Remove before flight
Now I know what he was up to, he only landed because he had lost his duck...
Cat and Duck Method
Place a live cat on the cockpit floor. Because a cat always remains upright, it can be used instead of the artificial horizon. Simply watch which way the cat leans to determine if a wing is low, and if so, which one.
The duck is used for the instrument approach. Because any sensible duck will refuse to fly under instrument conditions, it is only necessary to hurl your duck out of the aircraft and follow it to the ground.
Limitation to Cat and Duck Method
Get a wide-awake cat. Most cats don't want to stand up at all. It may be necessary to carry a large dog in the cockpit to make the cat pay attention.
Make sure your cat is clean. Dirty cats spend all their time washing. Trying to follow a washing cat usually results in a snap roll followed by an inverted spin.
Use an old cat. Young cats still have many of their nine lives left, but an old cat has just as much to lose as you do and will be more dependable.
Avoid cowardly ducks. If the duck discovers you are using the cat to keep the wings level, it may refuse to leave without the cat. Ducks are no better at IMC than you are.
Make sure your duck has good eyesight. Nearsighted ducks may fail to realize they are on the gauges and go flailing off into the nearest mountain. Very nearsighted ducks may not realize they have been thrown from the aircraft and will descend to the ground in a sitting position. This is very difficult to follow in an airplane.
Use land-loving ducks. It is very discouraging to break out and find yourself on final to a rice paddy, especially if there are duck hunters around. Duck hunters suffer from temporary insanity after sitting in freezing blinds and will shoot at anything that flies.
Finally, choose your duck carefully. It's easy to confuse ducks with geese because many waterfowl look alike. Geese are competent instrument fliers, but they seldom go where you want them to. If your duck sets off for Canada or New Zealand, you can sure you've been given the goose.
Cat and Duck Method
Place a live cat on the cockpit floor. Because a cat always remains upright, it can be used instead of the artificial horizon. Simply watch which way the cat leans to determine if a wing is low, and if so, which one.
The duck is used for the instrument approach. Because any sensible duck will refuse to fly under instrument conditions, it is only necessary to hurl your duck out of the aircraft and follow it to the ground.
Limitation to Cat and Duck Method
Get a wide-awake cat. Most cats don't want to stand up at all. It may be necessary to carry a large dog in the cockpit to make the cat pay attention.
Make sure your cat is clean. Dirty cats spend all their time washing. Trying to follow a washing cat usually results in a snap roll followed by an inverted spin.
Use an old cat. Young cats still have many of their nine lives left, but an old cat has just as much to lose as you do and will be more dependable.
Avoid cowardly ducks. If the duck discovers you are using the cat to keep the wings level, it may refuse to leave without the cat. Ducks are no better at IMC than you are.
Make sure your duck has good eyesight. Nearsighted ducks may fail to realize they are on the gauges and go flailing off into the nearest mountain. Very nearsighted ducks may not realize they have been thrown from the aircraft and will descend to the ground in a sitting position. This is very difficult to follow in an airplane.
Use land-loving ducks. It is very discouraging to break out and find yourself on final to a rice paddy, especially if there are duck hunters around. Duck hunters suffer from temporary insanity after sitting in freezing blinds and will shoot at anything that flies.
Finally, choose your duck carefully. It's easy to confuse ducks with geese because many waterfowl look alike. Geese are competent instrument fliers, but they seldom go where you want them to. If your duck sets off for Canada or New Zealand, you can sure you've been given the goose.
Thread Starter
I used to subscribe to the cat and duck theory, but now you've shown me the limitations it's all got a bit too complicated. Instrument Flying suddenly seems a bit more simple. Unless it's limited panel UP recoveries.
Thread Starter
Erwin Schrödinger might have had something to say, sorry, think about this. If the girl in the aircraft hadn't looked at the cat, should it still have been safe?
Thread Starter
I think I'll just go with the dog theory. Take a faithful old pal flying with you and whilst you're plummeting to a horrible death, he'll lick your face and take your mind off the inevitable fate that awaits you. Better to die flying and happy.
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CM,
I met your dogs at Leuchars, (the two red nutters) they wouldn't of had a clue what was happening...then again they'd have been more than happy on 43 with their soul mates!
I met your dogs at Leuchars, (the two red nutters) they wouldn't of had a clue what was happening...then again they'd have been more than happy on 43 with their soul mates!
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(Here's four more to while away the night)
Curiosity (nearly) Killed the Cat,
"Must have been raining Cats and Dogs, but the Dogs weren't as good at grabbing passing microlights....
(Amendment to Pilot's Notes): Additional Vital Action before Take-Off: Secure all Loose Cats !
Felix (ask Grandad) got tired of walking, and decided that this was a better way. Has now decided not to do so again.
Curiosity (nearly) Killed the Cat,
"Must have been raining Cats and Dogs, but the Dogs weren't as good at grabbing passing microlights....
(Amendment to Pilot's Notes): Additional Vital Action before Take-Off: Secure all Loose Cats !
Felix (ask Grandad) got tired of walking, and decided that this was a better way. Has now decided not to do so again.
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Thinking about the "flying cat" story, and after many witty captions have been suggested, it occurs to me that some fabric under a couple of small dural tubes is an uncomfortable spot for any cat to choose to sit. In any case, it would have been impossible for the animal to get up there once the aircraft was moving, therefore it got up while it was stationary (presumably as a warm spot in the sun).
Cats are not stupid. Once the engine had started (certainly after the aircraft started to move), any cat I know would have jumped off its perch. If it got up there, it would certainly have been able to jump down.
Could it be that the cat was deliberately taken up there, and then placed in its perilous position before filming started? (Note that the filming starts leaving the ground, not from the beginning of the roll - I must admit that that would be a tricky operation), just to make an amusing bit of video ? That would be cruel; the animal would be terrified out of it wits, and could have fallen off to its death.
I sincerely hope I'm wrong, for otherwise it sounds like a case for the RSPCA. What do other PPRuNers think ?
Danny42C
Cats are not stupid. Once the engine had started (certainly after the aircraft started to move), any cat I know would have jumped off its perch. If it got up there, it would certainly have been able to jump down.
Could it be that the cat was deliberately taken up there, and then placed in its perilous position before filming started? (Note that the filming starts leaving the ground, not from the beginning of the roll - I must admit that that would be a tricky operation), just to make an amusing bit of video ? That would be cruel; the animal would be terrified out of it wits, and could have fallen off to its death.
I sincerely hope I'm wrong, for otherwise it sounds like a case for the RSPCA. What do other PPRuNers think ?
Danny42C
RSPCA........ Would that be the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Aeroplanes ?
Cats will make themselves comfortable in the most uncomfortable of places, and I would imagine it was a lovely, warm place to have a snooze. After its initial shock, it did seem remarkably composed to sit there with the wind ruffling its fur.
Worth the CAT ASS Trophy surely?
Courtney Mil & Danny42C
Latest theory argues that gravity would kill Schrödinger's cat whether its here, there or wherever! See here: Gravity Kills Schrödinger's Cat - Scientific American
Latest theory argues that gravity would kill Schrödinger's cat whether its here, there or wherever! See here: Gravity Kills Schrödinger's Cat - Scientific American
