Air and Space Institute - Newark England

 A £15.4m campus in the centre of the historic town of Newark is set to open its doors in September 2024. 

This will be a state-of-the-art facility for future aviation training.

Students will have access to cutting-edge facilities.

In October 2023 an Airbus A318 was transported to the site. This will be transformed into an A320Neo - one of the latest generation of aircraft flying through the skies of Europe and beyond. This demonstrates ASI’s commitment to providing the latest cutting-edge technology in the learning environment. 

Students studying with ASI before the opening of the new facility are learning at Newark College which offers industry-designed simulation suites that are fully equipped to aircraft manufacturer specifications.

Apply now at http://www.asi-newark.co.uk

Future Pilot Requirement

There is an acute shortage of qualified pilots. All the evidence leads us to believe there will be a global shortage for at least the next 10 - 20 years and it is going to be severe. 

This is an opportune time to begin a career as a pilot. The demand for skilled pilots is projected to increase significantly over the next few years. Flight schools and training institutions need to amplify their efforts to produce well-trained pilots to meet this demand. 

With mandatory retirement and air travel demand growth a pipeline is crucial to maintain the number of pilots required in order to maintain global connectivity and growth.

SkyJet DC10-30

In the next 20 years the air travel industry will need between 400,000 and 800,000 pilots (about 32,000 per year). 25% of commercial pilots will get to the mandatory retirement age of 65 in the next decade. Also there will be an increase in demand for air travel.

Is it a good career? A resounding "Yes" - it is exciting, rewarding and a challenging job. All evidence leads to the conclusion that there will continue to be a global shortage for at least the next 10 - 20 years and this shortage is going to be severe. This is an opportune time to begin a career as a pilot (and by extension: engineer, ground crew, cabin crew, ATC).

LUFTHANSA Airbus A320

Future Pilot Requirement

In 2018 Boeing delivered 806 new commercial aircraft. Airbus delivered 800.
Boeing forecast a future pilot requirement of 790,000 by 2037.
Airbus forecast a future pilot requirement of 450,000 by 2035.
What is YOUR answer to the imminent pilot shortage?
With more than 100 airliners per month being built how will the airline companies address the requirement to crew these aircraft?

Times have changed. We old-timers want to be reassured that when we shuffle up to the aircraft steps the guys up there on the flight deck are dedicated, highly trained, highly motivated, highly intelligent, well-balanced, confident individuals with the right stuff. But where will they come from?

Click here if you are interested in getting started with the basics.

Haven't Posted For a While

I have just checked ClustrMaps to find that there is still a lot of interest in my flying blog. For this I am very grateful. As I am about to pass three-quarters of a century on this wonderful planet, much of which I have seen from an aircraft cockpit, I reflect on where aviation is going in the future.

Royal Airforce Force 1967 - Primary Flying Training at Church Fenton

A 'Perfect Storm' Pilot Shortage Threatens Global Aviation according to Marisa Garcia contributor to Aerospace and Defense. There has never been a better time to get your pilot's licence. According to Boeing aviation will need 790,000 new pilots by 2037. Airbus estimate demand at 450,000 pilots by 2035. Patently the gap between supply and demand is vast. 

RAF Leeming Basic Flying Training 1968

Boeing and Airbus are building more than 100 single aisle aircraft per month - just the 737 and A320 models. Of course these mega-corporations are also building 787s, 777xs, 747s, A330s, A350s and A380S not to mention the ex-Bombardier A220. Embraer,  Sukhoi and the Russo-Chinese cooperation are also coming on stream. AND we haven't even mentioned Gulfstream, Pilatus, Cessna, Dassault, Honda and helicopters and Tilt-Rotor aircraft and many other types.

RAF Bristol Britannia 1969 Lyneham

Obviously there has been a lot of change since the days when I flew the aircraft featured here. From 1992 to 1996 I was very fortunate in getting to fly up to date and state of the art glass cockpit fly-by-wire aircraft. My company (Excalibur Airways) sent me to Lufthansa for Airbus A320 training.

Lufthansa A320

 DC10-30

Trained by United Airlines Denver, Colorado

Very enjoyable it was too. In 1996 I was sent to United Airlines in Denver, Colorado to train to fly the DC10-30. Back to round-dial, fly-by-cable - but wonderful. But I like to think that the tenets and principles inferred in the many pages of my aerofile blog still apply.

These days THIS is my aeroplane!

BMWR1150GSA

Watch this space for thoughts and comments from an old dinosaur. Would love to hear from  you.

Solo flight at 16.

David Marchington celebrated his 16th birthday on 28th May by flying solo. At age 12 it was suggested that he might be the youngest pilot in Great Britain. From age 11, his dad, Dr Tony Marchington, would take him to the flying club every Sunday for flying lessons. A good education and David's all round development and mentoring was Tony's long term gift to his son.

http://aerofile.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Youngest%20Pilot%20in%20Great%20Britain

Tragically Tony died last year. David's mum has bravely continued with the tradition and was there to see David fly solo. Dad Tony would have been very proud of his son.

Well done David. We are proud of you. PPL next.

How to Land a Light Aircraft.

This Post was originally published on 26th August 2008. It is PPL Exercise 13: Normal Circuit, Approach & Landing. Use the Blog Archive and the 'flippy' triangles or 'Labels' to navigate to other postings. Previous postings include briefings for flying exercises, navigation and related subjects.

HOW TO LAND A LIGHT AIRCRAFT: or, if you prefer, HOW TO LAND A LIGHT AIRPLANE: (Numbers based on a Cessna 152). Practise your Straight and Level lessons when flying the downwind leg. Look out and fly with reference to the visual horizon. Again the principle of Lookout - Attitude - Instruments should be applied. LOOKOUT and using the visual horizon is most important. As far as possible, keep the power constant at 2150RPM (possibly tighten the throttle friction a little more) and make small elevator and aileron inputs to remain straight and level at 1000ft AAL. There is another good mnemonic (or do I mean acronym?) to consider when pressuring the controls: C.C.H.A.T. which stands for Change - Check - Hold - Adjust - Trim. It means that should you need to change the ATTITUDE or the POWER, then make a small change, check (i.e. stop the movement), hold the change and look at the instruments, adjust if required, and finally trim. At 2150RPM the IAS should be approximately 90KIAS (Knots Indicated Airspeed) and there should be little or no rudder input required to balance the aircraft.
Keep a very good lookout AND listen out for other aircraft. By listening to other traffic and to ATC you can build a picture of what is going on in the airport vicinity and who is where.

Call downwind when abeam upwind end of the runway and do the pre-landing checks. These are normally BUMFFICHH: Brakes OFF Undercarriage DOWN (Fixed!) Mixture RICH (but as appropriate for high altitude airport) Fuel ON and Sufficient for Go-around and DIVERSION Flaps AS REQUIRED Instruments Ts and Ps CHECKED and Altimeter SET Carb Heat CHECKED and set as required Hatches SECURE Harnesses SECURE and FASTENED. Note: The Brakes should always be off in flight. The Mixture is always rich below 3000ft. The Fuel should be ON else we would have had to make a forced landing somewhere, and if we are short of fuel where better to be than in the circuit? There is no ELECTRIC FUEL PUMP on a Cessna 152. Flaps should still be at Zero. Instruments are routinely checked. Why would the Hatches and Harnesses be anything but secure and fastened? For my money the important checks here are: Mixture RICH - but not at higher altitude airports. Altimeter SET. Carb Heat CHECKED and always scan the Ts and Ps. Note: Undercarriage (Gear) and Fuel Pump(s) are crucially important on most types of aircraft.
The wind direction and strength is ALWAYS important to the pilot who should develop an awareness of what effect the moving air mass is having on the aircraft. In an ideal world in order to land with as low a ground speed as possible the runway for landing is always that closest to into wind. Of course we do not live in an ideal world and other factors have, also, to be considered by ATC or the Authority with regards to the runway for landing. Some of these other factors could be obstacles in the approach or in the go-around path, length, slope, noise- abatement etc. Before turning onto Base Leg have an idea of what the wind effect will be on Base Leg. Will there be a HEAD WIND COMPONENT or a TAIL WIND COMPONENT?
If there is a HEAD WIND COMPONENT then consider delaying power reduction AND to a higher power setting than the standard 1500RPM datum when you do judge it necessary, and if there is a TAIL WIND COMPONENT consider early power reduction to, possibly, a lower power setting than the standard 1500RPM datum.
Select Carb Heat ON and DECREASE POWER to the datum plus an increment or minus a decrement as stated above. The nose of the aircraft will want to drop with the decreased power. Do not let it! It is very important to maintain the height(QFE)/altitude(QNH) as power is reduced. Progressively increase the attitude as the aircraft decelerates in order to maintain the altitude. Include the ASI in your scan, and when the IAS is inside the WHITE ARC (Flap limit speed) and, depending on the HWC, select Flap 20 (pausing briefly at Flap 10 because all selections made in an aircraft are 'considered', 'measured' and 'deliberate'). It is important to stress: maintain the height/altitude as the speed reduces. The rate of deceleration now 'increases', due to increased drag, and as the aircraft approaches 65KIAS start the descent at the appropriate 'glide slope angle'. The fixed pitch propeller will also mean that the RPM will have decreased, so re-adjust the power as required. Line up with the runway centre-line and note the wind direction by observing the windsock. Apply the appropriate amount of drift to maintain the aircraft on the centre-line all the way down the approach path.
Now that the aircraft is lined up with the runway, the speed should be reduced to 60KIAS (+ 1/2 of the headwind component - HWC). E.g. if the wind is 260/12 and the runway is 23 (say 230-deg Magnetic) then the wind is 30-degrees off the runway heading and from the right. 30-degrees off = .87 (87%) of 12 = 10 and 1/2 of 10 = 5. So add 5kts to 60 = 65KIAS. See Tip in next paragraph.....(Tip: How to quickly figure HWC: 10-degrees off centre-line = 98% of Wind. 20-degrees off centre-line = 94%, 30-degrees off = 87%, 40-degrees off = 77%, 50-degrees off = 64%, 60-degrees off = 50%, 70-degrees off = 34%, 80-degrees off = 17% and of course 90-degrees off = 0%. BUT let's be practical about this:

0 & 10 = 100%. 20 & 30 = 90%. 40 = 80%. 50 = 60%. 60 = 50%. 70 = 30%. 80 = 20%. 90 = 0%.) Thinks: maybe I will eventually put all the 'Tips' in one separate place - when I get time! Fly the approach at 60KIAS +/- the HWC and use the Throttle and the Control Wheel to control the GLIDE PATH (or the "approach path" if you prefer) and the IAS. To state that you conrol the 'Glide Path' with the throttle and the 'speed' with the elevator is over-simplifying the operation. If you are high and the speed is correct then you must decrease the power. If you are low and the speed is correct then you must add power. If you are fast and on the glide path then you will have to co-ordinate elevator and throttle movement (power reduction) in order to reduce speed and stay on the correct glide path. If you are slow and on the glide path then you will have to co-ordinate elevator and throttle (power increase) in order to stay on the correct glide path. Start to develop an awareness of the 'energy' of the aircraft. Flying the approach requires constant concentration and judgement. The questions that you should be mentally asking yourself all the time are: Am I high? Am I low? Am I fast? Am I slow? Am I left? Am I right? In order to mentally answer these questions it is very important to keep changing the focus of your eyes (extensions of the brain!) to the runway (the DATUM) and the ASI. Look OUT, look IN, look OUT, look IN. look OUT, look IN.......................so that we are making judgements all the time with reference to the 'picture' of the runway and the IAS. There are various schools of thought about exactly where to 'look' when looking OUT. My strong advice is to look at the far end of the runway. Your peripheral vision will take care of the big picture, including obstacles in the approach, the touchdown zone and, later, the flare (or roundout) and the de-crab. Attitude flying, as stated elsewhere is of paramount importance, and the approach and flare is no exception. This is the only way to ensure a successful and safe landing every time.
Okay, we are still flying the approach.....
If the HWC is strong, then you would consider delaying selecting FLAP 30 (Landing Flap) until later in the approach. Do not add drag when more power is needed to fly the approach. If there is little or no HWC, then consider earlier selection of FLAP 30 (Landing Flap). Calm conditions can be tricky on a short runway and we will need to get the aircraft stabilised with Landing Flap at the correct speed and on the glide path in good time.
It might be a good idea to call 'Final' with the selection of Landing Flap, but remember that 'Final' is inside 4nm of the runway threshold and where you call 'Final' may depend on what is going on in the circuit.
Having selected Flap 30, the extra drag will 'bite' and the IAS will decrease with no change in power. Now fly the aircraft at 54KIAS + 1/2 HWC. You may need to add a smidgen of power and there may be an attitude change, and therefore a small trim change. As the threshold of the runway is approached, keep the 'crab' angle on and, if the IAS was correct as you cross the threshold, close the throttle but do not allow the nose to drop. Control the attitude of the aircraft and concentrate on still looking at the far end of the runway.

Do not dive for the runway. Peripheral vision will dictate to your brain where the ground is and where the touchdown zone is, and as you close with the runway surface, still looking as far down the runway as you can, gently pressure back on the control wheel to 'arrest the rate of descent'. It is worth stating AGAIN: Do not dive for the runway. The final part of the approach should be a continuation of the glide path. Just before touchdown push (we never "kick" the rudder!) the rudder to align the aircraft with the centre-line and touchdown. This may cause some roll due to yawing the aircraft, but this is easily controlled with aileron.
Keep straight using rudder. Hold the nosewheel off the ground and use aerodynamic braking until you are about to run out of elevator authority. Now gently lower the nosewheel onto the runway and keep straight. If braking IS necessary lift your feet up to the brakes and gently apply symmetrical braking. Do not lock the wheels.
Keep aware of what is going on and do not delay vacating the runway. When clear of the runway perform the after landing scan.

"Well done!"

Some new information has just come in re CRM. I have long advised pilots to Think - Delay - Act. At a recent seminar (May 2011 at the RAeS in London) it was suggested that we pilots could possibly learn some lessons from the medical sector. One surgeon had once been given the advice "Don't just do something, stand there."  See blog entry Think - Delay - Act Saturday, 3 October 2009. http://aerofile.blogspot.co.uk/2009/10/think-delay-act.html 
Keep safe. 

THINK - DELAY - ACT!

There are very few circumstances in flying where it is necessary or desirable for the pilot to react*.

In the vast majority of cases the Captain's actions should be considered, measured and deliberate.

There is no intended connection between these words and the image above. We should, however, be reminded that should things go wrong the first thing to do is FLY THE PLANE. Power Attitude Trim maintaining the aircraft in balance. Move Flaps and Gear UP as required.

Think - Delay (pause for just a second or two) - Act. DO NOT RUSH vital actions like moving Thrust Levers, Pitch Levers, Fuel Levers, Fire Switches, Flap Levers or the Gear Lever. Be cool and make any changes in a considered, measured and deliberate manner. Hands flashing around the cockpit are definitely not a good idea. In the May 2011 Edition of Aerospace International (www.aerosociety.com) magazine there is an article Command lessons from QF32. There may be lessons for us from the medical sector, especially from surgeons. Embedded in this article it was stated that a surgeon had once been given the advice "Don't just do something, stand there", indicating that slowing down rather than rushing into action may contribute to better decision making in medical operations.

*Of course a pilot needs to know the RECALL actions for emergencies and non-normals. The only circumstances where it may be desirable to react are possibly:

An RTO (Rejected Take-off).

An EGPWS or GPWS command.

Windshear.

Go-Around at DH or baulked landing.

Oxygen Mask ON in Rapid Depressurisation.

Let me know of any others. I'm getting rusty.

The order of priorities is always AVIATE - NAVIGATE - COMMUNICATE.

By the way, THINK - DELAY - SPEAK also works with your R/T and using the PA. A colleague of mine once said that this maxim had not only helped him in the air, but had also saved his marriage!! (See 26th August 2008 - Correct R/T Phraseology? Any Feedback?)