59
votes
Can ATC handle a flight as emergency although the pilots have not declared an emergency?
In the US, a controller has the authority to treat any situation as an emergency, and they do. I have had controllers "declare" an emergency multiple times, even when I thought I did not ...
- 17.8k
39
votes
Why can't airline pilots listen to music while flying?
I don't know where he gets that. Regulation wise there's nothing stopping an airline pilot from listening to music as long as he/she can hear ambient sounds or communications and modern headsets make ...
- 134k
38
votes
Do airline pilots really put on an oxygen mask when alone in the cockpit above 25,000 ft?
Pilot flight crewmembers would be required to follow FAA regulations when operating an aircraft in sovereign airspace over the USA including US territorial waters. After that, you’re over ...
- 74.5k
34
votes
Accepted
Are landings easier during the day or at night?
I'm going to answer this in somewhat of a more general sense but first let's clear up a few things.
During the night the runway is brightly lit and all the guiding lights
are clearly visible, but ...
- 102k
34
votes
Can ATC handle a flight as emergency although the pilots have not declared an emergency?
Yes. For example, in the US (I don't know what procedures are used in Indonesia), controllers are instructed (see 10-1-1):
If the words “Mayday” or “Pan-Pan” are not
used and you are in ...
- 8,316
29
votes
Accepted
Are there any legal requirements concerning airline pilots and their watches?
Well, a wristwatch can't be used to sneak around the requirement that IFR requires a clock mounted in the aircraft, FAR 91.205(d)(6). A missing or inoperative clock isn't likely in a modern airliner. ...
- 12.6k
29
votes
What button did a pilot press that led to them being caught for falsifying experience?
There appear to be conflicting reports of what exactly happened. A relatively detailed one says the pilot has accidentally cut power to the aircraft, while sitting on the tarmac. This has been ...
- 28.2k
27
votes
Accepted
Is training and pay different for cargo and airline pilots?
Do cargo pilots receive different training than airline pilots?
First, cargo carriers are airlines just as passenger carriers are airlines, and cargo pilots are airline pilots. In the U.S. there is ...
- 39.2k
27
votes
Who has final say over an aircraft flight path?
The pilot has 100% responsibility for how, where and when to fly/land. The movies make it seem like pilots are just mindless drones, under the control of ATC.
In actual fact ATC are there as an aid ...
- 35.1k
25
votes
Accepted
What exactly do "captain", "pilot", "co-pilot" and "first officer" mean?
Capt left, 1st officer or copilot right. On older airlines with a flight engineer, he is behind and is called 2nd officer.
It's the same as a ship. Capt is boss, 1st officer is second in command, ...
- 134k
24
votes
Accepted
How is flight planning performed with short turnaround times?
The main reason why turnaround times can be that short is that pilots brief all flights of the day in the morning before the first flight.
This briefing is typically done in the crew room at the ...
- 57.6k
22
votes
Accepted
Airplane generations - how does it work?
While airliners don't have "model years" like cars do, they are certainly changed over time.
There are major "generations" of some aircraft types, like the 737. The "original" (-100,-200) was ...
- 73.5k
22
votes
Do airline pilots really put on an oxygen mask when alone in the cockpit above 25,000 ft?
I can attest to seeing Fedex pilots do this back in the 1990's. The first time I saw them do it I was concerned and asked the FE if something was wrong and he told me about the regulation and that it ...
- 28.6k
21
votes
Does a long time to solo hurt your chances of becoming an airline pilot?
It depends on the final product presented to the airline. If an airline had two candidates, one of whom soloed in 10 hours and did well in a Sim Eval but was self absorbed, didn't like to follow ...
- 134k
21
votes
Accepted
What does "Except" mean in this ATC request?
It is a typo. That is supposed to say EXPECT FLIGHT LEVEL 280 IN 10 MINUTES.
This means Atlasjet 123 is not yet cleared to the new altitude of FL280, but they can expect this clearance in 10 minutes. ...
- 57.6k
20
votes
How many pilots does an airline hire for each new plane they purchase?
The answer depends greatly on the airline's operations, as the constraints are very different between long-haul and short-haul trips, whether relief crews are required, layover times, need and ...
- 8,316
20
votes
How many stripes does a student pilot have?
Stripes don't have any standardized meaning in between companies. If a company wanted, it could give one stripe to its most senior captains and four stripes to the office dog.
If your employer or ...
- 5,801
19
votes
Are landings easier during the day or at night?
Depth perception is always better in daylight. You can see the entire surface and surroundings, not just a little spotlit patch ahead of you, which fades to black, then with bright lights in your ...
- 134k
19
votes
Accepted
Can TCAS and GPWS work at the same time?
Yes they can work together. It's not particularly sophisticated. Essentially there is a priority list for all alerts.
For TAWS/GPWS and TCAS, the TAWS/GPWS alerts will take precedence over a TCAS RA (...
- 20.1k
18
votes
Accepted
Does pilot monitoring have authority to go around in exceptional circumstances?
The captain is the captain, so when he says "go around" then the PF needs to initiate the go-around. If the FO doesn't initiate the go-around as directed, then the captain can (at that time as at ...
- 52.6k
18
votes
What exactly do "captain", "pilot", "co-pilot" and "first officer" mean?
The title of Captain designates that he(she) has final authority during the flight, and First Officer is assisting. Ultimately, a Captain may make critical decisions regarding the flight. In ...
- 30.8k
17
votes
Accepted
Do airline pilots really put on an oxygen mask when alone in the cockpit above 25,000 ft?
I am a retired Canadian B767/B777 airline pilot and have flown over USA airspace many times. I have never put on an O2 mask while flying alone in the flight deck over FL250. None of my fellow crew ...
- 37.9k
17
votes
What department does an airline pilot fall under?
Airline pilots do not work for airports, they work for the airline companies that use airports. They would not appear, or be counted in airport employee rosters or organizational charts.
- 27.2k
16
votes
Accepted
What does the "blue" callout mean in the cockpit of an Airbus?
At the top of the Primary Flight Display (PFD, the one with the artificial horizon in the center), there is a so-called Flight Mode Annunciator (FMA) with several columns indicating currently active ...
- 1,216
16
votes
Accepted
Does a long time to solo hurt your chances of becoming an airline pilot?
The honest answer: nobody cares or would even ask you that question during a professional pilot interview. Aside from a military pilot job where they can wash you out during pre-solo training, it ...
- 74.5k
15
votes
Can ATC handle a flight as emergency although the pilots have not declared an emergency?
The job of ATC is to help the pilots get where they need to go safely and efficiently. In order to do that, they have to ask questions, to know what emergency services need to be alerted or where the ...
- 73.5k
13
votes
Who has final say over an aircraft flight path?
Well, since you specifically say "emergency situation" (yes, all-engines flame-out definitely qualifies as an emergency)...
I'm going to refer to the US regulations, simply because those are among ...
- 6,984
12
votes
What button did a pilot press that led to them being caught for falsifying experience?
It was probably not a single act. The button press was probably a "straw that broke the camel's back" event that was the culmination of a string of suspicious and odd events that finally ...
- 134k
12
votes
How should you handle a Hazardous Attitude?
Do you have a talk explaining that if he makes a wrong decision, you as FO will take controls if it jeopardizes safety?
Sitting in both right and left seat for 20+ years of airline operations, I've ...
- 52.6k
11
votes
What does the "blue" callout mean in the cockpit of an Airbus?
Airbus uses "blue" in three different callouts, but with slightly different meaning.
"LOC blue" or "GS blue",etc, reffers to the armed modes of the F/D. It's just another way to say "localizer mode ...
- 7,980
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