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Old 25th Feb 2022, 21:22
  #28 (permalink)  
ShyTorque

Avoid imitations
 
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Wandering the FIR and cyberspace often at highly unsociable times
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Some years ago, a Britmil Gazelle landed in a snow and ice covered car park somewhere in Norway. During or after shutdown (can't recall which, it was decades ago) the aircraft skids worked just as advertised and the aircraft set off down the slope and ended up nose first in a snow bank.

A second Gazelle pilot spotted the incident just after it had occurred. He dropped down to help out and landed just where the first one did. Also having skids, unfortunately it followed almost exactly in the tracks of the first aircraft, the back end of which unfortunately wasn't as soft as the snowbank....

Easily done, I once found myself hanging on the end of the right hand pilot's door of a Gazelle during an engine running crew change as it skidded gently downhill on an icy dispersal towards other parked aircraft. Pilot's flying boots have very little useful tread and I was a mere passenger until a drain cover stopped the aircraft going any further.
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