747-200F down in Bogota ?

[pacplyer]

I agree with Benthere,

This thread is interesting to those of us who "measured" the whole runway and sat there eyeball-to-eyeball with office workers in buildings who were just as suprised as we were that the thing wasn't climbing properly.

"Let me just recheck those weights and Vspeeds" was the comment crews heard from the Captain after a ridiculously slow climbout with all four turning normally.

We ran those machines on takeoff at the ragged edge of disaster twenty years ago. It was legal. But it really made you wonder.

The subject is interesting because how the government proceeds will determine the operation of machines in the future. Benthere's suggestion to redo the performance for old vintage 747 airframes and engines is a good one. The argument against that will no doubt be one of cost and government rectification of old airframes that will exceed their value.

Perhaps the FAA should step in and use a percentage weight/stopdistance penalty (i.e. 5 or 10 percent) for airframes and engines past a certain age. Old engines could be de-rated back to the level of thrust they were originally certified and designed for. A notice of proposed rulemaking could be sent out to operators to give them time to respond with comments. Operators like CK provide a valuable service to the gov and the economy (kind of like Air America did) and should not be viewed in the same light as passenger carriers (after all, they are supplemental 121.) They should not be shut down for doing the hard dangerous job that all of us need done. You sign up at one of these outfits and you know what you are getting yourself into. You're probably going to have some close calls. But it is still safer than riding to the hotel.

I feel for the dead and injured, but in the same time period in the same city, you will find that dozens where killed and injured in automobiles without hardly a mention and no concern about how to prevent it from happening tomorrow. Who knows? Maybe PPrNe could become a useful tool in crafting policy for feds charged with making a decision about an aircraft and operations they have limited experience with. NASA's ASRS (Aviation Safety Reporting System) was highly successful and functioned in a similar manner. "Confess to ASRS" was their slogan. It's my opinion we should all quit worrying about getting fired and relate our experiences to reduce the stress of having to operate "at the edge" of what is safe.

I've learned a great deal in my readings here and think the moderators do an incredible job of having to wade through the huge volume of post here.