- By : Mr. A. Senthivel
- Date: 08-10-2013
- Views : 2150
- [Loutete, Congo]
Sean Dewbury, a training pilot for British Airways, demonstrates what would happen if an engine failed on an Airbus A380.
Engine failure is not something many of us want to think about when boarding the worlds largest passenger airliner, but it is reassuring to know it is a scenario all pilots will have experienced many times before - albeit in a simulator.
British Airways uses a £10 million simulator, housed in a hanger on the outskirts of Heathrow, to train the pilots that fly the "superjumbo". Inside, it is an exact replica of the aircraft’s cockpit, with its countless screens and switches. A wraparound virtual window makes the experience even more realistic.
It is the carrier’s 16th simulator (one for every model it flies), and the majority can be experienced by members of the public for a fee.
"The simulator enables training to be done more cost effectively," explains Captain Dewbury. "It also allows us to go through complex failures, which obviously you could never look at on the aeroplane."
In this video, he demonstrates what pilots would do if an A380 had a single engine failure.
There has been only one incident of engine failure in the superjumbo since its launch in 2007, when an oil leak caused a Qantas flight to abort a flight to Sydney and land in Singapore. There were no injuries and modifications have since been made to the type of Rolls-Royce engine used.
In September, BA became the first British airline to fly the A380 on its so-called "red carpet" route from London to Los Angeles. Ahead of the inaugural flight, Chris Stone stepped on board the aircraft for The Telegraph.
