The majority of Normal Procedures will be used often and it can be expected that pilots will have no difficulty following them. If the possible need to use those which are only rarely used can be anticipated, then this can be covered in prior, suitably focused, briefings…. Continue Reading →
The Flight Safety Foundation has published a guide developed with an industry ‘fatigue countermeasures’ working group that details the ‘best practices for implementation of a policy allowing for controlled rest (CR) on the flight deck.’ In other words, napping in the cockpit while the pilot in the other seat keeps and eye on things…. Continue Reading →
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 →
All Brakes are subject to wear. Some brakes may also experience oxidation which can lead to brake rupture. In the case of a brake rupture or if brakes are too worn, the aircraft braking performance is reduced. This can result in a runway overrun if the full braking capacity is required such as during a…… Continue Reading →
Using an erroneous barometric reference setting during approach may cause the aircraft to fly lower than the published approach path, when the vertical guidance and trajectory deviations use the barometric reference. This can lead to a risk of controlled flight into terrain in poor visibility conditions or at night. This document explains the potential consequences…… Continue Reading →
It is a common rule for all aircraft: the SOP for landing requests that the flight crew perform a full stop landing after thrust reversers selection. However, in-service flight data analysis revealed that the equivalent of one go-around per month is performed after selection of thrust reversers. This Airbus article describes an event where the…… Continue Reading →