Author Topic: Twotter flying....  (Read 8177 times)

Offline Fabo

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Twotter flying....
« on: March 24, 2008, 04:10:41 PM »
Well I ahve been watching some Saba videos just a few minutes ago, and it quite struck me that what I orriginally thought to be just a thing to hold for stability, or maybe reverse activator, are actaull throttle levers ::loony::

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Flugfelag-Islands--/De-Havilland-Canada/0632488/L/

Well and since I know that Mary flies this strange thing, I just wanted to ask... how does one manipulate with THAT? It seems right in pilots level, and I can hardly imagine how does it feel to operate such a lever compared to standart pedestal position... is it the reason why twotters are so slow, that one simply cant move throttle lever full backwards for max power? Is it hard to get used to it, or doesnt the reversed positions (min fwd, max aft) do problems when once in a time in a "normal" plane?
« Last Edit: March 24, 2008, 04:41:29 PM by Fabo »
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Offline TheSoccerMom

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Re: Twotter flying....
« Reply #1 on: March 24, 2008, 04:36:12 PM »
hey Fabo!   ::wave::

There's a few questions that come up here so tell me if I don't understand what you're asking, okay?!

Yes, the power levers (throttles), the prop controls and the fuel cutoff controls are all mounted in the ceiling of the cockpit in the Twin Otter.  They're from left to right, and it's really not as weird to have them there as you might guess.  It's actually very comfortable and you forget about it after the first 5 minutes or so.

The reason the old girl is so slow is the DRAG...  it's built with fat wings, fat struts, fat tires, fat everything.  It slices through the air with about the same sleekness as your refrigerator would, if you pushed it off a 10-story building!   But, it's built for stability at slow speeds, so slowing down in it is a JOY compared to most airplanes.  Because it's built for that.

The power levers move forward for max power, and aft for minimum power setting.  To use reverse, you have to twist the power lever handles themselves;  they rotate slightly and that allows the main levers to continue aft, to go into beta and reverse.  So, after landing, you'd twist them and also bring them back aft to slowly go into reverse -- slowly at first, anyway, because if you are fast on the controls, and one goes into reverse and one doesn't, well, you have suddenly become your own entry into the First Annual Runway Rodeo Competition, and you're headed for the weeds off the side of the runway.

Does that make any sense??   ::silly::

 8) 
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Offline Fabo

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Re: Twotter flying....
« Reply #2 on: March 24, 2008, 04:43:04 PM »
Well I guess I would have to try it to understand it then ::silly::
"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return."

Offline TheSoccerMom

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Re: Twotter flying....
« Reply #3 on: March 24, 2008, 04:54:59 PM »
Seriously, though..  does that make sense?  And does it answer what you were wondering?   :)
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Offline Fabo

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Re: Twotter flying....
« Reply #4 on: March 24, 2008, 05:43:28 PM »
Seriously, though..  does that make sense?  And does it answer what you were wondering?   :)

Well, I think it does satisfy my needs,not my curiousity... but I would have to sit in one twotter to have an idea...
"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return."

Offline TheSoccerMom

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Re: Twotter flying....
« Reply #5 on: March 24, 2008, 06:16:11 PM »
Maybe these will help to visualize it...    :)

The first one is the cockpit from the back, the 2nd one is from my seat looking over at the right front seat..  that's one of my spotters!    :D

The red knobs with the protective cover are the fuel cutoffs;  the ones shaped all wiggly around the edges are the prop controls, and in the first one I think you can see the bigger, rounder power levers.  The different shapes are so you can use them without having to look at them to identify them first.

Keep asking if this doesn't help..   ;)

 
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Offline TheSoccerMom

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Re: Twotter flying....
« Reply #6 on: March 24, 2008, 06:17:54 PM »
Ohh and I almost forgot, the cheesy little rubber fan is our FANCY Air Conditioning System....   ::rofl::

 ;D
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Offline G-man

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Re: Twotter flying....
« Reply #7 on: March 24, 2008, 07:14:14 PM »

The red knobs with the protective cover, shaped all wiggly, bigger, rounder, different shapes,
 

Hmmmmm----all makes sense to me....and color coded too. I like the way you say its so we dont need to look at them first..truth is..we just cant read anyway.. ::whistle:: ::whistle::

And you have HOW many gps units there??
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Offline TheSoccerMom

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Re: Twotter flying....
« Reply #8 on: March 24, 2008, 07:23:30 PM »
Ha ha, well, I should have mentioned, this is the one airplane with the Braille mod....  "Fly by Feel"....  for those of us old Geezer-ettes who can't quite get through a medical anymore...  heh heh heh.....  haven't washed a windshield now for about 10 years...   ::eek::

The small GPSs are mounted on the yokes to do survey lines...  in the fire mode, those aren't in the airplane (they're VFR only anyway), we have a 530 in the panel....   one of these days I'll even turn it on too.....   ::whistle::

 ;)
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Offline Fabo

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Re: Twotter flying....
« Reply #9 on: March 24, 2008, 07:38:08 PM »
I knew how it looked inside, after all, that is why I asked :)

And about that fan, it can be seen in far more fancy planes as well... like this one :)

you can see it quite well I think, every crew member on this aircraft has one.

And second picture to make you see it is fancy, and I am not jsut blabbering :)
"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return."

Offline TheSoccerMom

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Re: Twotter flying....
« Reply #10 on: March 24, 2008, 07:40:18 PM »
D'OH Fabo!!!  I am SOOOOO dumb.    ::banghead::

I just NOW finally got the photo you initially inserted to load for me..  there was nothing there at first!    >:(

And here I am trying to show you with my crappy little pictures...  HA!   ::loony::

I think maybe you're looking at the power lever placard where it says "Throttle" then "Max" then "Reverse"...  yes??  The "Max" part of that means Maximum REVERSE...

Also, this airplane does not have the spring-loaded plastic guard over the red fuel knobs...

Does that make this all clear?  Sorry I am such a knothead!!   ::banghead::

P.S.  They are REALLY hauling ass in this puppy....  140 kias...  WHEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    :D
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Offline TheSoccerMom

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Re: Twotter flying....
« Reply #11 on: March 24, 2008, 07:44:23 PM »
WHOAAA, I WANT YOUR RIDE!!!!!!!!!!    :D      ;)      ;D
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Offline Fabo

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Re: Twotter flying....
« Reply #12 on: March 24, 2008, 07:48:47 PM »
There have been a problem with link initially as I hit wrong button. Did not show up, I corrected it just about time you posted your first reply.


And that is not my ride, well, not yet if I manage to win the prez votes next year  ;D
Otherwise I will just have to wait until I grow wealthy and very big (or was it big and very wealthy?) - then I will buy such. Only it will have cockpit titles in either Russian, Czech or Slovak. This exemple has them in English.
"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return."

Offline Oddball

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Re: Twotter flying....
« Reply #13 on: March 24, 2008, 07:50:24 PM »
that thing must be the up rated super twotter wi the the hedgehogs in the nacelles thats why its doing 140 Kias  ::rofl::
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Offline TheSoccerMom

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Re: Twotter flying....
« Reply #14 on: March 24, 2008, 08:07:38 PM »
Fabo, that sounds GREAT, but one thing -- you get your hands on that and you will have to give all your Coop buddies a ride...  OKAY?!?!   ;D

And Ian, those Super hedgehogs ARE out there doing the work.

If you could see the torque gauges more clearly, you'd see they're cruising at 40 [hedgehog-foot-] pounds of torque per side....   ::whistle:: 

 ::rofl::
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