Missing plane probably crashed in the Atlantic

[SUBMAN1]

Originally Posted by GoldenRivet

...Boy do i ever know that first hand once we lost every MFD and Display in the cockpit for a good 20 seconds in hard night IMC - it was an interesting experience

I'll point you to December 8th 1962, Pan Am Boeing 707 - a lightning strike ignited a holding fuel tank and caused the aircraft to explode mid air.

I'll also point out that severe enough turbulence can bring down an aircraft of any size.

I hear ya man. Flying down to LA one time in the middle of the soup at about FL200 and a lightning strike knocked out all electronics. Reset the fuel flow meter to 0 for example, but of course had back up analog gauges for qty.

I've been hit while flying before, but it never really mattered. This time however, it did.

I think a bigger danger that usually comes with lightening is hail. That stuff will rip a plane to shreds in seconds.

-S

[GoldenRivet]

Originally Posted by SUBMAN1

I hear ya man. Flying down to LA one time in the middle of the soup at about FL20 and a lightning strike knocked out all electronics. Reset the fuel flow meter to 0 for example, but of course had back up analog gauges for qty.

I've been hit while flying before, but it never really mattered. This time however, it did.

-S

you know a funny thing... a couple of the worst icing conditions i ever ran into was down around Fresno and Phoenix etc... people dont expect it much down in the southwest, but its there.

[SUBMAN1]

Originally Posted by GoldenRivet

you know a funny thing... a couple of the worst icing conditions i ever ran into was down around Fresno and Phoenix etc... people dont expect it much down in the southwest, but its there.

Try Southern WA at 6K. Worst I ever ran into at 2 AM in the morning. I was watching the airspeed drop down to about 170 kts but though nothing of it, then a while later looked at it and it was approaching 120 kts. George was flying - the nickname for the autopilot and he is happy to correct for it! Grabbed a flashlight, pointed it on the wing and crud! We were a flying brick! Probably seconds from a death spiral. Hit the boots and it all came off but I tell you, that happened quick. Had to get out of the alt. fast. Requested FL40 and it was a bit better down there.

One thing I tell you, if you want to wake up fast from a nap, hit the prop de-ice in the middle of some good icing conditions. Ice slamming against the fuselage does a number on your napping state! Especially in the dark!

-S

[GoldenRivet]

Originally Posted by SUBMAN1

One thing I tell you, if you want to wake up fast from a nap, hit the prop de-ice in the middle of some good icing conditions. Ice slamming against the fuselage does a number on your napping state! Especially in the dark!

-S

haha yes indeed the first time.

what plane?

our lav was up front behind the FO seat, when the toilet flush motor would run it would run slightly out of sync with the prop sound so it sounds like the right engine just sh*t the bed... thats a nice wake up call.

[SUBMAN1]

Originally Posted by GoldenRivet

haha yes indeed the first time.

what plane?

our lav was up front behind the FO seat, when the toilet flush motor would run it would run slightly out of sync with the prop sound so it sounds like the right engine just sh*t the bed... thats a nice wake up call.

LOL!

There has always been aircraft in the family, everything from a Piper Tri-Pacer to a Balanca Super Viking, decked out with an all digital cockpit. This particular aircraft in the story above was an E model Aztec, with full de-ice and modified. Had a STOL kit on it, and long range tanks (1200 nmi range). The STOL kit was put on to cut down on approach speeds. It dropped stall speed to about 49 knots dirty. It allowed us to get into airports otherwise inaccesable. Approach speed dropped by about 20 knots as well - putting us well under 3 digits unlike before.

Its kind of left unused mostly these days. I should go get certified and fly it. It needs to be used. Right now it gets its engines run-up once every 1 to 2 months. It is expensive to fly that thing though, but it does have a 248 MPH cruise capability at 24K. Ceiling is 30K.

-S

PS. Of all the aircraft I miss, that Balanca was it. 300 HP, 520 cu/in Continental on it. That is no longer in the family. It had unheard of radio's - a permanent trial by NARCO with 25 WATTS power (normal is about 7 WATTS). You could talk to Seattle ATC from anywhere (on the ramp) you wanted in that thing and they were always surprised you could raise them. Not sure if NARCO ever went on to produce them commercially, but that is just one thing that Balanca had. It probably had a $250K cockpit. And you wore that plane. I can remember coming over the crest and into the crater in Mt. St. Helens at over 200 kts, dropping a wing to take pictures and it was such and unstable platform it would not try to correct itself and it would leave that wing down there if you took your hands off the controls. Then pulling out on the other side. You needed the speed and the power to make sure you didn't get caught in the downdraft on the other side. I could go on all day about that plane. It was not a Mooney. It was not a Bonanaza. It was special and only those that flew it know what I am talking about.

[GoldenRivet]

The Aztec is a great airplane

[Skybird]

Something different, in the Marchetti SF260 cockpit I noticed a label reading:

"Turn off strobe lights when taxing in vicinity of other aircraft..."

Okay until here, but then:

"... or during flight through cloud, fog and haze."

????