Tag: fighter pilot

Air to Air Refuelling: Pilot’s Perspective, My Story

Anil Goyal

Air refueling is the process of transmitting aviation fuel from one military aircraft to another during flight. The procedure lets the receiving aircraft to stay in the air longer, extending its range or loiter time on station. Its purpose is quite simple, but there are a number of amazing things that happen in and around the process. Here is one of the stories, which somehow did not go wrong. Before that let us look at aeromedical aspects involved in air-to-air refuelling.

Critical Thinking for Pilots: Self debrief and Learning from our own mistakes…

Anil Goyal

What’s the point in thinking about what could have been  or what might have happened?   What’s done is done.   We’ve heard this.  We’ve probably thought this.  But don’t drown your sorrows or celebrate too soon,  because this self debrief is how important insights are revealed that will improve your decision quality in the air as well as on the ground. But before we start let me say that it is best to learn from others’ mistakes then make your own. However, as pilots we undertake multiple flights every day and not one flight is…

What is a blindfold check for military pilot and why is it important?

Anil Goyal

Before a military pilot goes solo, he/she has to successfully demonstrate the ability to locate switches blindfolded. It is not without reason. And this is checked periodically, generally every fortnight along with critical emergency actions. The pilot is made to sit in the cockpit as if during flight with eyes shut and instructor checks out pilots’ ability to locate and activate cockpit switches, to make sure they could find them in a nerve blinding situation (bird strike, smoke in the cockpit, electrical failure by night, etc.).  This practice remains with…

PILOT LICENCE (ATPL, CPL) EXAMINATIONS: TIPS # 3: SOLVING MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

Anil Goyal

Studying for a multiple-choice exam requires a special method of preparation which is distinctly different from an essay exam. Multiple-choice exams ask a student to recognize a correct answer among a set of options that include 3 or 4 wrong answers (called options/distracters ), rather than asking the student to produce a correct answer entirely from his/her own mind.  Students commonly consider multiple choice exams easier than essay exams. Perhaps the most obvious reasons are:  The correct answer is guaranteed to be among the possible options.  Many multiple-choice exams tend to emphasize basic definitions…

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…

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…