Remove Air Traffic Control Remove Altimeter Remove Ceiling
article thumbnail

Who is the pilot in command of your aircraft?

Air Facts

Thats especially true for instrument pilots, where Air Traffic Control sounds like they are running the show, the avionics seem to direct the flight along predefined routes, and the autopilot actually flies the airplane. I concentrated as never before, and the airplane tracked true as the altimeter hand crawled upward.

article thumbnail

The anatomy of a commercial flight – all you ever wanted to know:   Part two   

Aerotime

Modern commercial airliners have complicated cabin air conditioning systems , as well as other electrical cabling and pipework that keep all the systems on the aircraft functioning. These noises denote thepoint at which the autopilot is disconnected by the handling pilot as they take over manual control to perform the landing.

article thumbnail

“Totally a visibility issue.”

Fear of Landing

By now, it was dark and the weather in Gaithersburg had deteriorated with fog and low cloud ceilings. However, the METAR for their destination showed an overcast ceiling at 200 feet above ground level and fog. During the final stages of the flight, air traffic control told the pilot to expect the RNAV A approach to Montgomery County.