Former airline pilot Steve Fleishel was live on the AccuWeather Network on Dec. 18 to discuss how airplanes are prepared for travel during the winter months.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Now with so many of us heading to the airport for holiday travel it's good to hear from an
00:05experienced pilot. Stephen Fleishall has flown more than 25,000 hours for major airlines. Thanks
00:12so much for joining us Steve. Thank you, appreciate it, glad to be here. Well many
00:17flyers are concerned about winter weather of course during the holidays and so from a pilot's
00:21perspective what conditions bring the biggest challenges to the flight? Actually I would say
00:28really two for winter time and that is slippery runways due to ice and snow and also low
00:35visibility approaches like you've been talking to the folks this morning about fog coming in
00:41well that causes all of the aircraft to have to shoot an instrument approach which it takes more
00:47time and so fewer aircraft can be accommodated when wintry conditions are present like that.
00:54So it's more of a problem with visibility than necessarily some precipitation falling but if you
01:00had to pick what is worth snow or freezing rain which would you say is the most challenging?
01:08Well that's a great question and actually if you hear that they're going to have freezing rain it
01:14pretty much shuts things down because once an aircraft is de-iced there's only a limited amount
01:22of time before the aircraft has to be airborne. The de-icing fluids that are applied only last
01:31for so long. Well when you have freezing rain that time is very very short and for practical
01:39conditions really the operation has to stop. That's a good kind of behind the scenes of what
01:45goes on can you kind of break down the steps that airlines take on the ground for any kind
01:50of de-icing measurements? Sure and in fact I'm glad for that question because I know
01:56when passengers are looking out the window and they see all the the trucks and the
02:00fluids being applied to the wings and it's very often a two-step process. The first step
02:08you'll see is it removes all the ice and snow from the wings and you can see that happening
02:14but then if it's continuing to snow and you still have precipitation you'll see a second step
02:21and that other fluid is a different kind and it's designed to allow some accumulation
02:28but not for it to stick so that when the aircraft makes the takeoff then whatever snow is now still
02:36on the wings will slough off during the takeoff and that's intended and part of the design of
02:42that system. If you're a nervous flyer what should they remember about the skills of pilots
02:48at the helm of the aircraft including yourself? Well we practice in the simulator the worst
02:57possible conditions and so it isn't the first time we've seen a given situation and we also have
03:07a tremendous team available to us that the people on the ground, air traffic control,
03:14the weather folks like yourselves that provide information that are useful to us to to know what
03:19to expect. Just keep in mind that we're staying on top of it and our job is to manage a margin
03:26of safety and I think we do it quite well. And Steve final question do you love or hate when
03:31people clap when you land the planes? Well I honestly couldn't hear it usually the cockpit
03:39door is closed so I just hope people are pleased when that happens. Well you know if you were ever
03:44my pilot I was I was the one clapping I'm always clapping when you land and just saying being very
03:49thankful. Steve if you were my pilot I would just assume everything is going to be a-okay. We
03:55appreciate all of your service there with all of your flights. Former pilot Stephen Fleschel
03:59thank you again for joining us and we hope your holiday season is very joyful.