The Airplane Thread

[ezaircon4jc]

Originally Posted by flybigjet

The sim is a great tool for teaching switchology, flows, standard operating procedures (SOP), checklist discipline, the mechanics of getting the jet from the Gate to the runway to airborne, approach procedures, etc.

BUT..... in the sim, you're essentially the only aircraft in the world that's airborne and you have unlimited gas (since the sim is usually on Fuel Freeze so your gross weight doesn't change).

In the Sim, you can teach: "Ok-- on Downwind, slow to 210, F1. On Base, go to 190, F5. When turning towards Final, go to 170, F10. Four miles from the Marker, go Gear Down, F15. Two miles from the Marker, go to F30 and slow to Final Approach Speed."

Try that in the Real World, and you're Dead Man Flying.

If you pulled that stunt in Chicago or Newark, you'd get your arse handed to you and be both publicly chastised and humiliated. The real world answer is do NOT slow down until either Approach says you can or you're issued Approach Clearance. Most of the time, you'll go bombing around at 250 knots, 210-220 on Final, slow to 180 a couple miles from the Marker, then drop everything (Gear and full flaps) just prior to the Marker in order to be Stabilized by 1000'.

As you can see, Sim vs. Real World is a tiny little bit different.

R.

Pretty much. I issued 250 to SWA (straight-in) on initial contact about 40 miles out. At 30ish miles I saw his speed bleeding-off so I asked his speed and he said 210 slowing. I said I thought we agreed on 250 and he "offered" to get back to 250. It was too late to salvage that plan so I gave him 180 and a couple of s-turns off the final to make plan "C" work. His decision to slow on his own cost him two places in line. Our favorite in-house speed for the SW3's & 4's was 248 to the gate.

Clinton came in once and the turned base on his own causing a bit of a scatter due to the extra spacing AF1 requires. His pilot got an explanation on why he shouldn't have done that and will never do it again.

[3.0L]

Amazing (and costly) effort to recover and restore a rare airplane:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glacier_Girl

[Lady Jane]

CGI representations of the MIG-8.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-8

[Lady Jane]

The Ilyushin Il-40 Brawny.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilyushin_Il-40

[Llarry]

Lady Jane's excellent series of little-known aircraft is interesting, but how about the most-produced aircraft of all time?

Until the 2000s, that distinction was held by the Il-2 ground-attack aircraft of the Soviet Union but the number was overtaken by the Cessna 172 Skyhawk, which now holds the record. (The Il-2 of course holds the record for a combat aircraft.)

The aircraft in which I have the most solo pilot hours, the Cessna 150/152, is way up on the list, too. (My total solo flight hours some 50+ years ago: Something like six. Six hours or so. And, okay, fine -- it's the ONLY aircraft I have solo pilot hours in.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...duced_aircraft

[Lady Jane]

The silver medalist.

Ilyushin Il-2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilyushin_Il-2

[Llarry]

And the Bronze goes to the most-produced fighter aircraft of all time: The Messerschmitt Bf109.

I think one reason for the record is that it was in production for so long. Early models took part in the Spanish civil war and it stayed in production until WW2's end.

Out of consideration for German sensitivties, this photo omits the swastika on the vertical stabilizer.

[sygazelle]

Originally Posted by Llarry

Lady Jane's excellent series of little-known aircraft is interesting, but how about the most-produced aircraft of all time?

Until the 2000s, that distinction was held by the Il-2 ground-attack aircraft of the Soviet Union but the number was overtaken by the Cessna 172 Skyhawk, which now holds the record. (The Il-2 of course holds the record for a combat aircraft.)

The aircraft in which I have the most solo pilot hours, the Cessna 150/152, is way up on the list, too. (My total solo flight hours some 50+ years ago: Something like six. Six hours or so. And, okay, fine -- it's the ONLY aircraft I have solo pilot hours in.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...duced_aircraft

Thanks for showing some love for the Cessna. It's been many years since I quit flying, but the 150 and the 172 were what I flew the most. Great basic airplanes. There is a reason why they sold so well. I was very lucky back in those days because I got to fly a lot of different small planes. I worked at the gas pit at the airport and I'd ask pilots for an hour in their plane in exchange for washing their plane for them. I got to fly most of the popular small planes at that time, but also vintage Taylorcraft, Piper Cub, and the Citabria. Of all of them, the Cessna products were my favorite, mostly because I was most familiar with them. Your photo of this 172 brings back great memories.

[Llarry]

Originally Posted by sygazelle

Thanks for showing some love for the Cessna. It's been many years since I quit flying, but the 150 and the 172 were what I flew the most. Great basic airplanes. There is a reason why they sold so well. I was very lucky back in those days because I got to fly a lot of different small planes. I worked at the gas pit at the airport and I'd ask pilots for an hour in their plane in exchange for washing their plane for them. I got to fly most of the popular small planes at that time, but also vintage Taylorcraft, Piper Cub, and the Citabria. Of all of them, the Cessna products were my favorite, mostly because I was most familiar with them. Your photo of this 172 brings back great memories.

I flew quite a bit with my Dad while he was still on active duty as a Navy pilot and he gave me some basic instruction, so I had a bit of time at the controls before I formally took lessons. Two incidents that stand out in my memory: One was a spin in a 172 and the other was a roll in a Navy flying club Beech T-34B right over the middle of San Francisco Bay on a blue sky day. Both probably "illegal" in rented or flying club aircraft but I loved them, of course.

[snowbimmer]

Ahhh. Cessnas.

My dad loved flying more than anything. He always talked about it. When I was 10, my sister and I found a coupon in the paper - 5 bucks for your first lesson. Gave it to him for Christmas. He went out came back all jazzed. Then we never saw him for months. He'd work, study at night, lessons on the weekend. Finally got his license and I was the first passenger. I couldn't wait to see the house from the air. Little Cessna 150.

Mom was quite squeamish. He graduated to the 172. She felt better in that. Occasionally we'd get a 182. Saw everything within a thousand mile radius.

I got to "pilot" quite a bit. His favorite trick when I was in command (I'm 13, 14 years old at the time) was to yank the throttle all the way back, cut the power and yell, "You're engine quit!!! What do you do??" I'd have to look over the countryside, find a suitable flat farm, set up a glide path and steer it to an potential landing spot. We'd usually start around 3,000 feet with a hard deck of 1,000. One time he went too far before shoving the throttle in and we quietly buzzed a poor farm family having a nice BBQ. We were probably at 500 feet by that time. Freaked 'em out.

I could've stuck the landing, tho. If I had to.

[chassis]

Commercial airliners anyone? Aircraft we have been passengers (or operators) on...

[chassis]

McDonnell Douglas DC-10

[chassis]

Boeing 747

I flew several times on a 7-4 with Northwest to both Europe and Asia.

[chassis]

Gulfstream IV

[chassis]

Airbus A340

[sygazelle]

Originally Posted by Llarry

I flew quite a bit with my Dad while he was still on active duty as a Navy pilot and he gave me some basic instruction, so I had a bit of time at the controls before I formally took lessons. Two incidents that stand out in my memory: One was a spin in a 172 and the other was a roll in a Navy flying club Beech T-34B right over the middle of San Francisco Bay on a blue sky day. Both probably "illegal" in rented or flying club aircraft but I loved them, of course.

It's funny you should bring up your Dad. My Dad was a Marine fighter pilot and flew the F4U Corsair from aircraft carriers. When I got my license, I asked him to come flying with me. While very exciting, I was scared to death. My Dad was not used to playing by the rules. Here I was trained in all the correct ways to do things and my Dad had other ideas. He never did any airframe stressing stuff, but I had to teach him about proper entrance and exit to the flight patterns and so much more. Very stressful flying with him. Oh the memories.

[chassis]

de Havilland Dash 8

[chassis]

McDonnell Douglas DC-9

[chassis]

Boeing 727

[chassis]

Boeing 777

[Llarry]

I suspect Dang3r the Tomcatoholic is disappointed that his beloved F-14 is not on the list. If memory serves, there were fewer than a thousand F-14s produced. But it is still an iconic aircraft.

[Llarry]

I played with the list and bit and came up with the top ten U.S. military aircraft of all time. The numbers are a bit squishy, if you ask me, as some U.S. military aircraft went directly to Allies during WW2, for example. But still interesting.
1) B-24 Liberator (heavy bomber) 18,482
2) UH-1 Huey (helicopter) 16,000+
3) P-47 Thunderbolt (fighter) 15,660
4) P-51 Mustang 15,586 (fighter)
5) T-6 Texan 15,495 (trainer)
6) C-47 (transport) 15,472 (military only)
7) CG-4 (assault glider) 13,903+
8) P-40 Warhawk (fighter) 13,738
9) B-17 Flying Fortress (heavy bomber) 12,731
10) F4U Corsair (fighter) 12,571

It is interesting that the P-47 just barely pipped the P-51 for the top fighter spot. #11 is the F6F Hellcat fighter, which was just barely pipped for top Navy/Marine fighter by the F4U Corsair.