mikegeo:
There are these small helicopter(dunno their name) they are very small and can accommodate only one person, are they cheap to buy/get? and how fast can they travel?

sugah:
Aviation is a strange profession. I love it to death, but the strange part is that if I meet my end in my line of work, it's most likely that I'll be blamed.

I'll be blamed long before any proof is brought forward. I'll be blamed by the media, by the people. I'll be blamed by the passengers if they survive. In a week the data recorders will be analysed and then maybe they'll find that it's not my fault. That I fought for hope amidst hopelessness till my dying breath.

Sadly that won't make as good a headline as much as "pilot error", or "pilot veers off runway when aligning for takeoff".

In fact, it was nothing to do with aligning that brought this ill-fated crew to a halt just short the peripheral wall at Dabolim yesterday (December 27).

How I wish I could explain concepts of asymmetric thrust to the number of people passing silent judgment and being armchair jurors. How do I tell someone about how much thrust 27,000 odd pounds is? How do I reiterate what a reverser unlock is? How do I tell the person that the same 27,000 pounds is now in an opposite direction?

Most of the crowd probably doesn't even know what a moment arm or a couple is. They dropped physics in 8th grade as it was too complex. That said, they blame the human machine who earns his bread and butter, putting into practice what they felt was too complicated.

To be honest it's disgusting - flying this kind of passenger and taking responsibility for his life for however long it may be.

How do I explain not being able to see three taxiway lights in front of me to a crowd that says, "anyway you autoland in fog"? How?

It's at the brink of frustration that I'm writing this. Back in the day, an old grey instructor told me, "Son, in this world of civil aviation, its best to be a nameless faceless pilot who does his job and goes home!"

I probably didn't understand it then but now, more than ever, I totally understand. The sad part is it doesn't matter if it is a Cactus 1511 with Sully or the 9W aircraft.

Sadly, with technology improving in the home and workplace, the human has become the weak link. Sometimes one must note that the human is the strongest link. Without them shutting down the malfunctioning engine, the plane might have gone into the terminal, increasing the statistics of loss of life

As an appeal to the non-aviation public, believe that we as pilots love what we do and would never put anyone's life in jeopardy. We are sons, daughters, wives, husbands, parents, just like you. We haven't fallen from the realm of Asgard into the helm of these metal ships. It takes years of hard work to achieve it.

Media folk, this is an appeal to you: It's you who have sensationalised our profession with scandals, malpractices, and so on. Paint the right picture of pilots worldwide. Tell people that we are there to save lives, not take them. Make an honest effort to redeem your name when you're standing at heaven's gates, or you'll probably have the boatman remove you from the boat.

Educate the masses - who you manipulate to get more views - to the actual facts of thrust, lift, weight and drag. Tell them, from start to finish, what happens from takeoff to touchdown.

Do tell them that when they see the wind looping out of the window and the tip moving, there is a hand guiding this giant metal bird through the skies.

http://www.dailyo.in/variety/jet-airways-flight-skids-off-goa-mumbai-runway-pilot-writes-strong-letter/story/1/14769.html

Boeing777pilot:
Happy New year family.
Sorry I have been extremely busy with work that explains my prolonged absence here.

bxboss:

:-XYou're highly welcomed Sir, I have being following this thread like my life depends on it, lots of educative content I must confess. Walahi anyone that reads this thread from page 1 till .....can comfortably pass any aviation related exam . Kudos Sir, flying is all I have ever wanted to do right from childhood though the training fee is Humongous but I know my God will surprise me this year..
Here is my question sir, the recent unfortunate bombing of the IDP camp by NAF. what could hv led to such mishap. Could it have being pilot error, failed intelligence gathering or both from ur experience what do u think could have being the cause of the unfortunate incident cos I feel the pilot must have being on IFR thus working with coordinates..Pls can u throw more light on this tnks..

cc Beoing777
cc Olisa
etal

kingreign:


This is a highly sensitive military case. I'd suggest we skip it.

HLion:
Good day..i've always liked piloting...but the thing is that..my school didnt offer geography..and i heard piloting majors a lot in geography ..so if i were to pursue a career in piloting..would i be able to catch up with the geography aspect?..and please which flights school in africa or Europe..would you recommend ...average cost though..pls a quick response would be highly appreciated

HLion:
Good day..i've always liked piloting...but the thing is that..my school didnt offer geography..and i heard piloting majors a lot in geography ..so if i were to pursue a career in piloting..would i be able to catch up with the geography aspect?..and please which flights school in africa or Europe..would you recommend ...average cost though..pls a quick response would be highly appreciated

osa8ty:
u can also go to America or South Africa. I personally prefer South Africa

Boeing777pilot:
Well, while we are still waiting for Seun, justwise and disguy to create an aviation section on nairaland, I decided to create this thread.

Purpose

The purpose of this thread is to help aviation enthusiasts and fans get answers to aviation related matters by asking a commercial pilot.

About me

By the special grace of God, I'm a first officer on a Boeing 777-200LR. I was previously a first officer on a Boeing 737-800 (Next Gen) so I know one or two things about flying. I look forward to interacting with all aviation fans and fellow aviation professionals here

My colleagues like olisa4all from the rotary wings branch , (helicopter pilots) are on hand to answer your questions too.

If I don't reply on time, I'm probably somewhere in the sky doing what I love.

bxboss:

:-XYou're highly welcomed Sir, I have being following this thread like my life depends on it, lots of educative content I must confess. Walahi anyone that reads this thread from page 1 till .....can comfortably pass any aviation related exam . Kudos Sir, flying is all I have ever wanted to do right from childhood though the training fee is Humongous but I know my God will surprise me this year..
Here is my question sir, the recent unfortunate bombing of the IDP camp by NAF. what could hv led to such mishap. Could it have being pilot error, failed intelligence gathering or both from ur experience what do u think could have being the cause of the unfortunate incident cos I feel the pilot must have being on IFR thus working with coordinates..Pls can u throw more light on this tnks..

cc Beoing777
cc Olisa
etal

igwemoagbo:
lets talk about helicopters: Today we have the Sikorsky S-92 heavy lift helicopter

The Sikorsky S-92 is a four-bladed twin-engine medium-lift helicopter built by Sikorsky Aircraft for the civil and military helicopter market. The S-92 was developed from the Sikorsky S-70 helicopter and has similar parts such as flight control and rotor systems.
The S-92 is multi-purpose helicopter powered by twin GE CT7-8A turboshaft engines and has an aluminum air frame and some composite components. The four-bladed fully articulated composite main rotor blade is wider and has a longer radius than the Sikorsky S-70. The tapered blade tip sweeps back and angles downward to reduce noise and increase lift. Most of the rotor system components aside from the blades are titanium. This helicopter has a carrying capacity of 19 passengers and two flight crew.with space for baggage's.in the rear. it has a cruising range of 151 knots=(280 kph) and maximum speed of 165 knots (306 kph) maximum altitude of 14,000 ft (4,270 m).
Sikorsky helicopter has a 5 high definition glass cockpit with full auto-pilot and flight computer system which virtually flies it self in any condition.. very capable of automatic approach,Hover and automatic departure. this helicopter is the most preferred for search and rescue operations world wide and top demand for oil and gas logistics to and fro platforms.

okikiosibodu:

Hmmmmmnn. Thanks for the advice. I have be searching for "leg" ever since o. I have ransacked google sef for those I can lay my hands on, but it has not been productive yet. I joined LinkedIn and mailed a lot of pilots in Nigeria, but but 80% of them gave rude responses (saying stuffs like : go F- yourself) . I had to give some people my phone to help me review the content of what I wrote when I was suspecting the fault was from me. But they all assured me nothing was wrong with what I wrote or how I wrote it, it was just them that were rude and proud.
I also came across the contact of a big politician at the Federal level (name withheld) right before he had some allegations petitioned against him. His response was also rude and when I made mention of it to an uncle during a conversation (without even knowing they once attended the same tertiary institution), he told me that's how the man is. I am very sure its the person, he keeps on changing his whatsapp picture to current pictures right before the media publicises it. They prefer to help high-classed people like themselves, that don't need the help in the real sense of it -'cause they can afford it.
I have come across some encouraging ones too, that keep on rekindling the fire of my optimism. A big support I have come across, is Pilot Essien (though rotary wings). He is also a blogger. I came across his blog during my quest for the search of "leg". We have a good rapport, and his story is also inspirational
Anyway, I am still optimistic its gonna end in praises. Habakkuk 2:2-3 has been keeping me moving.

EdDave:


Meteorologists are under NIMET. (Nigerian Meterological Agency) while ATC (Air Traffic Controllers) and ATE (Air Traffic Engineers) are under NAMA.

Nimet deals with weather reports while NAMA offers CNS( Communications, Navigation and Surveillance) to all aircrafts in Nigerian Airspace.
They are two different agencies but work hand in hand.

Yours sincerely
AirTraffic Engineer.

Originalsly:
Layman has resurfaced!.... at very busy airports with several strips.... especially at nights... how does the pilot know exactly on which one to touch down? ... noticed there are different colour lights on the tarmac...... are these part if it?.... or serve like streets to guide pilots to the deboarding gates?

EdDave:


Meteorologists are under NIMET. (Nigerian Meterological Agency) while ATC (Air Traffic Controllers) and ATE (Air Traffic Engineers) are under NAMA.

Nimet deals with weather reports while NAMA offers CNS( Communications, Navigation and Surveillance) to all aircrafts in Nigerian Airspace.
They are two different agencies but work hand in hand.

Yours sincerely
AirTraffic Engineer.

Olisa4all:


So when airports don't have published Instrument Approaches for their runways, you're part of the people we should be asking and blaming

Boeing777pilot:
Happy New year family.
Sorry I have been extremely busy with work that explains my prolonged absence here.

HLion:
Good day..i've always liked piloting...but the thing is that..my school didnt offer geography..and i heard piloting majors a lot in geography ..so if i were to pursue a career in piloting..would i be able to catch up with the geography aspect?..and please which flights school in africa or Europe..would you recommend ...average cost though..pls a quick response would be highly appreciated

sugah:

Aviate, navigate, communicate.

Navigation includes Map interpretation, Meteorology, Flying by Navaids etc things you would be taught in flight school. But it wouldn't hurt you to read up stuff on your own.

Schools depends on what you want to fly. Planks or Rotors.

okikiosibodu:
This is Alpha Charlie a one Two Niner, approaching runway 022, causing at 220knots ant altitude 1000feet, requesting clearance for landing... Over?!