Check these videos out, if you haven’t seen them already.

Recently at Portugal’s Evora Air Show a TAP Airlines A310 banks left too soon after a low fly by and it’s wing tip almost “TAPs” the ground [No pun intended - Author].

This airplane was on the back side of the power curve, low, dirty and slow. This is one of the most challenging control phases of flight for any airplane. New pilots practice it - It’s called MCA, short for minimum controllable airspeed, and it’s taught just prior to learning how to land. The only difference is that instructors have their students do it thousands of feet up in the air so that there’s lots of room for error.

Here, this experienced TAP pilot demonstrates minimum controllable airspeed at very low altitude with a very big airplane in front of a very big crowd. Now, part of the purpose behind airshows is to thrill people, but this could have been catastrophic and it makes you wonder what it would have been like to be a fly on the wall inside the Chief Pilot’s office on this one.

~Capt’n Chris

Filed under: Videos | |