PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - AF447 final crew conversation - Thread No. 2
Old 11th Mar 2012, 03:10
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Lyman
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
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Machinbird

I do indeed. My point is that the a/c behaved smoothly in roll, as the actual bank angle shows. His stick is not smoothe, but as has been pointed out, it adjusted rather quickly to DIRECT. AB pilots, as can be seen on YOUTUBE, mix mayonnaise on a regular basis. Looking out the front whilst they do, the a/c is on rails, most impressive. To me, it is difficult to trash their stick movement, given the adequate results we see.

Let me ask a question. The a/c rolled through 8.4 degrees from 0 in the time it took PF to "I have the controls". That is the roll he sussed, I assume from his FD. The a/p dropped at 05, and at 07, it was at 8.4 degrees right. He rolled to the left to 6 degrees in two seconds, per the trace by BEA. The a/c then rolled right sixteen degrees in two seconds, before he arrested, and rolled back to the left. This excursion was 17 degrees. We need to subtract some time for the roll to diminish, then reverse.

I'm getting at roll rate. Rapid, No? The a/c's attitude is not known prior to a/p loss (at least on the graph you show).

I estimate seventeen degrees in 1.5 seconds subtracting for lag. That feels quick for a heavy a/c. Does that establish "Twitchy"? I am not sure how "pulse" is risky in that regime, the a/c won't react quickly enough, (as the actual bank shows)? Aileron overloading? Could one or more ailerons have been damaged to establish an out of rig condition that resuted in the chronic roll to the right?

Nonetheless, and it is asking for an opinion only, rolling that quickly felt like ROLL NORMALLAW? How could he have missed it? The PNF was exasperated enough to say: "Watch your Lateral......" to which PF made no response?

Thanks for your response, and your patience with my questions.
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