Ask the Captain: Landing with a blown tire and coping with cold and flu season as a pilot
Question: How tricky is it to land with one or more blown tires? How many can you have and still land safely? Is it better to have the front or rear ones blow? – Anonymous
Answer: Most airliners have two or more tires in each position (left main, right main and nose). Certification standards require that a safe landing can be made with one tire deflated when there are two or more tires in that position.
I have landed with a deflated main gear tire without a problem. There have been cases of airliners landing with a deflated nose gear problem with no difficulties. In cases where there are more than two tires on the main gear, such as a large airplane, losing one tire would be less of an issue than one of two nose gear tires.
Q: How do pilots cope with cold/flu season? Can they take over-the-counter meds like cough syrup or Sudafed, etc., within a certain time range before a flight? How far in advance do you have to call in sick? – Anonymous
A: Colds are a challenge for all flight crew members. It is essential that pressure changes in the cabin can be equalized in the inner with clear eustachian tubes. Colds can block those tubes making impossible to equalize the pressure. This can be very serious.
Over-the-counter medications can help but pilots must be very careful about what medications are taken prior to flight. There are lists of approved medications and any restrictions that are available to passengers. There are some antihistamines that can be taken but most cough syrups contain ingredients that are not approved. There are some cough drops that are OK.
If a pilot is taking cold medication that require a number of hours before a flight, they must adhere to that restriction.
When a flight crew member knows that they will be unable to fly due to illness, including a cold, the sooner they let crew scheduling know the better. In most cases, this happens no later than the day before the trip is scheduled to begin.
John Cox is a retired airline captain with US Airways and runs his own aviation safety consulting company, Safety Operating Systems.