Tweet
Accoding to fleetbuzz.com
http://www.fleetbuzz.com/forums//ind...opic=11377&hl=
http://www.fleetbuzz.com/forums//ind...opic=11377&hl=
Sunday Times
April 1, 2007
Jumbos to ‘glide’ into Auckland
Chris Haslam
If you detect an eerie quiet on your next flight to New Zealand, don’t panic — the pilots are practising a new technique that could save fuel and reduce harmful emissions, by “gliding” into Auckland airport.
Initially limited to Boeing 747 jumbo jets operated by Qantas and Air New Zealand, the ecofriendly procedure involves switching engines to idle about 100 miles from the runway, and coasting in on a preagreed approach path.
Captain Mark Rammell, president of the New Zealand airline pilots’ association, told The Sunday Times that, while the notion of a 375-ton aircraft gliding into an airport seemed alarming, there were no safety concerns.
“It’s what these aircraft were designed to do,” he said, “and gliding is the wrong word. At 33,000ft and 99 miles out, we switch the engines to idle, then let gravity and forward momentum take us in. Passengers aren’t going to suddenly hear the engines cut out and the wind whistling over the wings — it will be a bit quieter and significantly less bumpy than some landings. It’s similar to driving your car downhill, and is perfectly safe.”
Unless, of course, there is other traffic in the area. “Aircraft using the ecofriendly approach need a clear descent corridor,” Rammell explained. “That’s why Auckland, which has relatively uncongested airspace, is ideal for the trial. Pilots would use the ‘gliding approach’ all the time if they could, but the way airspace is managed makes this impossible at most airports. Air-traffic control [ATC] methodology was developed at a time when fuel burn and pollution wasn’t the issue it is today, so it’s up to ATC to change.”
April 1, 2007
Jumbos to ‘glide’ into Auckland
Chris Haslam
If you detect an eerie quiet on your next flight to New Zealand, don’t panic — the pilots are practising a new technique that could save fuel and reduce harmful emissions, by “gliding” into Auckland airport.
Initially limited to Boeing 747 jumbo jets operated by Qantas and Air New Zealand, the ecofriendly procedure involves switching engines to idle about 100 miles from the runway, and coasting in on a preagreed approach path.
Captain Mark Rammell, president of the New Zealand airline pilots’ association, told The Sunday Times that, while the notion of a 375-ton aircraft gliding into an airport seemed alarming, there were no safety concerns.
“It’s what these aircraft were designed to do,” he said, “and gliding is the wrong word. At 33,000ft and 99 miles out, we switch the engines to idle, then let gravity and forward momentum take us in. Passengers aren’t going to suddenly hear the engines cut out and the wind whistling over the wings — it will be a bit quieter and significantly less bumpy than some landings. It’s similar to driving your car downhill, and is perfectly safe.”
Unless, of course, there is other traffic in the area. “Aircraft using the ecofriendly approach need a clear descent corridor,” Rammell explained. “That’s why Auckland, which has relatively uncongested airspace, is ideal for the trial. Pilots would use the ‘gliding approach’ all the time if they could, but the way airspace is managed makes this impossible at most airports. Air-traffic control [ATC] methodology was developed at a time when fuel burn and pollution wasn’t the issue it is today, so it’s up to ATC to change.”
Comment