Blog: flight explainers and lessons from the news

Plain-language answers on how planes fly, how pilots handle problems and what the cockpit shows. Each one links to a free practice lesson.

• October 31, 2026What Happens When the Landing Gear Won't Come Down?Pilots check that the landing gear is down and locked with three green lights, one for each gear leg. If one does not show, the aircraft has a separate emergency way to lower the gear, often by letting it drop under its own weight. The crew takes time to work through the checklist, and if a leg still will not lock, plans the landing with emergency services standing by.Read the explainer →
• October 27, 2026Why One Failure Rarely Brings an Airliner DownAirliners are designed on the assumption that any single part can fail on any flight. US certification rules say a single failure must never lead to a catastrophe, so important systems come in two or more independent copies, failures are shown to the crew, and there is a written procedure for each one. That is why a failure usually ends with the crew choosing to land sooner, not with an accident.Read the explainer →
• October 26, 2026What Does 'Mayday Fuel' Mean? Reserve Fuel, ExplainedAirliners plan to land with a final reserve of fuel that they never expect to use: 30 minutes under the scheme in the 2026 report, and 45 minutes at normal cruise for US domestic flights. "Minimum fuel" tells controllers a flight can accept no more delay; it is not an emergency. "Mayday fuel" is an emergency, declared when the fuel expected on landing at the nearest suitable airport would be less than that reserve.Read the explainer →
• October 26, 2026What Is Windshear? Why Pilots Fly an Escape ManoeuvreWindshear is a sudden change in wind speed or direction over a short distance. Close to the ground it can rob an aircraft of airspeed and lift, so airliners carry warning systems. When one sounds, pilots fly a windshear escape: maximum thrust and the best climb attitude, without changing flaps or landing gear, until they are clear of it.Read the explainer →
• October 23, 2026Why Pilots Reject a Take-off, and What V1 MeansA rejected take-off is when the crew decides to stop on the runway instead of flying. Before every take-off, airline pilots work out a decision speed, V1: the stop must begin by V1, and after it the take-off normally continues. An FAA training aid estimates one rejected take-off per 3,000 take-off attempts, and more than 75 percent of them begin at 80 knots or less.Read the explainer →
• October 22, 2026What Is a Go-Around? Why Planes Abort a Landing and Climb AwayA go-around is when the pilots decide not to land, add power, climb away and then fly another approach or divert. It is a normal, practised manoeuvre, not an emergency, used whenever an approach or landing is not right.Read the explainer →
• October 22, 2026Can a Phone Interfere With a Plane? Airplane Mode, ExplainedNeither myth is right. An FAA committee found that most airliners tolerate radio interference from passengers' devices, but that on about one percent of flights, in low visibility, some landing systems may not be proven to tolerate it, and crews may ask for devices to be turned off. In the United States, airplane mode also keeps you within an FCC rule that bans using cellular phones while airborne.Read the explainer →
• October 21, 2026How Planes Land in Fog: The ILS, Approach Categories and AutolandPlanes land in fog by following an instrument landing system (ILS): radio beams that guide them left-right and up-down to the runway. Pilots must normally see the runway by a set decision height or go around. Some aircraft can also land automatically.Read the explainer →
• October 20, 2026How to Read the FMA: Autopilot Mode Boxes on an Airliner DisplayThe flight mode annunciator (FMA) is the row of mode boxes on an airliner's primary flight display. It shows which modes the autothrottle and autopilot are using now (engaged) and which will take over next (armed).Read the explainer →
• October 20, 2026What Happens When an Aircraft's Engine Stops? Gliding, ExplainedAn aircraft whose engine stops does not fall; it glides. The pilot lowers the nose to the best-glide speed, chooses a place to land within reach and flies there under control. In the FAA's example, a glide ratio of 10 to 1 means 10,000 feet forward for every 1,000 feet of height.Read the explainer →
• October 19, 2026What Does Squawk 7700 Mean? Transponder Codes, ExplainedSquawk 7700 means the pilot has set the aircraft's transponder to the emergency code, which normally sets off an alarm at every radar control position that can see the aircraft. 7600 means the radio has failed, and 7500 means a hijacking. The code is only a fast first signal: the radio call that goes with it says what is wrong.Read the explainer →
• October 13, 2026How Pilots Land a Plane in a Crosswind: Crabbing and SideslipsPilots either point the nose into the wind so the aircraft tracks along the runway (crabbing) or lower the into-wind wing (a sideslip). Before touchdown, the nose must line up with the runway so the wheels do not land sideways.Read the explainer →
• October 9, 2026What Is a Stall in a Plane? Warning Signs and Stall RecoveryA stall happens when the wing meets the air at more than its critical angle of attack, so the airflow breaks away and lift drops. It is not an engine problem. Pilots recover by lowering the nose first.Read the explainer →
• October 9, 2026Why Do Planes Fly? How Wings Make Lift, and Why They StallA plane flies because its wings turn the air they move through downward. Pushing air down creates an equal upward push, called lift. The same flow leaves lower pressure above the wing and higher pressure below.Read the explainer →

We are not a news site. When a real event in the air is in the news, we keep to the plain facts, with links to the sources, and then turn it into one small skill anyone can learn: what it shows, how to do it, common mistakes and where to practise. We never name people or airlines, blame anyone or guess at causes. Pick one this week and learn it; it may help someone.

• October 19, 2026Smell Smoke on a Plane? Tell the Crew Straight AwayIf you smell smoke, burning or a strange odour on board, or see smoke or haze, press the call button or tell the nearest flight attendant straight away, and say exactly where it is. Do not look for the source yourself and do not wait to see whether it goes away. FAA guidance tells crews never to ignore a strange odour, because it can be the first sign of a hidden fire.Read the lesson →
• October 19, 2026Evacuating a Plane? Leave Your Bags BehindWhen the crew tells you to evacuate, leave everything: bags, laptops, coats. Go to the exit the crew points you to, follow their commands and keep moving. FAA guidance tells airlines to instruct passengers to "leave everything", and in an NTSB study nearly half the passengers who had cabin bags tried to take one; bags were the obstruction mentioned most often.Read the lesson →
• October 17, 2026What Happens If the Pilots Can't Fly a Passenger Plane?If one pilot cannot fly, the other takes over and lands; this is rare, and crews train for it. A passenger's job is to buy time until someone qualified takes over, not to land an airliner.Read the lesson →
• October 15, 2026Keep Your Power Bank Within Reach: Battery Fires in the CabinCarry power banks and spare lithium batteries in the cabin, where you can see and reach them, not in the overhead bin or a checked bag, and tell a crew member at once if a device gets hot, swells or smokes. Since 27 March 2026, international rules allow two power banks per person and forbid recharging them on board.Read the lesson →
• October 15, 2026Put Your Own Oxygen Mask On First: Why Seconds CountIf the oxygen masks drop, put one over your nose and mouth at once, and only then help a child or anyone else. FAA guidance for pilots puts the time of useful consciousness at 35,000 feet at 30 seconds to one minute, and at 15 to 30 seconds after a rapid decompression.Read the lesson →
• October 9, 2026Learn CPR Before You Fly: Medical Emergencies in the AirIf an adult collapses and is not breathing normally, get emergency help (on a plane, tell the crew at once), push hard and fast in the centre of the chest, and use an AED as soon as one arrives. A short hands-on class teaches this far better than any web page.Read the lesson →
• October 9, 2026Keep Your Seat Belt On: What Turbulence Does to a CabinKeep your seat belt fastened whenever you are seated, not only when the sign is lit: turbulence can arrive without warning, even in clear sky. In the NTSB's 2009 to 2018 data, only 1 of the 123 seriously injured passengers and flight attendants was documented as wearing a seat belt.Read the lesson →
• October 9, 2026What to Do When a Passenger Is in Crisis on a FlightTell the crew at once, follow their instructions, stay seated and keep the aisle clear, and help physically only if they ask. Treat the person as someone who may be unwell, and consider taking a Mental Health First Aid course.Read the lesson →