How planes land. How to land a plane in an emergency? Landing is also forced

Once in the cockpit (this is easy to do in aviation museum), most people sigh in admiration when they see a lot of buttons, toggle switches, sensors ... It seems that in order to manage this colossus, you need to be a genius! But in fact, the profession of a pilot is science and experience, nothing more. Of course, in the 21st century, many processes are simplified thanks to autopilot. But a person in the cockpit is still needed. For example, for the correct landing of the aircraft.

At another 400 meters above ground level, the landing approach begins: the plane “aims” at the runway (hereinafter referred to as the GDP), releases the landing gear (that is, “wheels”), fender liner, flaps, and slows down. If for some reason it is not possible to sit down after this (for example, from the airport they signaled about obstacles on the runway, the signal lights did not turn on, there was a downpour on the ground with poor visibility), the iron bird will rise to the second circle.

There is a special “decision-making height”, after which you can’t change your mind and fly up, you just need to go down. For most aircraft, this is 60 m.

The plane starts to land after a long descent, when 25 meters remain before the GDP. However, if the vessel is light, it will begin to land even lower - 9 meters from the ground.

The entire landing procedure before touching the ground takes only 6 seconds:

leveling: vertical speed drops to zero;
keeping: the angle of "attack" increases;
parachuting: the aircraft is pulled by the force of gravity, the lift of the wing is reduced, but does not disappear completely, so that the touch with the ground is smooth;
landing: depending on the type of winged bird design, it touches the GDP either only with the front landing gear, or with the whole “kit” at once (the so-called three-point landing).

Sometimes one of these processes is skipped. Yes, a pilot can "skip" a hold or a flare - everything but the landing itself!

More "specialized" types of fit

If we are not talking about a large passenger “liner” and a long runway, but about a limited GDP - say, about the deck of an aircraft carrier where fighters land, special devices help the pilot when landing.

Brake cables are being pulled on the deck of the same aircraft carrier. The fighter docks with them with a special hook, and thanks to this, it quickly slows down and does not fly into the ocean with its shaky GDP. It is worth noting that such a landing is carried out with the take-off mode of the aircraft turned on - suddenly the cable will let you down or the hook will miss, the expensive car will simply soar into the sky.

As for ground runways, if they are too short, some planes drop a parachute there - it increases braking.

Landing is also forced

Sometimes a winged bird lands at an alternate airfield. But this is not a forced, but a planned landing.

Circumstances beyond his control can force a pilot to make an emergency landing - for example, a serious breakdown (such as engine failure), in which he must first of all think about the safety of passengers.

In the movies, such cases look spectacular (remember at least “The Adventures of Italians in Russia”), but it’s scary live. Although this is only in relation to passengers, it is very curious to hear about such events in the news. Consider, for example, the landing of the A320 on the Hudson River. The plane did not sink, but the passengers were forced to climb onto the wings and wait for the rescue boat there.

Needless to say, the pilot who landed in any non-flying conditions definitely deserves the title of super professional!

How is the takeoff?

The aerodynamics of any airliner is provided by the configuration of the wing or wings. This configuration is the same for almost all aircraft except for small details. The lower part of the wing is always flat, the upper one is convex. Moreover, it does not depend on it.

The air that passes under the wing when accelerating does not change its properties. However, the air, which at the same time passes through the top of the wing, narrows. Consequently, less air flows through the top. This results in a pressure difference under and over the wings of the aircraft. As a result, the pressure above the wing decreases, and under the wing it increases. And it is precisely due to the pressure difference that a lifting force is formed that pushes the wing up, and together with the wing, the aircraft itself. At the moment when the lifting force exceeds the weight of the liner, the aircraft lifts off the ground. This happens with an increase in the speed of the liner (with an increase in speed, the lifting force also increases). The pilot also has the ability to control the flaps on the wing. If the flaps are lowered, the lift under the wing changes vector, and the aircraft rapidly gains altitude.

It is interesting that a smooth horizontal flight of the liner will be ensured if the lifting force is equal to the weight of the aircraft.

So, the lift determines at what speed the plane will take off the ground and start flying. The weight of the liner, its aerodynamic characteristics, and the thrust force of the engines also play a role.

during takeoff and landing

In order for a passenger plane to take off, the pilot needs to develop a speed that will provide the required lift. The higher the acceleration speed, the higher the lifting force will be. Consequently, at a high acceleration speed, the aircraft will take off faster than if it were moving at a low speed. However, the specific speed value is calculated for each liner individually, taking into account its actual weight, loading degree, weather conditions, runway length, etc.

Generally speaking, the famous Boeing 737 passenger airliner takes off from the ground when its speed rises to 220 km/h. Another well-known and huge "Boeing-747" with a lot of weight off the ground at a speed of 270 kilometers per hour. But the smaller Yak-40 liner is capable of taking off at a speed of 180 kilometers per hour due to its low weight.

Takeoff types

There are various factors that determine the take-off speed of an airliner:

Weather conditions (wind speed and direction, rain, snow).
Runway length.
Strip cover.

Depending on the conditions, takeoff can be carried out in different ways:

Classic speed dial.
From the brakes.
Takeoff with the help of special means.
Vertical climb.

The first method (classic) is used most often. When the runway is long enough, the aircraft can confidently gain the required speed necessary to provide high lift. However, in the case when the runway length is limited, the aircraft may not have enough distance to reach the required speed. Therefore, it stands for some time on the brakes, and the engines gradually gain traction. When the thrust becomes strong, the brakes are released and the aircraft abruptly takes off, quickly picking up speed. Thus, it is possible to shorten the take-off path of the liner.

There is no need to talk about vertical takeoff. It is possible in the presence of special engines. And takeoff with the help of special means is practiced on military aircraft carriers.

What is the landing speed of the aircraft?

The liner does not land on the runway immediately. First of all, there is a decrease in the speed of the liner, a decrease in altitude. First, the aircraft touches the runway with the landing gear wheels, then it moves at high speed already on the ground, and only then does it slow down. The moment of contact with the GDP is almost always accompanied by shaking in the cabin, which can cause anxiety among passengers. But there is nothing wrong with that.

Aircraft landing speeds are practically only slightly slower than takeoff speeds. A large Boeing 747, when approaching the runway, has an average speed of 260 kilometers per hour. This speed should be at the liner in the air. But, again, the specific speed value is calculated individually for all liners, taking into account their weight, workload, weather conditions. If the aircraft is very large and heavy, then the landing speed should be higher, because during landing it is also necessary to "keep" the required lift. Already after contact with the runway and when moving on the ground, the pilot can slow down by means of the landing gear and flaps on the wings of the aircraft.

Airspeed

The speed during landing of an aircraft and during takeoff is very different from the speed at which an aircraft is moving at an altitude of 10 km. Most often, aircraft fly at a speed that is 80% of the maximum. So the maximum speed of the popular Airbus A380 is 1020 km/h. In fact, flying at cruising speed is 850-900 km/h. The popular "Boeing 747" can fly at a speed of 988 km / h, but in fact its speed is also 850-900 km / h. As you can see, the flight speed is fundamentally different from the speed when the aircraft is landing.

Note that today the Boeing company is developing a liner that will be able to gain flight speed at high altitudes up to 5000 kilometers per hour.

Finally

Of course, the landing speed of an aircraft is an extremely important parameter, which is calculated strictly for each airliner. But it is impossible to name a specific value at which all planes take off. Even identical models (for example, Boeing 747s) will take off and land at different speeds due to various circumstances: workload, amount of fuel filled, runway length, runway coverage, presence or absence of wind, etc.

Now you know what is the speed of the aircraft when landing and when it takes off. Everyone knows the averages.

Those who live in the area of airports know that most often taking off liners soar up a steep trajectory, as if trying to get away from the ground as soon as possible. Indeed, the closer the earth, the less the ability to respond to an emergency and make a decision. Landing is another matter.

A 380 lands on a runway covered with water. Tests have shown that the aircraft is capable of landing in crosswinds with gusts up to 74 km/h (20 m/s). Although FAA and EASA regulations do not require reverse braking devices, Airbus designers decided to equip two engines closer to the fuselage with them. This made it possible to obtain an additional braking system, while reducing operating costs and reducing preparation time for the next flight.

Oleg Makarov

A modern jet passenger liner is designed to fly at altitudes of approximately 9-12 thousand meters. It is there, in very rarefied air, that it can move in the most economical mode and demonstrate its optimal speed and aerodynamic characteristics. The interval from the completion of the climb to the beginning of the descent is called cruise flight. The first stage of preparation for landing will be the descent from the flight level, or, in other words, following the arrival route. The final point of this route is the so-called initial approach checkpoint. In English, it is called Initial Approach Fix (IAF).

From the IAF point, movement begins according to the approach to the aerodrome and landing approach, which is developed separately for each airport. The approach according to the scheme involves further descent, passing the trajectory set by a number of control points with certain coordinates, often making turns and, finally, reaching the landing straight. At a certain point on the landing straight line, the liner enters the glide path. Glide path (from French glissade - glide) is an imaginary line connecting the entry point to the start of the runway. Passing along the glide path, the aircraft reaches the MAPt (Missed Approach Point), or go-around point. This point is passed at the decision-making height (CLL), i.e. the height at which the go-around maneuver should be initiated if, prior to reaching it, the pilot-in-command (PIC) did not establish the necessary visual contact with landmarks to continue the approach. Before the PLO, the PIC should already assess the position of the aircraft relative to the runway and give the command “Sit down” or “Leave”.

Chassis, flaps and economics

On September 21, 2001, an Il-86 aircraft belonging to one of Russian airlines, landed at Dubai Airport (UAE) without releasing the landing gear. The case ended in a fire in two engines and the decommissioning of the liner - fortunately, no one was hurt. There was no talk of technical failure, just a chassis ... they forgot to release it.

Modern liners, compared to aircraft of past generations, are literally packed with electronics. They implement a fly-by-wire electrical remote control system (literally “fly on the wire”). This means that the rudders and mechanization are set in motion by actuators that receive commands in the form of digital signals. Even if the aircraft is not flying in automatic mode, the movements of the steering wheel are not directly transmitted to the rudders, but are recorded in the form of a digital code and sent to a computer that will instantly process the data and give a command to the actuator. In order to increase the reliability of automatic systems, two identical computer devices (FMC, Flight Management Computer) are installed in the aircraft, which constantly exchange information, checking each other. In FMC, a flight task is entered with the indication of the coordinates of the points through which the flight path will pass. Electronics can guide the aircraft along this trajectory without human intervention. But the rudders and mechanization (flaps, slats, spoilers) of modern liners are not much different from the same devices in models released decades ago. 1. Flaps. 2. Interceptors (spoilers). 3. Slats. 4. Ailerons. 5. Rudder. 6. Stabilizers. 7. Elevator.

Economics is at the heart of this accident. The approach to the airfield and landing approach are associated with a gradual decrease in the speed of the aircraft. Since the amount of wing lift is directly related to both speed and wing area, in order to maintain enough lift to keep the car from stalling into a tailspin, the wing area needs to be increased. For this purpose, mechanization elements are used - flaps and slats. Flaps and slats perform the same role as the feathers that birds fan out before falling to the ground. Upon reaching the speed of the beginning of the release of mechanization, the PIC gives a command to extend the flaps and almost simultaneously - to increase the engine operation mode to prevent a critical loss of speed due to an increase in drag. The greater the deflection angle of the flaps/slats, the greater the mode required by the engines. Therefore, the closer to the runway the final release of mechanization (flaps / slats and landing gear) takes place, the less fuel will be burned.

On domestic aircraft of old types, such a sequence for the release of mechanization was adopted. First (for 20-25 km to the runway) the chassis was produced. Then for 18-20 km - flaps at 280. And already on the landing straight, the flaps were fully extended, into the landing position. Today, however, a different methodology has been adopted. In order to save money, pilots tend to fly the maximum distance “on a clean wing”, and then, before the glide path, reduce the speed by intermediate flap extension, then extend the landing gear, bring the flap angle to the landing position and land.

The figure shows a very simplified approach to landing and takeoff in the airport area. In fact, schemes can differ markedly from airport to airport, as they are drawn up taking into account the terrain, the presence of high-rise buildings near and no-fly zones. Sometimes there are several schemes for the same airport depending on weather conditions. So, for example, in the Moscow Vnukovo, when entering the runway (VVP 24), the so-called. a short circuit, the trajectory of which lies outside the Moscow Ring Road. But in bad weather, planes enter in a long pattern, and the liners fly over the South-West of Moscow.

The crew of the ill-fated IL-86 also used the new technique and extended the flaps to the landing gear. Knowing nothing about new trends in piloting, the Il-86 automation immediately turned on the voice and light alarm, which required the crew to release the landing gear. So that the signaling would not irritate the pilots, it was simply turned off, just as a boring alarm clock is turned off when awake. Now there was no one to remind the crew that the chassis still needed to be released. Today, however, copies of the Tu-154 and Il-86 aircraft with modified signaling have already appeared, which fly according to the approach method with a late release of mechanization.

Based on actual weather

In information reports, you can often hear a similar phrase: “Due to the deterioration of weather conditions in the area of airport N, crews make decisions about takeoff and landing according to actual weather". This common stamp causes domestic aviators to laugh and indignant at the same time. Of course, there is no arbitrariness in the flying business. When the aircraft passes the decision point, the aircraft commander (and only he) finally announces whether the crew will land the liner or the landing will be aborted by a go-around. Even under the best weather conditions and the absence of obstacles on the runway, the PIC has the right to cancel the landing if, as the Federal Aviation Rules say, he is “not sure of the successful outcome of the landing.” “Go-around today is not considered a miscalculation in the work of the pilot, but on the contrary, it is welcomed in all situations that allow for doubt. It is better to be vigilant and even sacrifice some amount of burned fuel than put the lives of passengers and crew at even the slightest risk,” explained Igor Bocharov, Head of Flight Operations at S7 Airlines.

The course-glide path system consists of two parts: a pair of course and a pair of glide path radio beacons. Two localizers are located behind the runway and radiate a directional radio signal along it at different frequencies at small angles. On the runway center line, the intensity of both signals is the same. To the left and to the right of this direct signal of one of the beacons is stronger than the other. By comparing the intensity of the signals, the aircraft's radio navigation system determines on which side and how far it is from the center line. Two glide path beacons stand in the area of the touchdown zone and act in a similar way, only in a vertical plane.

On the other hand, in making decisions, the PIC is strictly limited by the existing landing procedure regulations, and within this regulation (except for emergency situations like a fire on board), the crew does not have any decision-making freedom. There is a strict classification of approach types. For each of them, separate parameters are prescribed that determine the possibility or impossibility of such a landing under given conditions.

For example, for Vnukovo Airport, a non-precision instrument approach (according to locators) requires passing a decision point at an altitude of 115 m with a horizontal visibility of 1700 m (determined by the weather service). To land before the VLOOKUP (in this case, 115 m), visual contact with landmarks must be established. For an automatic landing according to ICAO category II, these values are much lower - they are 30 m and 350 m. Category IIIc allows a fully automatic landing with zero horizontal and vertical visibility - for example, in complete fog.

Safe hardness

Any air passenger with experience of flying with domestic and foreign airlines has probably noticed that our pilots land planes “softly”, while foreign ones land “hard”. In other words, in the second case, the moment of touching the strip is felt in the form of a noticeable push, while in the first case, the aircraft gently “grinds” to the strip. The difference in landing style is explained not only by the traditions of flight schools, but also by objective factors.

Let's start with some terminological clarity. A hard landing in aviation is called a landing with an overload that greatly exceeds the standard. As a result of such a landing, the aircraft, in the worst case, suffers damage in the form of permanent deformation, and at best, requires special Maintenance aimed at additional control of the state of the aircraft. As Igor Kulik, Leading Pilot Instructor of the Flight Standards Department of S7 Airlines, explained to us, today a pilot who made a real hard landing is removed from flights and sent for additional training in simulators. Before going on a flight again, the offender will also have to test-training flight with an instructor.

The landing style on modern Western aircraft cannot be called hard - it's just about increased overload (about 1.4-1.5 g) compared to 1.2-1.3 g, characteristic of the "domestic" tradition. In terms of piloting technique, the difference between landings with relatively less and relatively more g-loads is explained by the difference in the procedure for leveling the aircraft.

To leveling, that is, to prepare for touching the ground, the pilot proceeds immediately after passing the end of the runway. At this time, the pilot takes over the helm, increasing the pitch and transferring the aircraft to the pitching position. Simply put, the aircraft “turns its nose”, which results in an increase in the angle of attack, which means a small increase in lift and a drop in vertical speed.

At the same time, the engines are transferred to the “idle gas” mode. After some time, the rear landing gear touches the strip. Then, reducing the pitch, the pilot lowers the front strut onto the runway. At the moment of contact, spoilers (spoilers, they are also air brakes) are activated. Then, reducing the pitch, the pilot lowers the front strut onto the runway and turns on the reverse device, that is, additionally slows down with engines. Wheel braking is applied, as a rule, in the second half of the run. The reverse is structurally made up of shields that are placed in the path of the jet stream, deflecting part of the gases at an angle of 45 degrees to the course of the aircraft - almost in the opposite direction. It should be noted that on aircraft of old domestic types, the use of reverse during the run is mandatory.

Silence on the sidelines

On August 24, 2001, the crew of an Airbus A330 flying from Toronto to Lisbon discovered a fuel leak in one of the tanks. It took place in the sky over the Atlantic. The commander of the ship, Robert Pish, decided to leave for an alternate airfield located on one of Azores. However, on the way, both engines caught fire and failed, and there were still about 200 kilometers to the airfield. Rejecting the idea of landing on the water, as giving almost no chance of salvation, Pish decided to make it to land in gliding mode. And he succeeded! The landing turned out to be tough - almost all the pneumatics burst - but the disaster did not happen. Only 11 people received minor injuries.

Domestic pilots, especially those operating Soviet-type airliners (Tu-154, Il-86), often complete the alignment with the holding procedure, that is, for some time they continue to fly over the runway at a height of about a meter, achieving a soft touch. Of course, passengers like holding landings more, and many pilots, especially those with extensive experience in domestic aviation, consider this style a sign of high skill.

However, today's global trends in aircraft design and piloting prefer landing with an overload of 1.4-1.5 g. Firstly, such landings are safer, since holding landings contain the risk of rolling out of the runway. In this case, the use of reverse is almost inevitable, which creates additional noise and increases fuel consumption. Secondly, the very design of modern passenger aircraft provides for a touch with increased overload, since the operation of automation, for example, the activation of spoilers and wheel brakes, depends on a certain value of the physical impact on the landing gear (compression). This is not required in older types of aircraft, since the spoilers are switched on there automatically after turning on the reverse. And the reverse is turned on by the crew.

There is another reason for the difference in landing style, say, on the Tu-154 and A 320, which are close in class. Runways in the USSR were often notable for low cargo density, and therefore in Soviet aviation they tried to avoid too much pressure on the surface. On the carts of the rear pillars of the Tu-154, six wheels each - this design contributed to the distribution of the weight of the machine on large area when landing. But the A 320 has only two wheels on the racks, and it was originally designed for landing with more overload on stronger lanes.

The island of Saint Martin in the Caribbean, divided between France and the Netherlands, has become famous not so much because of its hotels and beaches, but thanks to the landings of civilian liners. In that tropical paradise heavy wide-body aircraft such as Boeing-747 or A-340 are flying from all over the world. Such cars need a long run after landing, however, at the airport of Princess Juliana, the strip is too short - only 2130 meters - its end is separated from the sea only by a narrow strip of land with a beach. To avoid rolling out, Airbus pilots aim at the very end of the strip, flying 10-20 meters above the heads of vacationers on the beach. This is how the trajectory of the glide path is laid. Photos and videos with landings on about. Saint-Martin has long bypassed the Internet, and many at first did not believe in the authenticity of these filming.

Trouble on the ground

And yet, really hard landings, as well as other troubles, happen on the final leg of the flight. As a rule, not one, but several factors lead to accidents, including piloting errors, equipment failure, and, of course, the elements.

A great danger is the so-called wind shear, that is, a sharp change in wind strength with height, especially when it occurs within 100 m above the ground. Suppose an aircraft is approaching the runway at an IAS of 250 km/h with zero wind. But, having descended a little lower, the plane suddenly encounters a tailwind with a speed of 50 km / h. The pressure of the incoming air will drop, and the speed of the aircraft will be 200 km/h. The lifting force will also drop sharply, but the vertical speed will increase. To compensate for the loss of lift, the crew will need to add engine power and increase speed. However, the aircraft has a huge inertial mass, and it simply will not have time to instantly gain sufficient speed. If there is no headroom, a hard landing cannot be avoided. If the liner encounters a sharp gust of headwind, the lift, on the contrary, will increase, and then there will be a danger of a late landing and rolling out of the runway. Landing on a wet and icy strip also leads to rollouts.

Man and machine

Approach types fall into two categories, visual and instrumental.
The condition for a visual approach, as with an instrument approach, is the height of the base of the clouds and the visual range on the runway. The crew follows the approach pattern, focusing on the landscape and ground objects, or independently choosing the approach trajectory within the allocated visual maneuvering zone (it is set as a half circle centered at the end of the runway). Visual landings allow you to save fuel by choosing the shortest this moment approach trajectory.
The second category of landings is instrumental (Instrumental Landing System, ILS). They, in turn, are divided into accurate and inaccurate. Precise landings are made using a course-glide path, or radio beacon, system, with the help of course and glide path beacons. The beacons form two flat radio beams - one horizontal, depicting the glide path, the other vertical, indicating the course to the runway. Depending on the equipment of the aircraft, the course-glide path system allows for automatic landing (the autopilot itself steers the aircraft along the glide path, receiving a signal from radio beacons), director landing (on the command device, two director bars show the positions of the glide path and heading; the task of the pilot, operating the helm, is to place them accurately in the center of the command device) or beacon approach (the crossed arrows on the command device depict the course and glide path, and the circle shows the position of the aircraft relative to the required course; the task is to combine the circle with the center of the crosshairs). Inaccurate landings are performed in the absence of a course-glide path system. The line of approach to the end of the runway is set by a radio-technical means - for example, installed at a certain distance from the end of the far and near driving radio stations with markers (LBM - 4 km, BBM - 1 km). Receiving signals from the "drives", magnetic compass in the cockpit shows whether the plane is to the right or left of the runway. At airports equipped with a course-glide path system, a significant part of landings are made on instruments in automatic mode. The ICFO international organization has approved a list of three categories of automatic landing, and category III has three subcategories - A, B, C. For each type and category of landing, there are two defining parameters - horizontal visibility distance and vertical visibility height, it is also decision height. In general, the principle is as follows: the more automation is involved in the landing and the less the “human factor” is involved, the lower the values of these parameters.

Another scourge of aviation is side wind. When the aircraft flies with a drift angle when approaching the end of the runway, the pilot often has a desire to “tuck” the steering wheel, to put the aircraft on the exact course. When turning, a roll occurs, and the aircraft exposes a large area to the wind. The liner blows even further to the side, and in this case the go-around becomes the only correct decision.

In a crosswind, the crew often tries not to lose control of the direction, but eventually loses control of the height. This was one of the reasons for the Tu-134 crash in Samara on March 17, 2007. The combination of "human factor" with bad weather cost the lives of six people.

Sometimes a hard landing with catastrophic consequences results from incorrect vertical maneuvering on the final leg of the flight. Sometimes the plane does not have time to descend to the required height and is above the glide path. The pilot begins to "give the helm", trying to enter the trajectory of the glide path. In this case, the vertical speed sharply increases. However, with an increased vertical speed, a greater height is also required, at which alignment must be started before touching, and this dependence is quadratic. The pilot, on the other hand, proceeds to equalize at a psychologically familiar height. As a result, the aircraft touches the ground with a huge overload and crashes. History of such cases civil aviation knows a lot.

Airliners of the latest generations can be called flying robots. Today, 20-30 seconds after takeoff, the crew can, in principle, turn on the autopilot and then the car will do everything itself. If there are no emergencies, if an accurate flight plan is entered into the on-board computer database, including the approach path, if the arrival airport has the appropriate modern equipment, the liner will be able to fly and land without human intervention. Unfortunately, in reality, even the most advanced technology sometimes fails, aircraft of outdated designs are still in operation, and the equipment of Russian airports continues to be desired. That is why, rising into the sky, and then descending to the ground, we still largely depend on the skill of those who work in the cockpit.

We would like to thank the representatives of S7 Airlines for their help: Pilot Instructor Il-86, Chief of Flight Operations Staff Igor Bocharov, Chief Navigator Vyacheslav Fedenko, Pilot Instructor of the Flight Standards Department Directorate Igor Kulik

Planes are getting smarter every day. If earlier the autopilot was considered the height of perfection in aviation, in relatively calm weather conditions, safely and reliably escorting the aircraft from point A to point B, then modern liners can boast of systems that allow them to take off and land automatically. Among passengers, sometimes there is even an opinion that the profession of a pilot is not as difficult as it is shown, say, in the movies - you sit, drink coffee and press the buttons. And if suddenly something happens, then automation will always help out and help even an ordinary passenger to land the plane. But is it really so?

Imagine. You are flying on vacation to sunny Cyprus or to a film festival in New York. On the screen of the multimedia system in the passenger seat, a colorful map with the route and flight parameters is displayed in front of you. Height 11 thousand meters, speed 890 kilometers per hour. Engines whistle measuredly, fluffy clouds float smoothly behind the porthole below, and from above - bottomless blue and dazzling sun. But then suddenly a pale stewardess runs into the cabin and loudly announces (although in fact this will never happen, because the instruction forbids) that all the pilots (yes, both at once!) Have lost consciousness and do not come into it.

Not a single pilot, like you, flying on vacation, is in the cabin. There is no one to fly and land the plane. And then you get up from your chair and with the gait of a true brave man go to the door of the cockpit. You have to get in somehow, but how? The door is armored, pilots control its opening. A flight attendant comes to the rescue: on a small digital panel next to the door, she dials a secret code. But the door does not open, because the electronic door lock provides for a delay: pilots must make sure through the camera that the flight attendant dialed the code alone, and not under the supervision of terrorists (in this case, they block the lock until the end of the flight). After a delay, the door opens.

In front of you: wind windows with clouds and bottomless blue, a lot of buttons, verniers, screens and screens, handles and handles, pilots' bodies and two steering wheels (if you are flying on a Boeing or Tupolev liner, or two joysticks if you are on an Airbus or SSJ). Most likely, when you enter the cockpit, the plane will fly under the control of the autopilot (because the weather is clear and nothing interferes). It is best to take a seat on the left. It is commanding, from there there are more than any opportunities to control the aircraft. First of all, on the steering wheel or joystick, you need to find the radio switch (just do not press the red button, otherwise you will turn off the autopilot).

After the radio communication switch is found, put on a headset (headphones with a microphone), press the found switch and say “Mayday” loudly and clearly several times (this is a distress signal, the dispatcher will definitely respond to it). If the switch on the steering wheel or joystick cannot be found, then a walkie-talkie will be found to the left of your chair. Feel free to take it, turn it on, tune it to a frequency of 121.5 megahertz and shout "Mayday" into it. Rescue services listen to this frequency, so soon you will be switched to the dispatcher or the pilot on duty, and he will already explain what to do next.

In fact, in this whole process, the most important step is the communication with the control tower. After the dispatcher answers your call for help, he will ask you for your flight number and tell you where you can find this information (for example, on the steering wheel, these numbers are on the "horn" on the left). And then the most interesting will begin - under the guidance of the dispatcher and the pilot on duty, you will proceed directly to the landing of the aircraft. If you have previously "flyed" at home on a computer flight simulator, it will be easier for you, but this is still not a guarantee of a successful landing.

Depending on the type of aircraft, the actions that the duty officer will prompt you will differ, but the general landing pattern is the same for everyone. To begin with, you will be asked to make sure that the autopilot is working properly and that the flight parameters that it adheres to are correct. At some distance from the airport, you will be prompted to transfer the autopilot to the approach mode, and then they will prompt you with which handles you need to set the speed, altitude, and turn. At the same time, you will be offered to set up the aircraft's automation to receive signals from the beacon of the instrumental landing system located at the airport. The plane will go to his signal when landing.

Then the moment will surely come when the pilot on duty will ask you to release the flaps (the handle on the center panel with the inscription FLAP and several divisions) and the landing gear (the large knob with arrows and the inscriptions UP and DOWN). After touching the runway, you will be ordered to turn on the engine reverse (levers on the engine control handles between the seats) and use all the wing mechanization to help slow down. Finally, you will be asked to apply the brakes (usually located on top of the steering pedals under your feet). All. You landed, the plane stopped. You can faint or heroically wipe the sweat from your forehead.

In fact, this was described as the ideal landing. In it you are a very lucky person. After all, the weather is good, there is no wind, the aircraft is equipped with an automatic landing system, and an instrumental landing system (a system of beacons that allows the aircraft to orient, find the runway and even align in its center) is installed at the receiving airport. Depending on the accuracy category, the instrumental landing system allows you to land the aircraft in automatic mode from a height of 790 to 49 meters. But such systems are equipped so far only major airports, which means that in the regional port you will have to land in manual mode.

The fact is that the on-board automatic landing system on an aircraft without an instrumental landing system at the airport will not work; the plane simply “does not see” where to land, and everything will end very sadly. And if you thought that landing in automatic mode is like pressing two buttons and waiting for the plane to do everything by itself, then you were sorely mistaken. The machine has access only to the rudders, elevators and engines. You still have to turn on flaps, spoilers, spoilers, deflected socks, landing gear brakes and other mechanization.

If your arrival airport does not have an instrument landing system, or there is a strong side wind, rain, or fog, then you will most likely have to land the aircraft in full manual mode. And here your chances of success are reduced by an order of magnitude. The pilot on duty, of course, will tell you to the last where and what you need to pull, which pedal to press and what numbers to dial, but this is unlikely to help. The fact is that pilots learn how to fly an aircraft in bad weather conditions for a long time and hard. A person who is called "from the cold" has no chance.

And, yes, bad news. If you have never been specifically interested in the device of the cockpit of the very aircraft on which you are flying, then both automatic and manual landing will end for you in the same way - a disaster in which everyone on board will die. There is always a small chance of survival, of course, but it is negligible. In automatic landing mode, you will at least have a few seconds to find the right handle or button, and the computer will insure you against serious mistakes. In the manual landing mode, there will simply be no time to look for the necessary buttons, and delay is death.

So no matter what modern aircraft you fly, you most likely won’t be able to land it without at least minimal training. But the good news is that until you land (or crash), you don't actually even know that anything happened to the pilots at all. Flight attendants, most likely, will simply not tell you this, because such information can cause panic on board, and this is already guaranteed death - it is impossible to control a panicking crowd. The flight attendants will try to take all actions for automatic or manual landing on their own until the end.

In 2009, a Boeing 737 passenger plane crashed near Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Turkish Airlines. The disaster killed nine people and injured 120 others. The plane was landing under the control of a professional pilot in automatic mode, and the cause of the disaster was the incorrect output of data by a radio altimeter. But do not panic: in the case when the plane is controlled by a pilot, the probability of a catastrophic landing in automatic mode is estimated at one in two billion.

And remember. There are always two pilots in the cockpit: the commander aircraft and co-pilot. In history passenger aviation so far there has not been a single case of both pilots failing at the same time. In November 2012, a Boeing 747 passenger Lufthansa airlines committed forced landing at Dublin airport (the plane was flying from New York to Frankfurt) after the aircraft commander suffered a severe migraine attack. The co-pilot was helped to land the plane by one of the passengers, who happened to have little experience in piloting turboprop aircraft.

At the same time, there were only five or six cases in the history of aviation when a passenger or a stewardess would be involved in managing an aircraft as an assistant pilot. In all cases, the assistants had, albeit small, but still some experience in flying an aircraft.

But progress does not stand still. At the end of last year, the US Federal Aviation Administration introduced new approach rules for passenger aircraft equipped with blind landing systems. Such aircraft can now land at airports closed to other aircraft due to poor visibility. These systems include several heading sensors, including infrared cameras, and technical information exchange equipment. During landing approach, the system displays combined images from heading sensors and various instrumental data in real time on the screen in the cockpit.

The presence on board the aircraft of "blind" and automatic landing systems (the development of an automatic taxiing system along the airfield is also underway) will make flights really safe in the next ten to twenty years. Given the development of automatic systems and the shortage of pilots, NASA at the beginning of last year created the position of "super traffic controller" at airports, and cut the crews of aircraft by half, that is, leave one pilot in the cockpit. Agency experts believe that one pilot can fly the plane under normal conditions, especially since most of the flight takes place, as a rule, under the control of the autopilot.

The "super traffic controller" at the airport will become a virtual co-pilot. It will be located in a special control center and will accompany several flights at once. In the event of an emergency or loss of the captain of the aircraft, he will take control. Remote control of the aircraft and data exchange will be carried out via a broadband communication channel in real time. Curiously, in response to NASA's proposal, some airlines decided to go even further and announced that aircraft could be left without pilots at all.

The fact is that the existing control and navigation systems of modern aircraft are already accurate enough to completely entrust the take-off, flight and landing of airliners to automation. For example, some aircraft are already equipped navigation equipment RNP-1 specifications. This means that in automatic mode the liner with a probability of 0.95 during the entire flight will deviate from the axis of the given route by no more than one nautical mile (1.852 kilometers). Knowing about high precision navigation systems, the Israelis, for example, even the interception zones of air and missile defense systems right up to the borders of the air corridors.

Major avionics manufacturers, including France's Thales and America's Honeywell, are already developing truly automated systems. Such systems will not depend on airport instrumentation systems and will be able to land aircraft on any suitable for them. take-off landing strips. The equipment of these systems will independently recognize the runways, assess the surrounding conditions and fly the aircraft. However, prior to the integration of such systems into passenger liners still very, very far away. After all, they still need to be tested, checked for reliability, duplicated. And that takes years of research.