One boy's opinion of pilots
Aug 3, 2020 06:35:37 #
DeanS wrote:
Not wrothy of a repsonse, but I wlli just for the hlle of ti.
Aug 3, 2020 06:39:10 #
AirWalter
Loc: Tipp City, Ohio
TBPJr wrote:
That's no joke--just look at the struts on Air Force aircraft and those on Navy birds. I couldn't find pictures of current (F-35) planes, but the struts on Navy F-4s were four times the size of those on AF F-4s (even as that dates me--a lot). Navy pilots were taught to drive the plane down at a steady rate of descent to plant onto a carrier; we taught a flare and a gentler touchdown in the Air Force.
There is a tremendous difference planting a Navy jet on a rolling side to side up and down Carrier than there is on a stable runway on an Air Force base. They are all extremely good at their jobs.
Aug 3, 2020 07:02:51 #
Aug 3, 2020 07:41:37 #
Aug 3, 2020 08:25:02 #
Aug 3, 2020 09:28:16 #
Aug 3, 2020 11:57:45 #
When I was in the Air Force many years ago, I was assigned to Hickam AFB. They flew us there in a military version of the 707. During the flight the pilot invited passengers to the cockpit to watch what was going on. When I went up I saw the pilot at his seat with feet propped up reading a newspaper and the copilot was read
a book. So I thing there is a lot of truth in what the kid said about being a pilot is pretty easy.
a book. So I thing there is a lot of truth in what the kid said about being a pilot is pretty easy.
Aug 3, 2020 12:34:30 #
We used to joke that the Air Force was a lot like Greyhound bus drivers, dull uniforms and miles of concrete to land on. After all, what fun it is if your airport doesn't move? They did have great officer's clubs though.
Aug 3, 2020 12:57:46 #
Aug 3, 2020 13:52:19 #
Amielee
Loc: Eastern Washington State
[quote=Canonuser][quote=DeanS]The smoothest landing I can recall, among a few thousand, was a female captain at the wheel. Touch down was barely noticeable.[/
Both my Grandson and his wife who are pilots disagreed with my remarks about smooth landings which I thought were good.
They both said putting the aircraft down firmly was the safe way to go and how they are trained.
My grandson said that a recent 737 crash occurred when the pilot ‘greased’ the plane down onto a wet runway and then aquaplaned off it. The aircraft tyres had not touched the runway with sufficient force to break through the water and adhere to the tarmac.
So always expect much firmer landings when runways are wet.
I certainly didn’t know that.[/quote]
To determine the hydroplaning speed of a landing aircraft multiply the square root of the tire pressure by nine. ie tire pressure is 36 lbs. square root is 6. 6 x 9 = 54. Hydroplaning will begin at about 54 mph when there is standing water on the runway. That's ground speed not air speed.
Both my Grandson and his wife who are pilots disagreed with my remarks about smooth landings which I thought were good.
They both said putting the aircraft down firmly was the safe way to go and how they are trained.
My grandson said that a recent 737 crash occurred when the pilot ‘greased’ the plane down onto a wet runway and then aquaplaned off it. The aircraft tyres had not touched the runway with sufficient force to break through the water and adhere to the tarmac.
So always expect much firmer landings when runways are wet.
I certainly didn’t know that.[/quote]
To determine the hydroplaning speed of a landing aircraft multiply the square root of the tire pressure by nine. ie tire pressure is 36 lbs. square root is 6. 6 x 9 = 54. Hydroplaning will begin at about 54 mph when there is standing water on the runway. That's ground speed not air speed.
Aug 3, 2020 13:55:19 #
TriX wrote:
It was a standing joke among those of us who flew regularly for business that we could tell the pilot’s background from the landing. If it was soft and gentle, we would look at each other and nod “Air Force”, and if it was a solid, with a little force, we would look at each other knowingly and say “Navy”. (It’s a joke guys, no offense intended to either service).
When I was in grad school I flew several times with a professor who was a Marines pilot at one time.
He would critique every landing.
Aug 3, 2020 15:45:05 #
Aug 3, 2020 18:05:05 #
GeneV
Loc: Lampasas, Texas
Really great reasons to be a pilot! That's more or less why I got my PPL way back in '65 in Fort Worth mostly in a 19 year old Taylorcraft BD-12D and a bit in a Cessna 150. Unfortunately, the eyes I inherited from my father prevented flying in the military. I did get 50+ flights in a B-58 as a flight test engineer, and another bunch in the F-111. Even got to drive one around for a short spell after all the data points were complete. Even got to do several rolls. The highlight of that test program. Gosh I miss flying.
Gene
Gene
Aug 3, 2020 18:10:21 #
TriX wrote:
It was a standing joke among those of us who flew regularly for business that we could tell the pilot’s background from the landing. If it was soft and gentle, we would look at each other and nod “Air Force”, and if it was a solid, with a little force, we would look at each other knowingly and say “Navy”. (It’s a joke guys, no offense intended to either service).
My dad flew for the Navy during WW2. Whenever we watched planes land he would identify the Navy pilots as those landing close to the start of the runway. Others, Air Force...
Aug 3, 2020 18:51:52 #
Amielee
Loc: Eastern Washington State
gpc wrote:
My dad flew for the Navy during WW2. Whenever we watched planes land he would identify the Navy pilots as those landing close to the start of the runway. Others, Air Force...
All pilots, civilian and military are taught to land "on the numbers" but there are exceptions. I was once asked if I could expedite my landing because I had a 727 landing behind me. I stated I could give him 120 over the threshold and did, landing on the last 3000 feet of 10,000 foot runway. There does exist a high degree of professional jealousy among pilots though.
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