Ask the Captain: Do pilots need sunglasses?

Question: How do pilots deal with flying into direct sunshine? When I'm driving I sometimes simply can't see and pull over, but pilots don't have that option.

-- Submitted by reader Sara Adler, Los Angeles

Answer: Almost every airplane has sunshades for such conditions; when combined with good pair of sunglasses, the sun glare is reduced to a manageable level. We definitely cannot stop, but at cruising altitude, above the transition altitude where all airplanes are required to be under air traffic control, there is little need to focus outside the airplane.

Q: How hard is it for pilots to land in the fog?

-- Jim Horton, Pollock Pines, Calif.

A: Pilots are trained to land in low visibility. The type of Instrument Landing System (ILS) and the capability of the airplane determines the visibility requirements. A normal category I ILS allows for landing down to 1/2-mile visibility, a category II down to 1/4-mile visibility and category III to as low as 300 feet.

Q: Is it possible for it to be too hot to fly?

-- Via email

A: Yes, all airplanes have a maximum temperature above which they are not permitted to fly.

Q: How do jet engines cope with heavy rain?

-- Stuart, England

A: Engines are tested and designed to tolerate heavy rain. Modern fan-jet engines send most of the water out the duct. Relatively little goes through the core where the burners are.

Q: Can storm water cause a jet engine to fail?

-- Juliet Solange, Ariz.

A: While there have been a very few occasions of high volumes of water causing an engine failure many years ago, including the landing of a TACA 737 on a levee near New Orleans in 1988, modern engines are tolerant of water. I have not heard of a water-caused engine failure in over 20 years.

John Cox is a retired airline captain with US Airways and runs his own aviation safety consulting company, Safety Operating Systems.