Aircraft pics

[427TJ]

I used to be an instructor pilot in the USAF back in the mid-90s. One day at Kelly AFB I was in the traffic pattern with two students letting them practice touch-and-go landings. A C-5 Galaxy transport was on final approach about a mile out from landing and I noticed that the C-5's gear was still up. We were on downwind getting ready to roll-in for a low-approach behind the C-5 and we had a front-row seat to what might have happened. I told my students that we were about to watch a C-5 do a belly-landing! I had to say something so I keyed the mic and calmly said, "Your gear's up" on Tower frequency. Man, those guys hit the throttles and went around like a shot! Just after I had said "Your gear's up" the Tower controller sent the C-5 around. That was a great learning experience for my students: Don't silence the gear horn! Most retractable-gear airplanes have a warning horn that sounds when the pilot goes to idle power with flaps extended and the wheels aren't down (the airplane thinks you want to land so it tells you that the wheels aren't down by sounding the warning horn). If you silence the gear warning horn and don't touch the throttles or lower the gear you might belly it in. That's probably what the C-5 guys had done and might explain the B-1 mishap. I wonder what the whole story is behind the B-1 incident?

[Ngtflyr]

The AF is not saying at this point:

A B-1B Lancer made a wheels-up belly landing at Diego Garcia Monday, skidding down the runway for 7,500 feet, according to Air Force reports. The four-person aircrew escaped from the plane. The B-1B was home based with the 7th Bomb Wing, Dyess Air Force Base, Texas.

The 20-year-old bomber was landing at Diego Garcia, a remote base in the Indian Ocean, at the end of a ferry mission that started at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. The Air Force won’t say why the crew landed the plane with its landing gear retracted.

The plane caught fire but it was put out by emergency crews.
posted by Murdoc - May 10, 2006 10:57 AM

[Belair62]

But only a U.S. Air Force pilot can land it on its belly in a perfectly straight line !!! Unless it was a malfunction you can bet that crew is flying transport buses now. I saw an SR71 do a fly-by at the open house at Scott AFB...once by low and slow....second pass he put it on its azz and went straight vertical til we couldn't see it anymore....and he went home...had wood for a week....

[Xplantdad]

[ QUOTE ]
had wood for a week....

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh my eyes...get that vision outta my mind...Ahhh

[427TJ]

Just got this in an e-mail from a buddy who is a UPS MD-11 captain.

"The Boeing 747 LCF took to the skies for the first time Saturday, September 9, initiating the flight test program that will culminate in US FAA certification. The more than two-hour flight was the first of 250 expected flight test hours for the specially designed 747-400 freighter. The big jet can accommodate three times the cargo by volume of a standard 747-400 freighter. It took off under rainy skies from Taiwan. The flight test program is expected to last through the end of the year. The LCF also will complete more than 500 hours of ground testing in Taipei and Seattle combined. This comprehensive test program will ensure the LCF's reliability and ability to fly its intended mission."

[Xplantdad]

Bill,

That plane looks really wierd...like it's pregnant

[njsteve]

It's not pregnant, it's a tooma. (Insert photo of Governor Ahnold here)

[Xplantdad]

[427TJ]

Bruce, do you realize that you have over 6,000 posts in your two-year span on this board? You are a MACHINE! There must be some kind of award for such dedication.

Sorry to see that you got sniped on the Cone frames. I was going to tell you to lay down a max bid of $150 or so just to ward-off what happened.

[Xplantdad]

Hmm...I wonder who told me about this cool site?