The water takeoff that wasn't.

[mar]

I might be preachin' to the choir

Sure, why not? There are plenty of times when a turning takeoff is advantageous or even necessary.

No disagreement here, but wouldn't you agree that turn was a little more than a "curve". That looked pretty harsh to me.

Also, per the story, he was doing touch and goes and then got distracted by the power lines...

...forgive the Monday morning quarterbacking...but I'd just offer the opinion that it's probably good "bush technique" to make a few low passes over the area you want to operate in.

That's just for the benefit of those who don't have much off-airport time.

I think one low pass over that stretch, configured and on-speed, would've revealed the friggin' power lines with orange balls!

Lucky no one was hurt.

 

[A Squared]

No disagreement here, but wouldn't you agree that turn was a little more than a "curve". That looked pretty harsh to me.

Yeah, what I meant was it's not a big deal to take off in *a* curve, not necessarily in *that* curve.

 

[Cat Driver]

Mar:

I have watched the clip several times and it is apparent that when the airplane comes into view there was excessive rudder input which had resulted in a outward slip through the water and then the wing goes down resulting in the float digging and from there on he just got so far behind the thing he was lucky to have survived.

It is just plain exceptionally poor pilot handling skills period.

Cat Driver

 

[PontiousPilot]

He should have used a treadmill!

 

[PC800]

The other Hoot Gibson is a Southwest captain and former astronaut as BankAccount=0$ said. Who knew there were two Hoots flying around?:laugh:

There may be three: the TWA captain who flew the 727 through an uncommanded roll over Saginaw, Michigan (then erased the CVR tape before investigators could listen to it) was also "Hoot" Gibson. He moved to Costa Rica after leaving TWA; guess he could be the same one as in the video.

http://ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=37981&key=0

 

[Say Again Over]

PC800, correct, the miraculous recovery of a TWA 727 in 1979, and he is still very much alive.

 

[Publishers]

Was not this Gibson the one who was a 727 captain for one of the majors. In trying to climb higher they devised this concept of starting the slats and flaps out but pulling the circuit breaker to give them the lift to get a couple of thousand feet. Well something went wrong and the aircraft spirled down 15000 or so and bent the wings.

 

[Spooky 1]

Was not this Gibson the one who was a 727 captain for one of the majors. In trying to climb higher they devised this concept of starting the slats and flaps out but pulling the circuit breaker to give them the lift to get a couple of thousand feet. Well something went wrong and the aircraft spirled down 15000 or so and bent the wings.

Not the slats, just the trailing edge flaps. B727. TWA.

 

[Diesel]

The last thing heard on Hoot's famous 727 slat problem was, "let them try and figure this one out." Because after they had landed hoot requested the plane be taxied over to the far end of the runway and a gpu standing by. They plugged in the gpu and he left the avionics running. 30 minutes later the tapes were errased except for his famous, "let them try and figure this one out."

hoot was also involved in another minor little incident

While flying a 727 out of TX to san diego he lost an engine over airzona. He decided to continue on to SAN though.

Upon landing the tower remarked that they had never seen a two engine 727 and they realized they had actually lost the engine.

A board of inquariy was brought in because they wanted hoot's butt. Hoot was really a smart guy so when he sat down before the board they asked him why he passed by phx and a bunch of other suitable airports to continue on to SAN.

Hoot sat there for a minute and replied, "well the temperature and elevation at PHX would have made it impossible to go around. So i went to where i knew there was a runway at sea level where i could get adequate performance."

Inquiry over.

 

[Cat Driver]

Quote :

" Hoot was really a smart guy "

He may have been smart, but if it was him flying that Goose he sure couldn't fly a flying boat very well.