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Delta DC-9's

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Coolest DC9 feature...the over the shoulder compass and mirror combination. The mirror comes in handy for checking out chicks
 
Coolest DC9 feature...the over the shoulder compass and mirror combination. The mirror comes in handy for checking out chicks

When I checked out on the -88 I thought they were pulling my leg when they told me that the compass was behind me and I had to use a mirror. How did that ever get certified???

Same way with the lie flats on the 777. The first time I sat in first and the FA came over before landing and said my seat wasn't erect enough for my airbag to deploy, I about laughed her off the jet thinking she was being funny. I didn't think anything more about it until we got the lie flats on the ER several months later and watching the training videos - there sure are airbags!
 
So, how do you figure out what rate of descent you need for a 3:1 or 2:1 ratio? I heard a rule of thumb of altitude*3 gives you how far out in nm to start down??
 
If I'm at FL330 and get cross TWINS at 110 and 250 you get this: (6 to 1)
330 - 290 = 4000 .. 4 * 6 = 24 miles. ; (3 to 1) 290 - 110 = 18000 ... 18 * 3 = 54 miles . ; 24 + 54 + 4 (for slow from 300 to 250) - 10 (for avg 50kt headwind for example) equals 72 .... So start descent 72 miles from twins.. (some guys may use 2 to 1 but I think 3 works better for the diamond elite HVC happiness)
Oh .. And do that every few thousand feet on the way down to check progress ;)


Edit: oh and if you are in icing conditions or anticipate it, that changes things too
 
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I do miss flying the DC9 just not the 5 leg days. Very enjoyable plane to fly, of course I have a couple thousand hours 121 in airplanes without autopilot ie Jetstream 32 and BE1900.

Best placard I had in an airplane was in the BE1900C, on the attitude indicator it said "Pull for quick erect" probably would work...
 
If I'm at FL330 and get cross TWINS at 110 and 250 you get this: (6 to 1)
330 - 290 = 4000 .. 4 * 6 = 24 miles. ; (3 to 1) 290 - 110 = 18000 ... 18 * 3 = 54 miles . ; 24 + 54 + 4 (for slow from 300 to 250) - 10 (for avg 50kt headwind for example) equals 72 .... So start descent 72 miles from twins.. (some guys may use 2 to 1 but I think 3 works better for the diamond elite HVC happiness)
Oh .. And do that every few thousand feet on the way down to check progress ;)


Edit: oh and if you are in icing conditions or anticipate it, that changes things too

Thanks...Does icing increase or decrease the distance?
 
3:1 doesn't work on the -9. To hold pressurization while descending aboving FL290, you can't go to flt idle. Only flt idle below FL290, and then it's 2:1.
I thought the same thing when checking out on it, but 3:1 really doesn't work...on -9.

It worked when they were new..LOL
 
Used rule of 3's in the Lear. Amount of altitude to lose, drop the 0's, then multiplied by 3. 33000 to 11000, 22x3 = 66 miles from the fix at a 3000 fpm descent. Rinse and repeat a few times on the way down to verify combined with the TLAR method. Add in 7-10 miles if you have to slow to 250 at the end of the descent.

Would this work in the -9 as well? (thread got my curiosity)
 
Used rule of 3's in the Lear. Amount of altitude to lose, drop the 0's, then multiplied by 3. 33000 to 11000, 22x3 = 66 miles from the fix at a 3000 fpm descent. Rinse and repeat a few times on the way down to verify combined with the TLAR method. Add in 7-10 miles if you have to slow to 250 at the end of the descent.

Would this work in the -9 as well? (thread got my curiosity)

It is the same formula as he showed me in his example. Alt need to lose*3 drop the zeros for a 3:1 and alt to lose*6 and drop the zeros for a 6:1. tailwind/icing/slowing down increase the distance, headwind decreases the distance.

Is that a fixed rate of descent or how does equate to feet/min?
 
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