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ASKTHEPILOT
With Captain Mike Bowers
Q: Are there circum-
stances in which an
airplane can take off
safely without extend-
ing its wing flaps?
A:
Wing flaps help
increase an airplane’s
lift, which allows it to
take off at a slower
speed and therefore
use less runway. While
most airplanes
can
take off without the
use of wing flaps,
doing so would require
a higher speed and a
longer runway. For that
reason, most com-
mercial airliners are
certified to take off only
at certain flap settings,
and they are restricted
from taking off with the
flaps up. So, yes, a
plane can take off
without using flaps—
but it’s not an allowable
procedure and therefore
it’s something that we
as pilots do not attempt
to do.
Do you have a question
for Captain Bowers? Write
to him at askthepilot@
united.com.
Marching Together
Step upwith United in support of healthier infants and children
UNITEDAIRLINES IS
commi ed to supporting
the programs and organizations that benefit
our people and our communities. In keeping
with that commitment, we are continuing a
long-standing tradition as the Official Airline
Sponsor of the March of Dimes National
Ambassador Programand a national sponsor
ofMarch for Babies, the premier fundrais-
ing event for March of Dimes.
March of Dimes 2012 National
Ambassador KieranWi struck
will travel throughout theU.S.
this year to share his story
with millions of Americans
and attend hundreds of
meetings, conferences, special
events and fundraising activi-
ties in order to personalize the
organization’s mission to improve
the health of babies. As the official airline,
United will proudly fly Kieran and his family
to these events.
March for Babies takes place each year in
nearly 900 communities throughout the U.S.
The money raised by these events supports
community-based education programs that
help moms have healthy, full-term preg-
nancies; it also provides vital funding for
research aimed at solving the problems that
threaten infants and children. United would
like to invite our customers to join us for
this year’s March for Babies. You can visit
united.com/marchofdimes
to learn
how to join our co-workers in
walks in our hub cities of Denver,
Los Angeles and San Francisco
on Saturday, April 28; Houston,
Chicago andCleveland on Sun-
day, April 29; and Washington,
D.C., on Saturday, May 12.
You can also start your own
team, or make cash contributions
or MileagePlus Charity Miles dona-
tions to supportMarch of Dimes, by following
the links on
united.com/marchofdimes
. For
more information, go to the March of Dimes
website at marchofdimes.com, or its Spanish-
language site at nacersano.org.
FEET OF GREATNESS
A show of United support at March for Babies in Chicago; inset, United CEO
Jeff Smisek with 6-year-old Kieran Wittstruck, March of Dimes 2012 National Ambassador
16
APRIL 2012
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