Author: Gareth

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Video: ‘How do you become a captain?’

Fly High English - Video

This week’s video describes how to become an airline captain. Watch to find out.

Try to answer the following questions about the video and come back on Monday for the answers.

Suggested ICAO level for video: 5+

  1. According to the video, how many flight hours are necessary to be eligible for an upgrade?
  2. What is the PICUS program for?
  3. What’s necessary after the PICUS program?
  4. What do the first lessons in the simulator focus on?
  5. How does the co-pilot perform his/her duties during this training?
  6. Which co-pilots do some airlines organise to fly with newly qualified captains for an initial period?

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Have a great weekend!

How do you become an AIRLINE CAPTAIN?

INSTAGRAM FLYWITHCAPTAINJOE: https://goo.gl/TToDlg MY WEBSITE: https://goo.gl/KGTSWK ►STAY INFORMED: https://goo.gl/ByheuP ◄ NEW FACEBOOK PAGE: https://goo.gl/heUKGb ——————————— ▼▼My FLIGHT-KIT I highly recommend for you guys▼▼ MY HEADSET: https://amzn.to/2CrTrzz MY SUNGLASSES: https://amzn.to/2VY6FNo MY PILOT BAG: https://amzn.to/2DiWKux Company iPad: https://amzn.to/2W1zM2n ▼▼The VIDEO EQUIPMENT I use in my studio and outdoors▼▼ MY CAMERA: https://amzn.to/2T1VK3g LIGHTING: https://amzn.to/2szSRv4 IN-FLIGHT RECORDINGS: https://amzn.to/2VY7A0g ———————————- Dear friends and followers!

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Structure: ‘there is / there are’

We use this structure to indicate that something (or somebody) exists (or does not exist) in a specific place at some time. There is / there are introduces the thing or things / person or people that you want to talk about.

Look at the following examples.

There are some passengers at the gate. (present)
There is a problem with the APU. (present)

We can also use this structure in other tenses, all we need to do is use the verb be in other tenses.

Look at the following examples.

There was a restaurant in terminal 1. (past simple)
There were two bags left on board the plane. (past simple)

Similarly we can use there have been / there has been / there will be etc.

Look at some more examples.

There will be a new livery for the fleet next year. (future)
There have been many delays this year. (present perfect)

Now try to write some examples of your own.

Tip: Be careful that your choice of there is / are etc… agrees with the thing / things / person / people you are taking about.

eg There is a plane on the stand. (’There is‘ agrees with ‘a plane’)

eg There are two planes on the stand. (’There are‘ agrees with ‘two planes’)

Here are all of the present and past structures for reference;
There is … (present singular positive)
There are … (present plural negative)
There isn’t … (present singular negative)
There aren’t … (present plural negative)
Is there …? (present singular question)
Are there …? (present plural question)

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Video answers: ‘Why does the rudder always point to the right?’

Here are the answers to last Friday’s video, enjoy!

Suggested ICAO level for video: 5+

  1. On a small plane, it’s usually controlled by pedals which are directly connected to cables to change the position of the rudder. On an Airbus the movements of the side stick generate an electric impulse which is sent to the flight control computer, then the actuators, then a hydraulic system which moves the rudder into position.
  2. When the engines are turned off, hydraulic pressure decreases and the actuators don’t have the pressure to keep the rudder in a neutral position. So in reality, the rudder moves in the direction that the wind is blowing.

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Video: ‘Why does the rudder always point to the right?’

Fly High English - Video

This week’s video explains why the rudder of an Airbus always points to the right when parked. Watch the video to find out why.

Try to answer the following questions about the video and come back on Monday for the answers.

Suggested ICAO level for video: 5+

  1. How is the control of the rudder different on a small plane than on an Airbus?
  2. Why does the rudder always point to the right?

Follow us on twitter here, Facebook here or Google+ here for more great content!

Have a great weekend!

Why does the RUDDER point to the right? Explained by Captain Joe

INSTAGRAM FLYWITHCAPTAINJOE: https://goo.gl/TToDlg MY WEBSITE: https://goo.gl/KGTSWK ►STAY INFORMED: https://goo.gl/ByheuP ◄ NEW FACEBOOK PAGE: https://goo.gl/heUKGb ——————————— ▼▼My FLIGHT-KIT I highly recommend for you guys▼▼ MY HEADSET: https://amzn.to/2CrTrzz MY SUNGLASSES: https://amzn.to/2VY6FNo MY PILOT BAG: https://amzn.to/2DiWKux Company iPad: https://amzn.to/2W1zM2n ▼▼The VIDEO EQUIPMENT I use in my studio and outdoors▼▼ MY CAMERA: https://amzn.to/2T1VK3g LIGHTING: https://amzn.to/2szSRv4 IN-FLIGHT RECORDINGS: https://amzn.to/2VY7A0g ———————————- This video will give you an insight into the hydraulic and fly-by-wire system of the Airbus A320 family.

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Structure: ‘past perfect’

Fly High English - Structure

This time in our structure help we talk about the past perfect. Look at the example below.

Peter had a flight at 9am last Saturday morning. He woke up late and arrived at the airport at 10am. The flight had already left.

The past perfect is a verb tense. It is formed by using had + past participle. Very often we talk about the past. When we use some past simple verbs in a row, we understand that the first action happened first and that the second action happened second etc… But sometimes when we talk about the past we want to say that something happened before the previous past simple verb. We use the past perfect in these situations. Look at the following example.

Example 1: I flew on the A380 last week. It’s a fantastic plane with four engines and two floors. I hadn’t flown on it before.

We also use the past perfect to talk about actions in the way we experience them, which is sometimes not in the order that they happen. Look at the following example.

Example 2: Captain Smith boarded his plane 30 minutes before the scheduled takeoff time. When he entered the cockpit and opened the maintenance logbook, he discovered that the plane had suffered a problem with the APU.

I this situation we talk about the story in the way Captain Smith experienced it, after he arrived on the plane he discovered the problem. It’s very natural and normal to talk about our experiences in this way and the past perfect is essential in such situations.

Let’s look at one final example.

Example 3: When the plane stopped at the runway holding point, the co-pilot realised that the ground staff hadn’t loaded the catering on board.

Now try to write some of your own examples.

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Have a great day!

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Video answers: ‘Small planes over big oceans’

Here are the answers to last Friday’s video, enjoy!

Suggested ICAO level for video: 5+

  1. The belief was that if they lost a single engine, they would only be able to fly for an hour with the one remaining engine and so, for security reasons they couldn’t fly more than an hour from a coastal airport.
  2. They couldn’t make a profit on many routes, so the big planes only operated into and out of big cities.
  3. They became popular as a way to avoid twin-engine restrictions while also having a lower cost than four-engine planes.
  4. It came from the days of piston-engine aircraft. These engines were much less reliable and often broke down.
  5. An airline also needs a special maintenance plan, a special flight crew, a special cabin crew, special dispatchers, special fuel quantities and special passenger recovery plans.
  6. The 787 has an ETOPS rating of 330 minutes and the A350 has an ETOPS rating of 370 minutes.
  7. Because of the bigger ETOPS ratings, three and four engine jets are becoming less and less common.

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