Welcome Aviation EnthusiastsAs the header suggests this is a site for the " Lovers of Flight" of all kinds. From Stunt Kites to Paper planes to R/C and Full Scale. Even the most extreme Aerial Sports are discussed here, if it's airborne, you'll see it here. Occasionally I will post sites of other interest as well.Enjoy your Visit !! |
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Posted 3/16/2010 @ 3:36:41 pm by pilotornot.com
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On Monday (3/15/10) the FAA announced that the two Northwest Airline Pilots who flew right past their destination of Minneapolis last year, have dropped their appeal in an attempt to keep their licenses. In a settlement that the FAA declined to expand upon, the two pilots will be able to reapply for their licenses in 10 months.
Although original accounts of the story claim the two had fallen asleep, Capt. Timothy Cheney and First Officer Richard Cole told the investigators they were distracted by an airline scheduling system on their laptops that they were involved in working on. Cheney said, " There's no good excuse, I let my guard down. I wish I could explain why."
He is absolutely right, there is no good excuse. As a pilot myself , I know that you are taught very early on in training that no matter what, as Pilot in Command, your job is to fly the plane. (Period) Yes, there are many other tasks that need to be performed, and things happen suddenly and you need to react to them , but always " Fly the Plane". Obviously the advanced technology on today's airliners greatly reduces the simple tasks and navigational checks that are required of a pilot flying a single engine plane. However, the basic duties of the pilot have not changed, he is still responsible for where the plane is going and that it is on course and that all of that technology is still operating properly.
It is understandable that today's pilot feels a bit "useless" in some phases of modern flight, because his input is no longer needed. But in the state of today's economy, I think that everyone who still has a job needs to be doing it better than ever before. These two pilots are the perfect example of someone taking their job for granted. They need to be digging in deep and showing their fellow pilots why they still have a job ! With the amount of layoffs in the airline industry, it's a safe bet there are two equally qualified pilots on the Unemployment line who would kill to have these two jokers jobs.
I'm sure the scheduling system would have been much more understandable at the bar in the Pilot's Lounge after the flight, over a couple brewskis.
Auto Pilot or not, the number one duty of the Pilot in Command is "Fly the Damn Plane". If the computer is flying it, then he is responsible for making sure the computer is doing it correctly, just as if the First Officer were flying. Computers are not infallible.
Feedback ?
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Posted 1/9/2010 @ 9:59:01 am by pilotornot.com
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This is the stabilizer of my Bugatti, and the opening I have left here is for
the servo which will operate this half of the elevons.
Here I have glued in four spruce blocks to the wing ribs and two horizontal
supports which the hatch will be attached to.
Here I have fashioned a hatch from 1/8 " plywood.
I soaked it overnight then allowed it to dry with some weight positioned on
it to create a slight curve to match the curve of the airfoil.
Apply some tape to the top of the hatch and make sure it is positioned
exactly where you want it.
Lay your balsa sheet overtop of the stabilizer where it will be placed.
Flip it over, and there you have the location for the hatch.
The final assembly awaiting screws that will go into the vertical spruce blocks
The servo will be attached to the underside of the hatch and only the arm will
stick out from under the hatch.
Questions or comments Tidgepilot@aol.com
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Posted 10/10/2009 @ 4:58:38 pm by pilotornot.com
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Round 6 -- Barcelona, Spain
Congratulations to 2009 Red Bull Air Race World Champion--
Britain's Paul Bonhomme !!!
Bonhomme on his Title winning run.
The sixth and final round of the Championships was held in Barcelona, Spain on October 4. Heading into this round Bonhomme had a 4 point lead over last year's Champion Hannes Arch. As if that wasn't tight enough, Arch squeezed Bonhomme a little bit harder as he took the 1 point for fast qualifying time and reduced the lead to 3.
After finishing second in the last two years, Bonhomme was able to string together the consistency required for a Championship in front of a record crowd of 800,000 here in Barcelona. In 6 races this year he has 3 Seconds and 3 First place finishes. He put it all together on this 6.4 km, 15 gate course laid out over the Mediterranean, to take the title by 7 points. The fabulous season for Rookie sensation from Australia, Matt Hall, continued all the way to the end as he finished third in the Championships the best ever by a rookie.
As he exited his plane after the final round Bonhomme exclaimed, “I’m very, very happy” he grinned. “It’s been a lot of hard work and a long time but we got there in the end. Of course there’s been a massive amount of pressure here but I’m not about to admit that during race week. It’s just a question of how you deal with pressure at the right time.”
As a side note, American Mike Mangold, is retiring after 6 seasons from the Red Bull Air Race World Series, to concentrate on his family and Jet Racing at Reno.
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Posted 10/3/2009 @ 11:17:35 am by pilotornot.com
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Round 5: Porto, Portugal
Sept. 13, 2009
The fifth of six races this season was held in Porto, Portugal on Sept. 13. British Pilot, Paul Bonhomme takes the victory, and after his 2nd place finish in Budapest,and the 1 point he picked up here in qualifying, he improves his lead in the Championships to 4 points over last year's Champion Hannes Arch. Once again, Australian Rookie Matt Hall hit another milestone in his career with his first podium by taking third behind Arch and vaulting into 3rd place in the Championships.
A big problem here in Porto is the existence of a large number of seagulls in and around the race course. To deter their presence during the races, Red Bull has hired a group of Predatory birds to keep things under control during the week of practice and racing. A group of 9 Falcons and Hawks (4 Falcons and 5 Hawks) are controlling the airspace around the runway. Two of the birds are trained killers, and will do just that to let the seagulls know they mean business, the other 7 birds are trained to scare and disturb the seagulls without harming them. Just another example of Red Bull's commitment to safety.
The crowd of 720,000 watched Bonhomme clock a 1:09:23 on his final run to clip Arch by .94 seconds over the 6.6km, 17 gate course set up over the Douro River in Downtown Porto. This marks the second victory for Bonhomme this season to make him the first repeat winner of 2009. However a 4 point lead going into the final race is not much cushion considering the winner receives 13. The final race in Barcelona should be a real dog fight.
All the pilots were somewhat behind the eight ball as practice on Thursday and Friday had to be canceled due to severe fog. Bonhomme credits a recent engine change for the extra speed, as he already had 3 second places and a victory with the old setup, this could be bad news for the rest of the field in Race 6. After having lost the Championship in the very end of the 2007 and 2008 seasons, Paul is very eager and excited to be heading for his possible first Red Bull crown.
The final round shootout in Barcelona will be Oct 4.
GO HERE for all the news and pictures.
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Posted 9/23/2009 @ 3:27:03 pm by pilotornot.com
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Official "Gold" Race Results from the
2009 Reno National Air Races
Unlimited Class - Strega - P51 Mustang - Steve Hinton - 491.822 mph
Rare Bear - F8F Bearcat - John Penney - 479.088 mph
Czech Mate - Yak - 11 - Sherman Smoot - 464.312 mph
Jet Class - Viper - L-29 - Curt Brown - 513.521 mph
Euro Burner - L-29 - Mike Mangold - 510.295 mph
Pip Squeak - L-39 - Joe Gano - 508.021 mph
T-6 Class - Six Cat - Nick Macy - 237.557 mph
Warlock - Alfred Goss - 235.134 mph
Midnight Miss III - Dennis Buehn - 231.194 mph
S.S. Class - Nemesis - NXT - Jon Sharp - 407.061 mph
Relentless - NXT - Kevin Eldredge - 387.839 mph
Bad Intentions - Questair - Mike Dacey - 382.872 mph
Sport Class - - Lancair - David Sterling - 352.662 mph
Poky - Lancair - Tom McReynolds - 343.339 mph
Breathless - Lancair - Lee Behel - 335.417 mph
Biplane Class - Phantom - Mong Sport - Tom Aberle - 236.995 mph
Magic - Pitts S-1S - Norman Way - 218.726 mph
Drag Racer - Pitts S-1C - Dennis Vest - 213.329 mph
F-1 Class - Invictus - Cassutt - Thom Richard - 241.064 mph
Scarlet Screamer - Cassutt - Gary Davis - 236.136 mph
Madness - GR-7 Panther - Steve Temple - 226.891 mph
GO HERE for all the pictures and reports of the whole week.
