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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Do any aircraft automatically test that the pitot-static system is functioning properly before liftoff?
Given that a properly-functioning pitot-static system is absolutely essential for flight (a plane cannot be flown without valid airspeed data, or at least not for long), are there aircraft that ...
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0answers
56 views
Could I Legally Fly a Paramotor as a Commuter Method [duplicate]
I get permission from company security to fly into work using my paramotor (I don’t have one, but would like to get one).
We have six offices around the city. The city has two airports: one major ...
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1answer
81 views
How do aircraft stall warning systems handle (or not) asymmetric-stall situations?
Most, if not all, new airplanes are required to have stall warning systems to (as the name should make clear) provide the pilots with a warning when the airplane is about to stall. Most stall warning ...
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2answers
91 views
What margin of error should one reasonably allow regarding aircraft performance?
This question generated a lot of discussion around amateur pilots often making the mistake of calculating aircraft performance based on perfect conditions and not allowing for a 'safety factor' (i.e. ...
2
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2answers
224 views
Why aren't runway numbers painted in a higher aspect ratio?
I'm watching a lot of aviation youtube channels and it seems to me that when attempting a landing on a "normal" glide path, it must be quite hard to read the runway numbers until you're on short final,...
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0answers
26 views
Oversight responsibility in the delegated airspace
Who retains the oversight authority in the delegated airspace when an airspace of one State is delegated to another State fir the provision of Air traffic Services?
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6answers
12k views
Why do we say certain things *three times*, e.g., “Mayday. Mayday. Mayday”?
Repetition is a key characteristic of communication in the control tower, cockpit, and control room. Some phrases, like "Mayday" get repeated. The speaker says the same thing three times. We know ...
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1answer
107 views
Why do pilots typically start out in piston-engined aircraft, rather than jets or turboprops? [duplicate]
Essentially all pilots begin flying with propeller aircraft powered by piston engines, rather than in turboprops or light jets, even though:
Operating a piston engine requires adjusting the mixture ...
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2answers
186 views
Why aren’t multiengine general-aviation aircraft required to be capable of sustained single-engine flight?
While perusing the See How it Flies website, I came across this alarming statement regarding multiengine general-aviation aircraft:
You must not allow yourself to think that just because airliners ...
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0answers
106 views
Why don’t most aircraft have emergency braking parachutes? [duplicate]
Braking parachutes were standard on first-generation jetliners, but have since fallen almost entirely out of use except on military aircraft; essentially the only civilian aircraft nowadays to still ...
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3answers
648 views
Why is this video of a G36 Bonanza taking off so scary?
Why is this video of a G36 Bonanza so 'scary'?
If they had clipped the top of the trees, would it really have brought the plane down? (And even if yes, it looks pretty ...
15
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1answer
294 views
What makes it safe for the DC-8 to use reverse thrust in flight?
For most jets, the use of reverse thrust to slow down in flight, where even possible, is extremely dangerous, and strictly prohibited.
Not so on the DC-8, which is certified for the safe in-flight ...
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1answer
84 views
What are the differences between the two main brace positions? [duplicate]
Why are there two different brace positions (pictured below) ?
(If there is a difference between the official and true reason, please state both. In many planes the reduced seating spacing does not ...
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1answer
98 views
What is an “unsafe airline”? [closed]
Question:
Is there any internationally accepted definition for what an "unsafe airline" is based on objective criteria (e.g. fatalities per million passengers) ?
Or is there an international standard ...
0
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1answer
175 views
How to increase your chances of survival in a plane crash? [on hold]
More than 90% of plane crashes in recent years had survivors.
In America, for example, there were 568 plane crashes between
1983 - 2000: Out of the collective 53487 people onboard, 51207 ...
2
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0answers
92 views
Would it be possible to start a modern airliner from cold & dark during flight? [closed]
Imagine a suicidal pilot or disturbed passenger who gets access to cockpit, messes with the buttons. He shuts down engines, IRS, and battery, it's the middle of the night at cruise altitude.
Would it ...
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5answers
5k views
Why can't airline pilots listen to music while flying? [duplicate]
In an interview I read, a 747 captain (Mark Vanhoenacker, an American British Airways pilot) says he doesn't understand why he cannot listen to music inflight, when for example surgeons – who ...
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3answers
167 views
How do pilots decide whether to circumnavigate bad weather?
How does an airline pilot decide in the air whether to circumnavigate or fly through bad weather visibly looming ahead and/or displayed on the weather radar ?
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1answer
170 views
Will an Airbus A320 plane go into an unrecoverable nosedive and crash if a single angle of attack sensor fails, like on Lion Air JT610?
For example, has an Airbus gone from cruise flight into an automated unrecoverable nose dive until it hit the ground because an AOA sensor failed in flight?
Moreso, are there any cases of an AOA ...
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0answers
50 views
What is the specific FAA regulation with regards to a pilot dropping jumpers into a solid cloud base? [duplicate]
What is the FAA regulation with regards to a pilot dropping jumpers into a solid cloud base? I saw some parachute jumpers come through a solid cloud layer with a base at around 1300 AGL. They landed ...
12
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1answer
2k views
Would the wings of a Boeing 787 be snapped off in the same turbulence in which a DC-8 lost an engine and parts of a wing?
From forbes.com:
In 1992, a DC 8 cargo aircraft suffered turbulence so severe over the Front Range of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains that its left outboard engine was completely ripped off as well as ...
2
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1answer
294 views
Can pilots smoke in the cockpit of an airliner?
An answer on travel.se suggests that some pilots are smoking on long-distance passenger flights.
Can passenger airliner pilots smoke if both the captain and first officer agree it’s ok? If I recall, ...
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2answers
137 views
In what cases does an airplane return to airport? [closed]
I’m just wondering in what kind of emergency cases an airplane would return to the airport?
I am a programmer and security enthusiast — what kind of security issue should I have to find that would ...
3
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2answers
156 views
Why don’t aircraft have interlocks to prevent high-lift devices from being retracted when doing so would stall the airplane?
Most aircraft have high-lift devices on the wings (such as flaps, slats, droops, whatevs) to allow them to take off and climb out at a reasonable speed instead of having to accelerate to near ...
3
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1answer
134 views
Why aren't any jet fuels heavier than Jet A/A-1/JP-8 in common use?
The commonly-used jet fuels fall into two main categories:
Straight kerosenes (Jet A, Jet A-1, JP-8, JP-5, plus, historically, JP-1), which are used in most situations because their high flashpoints ...
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1answer
193 views
Why aren't airliners spin-tested?
According to Wikipedia, only single-engine aircraft with an MTOW no greater than 12500 pounds are required to demonstrate the ability to recover from a spin, and not large or multi-engine aircraft. ...
3
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1answer
225 views
Why don’t aircraft use run-flat tyres?
Tyre failures on aircraft during takeoff are fairly common, and are usually (though not always) caused by flat or underinflated tyres (via the overdeflection and overheating experienced by tyres with ...
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1answer
153 views
How to handle seeing someone online claiming to be a pilot or pilot in training, who one feels shouldn't be flying, in the EU?
Suppose that on some aviation-related Internet discussion forum, one comes across contributions from a user who claims to either be training for a pilot's license, or to have a pilot's license.
...
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0answers
117 views
Do aircraft manufacturers take steps to prevent pests like geckos from damaging the electronics?
Many Australians are suffering huge bills due to geckos getting into the circuit boards of their air conditioning units. Of course this is highly profitable for A/C manufacturers as they supply ...
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1answer
677 views
What is the difference between redundancy and fault tolerance?
What is the difference between redundancy and fault tolerance in the context of aviation ?
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0answers
212 views
Is there research suggesting that VFR cruise altitude rules improve safety?
In the United States, 14 CFR 91.159 prescribes cruising altitudes for level flight under VFR:
(a) When operating below 18,000 feet MSL and
(1) On a magnetic course of zero degrees ...
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2answers
241 views
How long before a Medivac should the pilots be ready?
If you are on home reserve how long is it required that the operator notify you of a flight before required Take off time?
Is there a regulation or documentation to support this or is it operators ...
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6answers
267 views
How much can I exceed crosswind limits by? [duplicate]
I'm learning in a Tomahawk. They have a maximum demonstrated crosswind component of 15 knots. My school has a limit of 12 kt, but will only allow students to fly in 50% of that, so 6 kt.
Since it's ...
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1answer
89 views
Are Sophisticated Planes with Multiple Computer Interfacing Safer to Fly than Traditional Aircraft? [closed]
I passenger travel short haul flights to the carribean islands every month for business. I typically fly on an Embraer E190 or Airbus-320...I feel confident on the 190, I suppose I like the standard ...
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3answers
237 views
How many Airbus planes have been destroyed in flight by severe turbulence? [closed]
Since a brand new A350 has literally the exact same design specifications / G limits as an airliner built in the fifties does (A 1955 F27 Fellowship will break up at 2.5 G-3.75G, same as a modern ...
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2answers
308 views
How come the DC-8 plane can withstand +15G from turbulence, but newer planes can only withstand 20% of that amount?
Source - https://www.weather.gov/media/zhu/ZHU_Training_Page/turbulence_stuff/turbulence3/turbulence.pdf
(Scroll down for photos)
I figured out how many G's the cargo jet took by looking at the ...
4
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2answers
250 views
For a modern airliner, wings are tested to withstand 150% of the limit load. What kind of weather would produce turbulence at 100% limit load?
I often see people citing the wing flex tests, but with very little reference as to what kind of forces they're designing the plane to take.
I am specifically referring to modern day jetliners such ...
2
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1answer
71 views
What are the potential threats of having the landing gear dirt from mud in a rectractable landing gear airplane?
Recently I have been flying an aircraft with the landing gear very dirt with mud due to the parking area of the airfield on grass and the meteo conditions in recent days. I wonder what are the threats ...
3
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2answers
511 views
Why does Qatar Airways fly over Syria and Iraq?
I saw on Flightradar that Qatar Airways still fly over Syria and Iraq. Why do they think that airspace is safe? I dont want to have to worry about my plane being shot out of the sky on my trip.
2
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1answer
239 views
In an Airbus, if the AOA sensor fails and the computer pitches the plane down, can the computer still only pitch down 10 degrees maximum?
For example, something similar to Qantas Flight 72.
Assuming the Angle of Attack sensors are faulty and give bogus data - for example, that the Angle of Attack is 20 degrees, or the maximum Angle of ...
2
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1answer
384 views
Where to relocate a bomb on a plane to minimize damage?
In a video blog I saw today on the net, an airline Captain said: "if a bomb is found on board in-flight, pilots are trained to relocate it someplace where it would do the least damage" without further ...
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4answers
9k views
Do military bases still employ wheel watchers?
When I was in the air wing in the '70s, I had the unpleasant opportunity of pulling wheel watch. The unfortunate individual sat in a small shack (maybe 3 x 6 ft.) with a pair of high-powered ...
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3answers
383 views
Can a general aviation aircraft be forced to land when crossing the airspace of a country?
I don’t know how to fly yet but my friend has a Cessna, he says it’s awesome to have and fly one and he also said he will take me for a flight one day.
I have been researching and reading online and I ...
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5answers
283 views
What prevents Low Cost Carriers (LCCs) from cutting cost that compromise safety?
I was reading an article about LCCs and here is an excerpt that got me thinking.
While budget airlines cut other corners to keep fares low, they do not
— actually cannot — compromise the safety ...
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1answer
111 views
What kind of flight termination measures are taken for supersonic aircraft?
Having recently read an article that hyper-sonic airplanes carry enough energy that just flying into some target makes them as powerful as some missiles and I wonder if the supersonic planes have ...
6
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3answers
2k views
Why did this 737 not take off on first attempt?
This video shows a 737 'near miss' takeoff. I'm curious as to why the aircraft did not take off as expected, i.e. is there anything obvious from the video?
I'm assuming the speed and payload would ...
17
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7answers
4k views
Are there any truly 'unrecoverable' situations? [duplicate]
I'm starting my quest to obtain a PPL this weekend. So I guess this question is contextualised around light aircraft like the Piper Tomahawk / Cessna, although it certainly would be interesting to get ...
3
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2answers
221 views
Is every emergency landing of a commercial flight documented?
A friend told me she was on a Royal Jordanian commercial flight in 2006 that had an emergency and was forced to land in a field in Greece.
She said the final destination was supposed to be Italy, ...
1
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1answer
307 views
Are turboprops less safe then jets?
On a recent trip to an airport, I noticed a large number of Bombardier Dash 8s. I wanted to know - are turboprops less safe than traditional jets like the 737 or A320? For instance, I would imagine ...
4
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5answers
439 views
What measures prevent a military aircraft's weapons from being fired on the ground?
Recently the 20mm cannon of an F-16 was accidentally fired on the ground by maintenance personnel at Florennes Air Base in Belgium, resulting the the destruction of another F-16 and damage to a third.
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