Official Aviation Thread...

[Ral]

I used to crew Tweets (T-37's) at Laughlin. My bird was 57-2285, as in 1957! It was the 85fts commanders bird, he was a asshole. Lt. Col Hall I think his name was. He didn't like enlisted men and never seemed to like flying either. He made that abundantly clear every time he came down to the ramp. That was back when Laughlin had military crew chiefs, and they were still flying T-37s. They were still flying C141's and F-4's back then though. I'm old.

Have you ever seen a Tweet? I think Columbus still flies them.

Watch out for tarantulas in the wheel wells when you do your preflight walk-around in the morning. I guess that only applies if your bird hasn't been up yet, first go's we used to call it. We used to find tarantulas in the wheel wells and rattle snakes around the chocks.

Those new Texans are some badass looking little scooters. I like the way they sound. I see them now and then flying the approach into Kelly.

Del Rio is a shithole isn't it? Good luck.

haven't been over to Del Rio yet, but I'm fairly close. And yeah, this part of Texas is really barren. The T-6 is cool, but it does create a few problems for us. We have to build a new practice field for them, and they will end up stealing some of our airspace down in Kingsville. And, they're not getting built quick enough. The T-34C's I used to fly in Primary are at the end of their lifespan, and will have to go to about 115-120% of their usable life before they get replaced.

Ral:

When do you CQ?

Fly Navy!

It'll be a while. I'm in my 3rd week of ground school. Instruments is going to be a bit rough at 300-400 kts.

[hoveringuy]

It'll be a while. I'm in my 3rd week of ground school. Instruments is going to be a bit rough at 300-400 kts.

You're lucky to be in the "A". I've flown with plenty of guys that we affectionately called "glass cripples". They could follow a magenta line but were clueless when they had to enter holding unexpectedly.

(note: I've only actually entered holding TWICE in my entire career)

The conventional wisdom is that training in a glass cockpit will make you more comfortable with modern jets but I've seen that those guys can't figure anything out without the computer telling them the answer.

Example: You're flying over LAX at FL 190. 320 KIAS. The controller says "descend and maintain seven thousand 30 prior to Oceanside?". You need to lose 12,000 feet and 70 knots in 24 miles. Your drag count is 0.

If you're looking to the computer for a descent rate you're screwed. That's a quick mental calculation that the boiler-guage pilots are comfortable with.

PS. You have passengers, so none of that tactical shit.

[Hallen]

You're lucky to be in the "A". I've flown with plenty of guys that we affectionately called "glass cripples". They could follow a magenta line but were clueless when they had to enter holding unexpectedly.

(note: I've only actually entered holding TWICE in my entire career)

The conventional wisdom is that training in a glass cockpit will make you more comfortable with modern jets but I've seen that those guys can't figure anything out without the computer telling them the answer.

Example: You're flying over LAX at FL 190. 320 KIAS. The controller says "descend and maintain seven thousand 30 prior to Oceanside?". You need to lose 12,000 feet and 70 knots in 24 miles. Your drag count is 0.

If you're looking to the computer for a descent rate you're screwed. That's a quick mental calculation that the boiler-guage pilots are comfortable with.

PS. You have passengers, so none of that tactical shit.

First, that controller is a dick.

Second, I am with you up to a point. If you don't know the why and the how behind the numbers, then your hosed whether you are using a glass cockpit of vacuum gauges.

Try doing that same thing in a non-pressurized airplane with pax. The answer in that case is "unable to comply" without bursting a few eardrums in the back. (I've seen that happen, not pleasant at all)

We used to fly into PDX a lot, which is a fairly busy airport. It was a short 20 minute hop for us so the guy in the right seat was pretty busy with checks. About the time you finished the cruise checks, it was time for the decent checks.
The controller used to tell us to descend and maintain 1500ft, maintain 190KIAS until intercept. LOL, my response was "sure, as long as I am still going down hill". We could at best hit 170KIAS in level flight. This was in a C-23.

I had to enter holding just a couple of times myself since flight school. In the helicopters it was a challenge because it was all manual. Remember, one minute legs are one minute legs no matter how fast you are going. Of course, sometimes our upwind leg was 5 minutes to make a 1 minute inbound. But in the airplane with the FMS, all you did was punch it in, and the airplane flew it. Not a big deal.

I am in favor of most of those types of tools because it frees the pilot up to fight the war so to speak. I think it is especially important in combat aircraft. Navigation, weapons systems, secure gear, multiple radio channels all going, threat detection and avoidance, friendly positions, and the tactics take too much of a toll. And don't forget about just flying the damn thing. I saw guys that turned into nothing more than barely functioning autopilots when they put the "stupid" stick in their hands. They could fly, but they couldn't think and fly at the same time. It ain't easy.

[hoveringuy]

That arrival profile was actually standard for flights into San Diego from the North. We expected it.. flight idle and the boards went out. Point is that some guys were trying to program that in which would put you well behind the descent profile.

I agree that helicopters are difficult single pilot IFR. I would say that either an autopilot or second pilot is MANDATORY. I couldn't imagine doing it in a Jet Ranger without autopilot, it was 100% hands-on-the-controls.

I flew air taxi out of Andrews AFB for a few years in a C-12 King Air. The East Coast is absolutely nuts! The Boston-New York-DC corridor was hell. We would file a route and be assigned 100 miles of our track.

190 to the outer marker was necessary or you got eaten!

I always liked West Coast flying the best. Rerturning from overseas trips to Seattle there was always nothing more satisfying than getting through the East Coast congestion and receiving "cleared direct to destination"!

[FreedS4]

I used to crew Tweets (T-37's) at Laughlin. My bird was 57-2285, as in 1957! It was the 85fts commanders bird, he was a asshole. Lt. Col Hall I think his name was. He didn't like enlisted men and never seemed to like flying either. He made that abundantly clear every time he came down to the ramp. That was back when Laughlin had military crew chiefs, and they were still flying T-37s. They were still flying C141's and F-4's back then though. I'm old.

Have you ever seen a Tweet? I think Columbus still flies them.

Watch out for tarantulas in the wheel wells when you do your preflight walk-around in the morning. I guess that only applies if your bird hasn't been up yet, first go's we used to call it. We used to find tarantulas in the wheel wells and rattle snakes around the chocks.

Those new Texans are some badass looking little scooters. I like the way they sound. I see them now and then flying the approach into Kelly.

Del Rio is a shithole isn't it? Good luck.

I've already had a couple tarantulas visit our house, that's quite the experience. My buddy had to take care of a rattlesnake in his yard a couple days back, good times, better him than me! Del Rio isn't SO bad, just have to get past the fact that it's f'ing hot 24/7, has nothing more than a Walmart, and is more 150 miles from civilization, but other than that it's not so bad!

Chris

[Maluco]

BEA's official interim report on the Air France 447

Interim report
on the accident on 1st June 2009
to the Airbus A330-203
registered F-GZCP
operated by Air France
flight AF 447 Rio de Janeiro – Paris

http://docs.google.com/gview?a=v&pid=gmail&attid=0.1&thid=122cdd60939d7466&mt=application/pdf&pli=1

[325i_Medic]

I started in high school on my PPL, only got about 5 hours.
When I was in the Army National Guard, I was involved in AV stuff. I got to make a video of the pre-flight safety briefing for our C-21 detachment.
I have about 30 more pounds to lose to be able to finish the flight physical for the AF reserves. I want to be a C-130 loadmaster for the "Hurricane Hunters"

[Farbin Kaiber]

http://s132.photobucket.com/albums/q38/gunsmithlc/?action=view&current=WorldAirTraffic0-24h.flv

24 hour elapsed graphic of world air travel...

[Eric]

Today I had an incentive flight on a KC-135!

I had a great time up there, and want to be a CEA now more than ever!

Here are some pictures i snapped...



















I guess the reserves are more leanient than AD:hitler:

[Farbin Kaiber]

sick fotos.

[BraveUlysses]

787 First Flight tomorrow!

[hugh jass]

787 First Flight tomorrow!

I'm flying into Seatac tomorrow at 9, hopefully I'll see it at Boeing Field getting ready if the weather isn't too overcast.

[Red88]

God do I want to fly airplanes. I have 20-13 vision, it'd be counterproductive to do anything else with myself, but my mother would disown me if I did so much as went to a recruiting office.

[hoveringuy]

787 First Flight tomorrow!

Aren't they flying it to South Carolina?

[Eric]

God do I want to fly airplanes. I have 20-13 vision, it'd be counterproductive to do anything else with myself, but my mother would disown me if I did so much as went to a recruiting office.

to fly an airplane in the military you have to have a bachelors degree (minus army helicopters) so a recruiting office wont get you any closer.

to soften up your mom, take a page out of the Dems ass-pound america playbook. Start college and she will be estatic, then take and ROTC class. She will be worried, but you can tell her it's for more discipline that you didn't get in the previous adm... er... high school. Then take ground school and a couple flights cause it seams interesting, she will be worried but appreciate your willingness to try new things. Finally begin the propiganda campaign about all the positive aspects of being a military aviator... Officers pay, Flight pay, retention bonuses, cool aviators, pick up chicks at the bar when they ask; "your in the Air force? are you a pilot?" Free education with a skill usable outside the military, serving your country. But be sure to pull the blanket over all the negatives; super high divorce rate, having to live with the fact that you kill people for money (PTSD), never at home, long hours, pooping in your flight suit, STD's from whores who think your Tom Cruise, and the underlying insecurity knowing that every body else on base who isn't wearing pajamas thinks your a cocky douche.


Before you know it your mom will be waiving an american flag with one hand while holding a picture of you wearing your new jolly green bag in the other.:drink: