3.8 Flight through Kazakhstan territory

Exercise 3.8.1 Read and translate the text.

The waypoint KUSOT is reached at 22.25 UTC. South of here is the isolated city of Baikonur, best known as the place where Russian cosmonauts blast into space. Sprawled across more than 11.650 square kilometers of barren desert steppes, the cosmodrome was for so long one of the USSR’s most secret military sites. From here, Sputnik was launched into orbit and Yuri Gagarin took his historic rocket ride that made him the first man in space. Today the Baikonur cosmodrome remains a busy sport for space launches.

Apart from the hiss of air rushing past the flightdeck windows and the occasional dump of turbulence, there is little sense of the jet’s movement. But a glance at the NDs confirms Victor Alpha’s steady progress. Speedbird 25 is now closing in on DIMUT, a waypoint in central Kazakhstan. Wind direction and strength are displayed in the upper left and the ETA and distance to the next waypoint are shown in the upper right. The PFD shows the jet level at 33,200ft or 10,120m, cruising at Mach 0.834.

Forty minutes later, the city or Karaganda, the hub of central Kazakhstan, passes below. Ahead lies an inhospitable mix of mountains and deserts. At 23.17 UTC the jet reaches GORBO. Bob checks in with Russian ATC.

First Officer R/T: Good morning. Speedbird two five check GORBO two three one seven, maintaining ten thousand one hundred metres standard, estimating SARIN at two three five three. The controller responds with instructions to maintain 10,100nm for now and expect 10,200m at UASA, some 182nm ahead.

The jet is right on schedule. The precision of the flight plan is possible because of the accurate upper winds forecast. The forecast predicted winds at 270° at 27kt; the actual winds are 265° at 25kt. OSNER is next, 116nm ahead. The FMC is predicting that 15.1 tonnes of fuel will be left after landing, comfortably above the 13-tonne reserve required.

The minimum safe altitude (MSA) on the route so far has been 3,000ft. This is the lowest the jumbo can go and still have adequate terrain clearance. Now, as the flight approaches the border with China, the safety height rises rapidly, topping 12,600ft. Past Urumqi, a city in China’s northwest corner, the safety height rises to 21,100ft as the route parallels a mountain range.

Exercise 3.8.2 Answer the questions.

1. What time is the waypoint KUSOT reached?

2. Where is Baikonur situated?

3. What is Baikonur best known for?

4. Why was Baikonur one of the most secret military sites?

5. What do you know about Yuri Gagarin?

6. Is Baikonur used for space launches nowadays?

7. Is there any turbulence?

8. What waypoint is Speedbird 25 closing in?

9. Is wind direction displayed?

10. What flight level is the jet maintaining?

11. What is Mach number?

12 .Which city is the hub of Kazakhstan? Why?

13. What time does the jet reach GORBO?

14. What is ETO SARIN?

15. Is Speedbird 25 right on schedule?

16. Why is the precision of the flight plan possible?

17. What was the wind predicted?

18. What is the actual wind?

19. How much fuel will be left after landing?

20. What is minimum safe altitude (MSA) on the route?

21. Is altitude 3000ft the lowest so that the jumbo can have adequate terrain clearance?

22. What country is Speedbird 25 approaching?

23. What is the safety height?

Exercise 3.8.3 Are the following statements true (√) or false (×)? Correct the false ones.

1. The waypoint KUSOT is reached at 20.25 UTC.

2. The city of Baikonur is known as the place where Russian cosmonauts blast into space.

3. The cosmodrome wasn’t for such a long time one of the USSR’s most secret military sites.

4. Sputnik was launched into orbit from Baikonur.

5. Yuri Gagarin took his historic rocket ride that made him the first man in space.

6. Today the Baikonur cosmodrome remains a busy spot for space launches.

7. A glance at the NDs confirms the jet’s steady progress.

8. Speedbird 25 is maintaining 33,200 ft.

9. Karaganda is the hub of central Kazakhstan.

10. Waypoint GORBO is passed at 22.17 UTC.

11. The jet is estimating waypoint SARIN at 23.53.

12. The controller gives the instruction to maintain 10,100 metres.

13. The plane is right on schedule.

14. The precision of the flight plan is possible because of the accurate upper winds forecast.

15. The forecast predicted winds at 270° at 27 kt.

16. The actual winds are 256° at 25 kt.

17. 15.1 tonnes of fuel will be left after landing.

18. The minimum safe altitude on the route has been 3,000 ft.

19. Approaching the border with China, the safety height rises rapidly, topping 12,600 ft.

20. Past Urumqi, a city in China, the safety height rises to 21,000 ft, as the route parallels a mountain range.

Exercise 3.8.4 Give English equivalents for the following words and word combinations.

Точка (пункт) донесения по маршруту; достигать; космонавты; запускать в космос; квадратные километры; неплодородные пустынные степи; самый секретный военный полигон; запускать на орбиту; первый человек в космосе; воздушная яма; турбулентность; направление и сила ветра; расчетное время прилета; расстояние до следующего пункта донесения; число Маха; негостеприимный; горы и пустыни; выдерживать эшелон полета; по расписанию; точный прогноз ветра по высотам; после посадки; минимальная безопасная высота; граница с …; быстро; стремительно; параллельно; горная цепь.

Exercise 3.8.5 What do the following abbreviations stand for?

UTC ETA NDs PFD ft m ATC nm FMC kt MSA

Exercise 3.8.6 Find in the text synonyms for the following words and expression.

Lonely, separate; astronaut, spaceman; hidden, unseen; whistle; accidental, uncommon; mean, unfriendly; answer; wait; timetable; feasible, practicable; predict; present wind; request; convenient; come to the board; clearance.

Exercise 3.8.7 Match the word combinations and expressions in column A with those in column B.

A	В
1. blast into space	a. по расписанию
2. barren desert	b. воздушная яма
3. on schedule	c. точный прогноз
4. rapidly	d. гигантский аэробус
5. bump	e. безопасная высота
6. accurate forecast	f. направление и сила ветра
7. jumpo	g. на маршруте
8. safety height	h. запускать в космос
9. wind direction and strength	i. неплодородная пустыня
10. on the route	j. стремительно

Exercise 3.8.8 Fill in the gaps with the words from the text choosing from the ones given below.

1. The waypoint KUSOT is _________ (got, approached, reached) at 22.25 UTC.

2. The ________ (alone, separate, isolated) city of Baikonur is south of KUSOT.

3. Russian _________ (astronauts, spacemen, cosmonauts) blast into space.

4. The _________ (sound, hiss, whistle) of air rushing past the flightdeck windows.

5. The jet is _________ (maintaining, cruising, flying) at Mach 0.834.

6. _________ (Unkind, Inhospitable, Unfriendly) mix of mountains and deserts lies ahead.

7. The controller __________ (responds, answers, tells) with instructions to maintain 10,100 metres.

8. The precision of the flight plan is _________ (possible, feasible, practicable) because of the _________ (precise, accurate, correct) upper winds forecast.

9. The minimum safe altitude __________ (on, along, via) the route has been 3000 feet.

10. The jet is __________ (coming, going, approaching) the border with China.

Exercise 3.8.9 Fill in the gaps with the related words.

1. Baikonur is a city where __________ (RUSSIA) cosmonauts blast into space.

2. Yuri Gagarin took his __________ (HISTORY) rocket ride that made him the first man in space.

3. The jet’s ________ (MOVE) was steady.

4. The aircraft is __________ (NAINTAIN) 10,100 metres.

5. The minimum safe altitude 3000 ft is the __________ (LOW) the jumbo can go.

6. The controller responds with __________ (INSTRUCT) to maintain 10,100 metres.

Exercise 3.8.10 Translate the following sentences into English.

1. Пункт обязательного донесения КУСОТ пройден в 22.25.

2. Город Байконур известен как место, где русские космонавты совершают полеты в космос.

3. Космодром долгое время был одним из самых засекреченных военных полигонов Советского Союза.

4. Юрий Гагарин совершил свой исторический полет в космос с Байконура и стал первым в мире космонавтом.

5. Космодром в Байконуре и сегодня остается местом, откуда производятся многочисленные полеты в космос.

6. Во время полета испытывается небольшая турбулентность.

7. Показатели направления и силы ветра высвечиваются на приборах слева, а расчетное время и расстояние до следующего пункта донесения высвечиваются справа.

8. Самолет выполняет полет на 10; 100 футах.

9. Горы и пустыни, лежащие впереди, выглядят не очень приветливо.

10. Пилот доложил диспетчеру расчетное время пролета следующего пункта обязательного донесения САРИН в 23.53.

11. Диспетчер дал команду экипажу выдерживать 10,100 метров и ожидать набора до 10.200 метров через 182 морские мили.

12. Самолет летит по расписанию.

13. Выполнение полета согласно плану вполне возможно благодаря точному прогнозу ветра по высотам.

14. 15,1 тонны топлива должно остаться после посадки.

15. Самолет приближается к границе Китая.

16. Маршрут полета проходит параллельно горной цепи.

Exercise 3.8.11 Make up your own sentences using the following words and word combinations.

Waypoint; Russian cosmonauts; blast into space; barren dessert steppes; secret military site; launch into orbit; occasional bump of turbulence; jet’s steady progress; wind direction and strength; estimated time of arrival; mountains and deserts; be on schedule; to forecast; minimum safe altitude; jumbo; approach the border; safety height; rapidly; mountain range.

Exercise 3.8.12 Retell the text.