Warbird Information Exchange

...and two pilot careers!

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Scotty G
www.LightAndLift.com
www.WarbirdAeroPress.com

When I got checked out to taxi and run the A319 and A320, we were told that if you didn't have enough fuel on board (I believe at least 10,000 per side), the airplane could easily jump the chocks, even with the brakes set. The reason was too much power available for the wieght of the airplane. I know from experience that they really jump around even with enough fuel on board. Our south runup area is about 200ft. from a steep dropoff. I normally stop well before the assigned spot for safety.

RICK

Many many moons ago, Pan-Air @ Lakefront Airport in NooAwlunz (Pan-Air is long gone as is their hanger thnx to Katrina) was one of the few places on earth that you could walk in the hanger, drop a PBY data plate on the floor and say "start here".
They did Boats for Orinoco Mining, Venezuelan Air Forces, private aircraft like the Innovator, Cousteaus -6, etc. etc. They were running up an Orinoco after an overhaul out on the ramp, there was a horrible noise, and the prop and gear case from #2 were seen whirrling out into Lake Pontchatrain.

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Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

We have an STC to install the 750 SHP PT6A-25C engine on the Pilatus PC-7. That extra 250 SHP provided by this engine is a huge punch on this airframe.

Our full power runs have to be done dynamically on the runway, as unless you anchor/chain the airplane down, you can't hold it back with the brakes or chocks.

Well, one of our 'new" guys several years ago didn't believe that and went to to do the initial engine checks on Richard Bertea's newly modified PC-7 with just the brakes locked.

I walked out of the hangar just in time to see the airplane lift one of it's main gears off of the ground and lean over on the other main and nose gear. Lucky that they pulled power off quick enough because the prop was very close to hitting the ground.

This kind of stuff is why I alway's cringed when I saw the mechs. at the FBO across from our maintenance hanger doing a light plane run-up with the airplane pulled about 20 ft. out their hanger and the nose facing into the open hanger door. Would have been one heck of a mess if one had gotten away from them...

Thankfully, that batch of employees all quit and it isn't happening anymore.

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"They can teach MONKEYS to fly better than that"

http://www.heritageflight.org
http://www.bravo369.org

I've watched a couple of rocket scientists jump the chocks with a light 757; it makes you a believer in proper procedure. One of the geniuses has done it twice to my knowledge. He launched a chock a couple of hundred feet the second time.

2 weekends ago now (gee time flies) we pulled the R4D out of the hangar at the end of winter maintenance (and boy do those cowl flaps that Marty Case redid the bushings on look nice! ) to do the leak checks and engine runs to "clean out" the engines after sitting idle for 4 months. Other than getting not one, but two oil smoke baths as the fire watch, we also had several gentlemen who flew in from Denton watching the whole thing. One of them asked me why our crew chief (Robert) tied down the tail of the aircraft even though the plane was chocked and the crew had the brakes applied. I was surprised they even noticed, but then again, they're pilots, so I guess I shouldn'e be surprised.

It was nice to see that they appreciated that we were taking those precautions though. Too many people just figure chocks and holding the brakes are enough and as we've seen from previous posts, it's not.

As for the Airbus piled up onthe barrier at the beginning of the thread, I've heard people ask on this one "where were the Airbus supervisors for this new crew who pulled this boner?"

As for bashing Airbus....I think they build a good product but them versus Boeing, sorry I'm going to side with blatant nationalism here. (even though I am still sore about Big B's takeover of Douglas)

Doug Ratchford

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"I love the smell of 100LL in the morning."