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[Biske]

I would hope at this point, flying an airplane, the least important part is looking through the front window.

What with all the instruments and such.

 

[SafeinSound]

hmm Since when do pilots need to visibly see out the window?

Let me know how you do.

 

[soldat7]

Kudos to the pilots. One hail of a landing.

 

[DBT85]

Instrument only landing under pressure. Impressive.

 

[ErnieMcCracken]

Probably to avoid being killed by balls of ice.

Pretty sure his balls of steel would have stopped those.

 

[zma1013]

This guy has never seen the losing screen for Top Gun NES.

 

[aeroslash]

The articles I've read say autopilot, but that's different from autoland and ILS. Do they literally mean autopilot or do they mean autoland and ILS and thought autopilot covered it? I can see the damaged windows and loss of autopilot leading to the emergency landing in the first place and then the other automated functions working just fine.

Autoland NEEDS autopilot to be active.

Some points: autolands are only made when it is needed (LOW visibility weather).
The final phase of Landings is always made visually (except when autoland). Even with all the instruments, you have to be visual with the runway at a height of 200ft approx.

Hail like this happens a lot of times all over the world. And most of the time, instead of the captain being a hero, in those casea they are completly unprofessional. Hail like this, draws a huge Magenta colour in the weather radar, and that's forbidden to flight into as per Airbus manuals.

 

[overcast]

After this and the terrorist plot stopped in London it seems that the world's conspiring against me to make me as terrified as possible before getting on a plane tomorrow. That's fucking horrific, glad everyone got out OK.

Same here. Going on 4 different planes tomorrow.

 

[Bollocks]

I mean autopilot

 

[Plum]

Would it help to tell you that similar incidents with hail has happened lots of times before? ;P

http://io9.gizmodo.com/an-airbus-a330-recently-flew-into-a-hailstorm-and-th-1634051842
http://jalopnik.com/hail-damaged-airbus-takes-a-pounding-1687689061
http://edition.cnn.com/2015/08/08/us/delta-emergency-landing-hail/index.html
http://www.airlive.net/emergency-delta-airbus-a320-windshield-and-radome-damaged-by-hail/

Same here. Going on 4 different planes tomorrow.

I've only got the one 2-hour flight. Can't imagine going on 4 in one day, fuuuuck that. God-speed, fellow GAFfer.

 

[Shaanyboi]

jesus christ

 

[AllGamer]

I mean autopilot

Read the article/OP

A heavy storm over Turkey saw hailstones the size of eggs rain down, which left a gash in Captain Akopov's plane and disabled the plane's autopilot.

 

[Sodding_Gamer]

What a fucking hero, and that answer hahahahaha.

He deserves a proper beer after that. Fair play.

 

[Auctopus]

That lean right before landing must've felt like 90 degrees for the people on board.

 

[Kysen]

Planes can be pretty resilient:

I watched a number of air crash investigation documentaries on that flight. It was crazy how fast it happened and how some people were still in their seats as that one person got sucked out.

 

[Gintamen]

Jesus, I thought the hail cracked the windows which injured his eyes. Not that the cracked windshield made it impossible to see blind.

Still impressive.

You don't really think they would have survived an egg sized hails storm in their face at 1000km/h...

 

[Mr. PlayStation]

Why didn't they just kick out the windshield?

 

[30yearsofhurt]

That takes balls the size of ... well, hailstones.