Belarus M-29 Short Flight
I met an ex FAA pilot once. He was taking off in a Martlet and decided to do a similar thing.
Apparently you unlatch a lock and then wind the gear up manually. He unlatched it but there was still a lot of weight on the wheels and the winding handle flew out of his hand as the gear retracted itself!
I also seem to remember a Tornado doing a similar thing a few years back but he got away with it.
Apparently you unlatch a lock and then wind the gear up manually. He unlatched it but there was still a lot of weight on the wheels and the winding handle flew out of his hand as the gear retracted itself!
I also seem to remember a Tornado doing a similar thing a few years back but he got away with it.
He may well have not realised the undercarriage was retracting as the cockpit was so high and the noise in the back was normal. He probably thought that for some reason the speed hadn't built up enough to get airborne and there was a big orange light in his mirror so he banged out.
Join Date: Mar 2010
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So, experts, is this a design defect? Or Ivan being a bit quick with the UP switch? Or even pre-selected UP and waiting for the weight to come off the mainwheels?
If memory serves correctly, on a certain British carrier aeroplane it was possible to lift a safety flap and operate an override button, with the landing gear UP button also pressed in. This would allow instant automatic landing gear retraction when the circuit protection relays detected oleo extension on take-off.
Which was probably OK when performance was limited, you were being flung of the front of one of HM's war canoes and there was only the briny several feet below.
But on a bumpy runway, would anyone risk 'automatic retraction'?
Good to see the excellent K-36 seat saving yet another pilot's life though. I gather it has a 97% success rate.
Which was probably OK when performance was limited, you were being flung of the front of one of HM's war canoes and there was only the briny several feet below.
But on a bumpy runway, would anyone risk 'automatic retraction'?
Good to see the excellent K-36 seat saving yet another pilot's life though. I gather it has a 97% success rate.
As an old, retired truckie, may I make a suggestion? "Positive climb...gear up"
