What is more dangerous takeoff or landing. What is harder and more dangerous for an airplane: takeoff or landing? Should I be afraid of bird strikes?

To get to the right place, travelers can choose different kind transport, but the fastest and most convenient was and remains the modern airliner. However, many passengers are afraid of air travel, and they choose another carrier that is much slower in doing its job. Fear of air travel should be viewed as a psychological problem, because in fact, transport is considered the most safe remedy movement. And the most dangerous takeoffs and landings of aircraft on video clips and in films are most often just fictions of filmmakers. So whether air travel is dangerous for a passenger and which stage of the flight can be considered the most dangerous, in this article we will try to analyze.

Air travel can be divided into several stages:

• takeoff;
• the stage of air transport being in the airspace;
• landing of air transport.

According to analytical studies, emergencies happen when an airliner takes off from the ground and at the time of landing approach. Dangerous take-offs and landings of the aircraft in the video can be viewed, but one should not believe their complete veracity. After all, it is not uncommon for such stories to be taken from famous films in order to increase traffic to their own site. But now we will try to get a truthful answer.

Which is more dangerous: takeoff or landing?

In fact, there is a possibility of emergency situations both during takeoff and landing of an airliner. And as soon as the air vehicle rises to a sufficient height, air travel will become much safer. This is quite simple to explain - the aircraft is in close proximity to the ground, so there is very little time left to change the malfunction, which leads to an emergency.

So which is more dangerous: takeoff or landing? In fact, the risks are fraught with two stages of air travel, so it is worth considering them in more detail.

The famous landing on the water on the river. Hudson. Based on the event, the feature film "Miracle on the Hudson" was filmed.

Airliner takeoff - what is its danger?

So, taking off the plane is potentially dangerous, why is this stage considered as such? There are several reasons that can cause an emergency during takeoff:

1. Operation of engines at takeoff speeds. The fact is that the engines, operating in this mode, can fail and prevent the airliner from taking off from the runway. The pilot can independently decide whether to take off or stop if he notices a malfunction in the engine.
2. Incorrectly calculated aircraft configuration. This position must be calculated by the pilot of the aircraft before the take-off of the air transport, but, unfortunately, it will be possible to find out whether the centering of the aircraft will be correct only after the aircraft leaves the runway.
3. Strong headwind. No less dangerous during takeoff are strong crosswind gusts, which can simply blow the airliner to the adjacent lane, which will lead to an emergency.

Of course, these are the most common reasons that an airliner with passengers can wait for takeoff. Most dangerous landings aircraft on the video can be seen in full.

landing hazard

Dangerous landings of passenger planes also take place. The following risk factors can be listed:

1. Wind flows (both course and side). If there is a strong side wind, it is very difficult for the pilot to control the airliner, which can lead to an unsuccessful landing.
2. No less scary for a plane landing, a sharp redirection of the wind. If it changes dramatically or stops altogether, then the airliner will simply lose altitude, and when approaching for a landing, the necessary altitude reserve may simply not be available.
3. Bad visibility. The aircraft must land in excellent visibility. And if you can lift the transport into the sky even in fog, then the landing should be carried out with poor visibility according to visual landmarks. In order for pilots to be able to enter normally in poor visibility, they are required to take exams annually.
4. Centering check. As previously mentioned, the pilot is engaged in centering the airliner before the plane takes off. But since the aircraft loses fuel in the sky, by the time of landing it may turn out that the previously adjusted centering has changed. This moment must be monitored in order to prevent an emergency. And you can stabilize the centering by fairly simple methods, for example, ask passengers to transfer to another part of the aircraft or to another cabin.
5. Insufficient grip of the landing gear with the runway. Often emergency situation can happen due to insufficient adhesion coefficient. An abrupt change can lead to it weather conditions, as a result of which the runway will be covered with ice and it will be very difficult to control air transport.

As you can see, there are real dangers, of course, but thanks to the experience and skills of the pilots, it is quite easy to deal with them and successfully lift them into the sky or, on the contrary, land a modern airliner with passengers on board.

The head of the flight and methodological department, pilot-instructor of the Tu-154 and A320 Alexander Ushkov answers.

It is known that smoking is not allowed on board, but passengers still smoke in the toilets. How safe is it to fly?

Smoking on board the aircraft is strictly prohibited! The liner flies at high speed, there is a lot of oxygen, as well as flammable substances. A fire on board is a terrible thing. If it started in a hard-to-reach place, it is very difficult to put it out!

Pilots have one instruction in this case - to land the plane as quickly as possible, including outside the airfield. So, at one time in America, almost 350 passengers burned out in 15 minutes due to the fact that one of them smoked in the toilet of the liner and threw a cigarette butt into a waste paper container! Now, special sensors are installed in the toilets of each airliner, and if someone smokes, a red alarm is triggered. Including in the cockpit. Red means the highest level of danger on board. The violator may face a fine and transfer to the police upon landing. By the way, in the USA, somehow a passenger closed himself in the toilet and smoked. When the stewardess made a remark to him and asked him to leave, he was rude to her. The crew reported to the ground, 2 fighters immediately took off, and the liner landed, accompanied by them. The smoker was given 20 years in prison.

Recently, an American pilot was forced to land a plane on a river because a flock of geese got into the engine. It turns out that every passenger puts himself in danger - after all, birds fly every day ...

Birds fly every day, but aircraft engines are very rarely hit. At our airport, as in others, there is an ornithological service that prevents the accumulation of birds near the airfield. This service is armed with acoustic, laser, pyrotechnic installations that cause panic in birds.

It is important to prevent birds from approaching the aircraft during takeoff and landing, since during the flight itself, we and the birds have different heights. By the way, if one goose hits, it most likely will not harm the plane, but a flock, as it was in the USA, can disable the liner. It is impossible to close the engines with something - the plane simply will not take off.

- Some say that the most dangerous moment is takeoff, others - landing. How really?

The threat of an emergency situation exists both on takeoff - the engines operate at a high, almost limiting mode, the landing gear and fuselage carry a large load, and on landing. Especially in bad weather conditions. But the load on the pilot is greater during landing.

Special Forces for the President

The head of the complex answers aviation security Denis Muraviev.

Our compatriots in flight are very fond of drinking, and then arrange fights on board. Why aren't airlines doing anything about this problem? Why not ban the sale of alcohol in the cabin and at the airport?

We have rules of conduct for passengers on board, which also apply to drinking alcoholic beverages.

Firstly, a frankly drunk person will not be allowed on the plane. Secondly, opening bags of alcohol bought in stores duty free, in the cabin is prohibited. Flight attendants will also not offer free alcoholic drinks to a drunk passenger. But some still manage to drink hard, make a scandal, fight, and so on. In this case, the commander has the right to land in any country in the world and transfer the rowdy into the hands of law enforcement agencies. In November 2008, we handed over 12 offenders to foreign authorities. We can also claim damages through the courts. Even if it is 100 rubles!

Now we are suing the passengers, because of whose drunken antics the crew had to turn the plane back to St. Petersburg from the middle of the flight. By the way, in Europe, such passengers are entered into the EU database and subsequently may be denied a visa. As for the ban on the sale of alcohol at airports, I'm in favor. But you will not see this in any country in the world. Except in Saudi Arabia. I want to note that this is not only a Russian problem. Americans, French, Germans face this...

The head of the press service, Marina Peshekhonova, answers.

- Which planes do Prime Minister Putin and President Medvedev prefer - domestic or foreign?

A special squadron is responsible for the transportation of senior officials. Its aircraft fleet historically consists only of Russian aircraft. This is board number 1 of the Il-96, as well as aircraft

Il-62, Yak-40, Tu-154 and Tu-134. So both the president and the prime minister fly on domestic airliners. And safety and comfort are guaranteed on any type of aircraft.

On this site, I pay a lot of attention to aerophobia and how to deal with it. Because this is a very common fear, and even I myself can not stand to rise into the air.

Another article on airplanes and flights explains why, in fact, flights are much safer than we imagine. Read and clear the sky to you!

Is turbulence dangerous, how do weather conditions and lightning strike an aircraft - these and other questions are answered by a British Airways pilot.

Turbulence zone - is it dangerous?

Despite the inconvenience, it is absolutely safe, and in our Fly With Confidence courses we try to explain this as clearly as possible. Those aircraft on which passenger air transportation, can withstand huge turbulence, significantly big toy which you are most likely experiencing.

The problem with turbulence zones is that they cannot be detected in advance. True, pilots who have flown through these zones report this fact - this information reaches those pilots who fly after them.

Sometimes you can get out of this zone if you change the flight altitude (fly up or down), but this does not always help. This affects only the feelings of passengers, but not the safety of the flight.

Wind shear, or wind shear. What's this? Dangerously?

Wind shear is a hazardous phenomenon during landing and takeoff. This is a sudden change in wind speed or direction as the aircraft accelerates or decelerates.

If the wind affects the speed in such a way that it falls below the minimum allowable, then the probability of a plane crash is high.

All pilots go through many hours of training, and aircraft and some airfields are equipped with potential shift warning systems.

Should I be worried if the flight takes place under bad weather conditions (snow, rain)?

No. Pilots are very well versed in weather conditions, always studying the current forecasts at airports of departure and arrival, as well as the weather at airports along the route.

As for fuel reserves, we always have a larger amount filled if, according to the forecast, problems are expected at the arrival airport - at such moments it may be necessary to delay landing and go around.

Is too windy weather an obstacle to landing?

There are many videos on the net when the plane comes in at an angle, is it safe?

Each type of aircraft has a limit that pilots will not violate in a crosswind. Smaller airports often don't have a downwind runway, so yes, the wind can be an obstacle to landing in a very small number of cases.

But wind speed and direction are analyzed in advance, in rare cases, a flight may be canceled or relocated to a nearby airport for this reason.

As for the video, they look intimidating, but for landing in a strong crosswind there is a special control technique, all this is safe and worked out by pilots.

How do pilots land planes in dense fog?

With the help of the Autoland program. This is a complex system using ILS - Instrument Landing System - a combination of ground beams that will direct the aircraft to the runway.

Pilots in this case may not see the runway until the landing gear touches the ground. So it can be, say, at Heathrow Airport, where there is a modern ILS system.

Pilots land planes by hand 98% of the time, but British Airways Autoland training takes place every six months throughout a pilot's career.

What happens if a plane is struck by lightning?

Nothing, all commercial aircraft are designed so that lightning does not affect performance in any way. Airplanes are equipped with electrostatic dischargers, which are usually located at the ends of the wings.

If lightning does hit the plane, they divert electricity into the air. After any such incident (and this is also a rarity), the aircraft is inspected for damage to the skin.

What happens if a tire bursts?

At low takeoff speeds this may cause the takeoff to be cancelled, but at high speeds the flight will not be aborted. A plane can land with any number of burst tires

Should I be afraid of bird strikes?

Of course not, such things happen extremely rarely. If this happens, there is little or no damage to the aircraft, and all engines are tested to withstand a bird strike.

Collision in the air - what are the chances of this?

There are three things you should know about this.

First, airport controllers go through rigorous selection, training and licensing. Their task is to create a so-called protective bubble, which increases in size with increasing altitude and speed of the aircraft.

Second - the pilot is a professional in his field, he passes great amount tests, selections and checks.

Third, all aircraft are equipped with electronic systems that allow pilots to communicate with each other.

If an airline is a low-cost carrier, is it more dangerous to fly with it? They save.

I cannot be responsible for other companies, but for all ICAO (International Association of civil aviation) there is a minimum level of training and tests. And this level is actually very high.

Is it safer to fly in small planes?

No, they have the same standards of equipment and safety, it's just that the turbulence in small aircraft is felt more strongly. Therefore, it may seem to most passengers that flying on such an aircraft is more dangerous.

What is the most dangerous part of a flight? It is believed that this is a takeoff or landing.

Trust me, your taxi ride to the airport is statistically far more dangerous than any part of an airplane flight.

Shortly after takeoff, I feel the plane crash, what is it?

These are just features of our vestibular apparatus, which is used to being on the ground. As for the aircraft, the pilot only reduced the rate of climb.

At cruising altitude, I can sometimes hear a sudden loud hum from the engines, as if the power of the turbines is increasing?

This is a standard step climb (step-lift), it is carried out in order to increase the efficiency of the engines when the aircraft becomes lighter (some of the fuel is produced).

How to understand that the plane has enough fuel?

The fuel level is something that the pilot always controls. The aircraft is required by law to carry a supply of fuel for emergencies.

Can phones affect the operation of an airplane?

Do pilots sleep on board?

On long-haul flights (more than nine hours), a third pilot always flies with us. Pilots take turns resting in the personnel area. In some cases, there may be four pilots on board at once.

What happens if one of the two pilots loses the ability to fly the plane? What if both?

One pilot is quite capable of flying the plane - this is standard training on the simulator. There have never been cases in the world where two pilots turned off at once, these are inventions from movies. As mentioned above, often the crew includes three or even four pilots.

Is it dangerous to fly at night?

No, because the technique and all the tools are used in exactly the same way as during the day.

What is harder and more dangerous for an airplane: takeoff or landing?

It seems to me that both are very difficult and dangerous. As a rule, all air crashes occur during takeoff or landing, and when the planes gain the desired height, then it is unlikely to crash. But when landing, there must be experienced pilots, since anything can happen.

I don’t know about the plane itself, but landing is always more difficult for pilots.

On takeoff, the main thing is to engine thrust did not disappoint and the aircraft easily comes off after gaining speed. But even if the engines suddenly fail while picking up speed, then the maximum trouble is running out of lane. Worse if after the separation suddenly something happens to the engines.

Landing is more difficult and dangerous in the sense that you need to accurately enter the runway. The slightest excess of the rate of descent is rough landing, shortfall to the strip or overshoot threatens with an accident, the touch is made exactly on the white longitudinal stripes on the runway.

Strong side wind, fog, snow all complicate the landing. Malfunctions of mechanization of the wing, failure of the landing gear threatens with an accident, failure of the reverse thrust of the engines or brakes leads to rolling out of the runway.

So on landing, pilots have more worries.

Both are dangerous. But if you answer specifically to the question, then landing. To explain this, we need to consider how dangerous both stages are. And so, what is the danger of taking off?

1. During takeoff, the engines operate in takeoff mode. There is a danger of their failure at the time of the takeoff run of the aircraft, due to which it will not be able to take off the ground or stop on the runway. Therefore, during the takeoff run, there is a point at which the pilot decides whether to take off or brake. If the failure occurred after passing the point boundaryquot ;, takeoff is carried out under any conditions. even on the same engine.
2. The second danger is incorrect alignment. Before takeoff, the pilot sets the so-called takeoff configuration aircraft. Releases the flaps at a certain angle, and shifts the stabilizer. How exactly the plane is centered is calculated. The pilot can determine whether his calculation is correct only after taking off from the ground.
3. Side wind. It can interfere with the takeoff run, and demolish the aircraft from the runway.

These are the most common takeoff hazards. WHEN LANDING THEM WHERE MORE.

1. Wind. Both lateral and course. In strong crosswinds, steering is difficult.
2. Wind shear. The aircraft is kept in the air due to the flow of air around its aerodynamic elements. If there is a strong headwind during landing, then the speed is the sum of the wind speed and the speed of the aircraft. If the wind changes direction or stops abruptly, the aircraft loses altitude rapidly. When landing, the margin in height may no longer be.
3. Visibility. If it is theoretically possible to take off in fog, then visual landmarks play a much greater role when landing. Pilots have a class division, according to which they pass an exam for landing in conditions of limited visibility. These categories are called weather minimumquot ;. It needs to be validated periodically.
4. Keeping the parameters on the instruments. The so-called instrumental entry. The pilot must be able to, as it is called in slang, collect arrows in a bunchquot ;. Those. to have a correct idea of ​​the spatial position of the aircraft, relying only on the readings of instruments, and to be able to correctly navigate the aircraft without external reference points.
5. Landing centering. Upon arrival at the destination, the fuel has already been used up and the aircraft has become lighter. However, cargo and passengers are in place (in most cases). Thus, the alignment of the aircraft has changed since takeoff. It is important to evaluate it correctly so that there is a margin for the governing bodies. In this regard, sometimes pilots ask passengers to move from cabin to cabin, or change from left to right (or vice versa), especially if the flight is not fully loaded.
6. adhesion coefficient. After touchdown, there may be a danger of skidding the aircraft, or there may be problems with braking due to the condition of the runway. It may be more slippery than the pilot suggests. It is important to be able to navigate instantly.
7. It is important to land exactly on the signs marked on the runway so that there is no undershoot or overshoot. With exact following of the CGS, this condition is met. Airports not equipped glide path system, with this there are additional difficulties.

Thus, landing is more difficult. When the famous Soviet pilot V. Ershov was asked what the most difficult aerobatic maneuver was, he immediately answered - landing.

Helpful Hints

In the light of the regular terrible news regarding air crashes, people who are not related to air travel involuntarily think about security flights . There are questions that cannot be answered anywhere.

What is an oxygen mask for? Which is more dangerous - takeoff or landing? Answers for you experienced professional pilot Head of Flight and Technical Training Capt. Dave Thomas, who works for British Airways.

Flight safety

For millions of passengers around the world, the thought of flying causes fear. And in some extreme cases, this feeling even makes you refuse to travel. Are these fears justified? Let's figure it out.

Are flights safer now than they were 10-20 years ago?

Flights on modern jet aircraft currently have high degree of security.

According to statistics, since 2009, for 1 million flights of accidents, there have been 4 times less. The entire flight system is primarily focused on improving the safety of air travel.

What is the risk that the plane will crash?

The chances that the plane you are traveling on will crash, scanty. Much more likely to crash in a car taking you to the airport.

Statistics from the International Air Transport Association show that the number of accidents in global aviation constantly falling year after year.

It should be noted that airlines do not rest on their laurels and work tirelessly to organize the safest flights.

Is the turbulence zone dangerous?

This may be the main thing that worries nervous travelers, who are horrified by a little shaking and an announcement to fasten a seat belt. But really there is nothing to worry about.

In the turbulence zone, passengers feel discomfort, but this not dangerous. However, always better follow the safety tips and fasten your seat belt to avoid potential minor injuries.

The captain of the airship must consult passengers in any turbulence as an additional safety measure.

Why do passenger planes fly at an altitude of 10 km?

This height is a kind of compromise between engine efficiency and aerodynamics for jet aircraft.

Modern gas turbine engines operate more effective at an altitude of about 10 km, in contrast to turboprop aircraft (a mixture of gas turbine and propeller), which need a lower altitude (6-8 km).

What is more risky - takeoff or landing?

Both takeoff and landing are maneuvers that require the pilot to high level of skill. Therefore, special state organizations(and first of all the airlines themselves) are very strictly select staff and train pilots on modern simulators, which helps them to hone their aircraft control skills to the maximum.

Additional skills and procedures are required for maneuvering at some airports and during adverse weather conditions. But thanks to modern simulators, pilot training is becoming much more effective than it was before.

Why don't planes have parachutes?

Pilots are taught how to land in case of malfunctions. It's much safer and more practical. In addition, it is extremely difficult (even impossible) to competently organize an emergency landing of passengers by means of parachutes.

Why don't civilian planes fly over military zones?

Airlines work closely with government (and not only) security agencies to ensure that civil aircraft did not fly over dangerous combat zones.

Such was the case with Malaysian Airlines (flight MH17) in July last year, when 298 people died. The airline allowed its aircraft to fly in the war zone, underestimating the risks in the conflict zone.

Local aviation authorities make an assessment and recommendations, which are then transferred to NOTAM (Notice to Pilots). And the airlines, in turn, choose how to act.

Aircraft safety

Where does the water in the aircraft toilet go down?

What is a black box?

The black box is actually orange. It contains recorder, on which all conversations of pilots are saved.

Modern aircraft also have so-called QARs or Quick recorders that record even more information than is usually needed.

Why is it announced during boarding that passengers close the window blinds?

This is done so that the person was not blind and got used to more light outside the plane.

The announcement of the closing of the window blinds is exclusively advisory character and ensures passenger comfort.

What are oxygen masks for?

Airplane oxygen masks are enough smart mechanism, which determines the need for a mask by monitoring the pressure inside the aircraft. Oxygen masks can automatically deploy. There is also a separate button on board, which does the same.

How often are pilots tested?

Professional pilots are one of the highest paid professions, and therefore require regular recertification.

All pilots are tested on a special simulator for two days every six months. They are also tested in "live" flight once a year.

A training course to fly a new type of aircraft may take three weeks to three months depending on whether the pilot had previously flown such aircraft or not. Reputation is very important for any airline, so flight safety is always a top priority.

What is the safest seat on an airplane?

All passenger seats have very high safety standards. In addition, according to statistics, airliners are the safest mode of transport in the world.