is this real?

[Mike]

or photoshopped?

http://www.wimp.com/parkedaircraft/

[G-man]

Real---during hurricanes happens all the time

[Baradium]

Ouch.

I'll take the opportunity to point out that this is exactly why it's a bad idea to use your seatbelt as a control lock.  Note how the elevator is in the full nose up position.  This dramatically decreases the amount of wind needed to blow the airplane away since it will cuase the nose to pitch up just like a rotation.

[Rooster Cruiser]

Holy Crap!   

Next time tie down yer airplane, stupid!

RC

[Kilrah]

Looks fake to me. Firstly there are no chocks on the back of the wheels, so it would likely have started rolling backwards way before lifting. Then, with such an angle it should have taken speed much faster than that IMO. Nearly looks like it's got the engine on to resist the wind and climb without going backwards so much...

[madpilot44]

I'd say it's real. I once saw a video of an incident that happened at USAFA, when a glider lifted off vertically and then crashed down on its wing. It was common practice for the instructor to secure the elevator with the seatbelt from the back seat (which is why this one in particular lifted off even though it was parked with one in front and another one behind, even though neither of the other ones moved), and it was also standard to have a student holding down the wing, which was later upgraded to two people at windspeeds above 15 knots, 3 people above 20, someone in the cockpit holding airbrakes open above 25, and putting the gliders in at 30 knots.

couldn't find that video though. It was around 2006...

[Baradium]

Looks fake to me. Firstly there are no chocks on the back of the wheels, so it would likely have started rolling backwards way before lifting. Then, with such an angle it should have taken speed much faster than that IMO. Nearly looks like it's got the engine on to resist the wind and climb without going backwards so much...

Parking brake could be set.  It's hard to judge wind speed from the video.  It could easily be approaching 60 knots.  Once I got trapped on a cross country at an airport and a storm came through.  I was supposed to do a touch and go and saw lightning in the direction I was planning on going so I decided to stop and check weather.  Nothing had been forecast and there was a cell between where I was and wanted to go so I decided to wait.  Then another formed between where I was and the home airport for the flight school.  Finally another one formed over top of us.  There were two of us in the lounge taking a nap when a ramper ran in and shouted "THE AIRPLANES ARE BLOWING AWAY!"   In what was probably a dumb move, we all ran out and held the airplanes down while we added more wheel chocks.   The other plane had weathervaned,  we checked control locks, turned my plane into the wind, set the parking brakes (mine was set, other guy's wasn't), and reset the chocks under all the wheels.  Then we ran back inside before the storm got worse.

Fortunately the planes were still there when it was all over.  There were not tie downs availible where they had us parked at the FBO.   Just keep in mind that there is a big difference in what airflow is needed to successfully fly and control an airplane versus simply make one tumble out of control.


I believe both the Northwest painted airplanes were ours, at least one of them is.  They showed us this video in our recurrent training.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XnHglTRkJ4   

[Kilrah]

Parking brake could be set. 

Yeah, but as soon as the plane lifts from the ground the parking brake won't be of much use anymore. I jsut reckon the plane would be taken by the wind and blown backwards much more than it does on the video insted of just lifting nearly vertically when there's nothing holding it horizontally.

[Baradium]

Parking brake could be set. 

Yeah, but as soon as the plane lifts from the ground the parking brake won't be of much use anymore. I jsut reckon the plane would be taken by the wind and blown backwards much more than it does on the video insted of just lifting nearly vertically when there's nothing holding it horizontally.

A sudden high wind gust can make things happen in ways you wouldn't expect.  Added to this is that the air flow over the tail changed the angle of attack which very quickly changes the amount of lift generated.  So you can quickly go from little lift or drag to a lot of both and flight.   If the control surfaces were not held the way they are then I wouldn't have an argument for your theory, but with the yoke or stick secured full aft it makes sense to me.

[Ragwing]

Any pilot fears being grounded.
They just want to fly

Airplanes are no different.
This 747 wants to fly…..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7CxQbGztbs

The next day, it was back where it belonged, but parked at a 45 degree angle.

The real question is where was it at night?

[Oddball]

It didn't take off since it never had the proper clearance.

[happylanding]

Airplanes are no different.
This 747 wants to fly…..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7CxQbGztbs

where did it go? 

[Kilrah]

Was it this one?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHhZwvdRR5c

[Ragwing]

Was it this one?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHhZwvdRR5c

That's it.  Thank you

[happylanding]

poor old fellow