Ever wanted to watch a Cockpit View Approach at a major airport?
To celebrate the milestone achievement of 25 million miles of business class only flights from London City to New York, British Airways has released footage of one its most challenging approaches and landings. The British Airways cockpit view approach London City Airport gives us a pilot’s view of just what landing in London is like, and they have to do it every day of the year!
During its final approach into London City Airport the view from the flight deck shows us a bird’s eye view of many famous London landmarks, including the London Eye, The Shard and Tower Bridge, view normally only available to the flight deck crew.
The video shows British Airways Captain Karen Atherton and Senior First Officer Paul Riglar at the controls of one of the airline’s specially modified A318 aircraft which enable it to perform the special steep approach required at London City Airport,
Captain Karen Atherton is one of only 27 British Airways Captains qualified to carry out this challenging landing. Only very experienced Airbus pilots at the airline can apply to fly on the route, and all must pass a rigorous extra training programme, involving simulator testing and route flying, before being accepted into the fleet.
Watch the full video British Airways of Cockpit View Approach London City Airport
Watch the shorter time-lapse video of British Airways Cockpit View Approach London City Airport .
British Airways Captain Karen Atherton, said: “The views flying into London are breathtaking, and are a constant reminder of what an incredibly beautiful city it really is.
“The level of training required is demanding, and rightly so, but the flying is extremely rewarding.
“I have one of the best commutes home in the world, and it’s great to be able to share the experience with our customers with this video.”
British Airways was the first airline in the world to take delivery of the specially modified A318 with steep approach capability and the carrier’s pilots have a specific, additional training certification to fly there.
