POS Airbus...

[100LL... Again!]

The pilots do deserve a lot of credit.

If they had been in a 72, perhaps they would not have needed to show much skill - I'd rather gamble on durability over experimentation any day.

The airbus is no 72.

 

[AA717driver]

I'm sure these guys weren't qualified to be hired at AA...

Hats off to them! They should never have to buy another beer on the road.TC

 

[Big Duke Six]

"The airbus is no 72."


Thankfully, you're right.




Suit - ON

 

[100LL... Again!]

Q. What do you do with a 50 year old airbus?

A. Make ceiling insulation and pop cans.


If it wasn't for noise requirements and fuel, we'd still be flying those old boeings all over.

 

[Goose17]

these guys kicked a$$

I think the crew deserves a lot of credit. After all, they took a missle, lost all hydraulics and got the plane on the RUNWAY without flight controls!

As for the 727... while currently in 727 FO school with FedEx, it is nice to know there are old fashion cables and pulleys backing up the hydraulics for the flight controls on this old beast. Controlability would have been much better in the 727 (assuming they still had an engine or two running and the stab was still there).

Arguments aside, these guys did a fantastic job!

Goose17

 

[100LL... Again!]

Since rocket fire is (so far) rare in the US, the bus will do nicely.

 

[TonyC]

Seeing the photos of the airplane hours and days after the incident, one would have never guessed just how incredibly difficult was the task of bringing this airplane safely back to earth. This was truly a feat of remarkable airmanship.


Essentially, this crew was faced with the same predicament as Capt Al Haynes and his crew on the DC-10 that lost the center engine and all hydraulic controls and managed to bring the crippled airplane to Sioux City, Iowa and spare the lives of many passengers.

Two distinct differences, though, strike me immediately. One, Capt Haynes at least had a symmetrical airplane, both in drag and thrust. The DHL crew, by contrast, had a damaged wing and a raging fire, complicated by leaking fuel that threatened the supply of fuel to the engine. This crew desperately needed to get the airplane on the ground before the fuel supply was exhausted or the fire damaged the wing further. The urgency contradicted the desire to spend time getting to know the flight characteristics of this "new" airplane configuration. The opportunity for "flight test" was very limited.

Secondly, there were no passengers involved. This fact had absolutely no bearing on the outcome of the flight, but it had a profound impact on the amount of publicity it received. Please don't get me wrong; I in no way mean to imply a body count was needed to capture the attention of the media. I think if there had been 170 souls on board, and all 170 safely returned to earth, these airmen would have been immediately raised to the level of cultural heroes. As one who is hesitant to confer that title on anyone, it doesn't bother me that these guys weren't called heroes. I don't think they did anything heroic - - they just did their job, however incredibly well. By the same token, so did Capt Haynes.

The crew is to be applauded for their fine exhibit of superior airmanship, even if they are just lowly cargo pilots. Maybe now they'll be able to get jobs with real airlines, huh?

Oh, and another note: I read somewhere that the crew (or one or two of them, maybe?) had recently heard Capt Haynes speak and were familiar with the process that his crew had used to learn to fly the crippled DC-10 and to bring it in to land. As I understand it, this knowledge was extremely useful when they found themselves also without benefit of flight controls. Kudos to Capt Haynes for sharing his experience!

 

[zonker]

Seeing the photos of the airplane hours and days after the incident, one would have never guessed just how incredibly difficult was the task of bringing this airplane safely back to earth. This was truly a feat of remarkable airmanship.


Essentially, this crew was faced with the same predicament as Capt Al Haynes and his crew on the DC-10 that lost the center engine and all hydraulic controls and managed to bring the crippled airplane to Sioux City, Iowa and spare the lives of many passengers.

Two distinct differences, though, strike me immediately. One, Capt Haynes at least had a symmetrical airplane, both in drag and thrust. The DHL crew, by contrast, had a damaged wing and a raging fire, complicated by leaking fuel that threatened the supply of fuel to the engine. This crew desperately needed to get the airplane on the ground before the fuel supply was exhausted or the fire damaged the wing further. The urgency contradicted the desire to spend time getting to know the flight characteristics of this "new" airplane configuration. The opportunity for "flight test" was very limited.

Secondly, there were no passengers involved. This fact had absolutely no bearing on the outcome of the flight, but it had a profound impact on the amount of publicity it received. Please don't get me wrong; I in no way mean to imply a body count was needed to capture the attention of the media. I think if there had been 170 souls on board, and all 170 safely returned to earth, these airmen would have been immediately raised to the level of cultural heroes. As one who is hesitant to confer that title on anyone, it doesn't bother me that these guys weren't called heroes. I don't think they did anything heroic - - they just did their job, however incredibly well. By the same token, so did Capt Haynes.

The crew is to be applauded for their fine exhibit of superior airmanship, even if they are just lowly cargo pilots. Maybe now they'll be able to get jobs with real airlines, huh?

Oh, and another note: I read somewhere that the crew (or one or two of them, maybe?) had recently heard Capt Haynes speak and were familiar with the process that his crew had used to learn to fly the crippled DC-10 and to bring it in to land. As I understand it, this knowledge was extremely useful when they found themselves also without benefit of flight controls. Kudos to Capt Haynes for sharing his experience!

Great post. Especially the last paragraph. These guys are fantastic airmen. Hats off.

Airbus, Boeing, Douglas?...A bunch of nonsense.

 

[b747dogg]

"The F/E then announced that the third hydraulic system was lost as well.

At that point the crew realised that there was little likelihood that the flight controls would become functional again. There was no emergency checklist or procedure to help them recover from this scenario."



It has been about 8 years and 4 airlines since I flew the A300 B4, but what about the "RAT"?

 

[TonyC]

It has been about 8 years and 4 airlines since I flew the A300 B4, but what about the "RAT"?

I know nothing of A300 B4 (or after) systems. Would a RAT be of any good with no hydraulic fluid in the system?