BA provides MailOnline classes in a flight simulator on touchdown a airplane at two VERY tough airports

Innsbruck Airport in Austria and Madeira Airport are each regulars in lists of the world’s most hair-raising landings for passenger plane. And for good motive.

Innsbruck Airport is surrounded by towering 9,000ft mountains and pilots generally have to deal with the ‘Foehn wind’, which may create sturdy turbulence close to the runway.

Planes touchdown and taking off at Madeira Airport, in the meantime, can’t fly straight out and in due to rocky promontories at both finish of the runway, so should financial institution in dramatically upon arrival and end up to sea quickly after taking to the air. And as with Innsbruck, planes could be buffeted by tempestuous gusts within the moments earlier than they contact down. You’ve most likely seen the movies.

The challenges related to working plane at each these airports imply that solely captains can take off and land at them (and even then, solely after further coaching). So simply how exhausting a job is it in immediately’s fashionable plane?

I used to be given a uncommon alternative by British Airways to search out out. The provider invited me into one in every of its state-of-the-art Airbus A320 flight simulators at its Flight Coaching Centre close to Heathrow Airport for classes in touchdown and taking off at each Innsbruck and Madeira. My teacher was Captain Ross Lynch, an A320 Coaching Requirements Captain who wasted no time in introducing me to the artwork of flying by way of Alpine valleys…

INNSBRUCK

Flying to Innsbruck as a passenger is a panoramic expertise, with the airplane passing mesmerisingly near towering peaks on the method – inside waving distance of skiers.

For the pilots, being mesmerised is most definitely not an choice.

Captain Lynch reveals that BA has 30 captains permitted to land and take off at Innsbruck.

BA’s spectacular Flight Coaching Centre close to Heathrow Airport

When Ted enters the A320 simulator (above) the method to Innsbruck is prepared and ready

As with Madeira, these permissions had been granted solely after rigorous coaching – a 90-minute transient, a four-hour sim session protecting ‘all of the variations and failures’ that might happen and a real-life first-time flight to the airport underneath the steerage of an teacher.

‘We do extra coaching than the authorities require,’ stresses Captain Lynch, who provides that flying to airports equivalent to Innsbruck and Madeira ‘are a privilege and pleasurable’.

‘They’re stunning locations to come back and actually fascinating for pilots,’ he continues. ‘These locations are an actual privilege to come back in to as a result of, effectively, pilots need to use their expertise. They need to use their expertise to make all the things appear regular. They’re tougher airfields however we need to function at them to the identical excessive ranges of security as we might anyplace else.

Captain Ross Lynch (left) demonstrates a textbook ‘go round’ at Innsbruck as Ted (proper) watches on

‘And that’s the problem. Making one thing that’s harder simple. We all the time need to make the expertise for passengers as on a regular basis as doable.’

And what’s the key to a protected touchdown at Innsbruck?

‘Preparation, preparation, preparation,’ says Captain Lynch.

There isn’t a lot room for manoeuvre if one thing goes flawed mechanically or if dangerous climate prevents a protected touchdown. On prime of standard snowy situations, the Foehn wind can create ‘actually sturdy turbulence about 1,000ft or so from the runway… like a hairdryer impact’.

In mild of this, Captain Lynch reveals that the crew can be speaking about their choices for the method and within the occasion of one thing going flawed with the airplane ‘nearly the entire approach throughout’ from the UK. For instance, angles of method to keep away from sturdy winds.

As I buckle up within the first officer’s seat, the ‘airplane’ is sitting round 25 miles out, approaching from the east.

Above is the real-life model of the British Airways A320

The autopilot is on and our pace is 180 knots (207mph).

For a traditional airfield the method pace can be 230 (264mph) or 240 knots (276mph), says Captain Lynch, however right here it’s ‘all about controlling our power as we head into the valley’.

And the way in which into the valley is to cross shut over the summit of a close-by mountain – so shut that this could immediate the radio altimeter to begin asserting distances to the bottom – then drop down.

It’s a case, says Captain Lynch, of being excessive sufficient to recover from the mountain, however low sufficient to land afterwards.

As soon as within the valley 154 knots (177mph) is the utmost pace, ‘as a result of it’s all about how tightly you may flip – the faster you fly, the larger your flip radius’.

Ought to the crew deem a touchdown unsafe there are solely two escape routes – a plateau to the left-hand facet, over which the plane could be turned proper round, and a slender valley to the precise.

Sim metropolis: Captain Lynch briefs Ted on touchdown the A320 at Innsbruck

Ted within the first officer’s seat

We fly safely over the mountain and decrease the flaps barely – to the ‘flap two’ lever place out of 5 – to assist with management at decrease speeds.

Quickly we’re simply eight miles out and it’s time to place the plane into the final stage of configuration for touchdown.

I instruct Captain Lynch to proceed to ‘flap 4’, then it’s time for the touchdown verify checklist to be ticked off: a cabin report – the crew would get safe early, notably if turbulence is anticipated – and we set the autobrake.

As town looms bigger I can see steerage lights referred to as ‘rabbit’ lights on the roofs of buildings marking the runway method.

However even at this late stage, Captain Lynch explains that the airplane isn’t fairly lined up but – one more reason why it’s a captain’s touchdown.

He deftly aligns the airplane (he’s clearly finished this earlier than), however at simply 30ft above the runway applies thrust and pulls again for a ‘go round’ – as he desires to point out me the escape path to the precise.

‘It’s an odd airfield in that it’s important to transfer with precision laterally to maintain your self protected,’ says Captain Lynch.

We fly up the slender valley, which then opens up fairly considerably.

Right here there’s room to show round and land from the wrong way.

Which is now my job.

Slight gulp.

I take over guide management at 180 knots (207mph) and make a schoolboy error straightaway – I believe I’m controlling the inexperienced steerage traces on the first flight show in entrance of me, when in precise truth I must be utilizing the sidestick (which controls the motion of the plane) to nudge a bit of sq. within the show that represents the ‘nostril’ of the airplane in the direction of the place they intersect, to steer the airplane alongside the method trajectory.

Toga celebration: Ted units off down the runway at Innsbruck at most energy

Captain Lynch patiently corrects me till the warning alarms indicating I’m off-course cease sounding.

We are available in at a four-degree angle – in comparison with three levels for an everyday airport – with Captain Lynch explaining that simply above the tarmac he’ll say ‘flare’. At that second I have to pull again on the sidestick about an inch and shut the thrust levers.

Then I’ll steer the airplane on the runway utilizing the rudder pedals. Braking? The autobrakes are engaged, in order that’s one much less job.

Sounds simple, proper?

It isn’t.

I’m rolling the airplane too far to the left and proper on the method and I can see Captain Lynch correcting this out of the nook of my eye.

‘Left a bit, ahead a bit, push ahead, little bit of proper enter, nearly there, roll left a bit… you’re within the slot, ‘says Captain Lynch.

‘100, fifty… ‘ says the radio altimeter.

‘Flare,’ says Captain Lynch.

I pull again on the sidestick but it surely’s not essentially the most swish of touchdowns – two heavy thuds comply with as the primary touchdown gear hits the tarmac, adopted by the entrance wheels.

Oops.

‘We made it,’ says Captain Lynch, diplomatically.

A British Airways plane at Innsbruck Airport, which is surrounded by 9,000ft mountains

Earlier than heading to Madeira I carry out an Innsbruck take-off, which I discover a bit extra simple.

Captain Lynch explains that in actual life it’s a captains-only operation partly as a result of within the occasion of an engine failure the airplane must be positioned near the valley wall to the left to yield a sufficiently big radius to show round and get out.

I’m not given this complication to deal with.

My job is to push the thrust levers all the way in which to most because it’s a full-power take-off right here (recognized within the commerce as a toga take-off, toga standing for ‘take-off/go round’ thrust), steer the airplane utilizing the rudder pedals then pull again on the sidestick when Captain Lynch says ‘rotate’.

All goes in keeping with plan and it’s off to the North Atlantic Ocean we go.

MADEIRA

Planes touchdown and taking off at Madeira Airport can’t fly straight out and in due to rocky promontories at both finish of the runway. Image courtesy of Artistic Commons

Captain Lynch exhibits Ted the flight plan for a Madeira departure

The sim A320 is reset for me to carry out a take-off at Madeira Airport (also called Funchal Airport and the Cristiano Ronaldo Worldwide Airport), a job that in actual life a roster of 25 BA captains can carry out.

Identical to Innsbruck, it’s a full-power affair – thrust levers to full, steer with the rudder pedals, pull again upon listening to ‘rotate’ and it’s up, up and away, with the promontory on the finish which means we flip instantly out to sea.

I’m positively getting the dangle of the take-offs.

The landings right here, nonetheless, are layered with much more challenges.

As an example, the aforementioned wind that may buffet planes as they close to the runway doesn’t must be very sturdy to have an effect on their stability, explains Captain Lynch.

At Madeira Airport (also called Funchal Airport) planes could be buffeted by tempestuous gusts within the moments earlier than they contact down

Captain Lynch exhibits Ted a ‘wind limitation’ chart that the crew use for Funchal operations

Captain Lynch expertly banks the A320 round to line it as much as the runway at Madeira Airport

Ted brings the A320 in for a touchdown at Madeira Airport

He reveals: ‘Funchal will not be as procedurally advanced as Innsbruck, however flying into Heathrow we may land with winds of as much as 38 knots (43mph) throughout the runway. Right here we’re restricted to fifteen/20/25 knots (17 to 28mph). These can be pretty regular anyplace else. And it’s important to work out what the wind patterns are.’

Captain Lynch exhibits me a ‘wind limitation’ chart that the crew use for Funchal operations. This means how the utmost wind speeds the airplane can fly in change relying on the angle of the wind.

Then there’s the method, which is spectacular.

Ted’s teacher: Ross Lynch, a British Airways A320 Coaching Requirements Captain

We fly parallel to the runway at 1,140ft earlier than swooping round in a U-turn and lining up simply 1,000ft or so above the tarmac.

Captain Lynch exhibits me the way it’s finished, earlier than letting me convey the airplane down – this time a bit extra easily.

It’s been an enchanting, eye-opening expertise – and reassuring to see how completely nothing is left to probability.

Fancy being a British Airways pilot? Go to the International Studying Academy web site – www.britishairways.com/en-gb/baft.