PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - AF 447 Thread No. 7
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Old 16th Mar 2012, 19:05
  #843 (permalink)  
Lyman
 
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Organfreak

Howdy. For context, imagine a human being in free fall, terminal velocity is about 120 miles per hour. This aircraft, at 15 thousand feet per minute descent, would pass our skydiver at 60 miles per hour! DOWN. Probably close to the jet's terminal velocity. Compare that picture with the apparent calm on the flight deck. Do you sense a disconnect? With an angle of attack of 40 degrees, the a/c is presenting an enormous amount of drag to the airmass, hence the : "I feel like we have some crazy speed". The noise must have been loud, and of course, unusual.

Even at the more consistent 10 thousand fpm descent, that is 120 mph. Even as a non-pilot, would you be concerned?

So I am expressing some surprise that others don't clamor for some more CVR.
The Flight deck was more animated, and noisy, than BEA would have us believe, No? Yet without a solution, the three pilots patiently await, what? In virtual silence? Nerves of steel? Ice water in the veins. I doubt it. "We are going to crash, this cannot be..." "Four spades? Double".

Eh?
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