Questions tagged [safety]
Safety includes all aspects of protecting aircraft, passengers and crew from accidents, mistakes and other potentially dangerous situations.
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What is the best aviation pilot flight school in the world? [closed]
What is the best aviation pilot flight school
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Where would you smell the extensive use of cigarettes in the cockpit of an A321? [closed]
Last night I flew on a A321 and midway during the 2.5hrs flight I went to the rear right toilet. It strongly smelt like hefty cigarette smell, but not like anybody would have smoked in there. I had ...
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What do you need to have onboard for flights with an ultralight/sport aircraft over water (Atlantic, Pacific)? Life raft possible (weight/size)?
Remark: For us in Germany an UL is a 2 seater with 470/600kg MTOW. AFAIK those are named Light Sport Aircraft in the US/Australia. Example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikarus_C42
What do you use if ...
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Should't there be two flight instructors flying with a student for safety purposes at any moment? [closed]
A pilot may get incapacitated
Probabilty is very low of such an accident but why have it or risk it...
I would like to have two flight instructors with me while flight training
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I heard that the Yaw Damper is critical to flight safety. Why then are most planes allowed to fly with one (out of two) dampers inoperative?
For example, a twin engine plane would not be allowed to fly if one engine was inoperative, in case the only working engine failed mid-flight.
Why then are planes such as the 737, 747, 757, and 767 ...
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Do I need a physical print-out of weight & balance calculations onboard
Our flight school taught us to print out some documents relevant to flight preparation and take them onboard the aircraft: This usually included
weight & balance...
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Piper Cherokee - Flying with inoperative equipment
I've looked everywhere and I'm not able to find the relevant information regarding the following.
What equipment can be inoperative and still allow me to fly a pa-28-181? I know the rules in the 91....
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Were the Airbus A320 rudder hardover issues fixed after Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 crashed due to uncommanded rudder deflection?
Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 crashed when the rudder made an uncommanded deflection 2 degrees to the left:
When the crew was required to fly the Airbus A320 manually, there was
an unexplained nine-...
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If spoilers are released in flight without descending, what could happen? [closed]
If spoilers are released in flight without descending, what could happen?
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Why is FAA Aircraft Certification Service department named as AIR?
The acronym AIR doesn't match with the functional name "Aircraft Certification Service"
"AIR (the Aircraft Certification Service) is the department within the FAA that develops and ...
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FAA FOQA Program
The FAA's Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA) program is currently voluntary for some operators. The program allows flight data to be recorded, analyzed, and then submitted to the regulator. ...
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Does the GPWS rely solely on the radio altimeter?
The ground proximity warning system (GPWS) uses the radio altimeter to receive information about the distance from the ground. Does the GPWS system work solely based on the information it receives ...
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Is it possible to open a cabin door inflight? [duplicate]
In recent news here in England was the case of a female passenger on a flight I think London to Antalya, who got a bit out of control, and decided she wanted to leave the airplane and tried to open ...
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Does Mexico City's new airport follow international regulations?
The new Felipe Ángeles International Airport (NLU/MMSM) in Mexico started operations today, I think that's a good thing. But I was wondering, since the last time I saw info about it, the progress was ...
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Are there wool threads for displaying angle of attack?
Like there is a wool thread on a glider's canopy for showing relative wind on yaw axis. Are there or have there been a wool thread as a long term mean of showing angle of attack?
For instance placed ...
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Do aircraft have backup systems to trim when they don't have trim wheels?
What happens if the motor that trims the elevator of an airplane fails and there are no trim wheels in the cockpit (like in the Boeing 747). Is there a backup system or hidden trim wheels?
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Do airlines use GPS for critical purposes? If so, why?
It is being reported that airlines in Finland have noticed interference with their GPS signals near Russia. This is causing them to be unable to land at at least one airport:
Lithuanian airline ...
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How Do Airline Pilots Park Right on the Line? [duplicate]
I’m sitting here at the airport waiting on my flight and I’ve always wondered: how do airline pilots park those big birds (737s and above in size. I can understand smaller regional jets where you’re ...
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What exactly does "exercise extreme caution" mean when seeing alternating red and green light gun signals?
I've seen the light gun signals chart a hundred times but I don't quite understand when it says "use extreme caution" when you alternating green and red signals.
What does that mean exactly? ...
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Do large cities contain enough iron to significantly affect an aircraft's magnetic compass?
In most areas of the world, the magnetic compass is the ultimate heading reference. Although pilots look to the directional gyro most of the time when flying (because the directional gyro's reading ...
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How do fighter jets pre-flight so quickly?
Military fighter jets can get in the air and to their target in minutes and faster than almost all other aircraft. How do they achieve this considering that a normal pre-flight alone takes ~10-15 ...
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Do airplanes really expose their internal wires and electronics like this on the wings when braking?
While watching a video today about airplanes and how they have little thingies on their wings to make them come to a stop much quicker than otherwise, I noticed something very odd:
Are those cables ...
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Why didn't ejection seats become a thing in civil avation and only limited to military? [duplicate]
Recently, an Indian CDS Bipin Rawat and his family as well as eleven members of the Indian Army died in an helicopter crash. You can find the story here. I did look at any questions asked on the topic ...
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With supplemental oxygen, what altitude can a pilot safely operate at?
Will there be operating limitations regarding ascent or descent speed to avoid decompression sickness?
What altitude will require a pressure suit?
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What measures are there at Vancouver International Airport to prevent wild animals from entering the airport?
This video shows a wild coyote on a taxiway at Vancouver International Airport (CYVR):
I ask from the standpoint of safety, and menace to aircraft. Does CYVR lack ...
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How much more dangerous is it to fly in Mexico than Europe?
Recently, Mexico's air safety rating was downgraded. How much more dangerous (in terms of statistical chances of fatal accident) is it to travel with a Mexican airline, than a European one?
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Minimum number of runways required for international airports?
What is the minimum number of runways required for an International Airport to be operational - commercial aviation?
Would two runways suffice?
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Do commercial aircraft carry personal weapons?
Even though airport security is very strong nowadays, commercial flights are still at risk of hijacking. Alternatively, passengers (perhaps mentally distressed) could provoke damage to crew, ...
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What is the proper protocol in the US regarding abandoned aircraft not deemed safe to fly? [closed]
Security forces in Guatemala detected a plane entering airspace on 4 Nov 2021. They followed through and found it abandoned, with evidence that it transported illegal drugs. After an assessment by ...
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Is there a framework for inter-country rules enforcement?
I have a US pilot's license and if I do anything foolish or infringe an important rule while flying in the US, the FAA can take action such as order more training, suspend my license for a while, or ...
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Is it legal to take off from the road?
Specifically, I'm referring to the takeoff attempt which led to this crash (video here). This took place on highway 124 in Winnie, TX. Apparently the aircraft had just finished serving as a float in a ...
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Why are gliders oftentimes not equipped with a transponder?
Oftentimes gliders are not equipped with transponders (at least in Europe). Even if they are, they do not necessarily operate it at all times. This is allowed by SERA.13001:
(a) When an aircraft ...
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How is the radius of the danger zone marking for engine inlets calculated?
Does the radius (shown below) take into account smaller objects (FOD), or only people? How is it determined?
Source: Facebook
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Have airlines average fleet age been shrinking?
I had read somewhere that nowadays Average age of Airlines is shrinking. I do not know how much of that is true. I did see this -
https://simpleflying.com/airlines-youngest-fleets/
On the other hand, ...
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Why don't [most] sailplanes use whole-airplane / ballistic parachutes?
My understanding is that sailplanes usually have the pilots wear the parachute on their back, requiring the pilot to bail out of the aircraft before they can use the parachute.
Given the maturity of ...
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How do I request a frequency change to listen to ATIS?
If I only have one radio, and I'm using VFR Flight Following, what do I tell ATC when I want to pick up ATIS for the landing airport before I'm told to contact the tower?
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What does the expression "Normally with hull loss" mean?
This is a question from a non-english speaking person.
I encountered the expression "Normally with hull loss" in this safety categorization:
(image source: EASA CS-25)
Why is that not only &...
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Should a runway overrun be expected if takeoff is begun with one-engine-out?
Multi-engine aircraft have enough power to successfully takeoff if one engine fails after V1. But what if, on a runway equal to the specified takeoff distance, someone decided to roll with one engine ...
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Is it safe to carry bear spray on a GA plane?
I'm aware that bear sprays are normally banned from commercial flights, including in checked bags. As I'm not sure of the reason behind that, I'm in turn unsure of whether it's wise to have some with ...
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Is there a procedure for canopy static discharge before the pilot egresses from the cockpit?
Is there a procedure for canopy static discharge before the pilot egresses from the cockpit?
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Why is the Auto GCAS system on F-16s limited to only 5G?
The automated ground collision avoidance system (Auto GCAS) on the F-16 is set up for only 5G's.
If the system predicts an imminent collision, an autonomous avoidance maneuver—a roll to wings-level ...
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In big transport jets, what is the difference between manoeuvring loads and gust loads?
In the design certifications for big transport jets, there are two factors that must be met in order for a new aircraft to be certified; manoeuvring loads, and gust loads. Why are these two separate ...
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Why hasn't there been a case of an airliner breaking apart and crashing due to turbulence in the past 40-50 years?
Most of the breakups involved clear air turbulence as well, the type that still can't be detected today.
Examples like:
Boeing 707 (BOAC Flight 911) - which crashed near Mt Fuji
BAC One-Eleven ...
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Is there evidence that inattention to Flight Attendant safety briefings increases risk to all occupants?
So many passengers pay little or no attention to the Flight Attendant safety briefing (or Safety Briefing cards) given prior to takeoff (commercial air carriers).
Question: Are there any data, ...
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Why was the minimum turbulence intensity that commercial airliners have to withstand increased?
From 50 fps turbulence intensity at VC to 90-100 fps turbulence intensity at VC. The amended FAR design criteria was introduced in 1980 or 1981 for commercial airliners. What prompted this change?
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What is the minimum runway surface friction coefficient?
After calculating the friction coefficient for an asphalt runway pavement through a test, how to know if it’s acceptable or not? In other words, hat is the lowest acceptable value for friction ...
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Why do planes not employ a non-technological banking indicator? [duplicate]
I apologise if this is a very daft question with an obvious answer.
I've been enjoying Air Crash Investigation episodes and there have been a few where the pilots, through differing training or faulty ...
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Are the turbulence reports by pilots via PIREPs used by other nearby aircraft or air traffic controllers to modify operations in any way?
I know the pilots are required to report turbulence experienced in the aircraft via PIREPs. The data for turbulence with lat,long,alt and the severity is available. I am wondering if the PIREPs are ...
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What kind of weather conditions would produce turbulence with an intensity of 90 feet per second?
This is the official documentation that we found regarding current commercial airplane design criteria; https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/14/25.341
It says the criteria for continuous turbulence is ...
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How does an airline develop a Safety Management System (SMS) program? [closed]
How does an airline develop an SMS program? Like from the ground up. And who does it involve? Does it involve regulators?
I know the 4 pillars but who does it involve?
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