Control your Speed… During Descent, Approach and Landing
This article is the conclusion of our theme of speed management during a flight, which began in Safety first Issue #18. We are entering into the descent phase. Our objective is to cover descent from cruise altitude down toward the destination airport and prepare the aircraft for its approach and landing.This article aims to highlight […]
Safety First #24
Safety, Our Shared Destination
As professionals, working in an industry with annual growth rates between 5 & 6%, we must ask ourselves the question ‘what could be the impact on Safety of a doubling of air traffic?’. Without industry-wide action to lower the accident rate, by 2030 we will be experiencing accidents more frequently.This article looks at an Airbus […]
Safely Flying Non-Precision Instrument Approaches
Historically the distinction between flying ILS/MLS and non-precision approaches was very clear. However, many new kinds of instrument approaches are now available and this makes the distinction less obvious. What remains true today for any approach is that disregarding basic flying techniques and procedures reduces safety margins.This article clarifies which technologies are available to perform […]
Preparing Flight Crews to Face Unexpected Events
During an approach at night-time into Glasgow Airport, the crew of an easyJet A319 experienced a strong cross-wind and turbulent conditions, which created a WINDSHEAR alert and led them to perform a go-around.As they did this, PFD information including Flight Modes Annunciator, Flight Director bars, and characteristic speeds all disappeared from both PFDs. In addition, […]
Introduction to the Soft Go-Around Function
The “all engines” go-around is a very dynamic procedure with high accelerations created by the application of TOGA thrust. Yet in-service experience has shown that as long as both engines are operating, a lower thrust can still be sufficient to perform a safe go-around.As a safety enhancement, Airbus has introduced the Soft Go-Around (SGA) function, […]