Charlotte Sullivan was tasked with taking off and landing the easyJet Airbus six times under the watchful eyes of two veteran pilots before she could become a First Officer. However, during her first attempt, a flock of birds at low altitude caused her to make a “sharp turn to the right”, in an attempt to avoid them. While the feathery animals pose a great threat to aviation, pilots are taught to never avoid them, as it is more dangerous to fly off-route.
Despite her training, Charlotte could not stop herself from swerving to miss the hazard, it was revealed during ITV’s “Inside the Cockpit” series.
The narrator said in 2017: “Next up for safety captain James and training First Officer Christian is the only woman officer on board – 22-year-old Charlotte.
“She worked at a supermarket and took out a loan to pay for her training.
“This is Charlotte’s first-ever landing in a 70-tonne airbus and she’s spotted a potential problem.
EasyJet pilots are taught to fly towards birds (Image: GETTY)
Charlotte Sullivan was in charge of the plane (Image: ITV)
For the 8,000 flights that takeoff and land every day from the UK, bird strikes are the biggest hazard
easyJet: Inside the Cockpit
“Bird strikes are most common at low altitudes exactly where the cadets are spending most of their time today.
“For the 8,000 flights that take off and land every day from the UK, bird strikes are the biggest hazard.”
The documentary
