The underlying reason for having such a ‘Safety Pilot’ on board is to ensure that if the Training Captain concludes during a duty period that a trainee is failing to make adequate progress towards the standard required, they can be replaced by the Safety Pilot moving to their normal operating seat and, if necessary, the…… Continue Reading →
Flight crew awareness and alertness are key factors in the successful application of windshear avoidance techniques and recovery techniques…. Continue Reading →
Wind information is available to the flight crew from two primary sources: Air traffic control (ATC) and Aircraft systems…. Continue Reading →
The conditions and factors associated with landing on a wet runway or a runway contaminated by standing water, snow, slush or ice should be assessed carefully before beginning the approach. The Flight Safety Foundation team found that wet runways and runways contaminated by standing water, snow, slush or ice were involved in 96 percent of…… Continue Reading →
The transition from instrument references to external visual references is an important element of any type of instrument approach. Some variations exist in company operating philosophies about flight crew task sharing for: acquiring visual references, conducting the landing, and conducting the go-around…. Continue Reading →
Visual illusions result from many factors and appear in many different forms. Illusions occur when conditions modify the pilot’s perception of the environment relative to his or her expectations, possibly resulting in spatial disorientation or landing errors (e.g., landing short or landing long)…. Continue Reading →
TCAS RAs are not correctly followed in more than 40% of cases according to a recent study published by Eurocontrol, making non-compliance with TCAS RAs one of the top 5 Air Traffic Management (ATM) operational and safety risks. This article explains how the TCAS Alert Prevention and AP/FD TCAS functions can improve the situation by…… Continue Reading →
The ILS is accurate and reliable, but the ILS antenna design today causes secondary glide slopes to appear above the primary glide slope. Flight crews must be aware of this phenomenon to prevent unwanted aircraft behavior during an ILS glide slope capture. This article explains the phenomenon of secondary glideslopes and their effect on aircraft…… Continue Reading →
A number of engine Exhaust Gas Temperature (EGT) overlimit events at takeoff were reported to Airbus, including dual events leading to a significant increase in flight crew workload at low altitude. This article recalls the importance of monitoring the EGT margin of each engine to detect any degradation in engine performance early, and provides recommendations…… Continue Reading →
Several recent engine fire events highlight the importance of timely application of the engine fire procedure. This article explains why flight crew must apply this procedure without delay. Decisive action when there is an engine fire alert may prevent further damage to the engine. This can help to ensure that a manageable fire situation does…… Continue Reading →