How low can you go?
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I agree with Artfur. Just because Airmail's neighbour didn't like pilots in the 80's means nothing and as for Beta I wouldn't even bother responding to him if i was you Arfur as he was clearly not in Cathay or even in HK in those days. Cathay and her pilots in the 80's and early 90's were well respected in the world of aviation and every experienced pilot world wide wanted to come here. Cathay could pick and choose the best and they did..it was hard to get in and those that did were proud..not arrogant…proud and just because we walked around with our heads up didn't mean we were bad people. If you speak to the Bankers and Lawyers they have fond regard for the older CX pilots and total disregard for the loud mouthed, low time (I have flown and NDB) pilots that sit in LKF and Soho telling everyone they are CX pilots in their loudest voices. These are the people undermining our professional status in HK….
Fire away…..
Fire away…..
So how many carrier landings have you got, Beta (day and night)?
Last edited by Captain Dart; 17th Jan 2014 at 04:22.
Beta-----yes I can see how landing a 737 at 130kts straight in to a 6000' runway at night would be harder than landing a 747 at 280 odd tonnes with a VRef of 160kts at night in a Typhoon doing a 47 deg right turn onto final during gusty bumpy conditions just above the roof tops. 
Don't knock it till you try it......oh that's right you can't anymore!!
Believe me, nothing got your Heart rate higher than those ****ty IGS approaches and I've done quite a few IGS's and NDB's at night in F50's 737's 777's and 744's. Some of those NDB's were done in Asia at night with Ts around in 737-200's with no GPS/Area Nav system fitted.
Don't knock it till you try it......oh that's right you can't anymore!!
Believe me, nothing got your Heart rate higher than those ****ty IGS approaches and I've done quite a few IGS's and NDB's at night in F50's 737's 777's and 744's. Some of those NDB's were done in Asia at night with Ts around in 737-200's with no GPS/Area Nav system fitted.
Join Date: Oct 2009
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Flying inverted at 100'/500 knots over Nevadan Ridge Lines whilst a few Vipers were up my ar&$@ gave me a certain kick too.
Also Frank, it's very apt that your post is here, on the "How low can you go" thread.
STP
If we all had the training, dollars and fancy equipment you guys did in the Military we too would be hot ****......however some of us paid to fly ourselves.
I bow to your Top Gun holiness
I bow to your Top Gun holiness
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Frank…
You and Arfur are on the same side in this discussion. The bad guys are the wieners at the SCMP and the office types who hold deep feelings of resentment towards pilots, and feel the need to put pilots down in order to lift themselves up. We all know the type….we’ve met them at social functions. They tell you that they wanted to be a pilot at some stage in their lives but didn’t make it for some reason or another. So now....some of them act out aggressively towards those that stir those deep-seated feelings of resentment.
I have done my share of yanking and banking in the military, and I flew many IGS approaches into Kai Tak. I hold both experiences in fond regard.
I remember when I did my probation check with Keith Thompson and during the IGS, in basically normal conditions, I delayed the turn onto final a bit longer than I should have. The turn required about 40 degrees of bank to complete, and I probably pulled all of about 1.5G to line up with the runway. It worked out beautifully, and I have to say, it felt great! Every bit as good as when I used to throw the airplane around in my previous air force life. Keith Thompson was not an easy guy to please, a man from a previous era, but he patted me on the back and said “well done”. I felt ten feet tall!
Your clip above on the landing into Kai Tak brought back that feeling…..thanks.
Let’s direct our fire at those wieners I mentioned at the beginning of my post and not at each other.
You and Arfur are on the same side in this discussion. The bad guys are the wieners at the SCMP and the office types who hold deep feelings of resentment towards pilots, and feel the need to put pilots down in order to lift themselves up. We all know the type….we’ve met them at social functions. They tell you that they wanted to be a pilot at some stage in their lives but didn’t make it for some reason or another. So now....some of them act out aggressively towards those that stir those deep-seated feelings of resentment.
I have done my share of yanking and banking in the military, and I flew many IGS approaches into Kai Tak. I hold both experiences in fond regard.
I remember when I did my probation check with Keith Thompson and during the IGS, in basically normal conditions, I delayed the turn onto final a bit longer than I should have. The turn required about 40 degrees of bank to complete, and I probably pulled all of about 1.5G to line up with the runway. It worked out beautifully, and I have to say, it felt great! Every bit as good as when I used to throw the airplane around in my previous air force life. Keith Thompson was not an easy guy to please, a man from a previous era, but he patted me on the back and said “well done”. I felt ten feet tall!
Your clip above on the landing into Kai Tak brought back that feeling…..thanks.
Let’s direct our fire at those wieners I mentioned at the beginning of my post and not at each other.
Brilliant, Raven and thank you Sir. Most of the early CX boys had done their fair share of pulling 'G' and special ops. That was our past and CX is our future, no more-no less. I was once congratulated on a difficult IGS too - equal to a DH on the range any day!!
By the way - you guys are still good and should be respected for it - that's all we ask really.
Do your job as well as you can using the Company's rules - no more - no less.
ie Comply with your contract.
By the way Frank
AWESOME!
By the way - you guys are still good and should be respected for it - that's all we ask really.
Do your job as well as you can using the Company's rules - no more - no less.
ie Comply with your contract.
By the way Frank
AWESOME!
I never did an IGS into Kai Tak. But was it any more difficult than a Canarsie in JFK? The Canarsie is non precision. You don't have precision guidance down to the turn. You can screw up a Canarsie very easily - although you won't hit a mountain if you do it wrong, that's all.
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Dear Chaps,
While all of this unnecessary squabbling is going on, about who is the best and who can do the most challenging feats, has anyone discovered whether Robin Lynam, of the SCMP , who wrote the article can be taken at the highest level for defamation of the character of Cathay Pacific Pilots.
TKT
While all of this unnecessary squabbling is going on, about who is the best and who can do the most challenging feats, has anyone discovered whether Robin Lynam, of the SCMP , who wrote the article can be taken at the highest level for defamation of the character of Cathay Pacific Pilots.
TKT
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Skipping the imbecility, I think Arfur raises a valid point. But I just see it as an economy of scale issue. Back in the day Cathay was a small, quality outfit. Whether a result of deliberate strategic vision, evolutionary necessity, or pure stupidity, Swire decided to transform Cathay from a high quality premium brand into a mass market sausage factory, with all the ensuing consequences. My personal guess it was a Darwinian inevitability exacerbating strategic imbecility... but I'm a cynic.
