What happens when a plane lands. Lifting the veil

Humanity has long been interested in the question of how it is that a multi-ton aircraft can easily rise to the skies. How does take-off happen and how do planes fly? When an airliner is moving at high speed runway, the wings have a lifting force and work from the bottom up.

When an aircraft moves, a difference in pressure is generated on the lower and upper sides of the wing, resulting in a lifting force that keeps the aircraft in the air. Those. High air pressure from below pushes the wing upward, while low air pressure from above pulls the wing towards itself. As a result, the wing rises.

For an airliner to take off, it needs a sufficient runway. The lift of the wings increases as the speed increases, which must exceed the takeoff limit. Then pilot increases takeoff angle, taking the helm to himself. The nose of the airliner rises up and the car rises into the air.

Then landing gear and exhaust lights are retracted. In order to reduce the lifting force of the wing, the pilot gradually retracts the mechanization. When the airliner reaches the required level, the pilot sets standard pressure, and engines - nominal mode. To see how the plane takes off, we suggest watching the video at the end of the article.

The aircraft takes off at an angle. From a practical point of view, this can be explained as follows. The elevator is a movable surface, by controlling which you can cause the aircraft to deflect in pitch.

The elevator can control the pitch angle, i.e. change the rate of gain or loss of altitude. This occurs due to changes in the angle of attack and lift force. By increasing the engine speed, the propeller begins to spin faster and lifts the airliner upward. Conversely, by pointing the elevators down, the nose of the aircraft moves down, and the engine speed should be reduced.

Tail section of an airliner equipped with a rudder and brakes on both sides of the wheels.

How airliners fly

When answering the question why planes fly, we should remember the law of physics. The pressure difference affects the lift of the wing.

The flow rate will be greater if the air pressure is low and vice versa.

Therefore, if the speed of an airliner is high, then its wings acquire a lifting force that pushes the aircraft.

The lifting force of an airliner wing is also influenced by several circumstances: angle of attack, speed and density of air flow, area, profile and shape of the wing.

Modern airliners have minimum speed from 180 to 250 km/h, during which the takeoff takes place, plans in the skies and does not fall.

Flight altitude

What is the maximum and safe flight altitude for an aircraft?

Not all ships have the same altitude, the “air ceiling” can fluctuate at altitude from 5000 to 12100 meters. At high altitudes, air density is minimal, and the airliner achieves the lowest air resistance.

The airliner engine requires a fixed volume of air for combustion, because the engine will not create the required thrust. Also, when flying on high altitude, the aircraft saves fuel up to 80% compared to an altitude of up to a kilometer.

What keeps a plane in the air?

To answer why airplanes fly, it is necessary to examine one by one the principles of its movement in the air. A jet airliner with passengers on board reaches several tons, but at the same time, it easily takes off and carries out a thousand-kilometer flight.

The movement in the air is also influenced by the dynamic properties of the device and the design of the units that form the flight configuration.

Forces affecting the movement of an aircraft in the air

The operation of an airliner begins with the engine starting. Small ships run on piston engines that turn propellers, creating thrust that helps aircraft move in airspace.

Large airliners operate on jet engines, which during operation emit a lot of air, while the reactive force causes the aircraft to move forward.

Why does the plane take off and stay in the air for a long time? Because the shape of the wings has a different configuration: round at the top and flat at the bottom, then the air flow on both sides is not the same. The air on top of the wings glides and becomes rarefied, and its pressure is less than the air below the wing. Therefore, due to uneven air pressure and the shape of the wings, a force arises that leads to the aircraft taking off upward.

But in order for an airliner to easily take off from the ground, it needs to take off at high speed along the runway.

It follows from this that in order for an airliner to fly unhindered, it needs moving air, which the wings cut and creates lift.

Airplane takeoff and speed

Many passengers are interested in the question: what speed does the plane reach during takeoff? There is a misconception that the takeoff speed is the same for every aircraft. To answer the question, what is the speed of the aircraft during takeoff, you should pay attention to important factors.

1. An airliner does not have a strictly fixed speed. The lift of an airliner depends on its mass and the length of its wings. Takeoff occurs when a lifting force is created in the oncoming flow, which is much greater than the mass of the aircraft. Therefore, the takeoff and speed of the aircraft depends on the direction of the wind, atmospheric pressure, humidity, precipitation, length and condition of the runway.
2. To create lift and successfully lift off the ground, the aircraft needs reach maximum takeoff speed and sufficient takeoff run. This requires long runways. The larger the aircraft, the longer the runway is required.
3. Each aircraft has its own takeoff speed scale, because they all have their own purpose: passenger, sport, cargo. The lighter the aircraft, the significantly lower the takeoff speed and vice versa.

Boeing 737 passenger jet take off

• The take-off run of an airliner on the runway begins when the engine will reach 800 rpm per minute, the pilot slowly releases the brakes and holds the control lever at a neutral level. The plane then continues on three wheels;
• Before leaving the ground The speed of the airliner should reach 180 km per hour. The pilot then pulls the lever, which causes the flaps to deflect and raise the nose of the aircraft. Further acceleration is carried out on two wheels;
• After, with the bow raised, the airliner accelerates on two wheels to 220 km per hour, and then lifts off the ground.

Therefore, if you want to learn more about how a plane takes off, to what altitude and at what speed, we offer you this information in our article. We hope that you will enjoy your air travel greatly.

Once the aircraft landing has been learned in the simulator, the pilot begins training on the real machine. The landing of the aircraft begins at the moment when the aircraft reaches the point of descent. In this case, a certain distance, speed and altitude must be maintained from the aircraft to the runway. The landing process requires maximum concentration from the pilot. The pilot directs the car to the starting point of the runway; the entire time it moves, the nose of the plane is kept slightly lower. Movement is strictly along the lane.

The first thing the pilot does at the very beginning of movement onto the runway is to lower the landing gear and flaps. All this is necessary, including in order to significantly reduce the speed of the aircraft. The multi-ton vehicle begins to move along the glide path - the trajectory along which the descent occurs. Using numerous instruments, the pilot constantly monitors altitude, speed and rate of descent.

The speed and rate of its reduction are especially important. It should decrease as it approaches the ground. The speed should not be reduced too sharply, nor should it be exceeded. At an altitude of three hundred meters the speed is approximately 300-340 km per hour, at a height of two hundred meters it is 200-240. The pilot can regulate the speed of the aircraft by applying gas and changing the angle of the flaps.

Bad weather during landing

How does a plane land in strong winds? All basic pilot actions remain the same. However, landing a plane in cross or gusty winds is very difficult.

Directly near the ground, the aircraft's position should become horizontal. In order for the touch to be soft, the plane must descend slowly, without a sharp drop in speed. Otherwise, it may hit the strip suddenly. It is at this moment that bad weather in the form of wind and heavy snow can cause maximum problems for the pilot.

After touching the ground, the gas must be released. The flaps are retracted and the plane is taxied to its parking spot using the pedals.

Thus, the seemingly simple process of landing actually requires great piloting skill.

On November 13, 2016, a MiG-29K fighter, part of the air wing of the heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov, crashed. The pilot ejected and was picked up by a search and rescue helicopter. Later, on December 3, a Su-33 crashed. Immediately after this, many reasons for what happened were voiced, most of of which has no relation to reality.

Gazeta.Ru military observer Mikhail Khodarenok figured out what really happened in the Eastern Mediterranean.

In order to understand what happened to the MiG-29KR aircraft of Admiral Kuznetsov, you need to understand how flights take place on an aircraft carrier, and especially how aircraft land.
On the deck of the heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser "Admiral Kuznetsov" there are four cables of the Svetlana-2 arresting device. Usually they lie on the deck, but when landing aircraft they are raised by 12 cm. The first cable is located 46 meters from the edge of the flight deck (on American aircraft carriers, by the way, this distance is 56 meters, and ten meters in this case is quite a lot). The distance between the cables is 12 meters.

Photo by Leonid Yakutin

The pilot landing must hook the plane's hook onto the second cable (but the third is best, the fourth is a reserve one). The first is undesirable, since in this case, during landing, the deck of the ship may touch the deck, since an aircraft-carrying cruiser, plus everything at sea, is subject to pitching, and this can play a negative role. The plane must be landed plus or minus 3 meters from the center line of the flight deck. But pilots are usually required to have an accuracy of plus or minus one meter. In general, the plane must land on an area 36 by 6 meters. That is, you need to get into a rectangle of exactly this size. In fact, it’s a very small patch.

The descent angle of an aircraft landing on the deck of an aircraft carrier is four degrees. Landing is carried out at high engine speeds of the aircraft, in conditions close to take-off. The plane does not level out as it would when landing on a stationary concrete runway. The engine gas is removed only after the plane has caught on at least one aero arresting device cable.

Otherwise, the possibility of a missed approach is excluded for the aircraft. There may well be a situation in which the plane landed, got caught on the arresting arrester cable, released the gas, and at that moment the cable broke. And if the pilot takes off the gas, the plane will no longer take off.

Photo by Eduard Chalenko

Such a case, by the way, has already happened on the Admiral Kuznetsov. It is sometimes completely incorrectly stated as follows: “in September 2005 in North Atlantic drowned because he was unable to board the Admiral Kuznetsov Su-33.” It is absolutely unclear what the wording “unable to sit down” has to do with it. On the contrary, the pilot then landed the plane with exceptional precision. And the reason for the loss of the fighter in 2005 was only a broken arrestor cable. The pilot ejected and remained alive.

By the way, the plane civil aviation makes a landing at an angle of 2 degrees 40 minutes. At an altitude of 10-12 meters, the pilot begins to level the machine, and then smoothly touches the runway. Directly for the landing of the aircraft, it is given 300-500 meters. And on an aircraft carrier, the overall range of the aircraft is only 90 meters.

When a carrier-based aircraft touches the deck, a fairly strong impact occurs. The overload at the time of landing is 4-5 g. The pilot receives very strong loads on the spine. Therefore, an aviator can make no more than three flights per day. Better yet, no more than two. An occupational disease of carrier-based aviation pilots is retinal detachment. This is also a consequence of the strong impact of the aircraft on the deck.

Photo by Eduard Chalenko

The landing speed of the Su-33 aircraft is 240 km/h. And the MiG-29K – 250 km/h. Despite the relatively small difference in speed and significantly lower landing weight, the MiG-29K fighter much more often breaks the landing cables of an aircraft carrier's arresting device. This is what happened during the flights on November 13, 2016. That day, three MiG-29KR took off from a heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser. After completing the flight mission, the planes returned to the aircraft carrier. In this case, landing on the deck of the ship should occur at intervals of 3-4 minutes.

The first fighter landed without any problems. The second MiG-29KR caught on the second arrestor cable, broke it, and ultimately only caught on the fourth cable. The torn second cable became entangled in the third, making it impossible to use it when landing the plane. For some time, landing aircraft on an aircraft carrier was basically impossible.

At this time, the third MiG-29KR fighter was on the descent slope. Since the aircraft carrier's crew needed some time to get the aero arresting cables in order, the flight director gave the command to the pilot of the third aircraft to go around. And while the plane was in the holding area, trouble happened with this fighter. Both engines simply stopped working. According to the latest version, fuel has stopped flowing into them. In this case, the jet plane falls down like a stone. The pilot had only one thing left to do - to eject, which he did.
Some sources also contain the following theses: “the current attempts to deny the possible human factor in the MiG-29 crash in the Eastern Mediterranean look absurd.” The following statement also looks completely incorrect: “the main problem for the MiG-29KR is now the lack of trained pilots for this type of aircraft, and not technological problems.”

All this has nothing to do with what happened in the Eastern Mediterranean. Let's first take a closer look at the personality of the pilot of the MiG-29KR fighter who suffered an accident. The rank of pilot is colonel, this is by no means a young lieutenant, a recent graduate of an aviation school. In addition, this pilot’s position is the head of the aviation safety service of the Northern Fleet.

The aviator has already made more than 200 landings on the deck of a heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser and there is no reason to doubt his lack of experience as a carrier-based aviation pilot. Among other things, all his colleagues note that he is a self-possessed, sociable, personable and friendly person.

Photo by Eduard Chalenko

It's all about the plane. By and large, the MiG-29KR/KUBR was not worth taking for combat service in the Mediterranean at all. The vehicle is still at the testing stage, which will continue until 2018. The fighter has not yet really “registered” on a heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser. It is significantly inferior in its tactical and technical characteristics to the Su-33 aircraft, and has a number of technical features (for example, lower volatility compared to the Su-33).
But war dictates its own rules. And this aircraft, not fully mastered and not brought to the required condition, had to be taken into combat service.

Photo by Eduard Chalenko

The question arises - how to establish the exact cause of the accident if the plane sank to the bottom Mediterranean Sea? The technical solution to this problem is not very difficult. At one time, the naval aviation was armed with the Yak-38 carrier-based attack aircraft, the first production vertical take-off and landing aircraft in the USSR. The car, I must say frankly, is unusually unsafe. This plane took many combat pilots of the Navy aviation to the next world. So, since then, all Navy carrier-based aircraft have been equipped with pop-up buoys. And it is not difficult to determine the place where the plane that crashed or crashed sank. It is quite possible that the black boxes - parametric and flight recorders - have already been recovered from the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. And it won’t be long to wait for exact answers as to the reasons for the accident with the MiG-29KR on November 13, 2016.

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!

Popular passenger questions

1. Why do my ears get blocked during landing? Many people think that it depends on the speed or altitude of the aircraft. In fact, the ENT organs are to blame for everything. That is, if a person is absolutely healthy, he will not notice any changes. If he has even a slight cold, his ears may become blocked.
2. Does the fasten seat belt light turn on automatically? No, the crew commander or co-pilot is responsible for it.
3. When it rains, does landing work differently than usual? Yes, you need a hard landing. At the same time, passengers are a little nervous, but this is done so that the plane stops where it needs to - on the runway, and not in the field soaked from water behind it.
4. In the photo you can sometimes see how the plane, when landing, touches the runway with only one wheel. It looks scary, but it's safe. Professional pilots even specifically use this technique in strong crosswinds.
5. Well, if the plane lands “nose down”, that is, the cabin drops very sharply, then this is no longer a technique, but the pilot was simply not very experienced.
6. Is fully automatic landing possible? Yes. But to achieve it, two factors are needed: modern hardware systems at the receiving airport and experienced pilots in the sky who will program their “bird” for such a landing. This cannot be done with a simple “universal button”; the aircraft is configured each time based on the specific situation.
7. What is the most popular planting type? Manual. It is practiced by 85% of Russian pilots, and it is no less popular abroad.

Are you still afraid of flying, and still think that when the cabin shakes during landing, everyone will certainly die? In this case, you are simply shown watching this video. A helicopter lands on the small deck of a ship during a storm. Because of the dancing of the waves, the boat seems completely fragile, the deck is dancing and constantly wobbling to the side... The pilot coped with it (and such situations are commonplace in his work)! This is what professionalism means!

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!