Uh well,I'll tell ya,I remember this one time
01-29-2019, 07:59 AM
#1
New Hire
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Aug 2018
Position: Overnight Bus Driver
Posts: 7
Uh well,I'll tell ya,I remember this one time
I suspect the folks here have some pretty good "there I was" tales to tell.
As a kid, we'd sit at the kitchen table after dinner and I'd say "Pa, will you tell me your shot down story again?" He was my hero and would indulge me. When it was his turn to fly west, I was fortunate to be able to honor one of his wishes; I spread his ashes from the B-17 Nini-0-Nine.
I've got five years left and have a tale or two but nothing compares to my Dads'. Well, maybe this one:
https://www.quotes.net/mquote/4442
C'mon guys tell us your best stuff.
As a kid, we'd sit at the kitchen table after dinner and I'd say "Pa, will you tell me your shot down story again?" He was my hero and would indulge me. When it was his turn to fly west, I was fortunate to be able to honor one of his wishes; I spread his ashes from the B-17 Nini-0-Nine.
I've got five years left and have a tale or two but nothing compares to my Dads'. Well, maybe this one:
https://www.quotes.net/mquote/4442
C'mon guys tell us your best stuff.
01-29-2019, 08:23 AM
#2
Prime Minister/Moderator
Joined APC: Jan 2006
Position: Engines Turn Or People Swim
Posts: 39,261
New England outstation early am departure. East coast all socked in.
Get to the plane and the ramper says he couldn't get ground power on the plane, tried everything. OK, so we start the APU.
Ready to go, started #1. DING, ADG DISCONNECT. The engine generator had mechanically disconnected itself because the guarded switch had been left depressed. The #2 switch was also pressed but we reset that before starting. The ramper wasn't kidding when he said he "tried everything". The disconnected gen can't be reset without MX, so the company deferred it. Required the use of the APU for the entire flight.
Up in the mid 30's, nearing the descent point the APU overheats. Everything is socked in down to mins, so we decided to run it hot rather than go single gen. Declared, so we were met by the fire trucks and escorted to the gate. APU auto S/D on rollout.
After a review, the mfg subsequently limited sustained APU use to FL300, due to insufficient cooling air flow in that particular installation.
Get to the plane and the ramper says he couldn't get ground power on the plane, tried everything. OK, so we start the APU.
Ready to go, started #1. DING, ADG DISCONNECT. The engine generator had mechanically disconnected itself because the guarded switch had been left depressed. The #2 switch was also pressed but we reset that before starting. The ramper wasn't kidding when he said he "tried everything". The disconnected gen can't be reset without MX, so the company deferred it. Required the use of the APU for the entire flight.
Up in the mid 30's, nearing the descent point the APU overheats. Everything is socked in down to mins, so we decided to run it hot rather than go single gen. Declared, so we were met by the fire trucks and escorted to the gate. APU auto S/D on rollout.
After a review, the mfg subsequently limited sustained APU use to FL300, due to insufficient cooling air flow in that particular installation.
01-29-2019, 08:36 AM
#3
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,267
Originally Posted by rickair7777
New England outstation early am departure. East coast all socked in.
Get to the plane and the ramper says he couldn't get ground power on the plane, tried everything. OK, so we start the APU.
Ready to go, started #1. DING, ADG DISCONNECT. The engine generator had mechanically disconnected itself because the guarded switch had been left depressed. The #2 switch was also pressed but we reset that before starting. The ramper wasn't kidding when he said he "tried everything". The disconnected gen can't be reset without MX, so the company deferred it. Required the use of the APU for the entire flight.
Up in the mid 30's, nearing the descent point the APU overheats. Everything is socked in down to mins, so we decided to run it hot rather than go single gen. Declared, so we were met by the fire trucks and escorted to the gate. APU auto S/D on rollout.
After a review, the mfg subsequently limited sustained APU use to FL300, due to insufficient cooling air flow in that particular installation.
Get to the plane and the ramper says he couldn't get ground power on the plane, tried everything. OK, so we start the APU.
Ready to go, started #1. DING, ADG DISCONNECT. The engine generator had mechanically disconnected itself because the guarded switch had been left depressed. The #2 switch was also pressed but we reset that before starting. The ramper wasn't kidding when he said he "tried everything". The disconnected gen can't be reset without MX, so the company deferred it. Required the use of the APU for the entire flight.
Up in the mid 30's, nearing the descent point the APU overheats. Everything is socked in down to mins, so we decided to run it hot rather than go single gen. Declared, so we were met by the fire trucks and escorted to the gate. APU auto S/D on rollout.
After a review, the mfg subsequently limited sustained APU use to FL300, due to insufficient cooling air flow in that particular installation.
01-29-2019, 08:54 AM
#4
Prime Minister/Moderator
Joined APC: Jan 2006
Position: Engines Turn Or People Swim
Posts: 39,261
Originally Posted by Poser765
I’ll do it, but I start getting uncomfortable when we start deferring generators.
01-29-2019, 08:37 PM
#7
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Aug 2015
Position: Guppy Gear Slinger
Posts: 1,850
Not sure if this counts since this was in a Cessna, but after takeoff with a student one day, the entire airplane started shaking like a wet puppy, while both rudder pedals began slamming to their stops in a rhythmic fashion. I turned back to the field, and made the mistake of turning around to look at the tail. You ever seen those high-speed flutter videos that NASA did? This was just like that, only at 90 knots instead of 550 knots. You can imagine the thoughts that went through my mind.
Somehow got the airplane back on the ground. This was long before cell cameras everywhere (heck it was before nearly anybody had a cellphone), so I don't have a picture. The fuselage aft of the flight deck was twisted like a crunched Coke can, and the rudder looked like someone had attacked it with a 2-by-4.
Turned out the rudder had been removed for repainting, and whoever 'balanced' it did the complete opposite of balancing. So an airfoil that could normally do, say, 200 knots before flutter set in, was so unbalanced that it happened at 90 knots.
To this day I'm amazed the entire tail didn't come off.
Somehow got the airplane back on the ground. This was long before cell cameras everywhere (heck it was before nearly anybody had a cellphone), so I don't have a picture. The fuselage aft of the flight deck was twisted like a crunched Coke can, and the rudder looked like someone had attacked it with a 2-by-4.
Turned out the rudder had been removed for repainting, and whoever 'balanced' it did the complete opposite of balancing. So an airfoil that could normally do, say, 200 knots before flutter set in, was so unbalanced that it happened at 90 knots.
To this day I'm amazed the entire tail didn't come off.
01-29-2019, 09:47 PM
#8
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Sep 2008
Position: B767
Posts: 1,901
Landing a Navajo on a somewhat short strip in the Bahamas, fully loaded with pax and all their crap. Upon landing, the right toe brake went straight to the floor. The airplane started veering off to the left, and I barely got it straightened out by pumping the right brake.
I could see the end of the runway coming up, and knew for sure we were going off. Not nearly enough runway to takeoff again, so we’re committed to going off the end. Fortunately there was a big sandy area at the end that acted like a natural EMAS. We gently came to a stop, with no damage at all.
Come to find out, the brake fluid was severely contaminated with water, which turned to compressible steam when I applied the brakes. Supposedly the mechanic had done a major brake overhaul the week prior! This was the final straw with that particular 135 operator, so I quit a couple days later (I already had another job offer somewhere else).
They crashed and destroyed a king air that I often flew just weeks after I left. Many of us are truly lucky to make it through those first jobs unscathed!
I could see the end of the runway coming up, and knew for sure we were going off. Not nearly enough runway to takeoff again, so we’re committed to going off the end. Fortunately there was a big sandy area at the end that acted like a natural EMAS. We gently came to a stop, with no damage at all.
Come to find out, the brake fluid was severely contaminated with water, which turned to compressible steam when I applied the brakes. Supposedly the mechanic had done a major brake overhaul the week prior! This was the final straw with that particular 135 operator, so I quit a couple days later (I already had another job offer somewhere else).
They crashed and destroyed a king air that I often flew just weeks after I left. Many of us are truly lucky to make it through those first jobs unscathed!
01-29-2019, 10:10 PM
#9
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Nov 2013
Position: A320 Left seat
Posts: 2,580
Originally Posted by wrxpilot
Landing a Navajo on a somewhat short strip in the Bahamas, fully loaded with pax and all their crap. Upon landing, the right toe brake went straight to the floor. The airplane started veering off to the left, and I barely got it straightened out by pumping the right brake.
I could see the end of the runway coming up, and knew for sure we were going off. Not nearly enough runway to takeoff again, so we’re committed to going off the end. Fortunately there was a big sandy area at the end that acted like a natural EMAS. We gently came to a stop, with no damage at all.
Come to find out, the brake fluid was severely contaminated with water, which turned to compressible steam when I applied the brakes. Supposedly the mechanic had done a major brake overhaul the week prior! This was the final straw with that particular 135 operator, so I quit a couple days later (I already had another job offer somewhere else).
They crashed and destroyed a king air that I often flew just weeks after I left. Many of us are truly lucky to make it through those first jobs unscathed!
I could see the end of the runway coming up, and knew for sure we were going off. Not nearly enough runway to takeoff again, so we’re committed to going off the end. Fortunately there was a big sandy area at the end that acted like a natural EMAS. We gently came to a stop, with no damage at all.
Come to find out, the brake fluid was severely contaminated with water, which turned to compressible steam when I applied the brakes. Supposedly the mechanic had done a major brake overhaul the week prior! This was the final straw with that particular 135 operator, so I quit a couple days later (I already had another job offer somewhere else).
They crashed and destroyed a king air that I often flew just weeks after I left. Many of us are truly lucky to make it through those first jobs unscathed!
I was only there 3 months and then left for a commuter. And no, I never had an engine failure, but a couple times, flying the twin turbo PA700 superstar’s, those manifold pressures sometimes were all over the place. The best aircraft they had was a non-turbo Aerostar.
01-30-2019, 02:41 AM
#10
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Thread Starter
Joined APC: Aug 2018
Position: Overnight Bus Driver
Posts: 7
I'll throw one in. Departing Bogota which on your best day is a goat rope. TRW's all over. The departure looks OK ish, but you have a 90 deg left into a valley. I'm in the right seat with an old friend in the left seat. We take off and make the hard left. Were climbing through 10,000, which if I remember right is probably two thousand above the ground.
Cumulo-Granite on the left, Cumulo-Granite on the right. We're in that loud heavy rain that you can tell just wants to turn into hail. A few miles to make the first restriction. Guxun, I think at 12,000.
Really loud bang and flash. A little girl sneaks onto the flight deck and screams out in surprise. I say it was the other guy. The other guy says it was me. But, it's my story so it was definitely him.
The right engine rolls back.
We look at each other. Really? Today? Why us? Crap. You know, the whole Kubler-Ross thing in 10 seconds.
Thankfully my pal was from the era when the first immediate action step to any flashing red panel lights and overly loud aural warning was to sit back for a moment and light up a smoke. So we lived.
We do some common sense things with the levers and switches, cross Guxun at 11,999 ft and eventually got the engine back. Best guess was when the lightning directly hit the engine cowl, it probably confused the FADEC for a while.
The really important lesson I learned from this is crashpads should always have laundry facilities. I'd also like to ask Airbus to make that stupid "Ding Ding Ding" a little louder. How are we supposed to get any sleep with all that racket? I guess someone needs to test to see if those emergency defibrillators actually work, why not the pilots?
Cumulo-Granite on the left, Cumulo-Granite on the right. We're in that loud heavy rain that you can tell just wants to turn into hail. A few miles to make the first restriction. Guxun, I think at 12,000.
Really loud bang and flash. A little girl sneaks onto the flight deck and screams out in surprise. I say it was the other guy. The other guy says it was me. But, it's my story so it was definitely him.
The right engine rolls back.
We look at each other. Really? Today? Why us? Crap. You know, the whole Kubler-Ross thing in 10 seconds.
Thankfully my pal was from the era when the first immediate action step to any flashing red panel lights and overly loud aural warning was to sit back for a moment and light up a smoke. So we lived.
We do some common sense things with the levers and switches, cross Guxun at 11,999 ft and eventually got the engine back. Best guess was when the lightning directly hit the engine cowl, it probably confused the FADEC for a while.
The really important lesson I learned from this is crashpads should always have laundry facilities. I'd also like to ask Airbus to make that stupid "Ding Ding Ding" a little louder. How are we supposed to get any sleep with all that racket? I guess someone needs to test to see if those emergency defibrillators actually work, why not the pilots?
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