Co-pilot’s checks and fuel planning
Exercise 3.4.1 Read and translate the text. Approaching OPOKA at 19.36 UTC. Harry turns on his overhead map light. It casts a small pool of light on the flightplan attached to the clipboard on his lap where he records the jet’s progress. Victor Alpha is cruising at Mach 0.83. The wind is blowing almost directly on the tail at 24kt, giving the jet a little extra push for a groundspeed of 507kt. The First Officer’s checks show that the flight is two minutes ahead of schedule and has a comfortable reserve of fuel – 103.3 tonnes in the tanks compared to the 89.3 tonnes the flightplan says is required at this point to reach the destination. In pilot parlance, the flight is making fuel. Through a combination of conservative fuel planning, a stronger than expected tailwind and ATC shortcuts, pilots often find themselves having more fuel than the flight plan predicted would be necessary. It is certainly preferable to the less frequent alternative when fuel checks show that consumption is higher than expected. This can happen if the headwinds are stronger than forecast or the flight was assigned a less than optimum altitude. In such cases, the pilots can slow to conserve fuel stop en route. As the flight progresses, fuel is burned off and the jet becomes lighter, making it more efficient. For example, the aircraft will burn approximately twice as much fuel in the first half of the trip as it does in the last half. It used 30 tonnes in the first two hours, when the engines worked hard to get the heavy jet off the ground and up to altitude, and will consume 17 tonnes in the last two hours. Exercise 3.4.2 Answer the questions. 1. What is Speedbird 25 approaching? 2. What time is Speedbird 25 approaching OPOKA? 3. What does overhead light cast? 4. What is Mach number of Victor Alpha? 5. What does the wind give the jet? 6. What is the groundspeed of the aircraft? 7. What is seen from the First Officer’s checks? 8. What is the reserve of fuel in the tanks? 9. What may happen if the headwinds are stronger than forecast? 10. What do pilots do in such cases? 11. Why does the jet become lighter? 12. How many tonnes of fuel did the aircraft use in the first two hours? 13. Why did the engines work hard? 14. How much fuel will Speedbird 25 consume in the last two hours? Exercise 3.4.3 Are the following statements true (√) or false (×)? Correct the false ones. 1. Approaching OPOKA at 19.36 UTC, Harry turns off his overhead map light. 2. It casts a big pool of light on the flightplan attached to the clipboard on his lap. 3. Victor Alpha is cruising at Mach 0.63. 4. The checks show that the flight is two minutes ahead of schedule. 5. The aircraft doesn’t have a reserve of fuel. 6. In pilot parlance, the flight is ”making fuel”. 7. Pilots often find themselves having more fuel than the flight plan predicted would be necessary. 8. Fuel is burned off and the jet becomes lighter. 9. It used 35 tonnes of fuel in the first two hours. 10. The aircraft will consume 17 tonnes in the last two hours. 11. The consumption of fuel is higher when the headwinds are stronger than forecast. 12. When the flight was assigned a less than optimum altitude, the pilots can slow to conserve fuel or begin planning for a fuel stop en route. Exercise 3.4.4 Give English equivalents for the following words and word combinations. Включать; бросать тень; небольшой пучок света; план полета; доска с зажимом для записей; записывать показания работы систем самолета во время полета; ветер; дуть; небольшое дополнительное движение; путевая скорость; на несколько минут раньше расписания; запас топлива; достичь пункта назначения; по выражению (словам) пилота; попутный ветер; предсказывать; необходимый; предполагать; сильнее чем; расход топлива; в таких случаях; беречь топливо; на маршруте; остановиться для дозаправки; сжигать топливо; приблизительно; в первой части маршрута; в первые 2 часа; тяжелый реактивный самолет; (из)расходовать топливо; в последние 2 часа. Exercise 3.4.5 What do the following abbreviations stand for?
Exercise 3.4.6 Find in the text synonyms for the following words and expressions. Closing to; switch on; little; fastened; maintaing; straight; additional; move; timetable; in comparison with; mixture; backwind; forecast; heavier than; height; happening often; seldom; the first part of the route; motors. Exercise 3.4.7 Match the word combinations and expressions in column A with those column B.
Exercise 3.4.8 Fill in the gaps with the words from the text choosing from the one given in brackets. 1. __________ (Flying to, Approaching, Coming to) OPOKA, Harry turns on his overhead map light. 2. It _________ (throws, sheds, casts) a small pool of light on the flightplan _________ (tied, fastened, attached) to the clipboard. 3. Victor Alpha is _________ (flying, maintaining, cruising) at Mach 0.83 4. The flight has a __________ (convenient, cosy, comfortable) reserve of fuel. 5. In pilot __________ (words, parlance, expressions), the flight is ”making fuel”. 6. It is certainly __________ (desirable, preferable, suitable) to the less frequent alternative, when fuel check shows that consumption is higher than _________ (looked forward to, expected, waited). 7. As the flight __________ (develops, advances, progresses) fuel is burned off and the jet becomes lighter. Exercise 3.4.9 Fill in the gaps with the related words. 1. _________ OPOKA at 19.36 UTC, Harry turns on his overhead map light. (APPROACH) 2. Victor Alpha is _________ at Mach 0.83. (CRUISE) 3. The wind is __________ almost directly on the tail. (BLOW) 4. The flight has a __________ reserve of fuel. (COMFORT) 5. Through a __________ of conservative fuel planning, pilots often find themselves having more fuel than the flight plan predicted would be necessary. (COMBINE) 6. It is certainly __________ to the less frequent alternative, when fuel checks show that _________ is higher than expected. (CONSUME + PREFER) Exercise 3.4.10 Translate the following sentences into English. 1. Приближаясь к пункту OПOKA, Гарри включает свет, расположенный сверху. 2. На план полета, который прикреплен к доске зажимом, падает небольшой пучок света. 3. На доске с зажимом, которая находится на коленях у Гарри, он ведет запись работы систем самолета. 4. Ветер дует прямо в хвостовую часть самолета. 5. Путевая скорость воздушного судна 507 узлов. 6. Проверки показаний приборов показывают, что самолет летит на 2 минуты впереди расписания и имеет резерв топлива – 103, 3 тонны в баках по сравнению с 89, 3 тоннами согласно плана полета в этой точке полета. 7. По выражению пилота самолет ”делает топливо”. 8. Очень часто проверки топлива показывают, что расход топлива гораздо выше, чем предполагалось. 9. Случается, что очень часто встречные ветры сильнее, чем прогнозировалось. 10. Часто пилоты планируют остановки на маршруте для дозаправки. 11. Так как полет продолжается, топливо сжигается и самолет становится легче. 12. Самолет сожжет приблизительно вдвое больше топлива в первой половине полета чем во второй. 13. 30 тонн было использовано в первые два часа полета, когда двигатели мощно работали чтобы оторвать воздушное судно от земли и поднять на высоту. 14. Самолет израсходует 17 тонн горючего в последние два часа. Exercise 3.4.11 Make up your own sentences using the following words and word combinations. Small pool of flight; clipboard; record the plane’s progress; directly; extra push; 2 minutes ahead of schedule; comfortable reserve of fuel; reach the destination; in pilot parlance; predict; preferable; consumption; headwind; in such cases; fuel stop en route; work hard; approximately; in the first/second half of the trip. Exercise 3.4.12 Retell the text.
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