USAF ~ Flight Manuals

[PHANTOM PHAN]

GREETINGS~

I am seeking to add to my FManual collection of my two favorite civil birds.

USAF manuals are written and packaged much nicer than the civil ones Ive seen.

Age and condition arent important. But, price really matters as I am on disability and need to get something inspiring to get through the next few months, not to mention our rainy season in the NWest.

The two planes are C-22 (Boeing 727) and KC-10.

If I hadnt failed the color vision test (ISAHARA), I would of ended up in one of those metal birds.

Any help would be appreciated.

Sincerely, Alex

van Luik, Alex
POBox 565
Ridgefield, WA
98642-0565

[PPRuNeUser0172]

Arrogance.........................I like that in a pilot;)

[MrBernoulli]

PHANTOM PHAN

Sorry, I can't help you with USAF manuals. I just wish to say that I'm glad you aren't collecting RAF manuals. The one for the aircraft I currently fly is an embarrassment in several areas - nobody seems willing to update it! I'm willing to bet it falls below the standard of the civil ones you mentioned.

So enjoy your nice shiny, well presented USAF ones and stay away from the RAF rubbish.

[BEagle]

Indeed, Mr B. I recall many cold sessions in the aircraft trying to explain the intricacies of the FMS800 as there was nothing in the manuals! And no-one dared to rub my diagram off the board for years until that f*ckwit forced us all to move northside.

It is interesting to note that the chums I now assist demand that the manuals are part of a/c certification and acceptance. As the German Flight Test Pilot explained:

"You give an aeroplane and a manual to a Brit, a German and a Frenchman. The Brit looks in the manual to make sure that there's no rule preventing him from doing what he wants, the German looks in the manual to find which rule he needs to obey in order to do anything. Whereas the Frenchman simply says "What manual?"............"

It really is like Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines. As Gert Frobe said "We do it like we do everything else - from the book!"

Oh well - back to writing their book for them!

[PHANTOM PHAN]

I would consider collecting a few RAF manuals, but I always had trouble reading that SHAKESPEARE ENGLISH I was exposed to in US schools.

And then there is the minor detail that I rarely saw a UK plane in the US, with the exception of a VC-10/Caledonian Airlines one that my father was working on in Burbank, CA one summer.

If there are any manuals available for UK birds, let me know the plane and the price.

Exec Jets are also an interest...

Thanks, Alex

[Dan Winterland]

I remember that diagram BEags. was there for about 5 years as I recall - it was the only info we had on the system!

But don't think the manuals are any better outside the mob. The ones I have to use are shocking. In fact, I remember the funbus manuals with nostalgia.

[BEagle]

I even took a piccie of that diagram in case anyone ever rubbed it off the board! Although I could draw it again even now if I had to!

Many civil manuals are OK for system description, but when it comes to the QRH, they're obviously scared $hitless of litigation and it's very "Light on, move switch" with not much in the way of guidance or advice.....

[Zoom]

FMS800 - sounds important, BEagle. What is it? And could you have done without it?

I still have my old USAF F-4E(LES) manual, and I still enjoy thumbing the pages 25 years on. Some damned good pics in there. Ah, memories.

About the best manual I ever used was the USN Tactics Manual (late 70s version). Brilliant, with excellent descriptions and diagrams of all the best air combat manoeuvres. Wish I had wogged one. Anyone got one they could spare???

[Milt]

Pre Flight Manuals

They used to be called
Pilots Notes.

When did the transition from Pilots Notes to FMs occur.?

Reprints of PNs are available from some aviation museums.

[PHANTOM PHAN]

You must be thinking of the ADDENDUMs to flight manuals.

On my RF-4C flight manual they are referred to as DASH 1s now.

They used to be called pilot addendum in the USAF.

But, Ive seen reproductions of flight manuals from WW2 that used the word MANUAL on the cover.

In the civil field, Ive seen Owners Manuals for Cessna 152s labelled as OWNERS GUIDEs...

Wonder what the next generation of AIRBUS manuals will be called when the pilot is obsolete due to automation:

they sure wont be MANUALS as the first line in it will be TOUCH NOTHING unless instructed to by digital voice command.

/alex

[Milt]

PHANTAM PHAN

Flight Manuals must have evolved around the early 60s for the RAF.

Pre FMs the Pilots Notes were little light blue covered booklets that could be conveniently carried in a flying suit pocket. These contained nearly all of the essentials you needed to know before launching on your own.

At Boscombe Down in the 50s there was a unit called Handling Squadron which used data gleaned from flight test reports to put together the little blue books.

There must be a few surviving Pilots Notes for WW2 and until the 60s still around. I have a few copies in a safe place somewhere.