If using phones while flying were sooo dangerous, i believe the flight crew would not let passengers take it in, because people ALWAYS put on their phones(to make really daft calls like 'what are you wearing now?') before doors are opened (while the pilot is still most likely communicating with tower) as they're asked to do. and me I wonder, 'if during the flight which was a few odd hours, you did not make this phone call and the world did not end, what will a few extra minutes to wait as instructed do to your phone call??

however, i feel if everytime someone whipped out their phones something dramatic happened to the planes, NO ONE would dare to put on their phones. and just like the flight crew dont tell you to simply put away liquids that are more than 100ml frm your hand luggage but confiscate liquids, they'd advice u to put ur phones in ur luggage or provide a place for passengers to drop their phones. . . dunno.

How come the Dana aircraft didn't glide for a while after it had dual engine failure??

Rustic: I hv a question for pilots in the house..
1.What prevent planes frm colliding wt another in the air since the pilots doesnt see afar,most especially busy routes like London,New york etc.?

2.Hw do pilots knw when they are approaching the airport and able to locate the runway, and also when on an emergency landing on another airport.

[b]Question 1-Pilots rely on 2 things to avoid collision with other planes 1) there is a device (forgotten its name exactly) that senses any object whatsoever at a distance and it also indicates the direction where the object is during flight 2) Pilots rely on instructions from air traffic controller at the control tower who clears them to proceed to fly and the altitude they must maintain as they depart the runway. the same principle is applied to inbound flights. The air traffic controller ensures all inbound and outbound flights, none of them should fly at the same altitude and none should take off or land at the same time. That is the reason why sometimes ur flight is kept in the air for extra minutes before it is cleared to land. Pilots rely on their gadgets and the traffic controller to basically fly their planes.

Question 2-They know exactly the km distance between point A and B so they know they are close if they are 100km,50km... to point b. at the same time, the plane picks the radar from the control tower of the airport they are approaching. At this point they communicate with the traffic controller and he instructs them on the altitude to maintain until he clears them for landing. meanwhile at this point, the pilot would have descended to lower altitude where he can see the landings strip. A pilot would not attempt to land if the landing strip is not visible.
[/b]

Rustic: I hv a question for pilots in the house..
1.What prevent planes frm colliding wt another in the air since the pilots doesnt see afar,most especially busy routes like London,New york etc.?
2.Hw do pilots knw when they are approaching the airport and able to locate the runway, and also when on an emergency landing on another airport.

To add what the poster above has said, the system he's referring to is TCAS. All aircraft are equipped with a TCAS or Traffic Alert Collision Avoidance System which communicate through a Transponder device. Clearance delivery gives you the transponder or squawk code, which is what pilots enter into their display and activate it. The transponder uses a radio frequency to communicate with other aircraft and their position withing a certain range.

2. To add to what he wrote, GPS or Visual. Precisely, they locate the runway, using the ILS frequency signal. For instance, the might have Runway 4L and 4C, you have to tune into the ILS approach for the runway to be exactly precise on which runway you're cleared to land on. Other than that, refer to his post up. On emergency landing, same thing.

@Rustic

Question 1-Pilots rely on 2 things to avoid collision with other planes 1) there is a device (forgotten its name exactly) that senses any object whatsoever at a distance and it also indicates the direction where the object is during flight 2) Pilots rely on instructions from air traffic controller at the control tower who clears them to proceed to fly and the altitude they must maintain as they depart the runway. the same principle is applied to inbound flights. The air traffic controller ensures all inbound and outbound flights, none of them should fly at the same altitude and none should take off or land at the same time. That is the reason why sometimes ur flight is kept in the air for extra minutes before it is cleared to land. Pilots rely on their gadgets and the traffic controller to basically fly their planes.


The primary method of preventing air collisions is the air traffic control (ATC) system. The air traffic controllers have numerous procedures to maintain what they call "separation" between aircraft.
Pilot also follow what they call "rules of the air" which create some kind of sanity and order especially in places where there is no air traffic control. For example, if i am navigating visually along a river i will stay to the right hand side of it that way i would be immune from colliding with opposite direction traffic, similar to driving on a road. Our marine brothers also have similar rules. As mentioned in previous posts, Traffic Collision avoidance system (TCAS) is an electronic method of preventing collisions. The limitation is that Both aircraft have to have certain equipment on. If a pilot forgets to switch on his TCAS equipment or if it fails in flight, TCAS protection is lost. TCAS provides voice and visual warnings to the pilots in the flight deck. If both aircraft have TCAS the system talk to each other and "resolve" the conflict; One aircraft will command its pilot to climb and the other will command its pilot to descend to avoid collision. The limitation of the system is that its can only provide vertical commands to avoid conflict (up or down) and also it requires the pilots to obey the commands promptly. Google the "DHL midair collison over Germany"to find out what happens when pilots don t follow the command.

Question 2-They know exactly the km distance between point A and B so they know they are close if they are 100km,50km... to point b. at the same time, the plane picks the radar from the control tower of the airport they are approaching. At this point they communicate with the traffic controller and he instructs them on the altitude to maintain until he clears them for landing. meanwhile at this point, the pilot would have descended to lower altitude where he can see the landings strip. A pilot would not attempt to land if the landing strip is not visible.

There are two types of flying: Visual flying and instrument flying. Visual flying is like driving your car. You navigate by looking through the window and confirming your position in relation to external references such as towns, roads, rivers, etc. Visual flying will be done by reference to a map. The pilot will also use speed-distance-time formulas to confirm distances. If i fly at 200kph after 30 minutes i should have covered 100 KM, or if i cover 75km in 30 minutes then i should be traveling at 150 kph.
Instrument flying is done by reference to data presented on the cockpit instruments. This is how most commercial flights are carried out. Numerous radio navigation stations (normally called radio navigation aids) scattered all over the world, each with its frequency and identifier. So a pilot will tune his radio just as you will tune Cool FM and identify that he has the correct station (The major aid in Lagos (LAG VOR aid) has a frequency of 113.70 MHz). The cockpit instrument can then be manipulated to all precise tracks to be followed based on radio signals from the aid. In the sky we have "airways" which are highways in the sky defined by definite tracks from airways. An aeroplane flying from Lagos to PH will fly on air UR984 which is a direct track from the Lagos navigational aid to the Port harcourt navigational aid. Some navigational aids have DME (distance measuring equipment) facilities, so when a pilot tune the frequency he get an distance diplay.

Modern day flying has been made easy by GPS and other similar equipment. Most aircraft in Nigeria now have moving map displays similar to SATNAV diplays in modern vehicles. it makes navigation many time easier. GPS also gives more distance to destination information.

The most complicated part of instrument flying are Instrument Approach Procedures (IAPs). These allow pilots to make an approach to landing using radio navigation aids without actually seeing the ground. usually they come down to a minimum altitude at which if they do not see the runway a go-around maneuver has to executed and a published missed approach procedure will be flown to a safe height. How low the pilots can go depends on the type of radio navigational aid been used. The most accurate is the Category 3 ILS approaches which in some airports (e.g. London Heathrow) can be conducted in zero visibility conditions.
An observant passenger may have noticed that sometime the pilots will fly over the airport and then do some turning procedures for about 5 minutes before coming in to land: that is an instrument approach procedure.


I hope I am making sense here

This is an example if an instrument approach procedure. This one is into JFK in New York, you can see the Carnarsie and Kennedy navigation aids with the frequencies the pilots will tune their onboard equipment to.
[img][/img]

for question 10 about mobile phones, i guess it will all boil down to the sohpistication of the plane. on american airlines flight in the u.s, you are allowed to go mobile and even use the internet.(took a complementary picture on my last flight) but it was a domestic flight within the us.

I haven't experienced most of your other wired cases like heat over the desert, damp cases etc and some of the others are basic things that occur on every flight.

I'm feelin dis thread....got some my queries elucidated.

.

Do pilots ever use the restroom during flights As in do they have a special restroom in front cabin?

jacobscros: Do pilots ever use the restroom during flights As in do they have a special restroom in front cabin?

they use one in the front of the cabin, and it is accessible to the passengers in front (usually business class)

chaircover: So im at arrivals heathrow at the moment waiting tO pick someone up and im looking at the display screen and i have another question

When the screen says landed, what does it mean? Does it mean the moment the wheels touch down, does it mean its at the end of the runway, does it mean its taxi'd to its stand, is it when the door opens? When?

Ive been on flights where touchdown is another 10 minutes of taxing to the stand in some airports

I'd like to know

It just means what the word says, the airplane has touched the ground. Just because an airplane arrives doesn't necessarily mean it's taxing to it's gate. Although arrivals get priority than departures, but in extreme rare cases, they may be asked to "hold or hold short" causing delays.


Arrived on the other hand means it's at the gate. So when you see the status change from "Landed" to "On-Time", it means the airplane is at it's gate, "choke on" and passengers are ready to deplane.

Yes, in larger airports, taxing to the gate is well up to 10 minutes from touchdown. This is because of heavy ground traffic pattern and also proximity of the terminal. All of these are considered into your flight time.

.

chaircover: Thanks manny

At heathrow it goes from "on time" to "landed" to "baggage in hall".

So just to confitm, what you are saying is that "landed" status is as soon as the plane touches down and not when the plane reaches its final parking slot?

Exactly! When they tell them to turn taxiway, it means the have "Landed".
Hmm, that's a lil off. The plane has to land first before being "On Time". The "On Time" status is just showing the total time "choke on, choke off", of flight time. In the U.S., if I'm correct, the FAA stated that any flight that deplanes after 15mins of estimated arrival time is "On Time". So if your ETA is 3:45pm and you arrive to the gate at 3:55pm, you're "On time".

FlyinNaija: @Rustic

Question 1-Pilots rely on 2 things to avoid collision with other planes 1) there is a device (forgotten its name exactly) that senses any object whatsoever at a distance and it also indicates the direction where the object is during flight 2) Pilots rely on instructions from air traffic controller at the control tower who clears them to proceed to fly and the altitude they must maintain as they depart the runway. the same principle is applied to inbound flights. The air traffic controller ensures all inbound and outbound flights, none of them should fly at the same altitude and none should take off or land at the same time. That is the reason why sometimes ur flight is kept in the air for extra minutes before it is cleared to land. Pilots rely on their gadgets and the traffic controller to basically fly their planes.


The primary method of preventing air collisions is the air traffic control (ATC) system. The air traffic controllers have numerous procedures to maintain what they call "separation" between aircraft.
Pilot also follow what they call "rules of the air" which create some kind of sanity and order especially in places where there is no air traffic control. For example, if i am navigating visually along a river i will stay to the right hand side of it that way i would be immune from colliding with opposite direction traffic, similar to driving on a road. Our marine brothers also have similar rules. As mentioned in previous posts, Traffic Collision avoidance system (TCAS) is an electronic method of preventing collisions. The limitation is that Both aircraft have to have certain equipment on. If a pilot forgets to switch on his TCAS equipment or if it fails in flight, TCAS protection is lost. TCAS provides voice and visual warnings to the pilots in the flight deck. If both aircraft have TCAS the system talk to each other and "resolve" the conflict; One aircraft will command its pilot to climb and the other will command its pilot to descend to avoid collision. The limitation of the system is that its can only provide vertical commands to avoid conflict (up or down) and also it requires the pilots to obey the commands promptly. Google the "DHL midair collison over Germany"to find out what happens when pilots don t follow the command.

Question 2-They know exactly the km distance between point A and B so they know they are close if they are 100km,50km... to point b. at the same time, the plane picks the radar from the control tower of the airport they are approaching. At this point they communicate with the traffic controller and he instructs them on the altitude to maintain until he clears them for landing. meanwhile at this point, the pilot would have descended to lower altitude where he can see the landings strip. A pilot would not attempt to land if the landing strip is not visible.

There are two types of flying: Visual flying and instrument flying. Visual flying is like driving your car. You navigate by looking through the window and confirming your position in relation to external references such as towns, roads, rivers, etc. Visual flying will be done by reference to a map. The pilot will also use speed-distance-time formulas to confirm distances. If i fly at 200kph after 30 minutes i should have covered 100 KM, or if i cover 75km in 30 minutes then i should be traveling at 150 kph.
Instrument flying is done by reference to data presented on the cockpit instruments. This is how most commercial flights are carried out. Numerous radio navigation stations (normally called radio navigation aids) scattered all over the world, each with its frequency and identifier. So a pilot will tune his radio just as you will tune Cool FM and identify that he has the correct station (The major aid in Lagos (LAG VOR aid) has a frequency of 113.70 MHz). The cockpit instrument can then be manipulated to all precise tracks to be followed based on radio signals from the aid. In the sky we have "airways" which are highways in the sky defined by definite tracks from airways. An aeroplane flying from Lagos to PH will fly on air UR984 which is a direct track from the Lagos navigational aid to the Port harcourt navigational aid. Some navigational aids have DME (distance measuring equipment) facilities, so when a pilot tune the frequency he get an distance diplay.

Modern day flying has been made easy by GPS and other similar equipment. Most aircraft in Nigeria now have moving map displays similar to SATNAV diplays in modern vehicles. it makes navigation many time easier. GPS also gives more distance to destination information.

The most complicated part of instrument flying are Instrument Approach Procedures (IAPs). These allow pilots to make an approach to landing using radio navigation aids without actually seeing the ground. usually they come down to a minimum altitude at which if they do not see the runway a go-around maneuver has to executed and a published missed approach procedure will be flown to a safe height. How low the pilots can go depends on the type of radio navigational aid been used. The most accurate is the Category 3 ILS approaches which in some airports (e.g. London Heathrow) can be conducted in zero visibility conditions.
An observant passenger may have noticed that sometime the pilots will fly over the airport and then do some turning procedures for about 5 minutes before coming in to land: that is an instrument approach procedure.


I hope I am making sense here

you analysis are second to none,tnks for the detailed explanation.