Re: Airbus A320neo: Pratt & Whitney engine issues Dear audioholic, thank you for your questions some of which are surely on the minds of many flying passengers. Let me try and answer as best as I can. Quote:
Originally Posted by audioholic That reminds me of the 767 which suffered from dual engine failure and then landed on an abandoned runway. It was one real lucky set of people up in that flight. And the skills of the Pilot, especially one of them(I am not sure who) who was trained well in flying gliders who was able to use similar skills to land the plane in one shot, since there is no second chance. |
This was the famous incident of the Gimli glider. The pilot in question Capt Robert Pearson still alive and well in his eighties. Quote:
What worries me are if Indian pilots are equally trained and competent. I am not judging that they are not, but wonder if there are similar incidents at least on a simulator to train for situations where there could be dual engine failure.
|
Three parts to the response:
Part I: Bad practices with the regulator and the half baked training schools has left a lot to be desired. Some institutes such as IGRUA do a thorough job some others less so. However in fairness to the airlines there is a difference between a person 'passing out' with an incomplete training and an airline actually recruiting him. As an example if he has 100 hours of real flying and 300 hours on his log book it will require only some time on a simulator or in an interview (with an experienced interviewer) to find this out. Also Indian carriers are not necessarily recruiting from second grade training centres. Many Indian pilot aspirants for this reason go to USA to get their training at considerable cost. The Govt is moving to digital log books hooked to the aircrafts' systems. It will hopefully put an end to this tragic practice. Sadly, a reflection of a wider national malady, no one has been convicted for this criminal practice.
Part II: Yes pilots of Indian carriers undergo periodic training on simulators for emergency situations. Whether it specifically covers all engine failure would vary with airline but single engine ops, cabin fire are always trained for. Helicopter pilots always train for an all engine out landing by auto rotation and how to avoid the black zone known as the dead man's curve. Landing a chopper without power is more difficult by a degree due to the limited forward motion of the machine.
Part III: Thanks to the PW1100G engine we have just seen an unusual number of inflight engine shut downs and an equal number of successful and safe landings on the functioning engine. All those were Indian pilots on Indian carriers.
Since 1980 ie 38 years ago there have been 18 known cases of all engines failed across the world. Compare it with the ~36 to 40 million flights per year in recent years. This is only for airliners and data from China and some parts of Africa is incomplete. The chance that our home will be hit by an earthquake is far higher. Insurance company actuarial tables place the risk of an Indian dying in an earthquake at between 1:30,000 to 1:10,00,000. Quote:
Another aspect in our country is the availability of airports/runways for such an emergency. In and around Bangalore, I can think of five runways. KIAL, HAL airport, Yelahanka airbase, Kolar Airstrip and Hosur airstrip. However, as we move to the rural belts, I am not sure if we have enough number of airstrips. Of course such emergencies are really rare, if they actually happen. But the preparedness is something that should always exist.
|
India has about 350 air strips - civilian, airforce, private, emergency and abandoned WW2 ones. In Udaan III which is being rolled out the Govt plans to activate all of them to provide regional air transport to most district head quarter towns. Quote:
How long can an A320 manage with one engine? I am thinking of an event of a single engine failure after taking off from Port Blair. Can the aircraft continue to Chennai(1.5Hr flying time usually) or should it turn back to Port Blair? Can any person from this industry comment?
|
6 hours is the certified time on one engine for an A320. If there is an engine failure close to the start of a flight the Capt would usually opt to return, shed fuel and land. If he were closer to Chennai he/she would in all likelihood continue to head to Chennai.
Last edited by V.Narayan : 20th March 2018 at 12:45.
|