Video of Emirates pilot's derring-do goes viral

DUBAI // Footage of an Emirates airline pilot who made landing a Boeing in a storm look like a breeze has gone viral.

The clip was shot at Düsseldorf in Germany by Martin Bogdan, who uploaded it to his Cargospotter YouTube channel on January 5. Since then it has been viewed more than 1.7 million times.

An Emirates Boeing 777-300 is the first of a number of passenger aircraft featured on the video, which lasts for nearly ten minutes. The plane is seen head-on, descending towards the runway at an angle as the pilot compensates for the wind buffeting the aircraft from the side.

Just before the wheels touch the tarmac the pilot straightens up and makes a faultless landing. The plane then swings round to reveal the Emirates name on the side and the UAE's colours on its tail fin.

The second plane to land in the video is an Air Berlin plane, Etihad's new European aviation partner.

Karim Hijazi, the managing director of Dubai-based safety consultancy Air Synapsis and a former military pilot, said approaching the runway at an angle was the key to landing safely in such circumstances.

"During the approach you have to maintain the trajectory on the centre line of the runway, so to balance the crosswinds you need to fly with the nose turned into the wind," he added.

"This is why from the ground the aircraft seems to be flying sideways. When you make contact with the runway you need to align the nose with the runway because if you land laterally the impact could damage the undercarriage."

The video also can be seen at www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMvLuUJFHYk.

csimpson@thenational.ae