Landing occurs when an object lands on a firm surface.
Landing is an action that refers to what a flying object does when it lands on a firm surface . For example: “Dear passengers, the landing at Frankfurt airport will take place in ten minutes” , “Traveling by plane makes me very nervous: I have been waiting for the moment of landing for hours” , “The helicopter had to make a landing “emergency due to a failure in your fuel tank.”
Establishing the etymological origin of the term takes us to French, since it emanates from the word atterrissage which, at the same time, is based on Latin and Greek as demonstrated by the components that give it shape:
- The prefix ad , which means “towards” .
- The noun terra , which can be translated as “earth” .
- The -ize element, which indicates “convert to” .
- The suffix -aje , which is used to establish an action.
What does a landing consist of?
Landing, therefore, consists of making an aircraft re-establish contact with the ground and stay there. It can be said that vehicles that move through the air must first take off (leave the surface), then they make their aerial journey and finally make their landing, returning to the ground .
Generally, the landing is carried out according to a schedule . The aircraft in question will land at the predetermined location after having completed its flight plan. If something unforeseen occurs (such as a strong storm or mechanical failure), the pilot may have to make a landing that is outside of plans. That is the case when it is decided to land at an airport other than the one planned, to name one possibility. When the decision to modify the plan must be made urgently because the safety of passengers and crew is at risk, it is called a forced or emergency landing .
When a plane reaches its destination, it makes its landing.
The settlement on the track
It is important to establish that for any plane to be on solid ground after a flight, it has to use what is known as landing gear . This is the mechanical type system that it incorporates and is made up of wheels that allow correct settling on the track.
It must be determined that this mechanism can be of two types: fixed or retractable . The first is one that is clearly exposed to the different air currents throughout the flight. The second, for its part, is the one that, as its name indicates, during the flight is hidden within the structure of the ship.
It is interesting to establish that the fixed ones are those that are part of the lighter airplanes and that fly at lower altitudes.
Among the fundamental elements that make up the so-called landing gear and that are essential for it to do its job correctly are both the damping system and the hydraulic unit called shimmy damper or directional control.
Landing in colloquial language
At a colloquial level, the notion of landing can be used to refer to anyone who falls towards the ground .
“The model was trying to walk in high-heeled shoes when she stumbled and made an awkward landing in the middle of the catwalk” is an expression that shows this use.