What have you flown so far?

[TheSoccerMom]

Two...  the DC-3 with the turbine conversion...  a great airplane!!   

And, sometimes more fun than others!   

[tundra_flier]

Speaking of irrreplacable birds, a DC-4 went down between Fairbanks and Nenana last week.  Had an engine fire, and the extinguisers failed to put it out.  They were carrying 3,000 gal of heating oil at the time.    The pilot decided to ditch it in the tundra rather than risk losing a wing trying to nurse it back to an airport.  No one hurt, but I hear one of the flight crew quit as this is the second time he's had an engine fire that couldn't be extinguished.    Can't say I blame him, especially hauling fuel.

Here's some photos, just scroll down till you see it.  This guy has a lot of great stuff on his site.

http://www.ruudleeuw.com/tmp-photos-6.htm

[TheSoccerMom]

I believe that was old Tanker 153;  it had many years of service fighting forest fires as a heavy airtanker.  There have been some pretty heartfelt comments from the guys who flew her on hearing this news...  very sad to learn she had gone into the trees, though of course everyone was impressed the crew put it down so well and got out of it fine.  Which is what counts most.   

[fireflyr]

YIKES 3000 gallons of fuel with a wing on fire!!!  That'll get your full attention quicker'n a Ethiopian on a Big Mac!!!  That precautionary landing was an act of extreme cool

[tundra_flier]

Speaking of irrreplacable birds, a DC-4 went down between Fairbanks and Nenana last week.  Had an engine fire, and the extinguisers failed to put it out.  They were carrying 3,000 gal of heating oil at the time.    The pilot decided to ditch it in the tundra rather than risk losing a wing trying to nurse it back to an airport.  No one hurt, but I hear one of the flight crew quit as this is the second time he's had an engine fire that couldn't be extinguished.    Can't say I blame him, especially hauling fuel.

Here's some photos, just scroll down till you see it.  This guy has a lot of great stuff on his site.

http://www.ruudleeuw.com/tmp-photos-6.htm

Hello, Tundra_flier: Great pilot, saved the crew! How did they stop the fire on the ground?  Saw the photos, plane in one piece and fire out

Don
Sorry I took so long to respond.  I heard that it did continue to burn for quite a while on the ground.  I'm guessing, snow, cold temps and fuel exahaustion eventually put it out.  At least before it reached the cargo.  I also heard one of the fuel bladders came loose on landing and slammed into the cockpit and would have been a very bad situation for the crew if plane hadn't turned sideways before stopping.

Phil

[Baradium]

  I also heard one of the fuel bladders came loose on landing and slammed into the cockpit and would have been a very bad situation for the crew if plane hadn't turned sideways before stopping.

Phil

I believe that web site updated saying that the F/O was trapped for a short period when the fuel bladder came loose.

If it didn't,  then I read it somewhere else. 

[TheSoccerMom]

Okay Frank, I'm gonna give this a shot.  But seeing as how I usually can't recall what I did 2 days ago, well, this might be an imperfect attempt!


Cessna 150, 152, 170, 172, 172XP, 175...  180, 182, T206...   210, 172RG Cutlass, T182RG, uh....   (putt, putt.....)

Piper Cherokee, Cub, Super Cub, Arrow, Tri-Pacer, Cherokee 6...   Beech Bonanza..... 

Champ, Stinson, Starduster, Glasair....  um...   

Cessna 303 Crusader, Cessna 340..   Piper Aztec, Seneca...   Baron 58, Baron 58P...   

C-172 on floats, C-18 on floats (Twin Beech)...  (splish, splash....)  (what a blast...)

Enstrom F-28A, Bell 206B, R-22, LongRanger....  (Man!  Look out!!)...

Falcon 20...  (zoom zoom....)

SW-3 Merlin, Beech KingAir 200C, DeHavilland DHC-6 Twin Otter (aka White Minivan), C-23A Sherpa (military Shorts).....

DC-3 (C-47), Turbine DC-3TP....   Lockheed P2V Neptune..... 

Plus, the Douglas products in the jumpseat only, also P-3 there, oh and C-130, cockpit seat AND strapped into the back with feet hanging off the open ramp doors....  yippee, skippee on THAT one.....   fun stuff...   But, I guess drooling down the backs of the pilots' necks doesn't count here. 

===========================================================================================
Slowest groundspeed over a long course:  28 knots.
Engine failures in single-engine airplanes:  two (one to a horse pasture, one to a road right behind a logging truck).
Near-misses:  Eight, but that's only the ones I saw. 
Gear-Up Landings:  None, whew (insert sound of knocking on wood between ears).
Highest cruise altitude:  FL330 (what a tailwind).
Lowest cruise altitude:  Couldn't tell you, was busy looking outside. 
Favorite radio call:  "Hey, trade you airplanes!"  from Southwest B737, to Twin Otter.
Crazy moment:  Night training flights for the military where we couldn't ask who was onboard.
Crazy moment #2:  Being chased by Customs due to above-mentioned military not telling Customs we were supposed to be where we were....
Most ironic parking spot:  Next to Air Force Two -- all that security, and us without even a door on the darned airplane....
Plus a bunch of other fun and crazy moments....   
===========================================================================================

And, a smattering of simulators, and if you need to know which ones, just look for the groaning instructor reaching for the aspirin.

Frank, I have had a LOT of fun in my flying life so far, and some hairy times, too, but when I walk into work in a few weeks, I'll get to look around at some of the most experienced, amazing pilots I have ever had the pleasure to know....  I wish I had known this was going to turn out to be a job... maybe I would have had a PLAN.  (Or, what the hell, maybe not!!)  But, I just wanted to learn to fly because it was so much FUN.  So, I am much more limited than these guys and gals I know, but on the good side, I can always learn from them if I just try to.

Cheers!

S'Mom              

[FlyboyGil]

Okay Frank, I'm gonna give this a shot.  But seeing as how I usually can't recall what I did 2 days ago, well, this might be an imperfect attempt!


Cessna 150, 152, 170, 172, 172XP, 175...  180, 182, T206...   210, 172RG Cutlass, T182RG, uh....   (putt, putt.....)

Piper Cherokee, Cub, Super Cub, Arrow, Tri-Pacer, Cherokee 6...   Beech Bonanza..... 

Champ, Stinson, Starduster, Glasair....  um...   

Cessna 303 Crusader, Cessna 340..   Piper Aztec, Seneca...   Baron 58, Baron 58P...   

C-172 on floats, C-18 on floats (Twin Beech)...  (splish, splash....)  (what a blast...)

Enstrom F-28A, Bell 206B, R-22, LongRanger....  (Man!  Look out!!)...

Falcon 20...  (zoom zoom....)

SW-3 Merlin, Beech KingAir 200C, DeHavilland DHC-6 Twin Otter (aka White Minivan), C-23A Sherpa (military Shorts).....

DC-3 (C-47), Turbine DC-3TP....   Lockheed P2V Neptune..... 

Plus, the Douglas products in the jumpseat only, also P-3 there, oh and C-130, cockpit seat AND strapped into the back with feet hanging off the open ramp doors....  yippee, skippee on THAT one.....   fun stuff...   But, I guess drooling down the backs of the pilots' necks doesn't count here. 

===========================================================================================
Slowest groundspeed over a long course:  28 knots.
Engine failures in single-engine airplanes:  two (one to a horse pasture, one to a road right behind a logging truck).
Near-misses:  Eight, but that's only the ones I saw. 
Gear-Up Landings:  None, whew (insert sound of knocking on wood between ears).
Highest cruise altitude:  FL330 (what a tailwind).
Lowest cruise altitude:  Couldn't tell you, was busy looking outside. 
Favorite radio call:  "Hey, trade you airplanes!"  from Southwest B737, to Twin Otter.
Crazy moment:  Night training flights for the military where we couldn't ask who was onboard.
Crazy moment #2:  Being chased by Customs due to above-mentioned military not telling Customs we were supposed to be where we were....
Most ironic parking spot:  Next to Air Force Two -- all that security, and us without even a door on the darned airplane....
Plus a bunch of other fun and crazy moments....   
===========================================================================================

And, a smattering of simulators, and if you need to know which ones, just look for the groaning instructor reaching for the aspirin.

Frank, I have had a LOT of fun in my flying life so far, and some hairy times, too, but when I walk into work in a few weeks, I'll get to look around at some of the most experienced, amazing pilots I have ever had the pleasure to know....  I wish I had known this was going to turn out to be a job... maybe I would have had a PLAN.  (Or, what the hell, maybe not!!)  But, I just wanted to learn to fly because it was so much FUN.  So, I am much more limited than these guys and gals I know, but on the good side, I can always learn from them if I just try to.

Cheers!

S'Mom              

What no jet? And you call yourself a pilot

[TheSoccerMom]

Only jet is the Falcon...  I lucked out and flew with a nice guy who always let me fly...

And I knew I would forget something, forgot all about the Pilatus PC-12......  a sweet machine for sure....

And HA HA, No, I can't call myself a PILOT, because all my buds start hitting me then, and throwing things across the room!!  Heh heh!!!

 

[undatc]

Soccer,

My uncle flew on P3's for the Navy for awhile, some interesting stories there, but...  question for ya, as you flew the Neptune.  The jet/rocket engines on them, did you just use them on short feilds or what?  I was kinda lost when I was looking it over in Tillimook.  I think I've had almost as many near misses, and I'm only at a fraction of the time you're at 

[TheSoccerMom]

On fire missions, they use the jets for takeoff and for the drops themselves.  They really suck the fuel.  I got to fly it back from a fire, and land it here in Boise.  That Captain was killed shortly thereafter on a fire.      

Yeah, near-misses aren't much fun but I guess they're better than the alternative!!!  Had a super close one in the pattern with a student, and the other bad ones were on fires.  I owe my life to a tanker pilot who screamed at me, he was right behind me in tight and we were on final for a drop, and I would have gotten a Cessna into the butt end of my Baron. 

I don't know who was madder, him or me...  when we landed, he was going to find the guy and KILL him, and I was still in shock..  I never even SAW the airplane.  He put it at less than 20 feet.

And people wonder why I look 94 years old!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!     

  

[undatc]

On fire missions, they use the jets for takeoff and for the drops themselves.  They really suck the fuel.  I got to fly it back from a fire, and land it here in Boise.  That Captain was killed shortly thereafter on a fire.      

Yeah, near-misses aren't much fun but I guess they're better than the alternative!!!  Had a super close one in the pattern with a student, and the other bad ones were on fires.  I owe my life to a tanker pilot who screamed at me, he was right behind me in tight and we were on final for a drop, and I would have gotten a Cessna into the butt end of my Baron. 

I don't know who was madder, him or me...  when we landed, he was going to find the guy and KILL him, and I was still in shock..  I never even SAW the airplane.  He put it at less than 20 feet.

And people wonder why I look 94 years old!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!     

  

Interesting, I once set TCAS off in an MD80, thats a good story.  Though it wasn't my fault, it was Bismark's tower controllers fault.

Something you might find interesting, in ATC and NTSB reports when talking about a crash, they talk about the crash itself as, "the closest point of approach"

[Mike]

wow! look at those types, mom!!
that's "the real flying experience" where you actually have to fly all your hours (not much flight directors and autopilots in there,huh?!)

I like the middle part, maybe we should make another thread out of that! 

[Gulfstream Driver]

On fire missions, they use the jets for takeoff and for the drops themselves.  They really suck the fuel.  I got to fly it back from a fire, and land it here in Boise.  That Captain was killed shortly thereafter on a fire.      

Yeah, near-misses aren't much fun but I guess they're better than the alternative!!!  Had a super close one in the pattern with a student, and the other bad ones were on fires.  I owe my life to a tanker pilot who screamed at me, he was right behind me in tight and we were on final for a drop, and I would have gotten a Cessna into the butt end of my Baron. 

I don't know who was madder, him or me...  when we landed, he was going to find the guy and KILL him, and I was still in shock..  I never even SAW the airplane.  He put it at less than 20 feet.

And people wonder why I look 94 years old!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!     

  

What was the Cessna doing on the fire? 

[Gulfstream Driver]

No...Reporters would have been on the ground saying, "Wow, look at those three Cessnas flying so close together.  Let's take some pictures and make up a really scary misleading story about them."