home Other countries Let's lift the curtain. How do planes land? How to land a plane in an emergency? The trajectory along which the airliner approaches to land

Let's lift the curtain. How do planes land? How to land a plane in an emergency? The trajectory along which the airliner approaches to land

Those who live near airports know: most often, taking off airliners soar upward along a steep trajectory, as if trying to get away from the ground as quickly as possible. And indeed, the closer the earth is, the less opportunity there is to react to an emergency and make a decision. Landing is another matter.

And the 380 lands on a runway covered with water. Tests have shown that the aircraft is capable of landing in crosswinds with gusts of up to 74 km/h (20 m/s). Although reverse braking devices are not required by the FAA and EASA, Airbus designers decided to equip the two engines located 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.

A modern jet passenger airliner 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 period from the completion of the climb to the start of the descent is called the flight at cruising level. 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 airfield and landing approach, which is developed separately for each airport. An approach according to the pattern involves a further descent, passing a trajectory defined by a number of control points with certain coordinates, often performing turns and, finally, entering the landing line. At a certain landing point, the airliner enters the glide path. The glide path (from the French glissade - sliding) is an imaginary line connecting the entry point with the beginning of the take-off runway. Following the glide path, the aircraft reaches the MAPt (Missed Approach Point), or missed approach point. This point is passed at the decision altitude (DAL), that is, the altitude at which the missed approach maneuver must be initiated if, before reaching it, the pilot-in-command (PIC) has not established the necessary visual contact with landmarks to continue the approach. Before the flight, the PIC must already assess the position of the aircraft relative to the runway and give the command “Land” or “Leave”.

Landing gear, flaps and economy

On September 21, 2001, an Il-86 aircraft belonging to one of Russian airlines, landed at Dubai airport (UAE) without extending the landing gear. The case ended with a fire in two engines and the aircraft being written off - fortunately, no one was injured. There was no talk of a technical malfunction, they just forgot to release the landing gear.

Modern airliners, compared to aircraft of previous generations, are literally packed with electronics. They implement a fly-by-wire remote control system (literally “fly on a wire”). This means that the steering wheels and mechanization are driven by actuators that receive commands in the form of digital signals. Even if the plane is not flying in automatic mode, the movements of the helm are not transmitted directly to the rudders, but are recorded in the form of a digital code and sent to a computer, which will instantly process the data and issue a command to the actuator. In order to increase the reliability of automatic systems, the aircraft is equipped with two identical computer devices (FMC, Flight Management Computer), which constantly exchange information, checking each other. A flight mission is entered into the FMC indicating 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) modern airliners 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 has something to do with the background to 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 dependent on both the speed and the wing area, in order to maintain enough lift to keep the car from stalling into a tailspin, the wing area must 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 landing on the ground. When the speed of the start of mechanization extension is reached, the PIC gives the command to extend the flaps and, almost simultaneously, to increase the engine operating mode to prevent a critical loss of speed due to an increase in drag. The greater the angle the flaps/slats are deflected, the greater the operating mode required by the engines. Therefore, the closer to the runway the final release of the mechanization (flaps/slats and landing gear) occurs, the less fuel will be burned.

On domestic aircraft of older types, this sequence of mechanization release was adopted. First (20-25 km before the runway) the landing gear was released. Then, after 18-20 km, the flaps were set to 280. And already on the landing straight, the flaps were extended fully, to the landing position. However, nowadays a different technique has been adopted. In order to save money, pilots strive to fly the maximum distance “on a clean wing”, and then, before the glide path, reduce the speed by intermediately extending the flaps, then lower the landing gear, bring the flap angle to the landing position and land.

The figure shows a very simplified diagram of the approach and takeoff in the airport area. In fact, the schemes may differ noticeably from airport to airport, as they are compiled taking into account the terrain, the presence of high-rise buildings and no-fly zones nearby. Sometimes several schemes operate for the same airport depending on weather conditions. For example, in Moscow Vnukovo, when entering the runway (GDP 24), the so-called a short scheme, 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 automatic system immediately turned on a voice and light alarm, which required the crew to lower the landing gear. So that the alarm would not irritate the pilots, it was simply turned off, like turning off a boring alarm clock when you are asleep. Now there was no one to remind the crew that the landing gear still needed to be lowered. Today, however, there have already appeared examples of Tu-154 and Il-86 aircraft with modified signaling, which fly according to the approach method with the late release of mechanization.

According to actual weather

In news reports you can often hear a similar phrase: “Due to deteriorating weather conditions in the area of airport N, the crews make decisions about takeoff and landing according to actual weather" This common cliche causes both laughter and indignation among domestic aviators. Of course, there is no arbitrariness in flying. When the aircraft passes the decision point, the pilot-in-command (and only he) makes the final call on whether the crew will land the aircraft or whether the landing will be aborted by a go-around. Even in 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 Regulations say, he is “not confident in the successful outcome of the landing.” “Today, a missed approach is not considered a failure in the pilot’s work, but, on the contrary, is welcomed in all doubtful situations. It’s better to be vigilant and even sacrifice some amount of burned fuel than to put even the slightest risk to the lives of passengers and crew,” Igor Bocharov, chief of the flight operations headquarters of S7 Airlines, explained to us.

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

On the other hand, the PIC is strictly limited in decision-making by the existing landing procedure regulations, and within the limits of these regulations (except for emergency situations such as a fire on board) the crew does not have any freedom to make decisions. There is a strict classification of landing 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, an instrument approach using a non-precision type (via radio stations) requires passing a decision point at an altitude of 115 m with a horizontal visibility of 1700 m (determined by the weather service). In order to land before the runway (in this case 115 m), visual contact with landmarks must be established. For automatic landing according to ICAO category II, these values are much smaller - they are 30 m and 350 m. Category IIIc allows for 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 them “hard”. In other words, in the second case, the moment of touching the runway is felt in the form of a noticeable push, while in the first case, the plane gently “rubs” against the runway. The difference in landing style is explained not only by the traditions of flight schools, but also by objective factors.

First, let's clarify terminology. In aviation usage, a hard landing is a landing with an overload that greatly exceeds the norm. As a result of such a landing, the aircraft, in the worst case, receives damage in the form of residual deformation, and in the best case, it requires special maintenance aimed at additional monitoring of the condition of the aircraft. As Igor Kulik, leading pilot instructor of the flight standards department of S7 Airlines, explained to us, today a pilot who makes a real hard landing is suspended from flying and sent for additional training on simulators. Before taking off again, the offender will also have to undergo a test flight with an instructor.

The landing style on modern Western aircraft cannot be called hard - we are simply talking about increased overload (about 1.4-1.5 g) compared to 1.2-1.3 g, characteristic of the “domestic” tradition. If we talk about piloting techniques, the difference between landings with relatively less and relatively more overload is explained by the difference in the procedure for leveling the aircraft.

The pilot begins alignment, that is, preparation for touching the ground, immediately after flying over the end of the runway. At this time, the pilot takes the helm, increasing the pitch and moving the aircraft to a nose-up position. Simply put, the plane “lifts its nose,” which results in an increase in the angle of attack, which means a slight increase in lift and a drop in vertical speed.

At the same time, the engines are switched to the “idle gas” mode. After some time, the rear landing gear touches the strip. Then, reducing the pitch, the pilot lowers the nose gear onto the runway. At the moment of contact, spoilers (spoilers, also known as 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 braking with the engines. Wheel braking is used, as a rule, in the second half of the run. The reverse is structurally made up of flaps that are placed in the path of the jet stream, deflecting some 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 older domestic aircraft, the use of reverse during the run is mandatory.

Silence overboard

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 happened in the skies over the Atlantic. The ship's commander, Robert Pisch, decided to leave for an alternate airfield located on one of the Azores islands. However, along the way, both engines caught fire and failed, and there were still about 200 kilometers left to the airfield. Rejecting the idea of landing on water, as giving virtually no chance of salvation, Pish decided to reach land in gliding mode. And he succeeded! The landing turned out to be hard - almost all the tires burst - but no disaster occurred. Only 11 people received minor injuries.

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

However, today's global trends in aircraft design and piloting give preference to landing with an overload of 1.4-1.5 g. Firstly, such landings are safer, since a holding landing contains the threat 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 contact with increased overload, since the activation 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). In older types of aircraft this is not required, since the spoilers are turned on automatically after turning on the reverse. And the reverse is activated by the crew.

There is another reason for the difference in landing style, say, on the Tu-154 and A 320, which are similar in class. Runways in the USSR were often characterized by low load load, and therefore Soviet aviation tried to avoid too much pressure on the surface. The rear trolleys of the Tu-154 have six wheels - this design helped distribute the weight of the vehicle over a large area during landing. But the A 320 has only two wheels on racks, and it was originally designed for landing with a higher overload on more durable strips.

Islet of Saint Martin in Caribbean, divided between France and the Netherlands, gained fame not so much because of its hotels and beaches, but because of the landings of civilian airliners. Heavy wide-body aircraft such as Boeing 747 or A-340 fly to this tropical paradise from all over the world. Such cars need a long run after landing, but at Princess Juliana Airport the runway 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 runway, flying 10-20 meters above the heads of vacationers on the beach. This is exactly how the glide path is laid out. Photos and videos of landings on the island. Saint-Martin has long been bypassed on the Internet, and many at first did not believe in the authenticity of these filmings.

Trouble on the ground

And yet, really hard landings, as well as other troubles, do happen during the final leg of the flight. As a rule, air accidents are caused by not one, but several factors, including piloting errors, equipment failure, and, of course, the elements.

The greatest danger is posed by the so-called wind shear, that is, a sharp change in wind strength with height, especially when this occurs within 100 m above the ground. Suppose an airplane is approaching the runway at an indicated speed 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 incoming air pressure will drop, and the plane's speed will be 200 km/h. The lift will also decrease sharply, but the vertical speed will increase. To compensate for the loss of lift, the crew will need to add engine mode and increase speed. However, the plane 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 airliner encounters a sharp gust of headwind, the lifting force, 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 runway also leads to rollouts.

Man and machine

Approach types are divided into two categories, visual and instrumental.
The condition for a visual approach, as with an instrument approach, is the height of the cloud base and the runway visual range. The crew follows the approach pattern, guided by the landscape and ground objects or independently choosing the approach trajectory within the designated visual maneuvering zone (it is set as a half circle with the center at the end of the runway). Visual landings allow you to save fuel by choosing the shortest route this moment approach trajectory.
The second category of landings is instrumental (Instrumental Landing System, ILS). They, in turn, are divided into accurate and inaccurate. Precision landings are carried out using a course-glide path, or radio beacon, system, using localizer 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 guides the plane along the glide path, receiving a signal from radio beacons), director landing (on the command instrument, two director bars show the positions of the glide path and course; the task of the pilot, working at the helm, is to place them accurately in the center of the command device) or approach using beacons (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 align the circle with the center of the crosshair). Non-precision landings are carried out in the absence of a glide path system. The line of approach to the end of the strip is set by radio equipment - for example, far and near driving radio stations with markers installed at a certain distance from the end (DPRM - 4 km, BPRM - 1 km). Receiving signals from the "drives", the magnetic compass in the cockpit shows whether the aircraft is to the right or left of the runway. At airports equipped with a course-glide path system, a significant portion of landings are made using instruments in automatic mode. International organization The ICFO has approved a list of three categories of automatic landing, with category III having three subcategories - A, B, C. For each type and category of landing, there are two defining parameters - the horizontal visibility distance and the vertical visibility height, also known as the decision height. In general, the principle is this: the more automation is involved in landing and the less the “human factor” is involved, the less than value these parameters.

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

In crosswinds, the crew often tries not to lose control of direction, but ends up losing control of altitude. This was one of the reasons for the Tu-134 crash in Samara on March 17, 2007. The combination of the “human factor” with bad weather cost the lives of six people.

Sometimes incorrect vertical maneuvering during the final leg of the flight leads to a hard landing with catastrophic consequences. Sometimes the plane does not have time to descend to the required altitude and ends up above the glide path. The pilot begins to “give back the helm”, trying to enter the glide path. At the same time, the vertical speed increases sharply. However, with an increased vertical speed, a greater height is required at which leveling must begin before touching down, and this dependence is quadratic. The pilot begins leveling off at a psychologically familiar altitude. As a result, the aircraft touches the ground with a huge overload and crashes. There is a history of such cases civil aviation knows a lot.

Airliners of the latest generations can well 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 no emergency occurs, 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 airliner will be able to fly and land without human intervention. Unfortunately, in reality, even the most advanced technology sometimes fails; there are still aircraft outdated structures, and the equipment of Russian airports continues to leave much to be desired. That is why, when 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: Il-86 instructor pilot, Chief of Flight Operations Staff Igor Bocharov, Chief Navigator Vyacheslav Fedenko, Instructor Pilot of the Flight Standards Department Directorate Igor Kulik

The engine is operational and the plane is taxiing to the starting position. The pilot sets the engine to low speed, the mechanics remove the trestles from under the wheels and support the wings by the edges.

The aircraft is heading to the runway.

Takeoff

On the runway, the airliner is placed against the wind because it is easier to take off. Then the controller gives permission to take off. The pilot carefully assesses the situation, turns on the engine at full speed and pushes the control wheel forward, raising the tail. The airliner increases speed. The wings are preparing to rise. And now the lifting power of the wings overcomes the weight of the aircraft, and it lifts off the surface of the earth. For some time, the lifting power of the wings increases, thanks to which the aircraft gains the required altitude. During ascent, the pilot holds the control wheel slightly back.

Flight

When the required altitude is reached, the pilot looks at the altimeter and then reduces the engine speed, bringing it to medium speed in order to fly horizontally.

During the flight, the pilot monitors not only the instruments, but also the situation in the air. Receives commands from the dispatcher. He is focused and ready to react promptly at any moment and make the only right decision.

Landing

Before starting to descend the aircraft, the pilot from above assesses the landing site and slows down the engine speed, tilts the plane down slightly and begins the descent.

Over the entire period of descent, he constantly makes the following calculation:

What's the best way to land?

Which direction is better to turn?

How to make an approach so that when landing you go into the wind

The landing itself mainly depends on the correct calculation for landing. Errors in such calculations can be fraught with damage to the aircraft, and sometimes lead to disaster.

As the ground approaches, the plane begins to glide. The engine is almost stopped and the landing begins against the wind. The most crucial moment is ahead - touching the ground. The plane lands at tremendous speed. Moreover, the lower speed of the aircraft at the moment the wheels touch the ground provides a safer landing.

As they approach the ground, when the ship is only a few meters away, the pilot slowly pulls back on the control wheel. This gives a smooth rise of the elevator and a horizontal position of the aircraft. At the same time, the engine is stopped and the speed gradually decreases, so the lifting power of the wings is also reduced to nothing.

The pilot still pulls the helm towards himself, while the bow of the ship rises, and its tail, on the contrary, lowers. The lift power to keep the plane in the air is exhausted, and its wheels softly touch the ground.

The airliner still runs some distance along the ground and stops. The pilot revs up the engine and taxis to the parking lot. The mechanics meet him. All stages completed successfully!

Before the landing approach, the landing approach elements are calculated taking into account the landing weight, alignment, runway condition, wind speed and direction, temperature and atmospheric pressure at the airfield, V salary , landing speed of the aircraft (Fig. 25).

Typically, the landing approach to the flight path during automatic control is controlled, and under director control it is performed by the co-pilot. The aircraft commander controls the speed, monitors the maintenance of approach conditions, makes decisions and performs landing.

During an automatic landing approach, pilots must keep their hands on the yoke and their feet on the pedals in order to be ready to take manual control of the aircraft, especially when one of the pilots is busy performing other operations.

During an automatic landing approach at the altitude of the circle, the “Altitude Stabilization” mode of the autopilot is activated. Installed on the altitude setter of the VPR radio altimeter (or 60m, if the VPR is more than 60m). The speed is reduced to 410-430 km/h Pr and the command is given to the flight engineer to “Lower the landing gear”. After releasing the landing gear, the speed is set to 390-410 km/h. At this speed, the slats are extended by 25° and the flaps by 15°. The speed decreases during the release-mechanization process to 350-360 km/h Pr. At this speed the third turn is performed (see Fig. 25).

The flaps should be extended into the slats in straight flight. If, during the process of deploying the wing mechanization, the aircraft begins to roll, it is necessary to pause the release with the reserve flap control switch, eliminate the roll by turning the steering wheel and perform a landing with the wing mechanization in the position in which the aircraft began to roll. After completing the third turn at a speed of 350-330 km/h, lower the flaps to 30° and reduce the flight speed to 320-300 km/h. Stall speed with a weight of 175t and mechanization 30°/25° V St =226km/h Ave. At the same time, the aircraft is well stable and controllable. The fourth turn is performed at a speed of 320-300 km/h. Before entering the glide path, 3-5 km (at the moment the bar scales off), you should set the AT speed to 280 km/h Pr and when the speed decreases to 300 km/h Pr, give the command to the co-pilot “Mechanization 40°/35°”. If the extension speed is higher than recommended, then the flaps are extended only 33°.

During the process of releasing the wing mechanization, it is necessary to control the operation of the APS, which should ensure that the elevator position is close to neutral. After fully extending the flaps, before entering the glide path, set the approach speed value on the AT UZS (Table 21).

The glide path descent should be performed at a constant speed until the altitude of the start of leveling. When descending along a glide path, using a stabilizer is not recommended. If necessary, they can provide longitudinal balancing until the “Reposition the stabilizer” pneumatic warning light goes out.

On the glide path, the co-pilot reports to the aircraft commander about the deviation of the speed from the calculated one, if the difference is more than 10 km/h.

At an altitude of less than 100m, you need to especially carefully monitor the vertical rate of descent. During the flight of the DPRM, the possibility of continuing the approach to the landing zone is assessed. Deviations of the aircraft from the given trajectory in terms of heading and glide path should not exceed one point on the PNP scale. The flight altitude of the DPRM must correspond to the value established for a given aerodrome. Bank angles should not exceed 8° after entering the equal-signal course line.

After entering the glide path, when the AT is turned on, the movement of the throttle is controlled by the flight engineer. When reaching an altitude 40-60m higher than the altitude, the co-pilot reports: “Evaluation”.

At an altitude 40-50m above the altitude, the aircraft commander gives the command to the co-pilot: “Hold by instruments” and begins to establish visual contact with ground landmarks. Having established visual contact with ground landmarks and determined the possibility of landing, he informs the crew: “Let’s land.”

If, before reaching the turnaround point, the aircraft’s position is assessed as non-landing, the aircraft commander presses the “2nd circle” button and at the same time informs the crew: “We are leaving.”

Leveling begins at a height of no lower than 8-12m. During the alignment process, having made sure of the accuracy of the calculation, at N≤5m he gives the command to the flight engineer: “Idle throttle”. Retracting the throttle to idle before leveling can result in a loss of speed and a rough landing.

During descent with bumpiness in the expected wind shear, the flight speed along the glide path should be increased in proportion to the wind gusts at the ground, but not more than 20 km/h. When the aircraft enters an intense downdraft, leading to an increase in the set vertical speed of descent according to the variometer by more than 2.5 m/s or when the increment of overload according to the accelerometer is more than 0.4 units, as well as if an increase in the engine mode is required to maintain flight along the glide path to nominal, it is necessary to set the engines to takeoff mode and go around.

The descent of the aircraft from a height of 15 m and before leveling off should be carried out along the center line of the runway at constant vertical and forward speeds corresponding to the flight weight of the aircraft and flight conditions; carry out visual observation of the ground to assess and maintain the descent angle and flight direction. Deviations of the controls at this stage should be small in amplitude, the actions are proactive so as not to cause lateral and longitudinal rocking of the aircraft. It is necessary to ensure that the aircraft passes over the runway threshold at a set altitude, with a selected course at the design instrument and vertical speeds.

As the flight altitude decreases, more and more attention should be paid to determining the height of the beginning of leveling, both by eye and by radio altimeter, which is 8-12 m. As the vertical speed increases, the leveling start height should be increased proportionally. During alignment, it is necessary to focus on visually determining the distance to the runway surface (the gaze is directed forward at 50-100 m, sliding along the runway surface) and on maintaining the aircraft without rolling or sliding. At the height of the start of leveling, you should smoothly take the steering wheel behind you to increase the pitch angle. At the same time, the angle of attack of the wing and lift force increase, which leads to a decrease in the vertical rate of descent. The plane continues to move along a curved trajectory (Fig. 26).

The amount of deflection of the control column largely depends on the flight speed and alignment of the aircraft. With forward alignment and lower speed, the amount of deflection of the steering column is greater; with rear alignment and higher speed, it is less.

In the landing configuration, it is prohibited to throttle the engines to the start of leveling altitude, because this promotes a rapid increase in vertical speed while decreasing forward speed. Reducing the engine operating mode to idle should begin in the process of further reduction. During the alignment process, the throttle is set to the “MG” position (H≤5m).

As the aircraft approaches the runway surface, the ground effect begins to take effect, which also increases lift and reduces the vertical rate of descent. Taking into account the influence of changes in balancing when throttling engines and the influence of the effect of proximity to the ground, it is necessary to delay the deviation of the steering wheel towards itself.

After landing, the front support smoothly lowers. In the process of lowering the nose gear, the aircraft commander gives the command to the flight engineer: “Spoilers, reverse.” After the nose gear is lowered, the pedals control the rotation of the nose gear wheels.

Rice. 28. Pre-landing descent of the aircraft

Rice. 27. Approach scheme according to ENLGS

The landing gear wheel braking is applied in proportion to the length of the runway.

As travel speed decreases, the effectiveness of the rudder decreases and the efficiency of turning the front wheels increases. The plane has good stability and, as a rule, maintains its flight direction. The desire to turn around often indicates asynchronous braking, which can occur for various reasons.

At a speed of at least 100 km/h, the thrust reverser is switched off.

In case of emergency, at the discretion of the aircraft commander, it is permitted to use reverse thrust until the aircraft comes to a complete stop. After such a landing, the engines are carefully inspected.

Table 22

Landing speeds

Once in the cockpit of an airplane (this is not difficult to do in an aviation museum), most people sigh in admiration when they see the mass of buttons, toggle switches, sensors... It seems that in order to control this colossus, you need to be a genius! But in fact, the pilot's profession 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 an airplane.

Another 400 meters above ground level, the landing approach begins: the plane “aims” at the runway (hereinafter referred to as the runway), extends the landing gear (that is, “wheels”), wing liners, flaps, and brakes. If for some reason it is not possible to land after this (for example, the airport signaled about obstacles on the runway, the signal lights did not turn on, there was heavy rain on the ground with poor visibility), the iron bird will rise to the second circle.

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

The plane begins to land after a long descent, when there are 25 meters left to the runway. However, if the ship 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;
holding: the angle of “attack” increases;
parachuting: the plane is pulled by the force of gravity, the lifting force of the wing decreases, but does not disappear completely, so that the contact with the ground is smooth;
landing: depending on the type of structure of the winged bird, it touches the airframe either only with the front landing gear, or with the whole “set” at once (the so-called three-point landing).

Sometimes one of these processes is skipped. Yes, the pilot can “overshoot” holding or leveling out - everything except the landing itself!

More "specialized" types of planting

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 during landing.

On the deck of the same aircraft carrier, brake cables are being stretched. The fighter connects to 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 aircraft in take-off mode - suddenly the cable fails or the hook misses, and the expensive car will simply soar into the sky.

As for ground-based GDPs, if they are too short, some planes throw a parachute there - it increases braking.

Landing can also be forced

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

A pilot may be forced to make an emergency landing by circumstances beyond his control - for example, a serious breakdown (such as engine failure), in which he must first think about the safety of passengers.

In the movies, such cases look spectacular (just remember “The Adventures of Italians in Russia”), but in real life they are quite scary. Although this is only in relation to passengers, it is very interesting to hear about such events in the news. Let's just remember the landing of the A320 on the Hudson River. The plane did not sink, but the passengers were forced to climb out onto the wings and wait there for the rescue boat.

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

How to land a plane

To begin with, since you are the only one who decided to take on this difficult task, you will need to go into the cockpit, where you will need to take the seat of the aircraft commander. As a rule, the chief pilot's seat is the most loaded with all kinds of buttons, control handles and levers, so you can hardly make a mistake here. However, and this is important, do not touch the aircraft controls, because if the aircraft is in automatic piloting mode, therefore, you are completely safe at the moment, and try to understand that in a complex machine there are no extra buttons - each is responsible for its own action, and sometimes several, and pressing any one can lead to the most unpredictable results. If the pilot of the aircraft is unconscious right in the cockpit, then when taking his place, make sure that in the future parts of the pilot’s body will not block the controls - the control wheel, buttons and levers, so how to land a plane In the future, if unexpected problems arise, it will be impossible.

When sitting in the pilot's seat, first of all, make sure once again that the plane is in autopilot mode. To do this, you will need to look at the control panel, usually located on the front panel, and if the indicator light on it is on, then autopilot is in action mode.

If, when landing in the pilot’s seat, you nevertheless touched the controls of the airliner, then most likely this led to the automatic shutdown of the autopilot, and this mode will need to be turned on by clicking on the corresponding button, which in various models aircraft can be called by different names, but most often in aircraft for Russian purposes the following names are found: “Autopilot”, “Auto flight”, “ANF”, “AR”, etc. In aircraft of foreign air carriers, the functional name of the automatic piloting mode will be called “Autopilot”.

It is worth noting that in some cases, it may be necessary to adjust the position of the aircraft in space. To do this, you will need to look at the attitude indicator, which is usually always easily recognized even by those people who have never been in the cockpit. Please note that the indicator has a static bar indicating the normal attitude of the aircraft - an artificial horizon.

If the plane has noticeably deviated from plane, then you will need to correct its movement - raise or lower, or correct its roll. If the plane is tilted below the normal plane, then you will have to pull the yoke towards you; if it is tilted higher, you will have to push it away from you. If the plane is banked to the left, then you need to turn the control wheel to the right, if, on the contrary, it is banked to the right, then turn to the left.

Once the plane is aligned with the artificial horizon, you will need to enable the autopilot function, and both a button and a toggle switch can be used as a control element. It is worth noting that the automatic piloting function of an aircraft is used to maintain the normal planeness of the aircraft relative to space, and it itself was created with the purpose that in the event of a critical situation, even a person who does not have any piloting skills could keep the aircraft in the air, however, this how to land a plane the autopilot cannot do it on its own, then in the future you will still have to take the helm into your own hands.

It is worth noting that the plane will not be able to stay in the air all the time, and sooner or later, you will have to land it, and here the question of whether how to land a plane on one's own. First, you will definitely need to contact the nearest air tower to report an emergency on your aircraft. To do this, you will need to take the pilot’s headset, press and hold the corresponding “PTT” button on the helm, and broadcast the call sign “Mayday” three times, and then report what happened on board. In the event that the plane has left the air tower coverage area and you cannot contact the air traffic controller, you will need to switch to the 121.50 MHz frequency. After you broadcast your emergency message, be sure to release the button to receive a response.

If there are any problems with the operation of the radio station, then you can use the transponder, in which you will need to enter the digital code “7700”, which will allow dispatchers to understand that there is an emergency on board your aircraft.

In order for the dispatcher to understand which aircraft is currently in communication, when sending each message, precede it with the call sign of your aircraft.

Guided by the help of the dispatcher, do not forget that in an airplane there is such a thing as a minimum speed, that is, at which the airplane is still in the air. You can determine the speed by looking at the same attitude indicator - as a rule, on the left side there is an indicator with numbers, and you should make sure that its readings are in the “green zone”.

A spontaneous decrease or increase in speed indicates that the plane is either losing altitude or, conversely, gaining it. In the first case, the speed will increase, and in order to bring it to normal, you will have to move the steering wheel slightly towards yourself, in the second case, the plane will gain altitude, and you will need to move the steering wheel away from you.

Before landing, the air traffic controller will inform you about all the necessary actions on your part, so how to land a plane correctly not so simple.

First, you will have to reduce the power of the plane's engines - to do this, lower the throttle a few centimeters until you hear the sound of the plane become quieter. Please note that at this moment you should not perform any actions with the helm - the plane will level out on its own, however, if the plane’s speed drops below the “green zone”, then the throttle will have to be pushed forward a little so that the airliner does not fall.

According to the dispatcher's instructions, you will need to take the required altitude, for which pay attention to the same attitude indicator sensor, on the right side of which the flight altitude is indicated, and using manual control, go to the indicated altitude, after which you can turn on the autopilot again.

Before, how to land a plane, the tower controller will tell you how to operate the flaps and bars, which are usually located near the throttles, and as you prepare to land yourself, you will need to lower the aircraft's landing gear. To do this, find the corresponding lever, usually located on the right side of the central control panel, which also usually has a corresponding signature.

Before landing, the plane will need to be aligned in the direction of the landing strip, but only the controller can tell you about this. Then, in preparation for landing, it will be necessary to raise the nose of the aircraft by an angle of about 7-15 degrees (depending on the type of aircraft).

When landing, you will need to use reverse thrust, the control bars of which are located immediately behind the throttles. If reverse thrust is not provided in the aircraft, then pull the throttle towards you as quickly as possible, thereby reducing its speed to a minimum.

Finally, in order for the plane to start braking, you will need to press the top of the pedal - it is responsible for the brake, however, keep in mind that you should brake in such a way that the plane does not skid on the runway.

Naturally, in reality the solution to the question of whether how to land a plane, may not be as simple as indicated, but, nevertheless, the principle will not change at all.

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