Category: Flight Safety

What Airline Pilots need to know about difference in bird and drone strike?

Anil Goyal

US Airways flight 1549 presents a single most illustrious example of the kind of damage a bird strike can cause and piloting-skill required to be able to bring out everyone safely from a disastrous situation. Birds are intelligent species which have natural instinct to survive and avoid a collision while in the air or on the ground. With their sharp vision and quick decisive ability, they are able to avert not only other avian traffic but also human-made obstacle and flying objects. Differences between drone and birds. 1.   For the same…

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…

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…