Mid-Atlantic, 4am, 39,000ft. Just a couple more hours to go before landing back in London after another night crossing the pond. I looked across at my colleague, gently sipping on his umpteenth coffee of the night, eyes heavy and bloodshot. Behind us, 250 passengers were fast asleep, trying to compensate for the five hours their body clocks were … Continue reading ‘We skimmed houses at 170mph, completely blind’: How pilots land in near-zero visibility
As an airline pilot, I’m fortunate to have one of the best office views in the world. Looking down from 43,000 feet gives you an appreciation of just how vast some countries are and how densely populated some cities have become. Traversing the expanses of northern Canada or the far reaches of Russia, you can go hours without … Continue reading The 10 most spectacular airport approaches from the cockpit
Last year was tough for everyone, and it was especially tough for the aviation industry. Despite the fact that there were drastically fewer flights, aircraft accidents claimed more lives in 2020 than in 2019. Of the 40 reported accidents, five proved to be fatal. Tragically, 176 people were lost when a Ukrainian International Airlines Boeing … Continue reading How pilots keep their skills sharp during COVID-19 downtime
It was 2.30 in the morning, maybe even closer to 3. All was quiet in the flight deck, just the odd ripple of turbulence occasionally bumping the aircraft. Peering 38,000ft down below us, the moonless sky gave little away of northern Canada. A black abyss of nothing; no roads, no towns, no people. We were … Continue reading Pilots have a little-known ace up their sleeve when passengers fall seriously ill at 35,000ft
“A superior pilot uses his superior judgment to avoid situations which require the use of his superior skill.” This famous quote by aviation hero Frank Borman epitomises exactly what the job of an airline pilot is all about. It’s our job to use our knowledge and experience to assess the conditions around and ahead of … Continue reading Can pilots predict turbulence?
Recent reports have highlighted the occurrence of “fume events” in aircraft. In the most extreme cases, pilots became disorientated and had to don emergency oxygen masks. Cabin crew and passengers reported feeling nauseous and dizzy. Between January 2018 and December 2019, 362 fume events were reported to NASA, with 400 crew and passengers requiring post-flight … Continue reading A pilot’s perspective on the ‘toxic fume events’ controversy
When asked what the key skill is to being a long-haul pilot, people are often surprised when I reply with “sleeping”. No matter what job we do, getting good sleep is essential to our productivity, the key to our alertness and critical to our health. Without sufficient quality sleep, we do not perform anywhere near … Continue reading Pilots are obsessed with sleep – it can mean the difference between life and death
This week, the Met Office has forecasted that there could be up to 25cm of snowfall across the U.K. in the days leading up to Christmas. Whilst the idea of a white Christmas would put a shine on what has been a thoroughly depressing year, for those of us flying aircraft, the snow provides a … Continue reading How pilots change their takeoff preparation when it snows
For those of you who travel regularly, I get it. You’ve seen that safety video a million times. It’s not as funny as the airline thinks it is, you know where the doors are and you know how to put your mask on. You’d really rather be reading a magazine or sending an email and … Continue reading ‘Jump and slide!’ — 11 instructions you need to follow to survive an emergency
As pilots, your safety is our first, second and third priority. Come to think of it, it’s probably our fourth priority, too. With that in mind, we take the physical condition of the aircraft extremely seriously. Before each flight, in addition to the checks the engineers complete, one of the pilots will always conduct an … Continue reading All you need to know about the pre-flight ‘walk-around’
