Someone tell an airplane story

[R9SCarry]

The full link BTW for that B-52 crash is -

http://www.alexisparkinn.com/photogallery/Videos/B-52%20Crash.mpg

There was a display of absurd bank rate with way too little ceiling - darned plane all but side slipped in.  Tragic.


My only airplane tale is minor but memorable!  Landing in Dulles (DC) after a flight back from UK, in 777.  Vis' and conditions all very fair but - while approach seemed fine, the plane's last few feet of height loss were dramatic.  Like - the plane was ''dumped'' hard.

My light unit above my seat (the side wall strip light) promptly shed its diffuser.  The ground contact was bone jarring!  No comments from flight deck I might add !!!

[theirishguard]

Chris, no alarm needed, it was just a former US Navy pilot doing a landing on a short field.  
Tom

[Michigunner]

Good one, Tom.  

[Richard S]

Chris, no alarm needed, it was just a former US Navy pilot doing a landing on a short field.  
Tom

Secure the perimeter and hunker down, Tom!  If Tracker and K-Man see that, we can expect some incoming fire followed by a frontal assault on our position.  

Which reminds me, the 2006 Army/Navy Game will be held at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Saturday, December 2.  

[glb]GO ARMY!  It's payback time this year![/glb]

[theirishguard]

Hey, Richard, where did that goat go??!!   Go Army.
Tom

[tracker]

The 777 was probably floating and the pilot probably
decided he needed to put it down before he ran out of
runway; the runways at Dulles are anything but short.
He didn't say which airline it was who made the hard
landing; it may surprise you but I have seen some non-
US Navy pilots make bone-jarring landings, too.
One woman criticized one of my few bad landings as she
left the airplane in an insulting manner and I asked her
about her last landing; no comment.
There are those who have and those who will but as the man
said, any landing you walk away from is a good landing.

[twostar]

And have you tried that wonderful Chinese aperitife called "mao tai?"  It would be great for cleaning guns except I think it would melt the steel along with the shooting residue.  It's much easier to outdrink a Russian fighter pilot with vodka than even try to keep up with a chinaman on mao tai.  And if you have tried outdrinking the Russian, I'm surprised you can read this.  They tell people that mao tai is made from a fermented sorghum product.  I know better.  Just like us, a yak has to go too.  

[Richard S]

Ah, yes.  Mao tai -- 150+ proof and guaranteed to anesthetize any living thing.  The rumor is that Chairman Mao Tse-tung and Premier Chou En-lai served the stuff to President Richard M. Nixon and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger during the famous visit to China in 1972.  Rather than the game of ping-pong, it may have been mao tai which prevented another war.

As for trying to outdrink a Russian on vodka . . .

[glb] [size=10]strange, my monitor seems to be going out of focus. [/size][/glb]  

Among the hard lessons I have learned in my 69 years of life are these two:

(1)  Never attempt to debate a Jesuit on religion.

(2)  Never attempt to outdrink a Russion on vodka.

[R9SCarry]

Tracker - the 777 harsh landing was Brotish Airways - and being a flier myself - mainly models - I know I for one reckon that 1 in 5 landings is less than squeeky clean  This one tho had to have been felt to believe!!!

There are three maxims I always think of - one you have mentioned.

''Any landing is a good landing if you can walk away''.

"A really great landing is when you can fly the plane again"!

"Take off is optional - landing is mandatory''

[tracker]

Chris,
I am delighted to hear that was probably not a U.S. Navy
pilot on your flight as Tom suggested. I would add one to your list that should be exercised more by pilots, especially
the relatively inexperienced ones:

"There are no emergency take-offs."

[theirishguard]

Tom, just kidding about the navy pilot. However, I was on a 767 from San Franisco to Carmel, and was very happy we had a tail hook when we came in there.  
I flew Delta alot and liked the navy pilots better since I had friends with Delta who were ex navy pilots.
Tom

[tracker]

A 767 tailhook landing at MRY on a 7600' runway?
Now that is a new one on me.

[theirishguard]

Tom, it was a Delta 767. The landing I thought was similar to a carrier landing. We hit the runway and soaked up the gear, brakes hard and reverse engines big time. Coming in was over the water in what appeared to be a short runway. WOW, everyone was relieved when we came to a stop. On the way out I asked the pilot if he was navy or air force. You guessed it, he said navy. I thought it was great but different.
Tom

[twostar]

R9S forgot one landing maxim.  "The landing is a good one if you can still open the doors."

I love the local line (totally forgot the name) going into Ceylon and made a landing that removed fillings from your teeth, then proceeded to veer left and right down the runway.  After finally slowing enough to turn onto a taxiway the Indian accented voice from the cockpit announced, "I am very sorry for the rough landing.  The Captain will now take over and taxi us into the gate."  You KNOW who was flying that old bird.

Or the Southwest flight attendant who announced, after a very rough landing, "Ladies and gentlemen, Captain Crash will now slide what is left of the aircraft up against the jetway.  Please try to pick yourself carefully through the rubble and into the terminal building."  Too bad the girls can't get away with that any longer.  It was fun.

And what's the difference between a flight attendant and a jet engine?  The Engine stops whining once you get to the gate.

[tracker]

OK, enough of the pansy aphorisms about hard landings
boys and girls, this happened to a friend of mine.
He took his family every year to Belize after Christmas to
Belize--San Pedro on Ambergris Cay. On this particular
occasion they were late into Belize City for the connecting
flight to San Pedro--a day VFR only airport with an exemption
to land after sunset only if a connection was missed.
The airline added an extra section to accommodate the 8
passengers which took off slightly before dark for an airport
that had no runway lights or instrument approach. This would
normally work except there were some lower clouds and rain
showers in the area. My friend said that the pilot looked a bit
bewildered looking for the airport when all of a sudden they
landed thinking on the runway but it was in the water, about
3-4 miles from the airport. They all exited the airplane and
were perched on the top of the fuselage when my friend dived
off and found that thet were only in about 7 feet depth.
Fortunately, one of the passengers had a GPS and a VHF radio
with him, called ship to shore and they were picked up in 45
minutes. His wife has not flown since. My advice in Central
America is: 2 pilots; 2 engines; and daylight VFR conditions.