Definition
A training scenario in which a pilot practices flying an approach and landing as if the aircraft's hydraulic system has failed, requiring the use of alternate or manual methods to control flight surfaces, landing gear, brakes, and other systems normally powered by hydraulics.
Plain English
A practice exercise where the pilot pretends the aircraft's hydraulic system has stopped working, and lands the aircraft using backup methods instead.
Context Anchor
Seen in emergency-procedure training, simulator scenarios, and discussions of how complex flying skills are built in smaller learning blocks.
Derivation
Hydraulics comes from Greek words meaning water and pipe. In modern aircraft, it refers to using fluid under pressure to move or help move parts of the aircraft. That origin helps because a no hydraulics landing is not about electricity being off; it is about losing the fluid pressure that normally helps move important systems.
Why Pilots Care
Allows the pilot to complete a safe landing despite total hydraulic loss, reducing the risk of gear-up landings or runway excursions.
Analogy
It is somewhat like driving a car after the power steering or power brakes have failed. The car may still be controllable, but it takes more planning and more care because the normal assistance is gone.
Grounding Statement
With no usable hydraulic pressure, parts of the aircraft that normally move easily may become slow, heavy, limited, or unavailable.
Intuition Check
Do not read “no hydraulics” as meaning the aircraft cannot be landed at all. It means the normal hydraulic assistance is lost, so the pilot must use the correct backup procedure and plan for changed handling and stopping.
Example Sentence 1
During recurrent training, the instructor set up a no hydraulics approach and landing so the crew could practice using the manual gear extension and alternate braking.
Example Sentence 2
During the lesson the instructor practiced a no hydraulics approach and landing using the emergency gear extension handle.