Regular Cappuccino
5th Feb 2006, 10:28
The above cargo DC8 (stretched 60 series - 61? 63?) used every cm of our runway departing last night. Probably arrived OERK approx 0400z Sun am.:eek:
Rwy27, 2893m, temp +6, wind 260/05. We've had 747s non stop to Hong Kong off this runway who've been comfortably airborne, and daily flights to USA with no problem, even in the summer.
Had I been watching the SMR rather than looking out of the window with my heart in my mouth, the DC8 in question would probably still have been visible on the display as it crossed the end of the runway.:uhoh:
Subsequent inspection revealed no obvious damage to approach lights or Localiser aerial, but there was a single (wheel?) track in the grass beyond the end of the runway, lasting about 50m.
DC8 drivers - is it possible for the port wing to lift just enough for the outer rear wheel of the main bogie to skim along the ground, but not the inner wheel? It wasn't a vehicle track (only one tyre track, not 2).
I once saw a Saber Air DC8-61 nearly fail to get airborne in Bahrain back in the 1970s, but that was in the heat of the day, and it appeared to rotate twice and lower the nose each time before rotating a third time and stagger off shortly before the end of the runway.
I seem to recall reading subsequently that if you rotated one of the stretched DC8s even very slightly early it would not get airborne, and that you had to lower the nose and keep it down until flying speed was achieved? This one however did not even appear to rotate at all - seemed to fly level off the end of the runway ('curvature of the earth' type departure!).
1nm beyond the runway, mode C indicated 400ft, which is 100ft aal, and given the very slight rise of the ground, probably less than 100ft above the tree line.
Would the crew (1 female, 1 male) care to comment? Were there as many expletives on the flight deck as there were in the control tower? Even my (female) assistant shouted the 'F' word as you appeared to run off the end. I was about to hit the crash alarm when it became apparent that you had actually made it. Please don't do this to me - I've got enough grey hairs as it is!:mad:
Notwithstanding the time & cost penalty, if the aircraft was really that heavy, would it not have been wiser / safer to have uplifted a little less fuel and made a tech stop en-route? Surely better to arrive late than not arrive at all!?
As the aircraft was 9G (Ghana) registered, I might try posting this on the Africa Forum as well.
RC
Rwy27, 2893m, temp +6, wind 260/05. We've had 747s non stop to Hong Kong off this runway who've been comfortably airborne, and daily flights to USA with no problem, even in the summer.
Had I been watching the SMR rather than looking out of the window with my heart in my mouth, the DC8 in question would probably still have been visible on the display as it crossed the end of the runway.:uhoh:
Subsequent inspection revealed no obvious damage to approach lights or Localiser aerial, but there was a single (wheel?) track in the grass beyond the end of the runway, lasting about 50m.
DC8 drivers - is it possible for the port wing to lift just enough for the outer rear wheel of the main bogie to skim along the ground, but not the inner wheel? It wasn't a vehicle track (only one tyre track, not 2).
I once saw a Saber Air DC8-61 nearly fail to get airborne in Bahrain back in the 1970s, but that was in the heat of the day, and it appeared to rotate twice and lower the nose each time before rotating a third time and stagger off shortly before the end of the runway.
I seem to recall reading subsequently that if you rotated one of the stretched DC8s even very slightly early it would not get airborne, and that you had to lower the nose and keep it down until flying speed was achieved? This one however did not even appear to rotate at all - seemed to fly level off the end of the runway ('curvature of the earth' type departure!).
1nm beyond the runway, mode C indicated 400ft, which is 100ft aal, and given the very slight rise of the ground, probably less than 100ft above the tree line.
Would the crew (1 female, 1 male) care to comment? Were there as many expletives on the flight deck as there were in the control tower? Even my (female) assistant shouted the 'F' word as you appeared to run off the end. I was about to hit the crash alarm when it became apparent that you had actually made it. Please don't do this to me - I've got enough grey hairs as it is!:mad:
Notwithstanding the time & cost penalty, if the aircraft was really that heavy, would it not have been wiser / safer to have uplifted a little less fuel and made a tech stop en-route? Surely better to arrive late than not arrive at all!?
As the aircraft was 9G (Ghana) registered, I might try posting this on the Africa Forum as well.
RC