Question: If the engines quit at 30,000 feet, how far can a jetliner glide?
-- submitted by reader Tonya Washington, Alexandria, Va.
Answer: It would vary depending upon the wind, but around 100 miles would be a good estimate.
Having all engines quit in a modern airplane is extremely rare.
Q: How long can a pilot keep a stall going while still having control of the aircraft?
-- Francisco
A: During a full stall, there is only very limited control available to the pilot. Pitch control is not available due to the stall, and roll control is very limited. Yaw control is usually not affected by a stall.
Some airplanes can be stalled for a very long time, while in others the nose will fall through, and if the pilot keeps the elevator positioned full nose up, it will stall again. The latter condition will produce a series of stalls.
The answer to your question is "it depends." Factors such as the beginning altitude, the type of airplane and the actions of the pilot determine the length of time an airplane can be stalled.
Q: Landing at JFK the other day, about 15 minutes before touchdown it seemed to me the engines got a little quieter and the nose of the plane lifted up slightly. I thought to myself "we're going to stall," but we continued on and landed without incident. Is it normal that the engines would seem so quiet?
-- Brian, CT
A: It is normal during descent for the engines to be reduced to idle. This makes them very quiet. The pitch of the nose will vary as the pilots adjust the descent path; this does not indicate a pending stall.
John Cox is a retired airline captain with U.S. Airways and runs his own aviation safety consulting company, Safety Operating Systems.
