Out Of The Blue

Part 1 – What’s My Problem?

It’s not long after 5am and having been in a straightforward, high altitude cruise for many hours it’s time to really switch on for the final descent and landing. The city always looks magnificent at this time of the morning and with clear skies and light winds the weather conditions are very favourable for a smooth arrival. It’s my final sector and as the first officer I’ve got the landing, with the aircraft captain providing back-up monitoring of the aircraft systems, supervising our flight profile, running the checklists as well as taking care of the radio calls with air traffic control. It’s a bonus to get the landing at the end of what’s been a busy trip to London and back.

I’m feeling calm but focused, the outcome of an often-rallying affect (some adrenaline to combat the monotony of the long cruise), especially now that I’ve chosen to remove the aircraft’s automation and to manually fly the final section of the approach. I like to maintain some hands-on experience through flying the last few thousand feet, particularly in the wake of recent accidents that have cited pilot over-reliance with aircraft automation. I’m maintaining a constant work cycle to methodically scan various cockpit instruments to ensure the aircraft remains within its stabilised approach criteria.