequently…

Should Group Exercises be Part of Pilot Recruitment Process?

I qualify pilots as respectable professionals as good as doctor, engineers or lawyer. They are life long learners who endure long years of training and experience to qualify and excel in their professions. While a CV and an interview were enough in earlier times, most airlines discovered that this wasn’t the most effective way of selecting the right candidate because there were many instances in which they missed the negative traits and also forgot to credit positive skills at times. Hence apart from checking skill and knowledge, Aptitude, psychometric, an English Proficiency test is also carried out for non native speakers. But what is lacking in the selection process is group test to evaluate team work, leadership and other human factors while under stress .

Beyond the Control: Is Helicopter Operation More Risky?

The preliminary finding of the tri-service investigation into the fatal crash of the Mi-17V5, which led to the death of all 14 who were on board, including Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, has ruled out mechanical failure, sabotage or negligence as the cause of the accident. The inquiry team said the accident was a result of the helicopter entering into the clouds due to an unexpected change in the weather conditions in the valley in Tamil Nadu, where it crashed. The change of weather led to spatial disorientation of the pilot resulting in a controlled flight into terrain (CFIT), a statement issued by the defence ministry has said.

Contrails: White crayons on Blue canvas

On a clear sky, one time or other you would have seen white contrails streaking across the sky. As if sky blue is canvas for these aircrafts or as if they are announcing true love, up high where our dreams meet. They look beautiful to one and all except for military pilots for they point like signposts. On some occasion they disappear in seconds on other they persist for very long after aircraft has passed. What are these white contrails and how are they formed?