Aircraft you love and hate to fly ...
The BAe3100 / J31 / Jetstream - Worst aircraft ever!
Coming off the B200 and onto the Jetstream was a huge disappointment.
Similar to the Metro it seems.
The door is at the wrong end. You can't load punters and bags at the same time. And everyone gets a chance to whiff the dunny as they get in and out.
The wing spar was designed for maximum annoyance of the punters, and maximum amusement of the flight crew. Not unusual to find a tooth or two in your nav-bag at the end of a days work.
And to leave the flightdeck during boarding was impossible. You were stuck there.
The recirc fan was in the baggage bay and gulped all the air from the dunny to the flight deck. Not good on the morning flights.
Flight controls were bizarre. It was so pitchy and light on the elevators, yet a Kenworth effort to move the ailerons.
The elevator horn balance was forever in the slipstream, and iced up beautifully. The really funny thing was you didn't notice on climb until it was time to level out. The look on the punters faces when both of you are pushing full force on the yoke and finally the ice breaks off. It's like a Mexican wave when it broke free, from the -0.5G dive.
It was imperative to do this before the stick shaker activated as it shook the whole airframe, and even more importantly to beat the stick pusher that would have put you into a -1.5G dive.
And it was an ice magnet too. Not unusual to pull up at Esperance and hear banging noises from underneath you. When you got out it was all the tens-of-kilos of ice hitting the ground.
The inlets for the heat exchangers on the packs would ice up and turn the cabin into an uncontrollable oven.
And in flight it was downright scary listening to all that ice hitting the fuselage inches from your head.
At 25,000' it was right in the ice belt.
And what were they thinking of with the manual bleed valves, and the numbering on the dials?
And water methanol. Why not put bigger motors on it? Great performance. For a minute!
50Kg of water meth, 95Kg for the plumbing, enough for four shots and five if you managed it well, two pages of limitations and two recall items that if you screwed up, you died.
Operating into the heart of WA meant 40+ degrees, dirt strips and heavy mining staff.
The water-meth took care of the first one until it ran out.
For dirt strip certification the J31 had the whole tailplane off-set by 1.5 degrees to handle a critical engine failure at V1.....classic piece of engineering.
The miners were standard weights apparently.
The punters who regularly had the window seat usually booked their chiropractic appointments in advance - post flight.
The electrics were an over-complicated disaster, especially coming off the B200. And what was with the bus-tie switch above the skippers head. It always had a brown stain around it as it was never left alone and had to be pushed a dozen times during startup.
And make sure the props were on the locks before you do start, and scare the sh!t out of the punters as you select reverse to get them off the locks. This was particularly good fun with a tail wind
Vne 216 knots - who thought up that one?
Two good points though, the Maxarett anti-lock brakes were the bees-knees.
And the automatic flap 50 on touch down was a nice thought too.
So it was good for one thing - stopping!
My progression from there was to the BAe146...just when l thought it was over!
Best aircraft? Just flew it the other day...777-200F TOGA takeoff empty, l think the space shuttle may have got a run for it's money
Coming off the B200 and onto the Jetstream was a huge disappointment.
Similar to the Metro it seems.
The door is at the wrong end. You can't load punters and bags at the same time. And everyone gets a chance to whiff the dunny as they get in and out.
The wing spar was designed for maximum annoyance of the punters, and maximum amusement of the flight crew. Not unusual to find a tooth or two in your nav-bag at the end of a days work.
And to leave the flightdeck during boarding was impossible. You were stuck there.
The recirc fan was in the baggage bay and gulped all the air from the dunny to the flight deck. Not good on the morning flights.
Flight controls were bizarre. It was so pitchy and light on the elevators, yet a Kenworth effort to move the ailerons.
The elevator horn balance was forever in the slipstream, and iced up beautifully. The really funny thing was you didn't notice on climb until it was time to level out. The look on the punters faces when both of you are pushing full force on the yoke and finally the ice breaks off. It's like a Mexican wave when it broke free, from the -0.5G dive.
It was imperative to do this before the stick shaker activated as it shook the whole airframe, and even more importantly to beat the stick pusher that would have put you into a -1.5G dive.
And it was an ice magnet too. Not unusual to pull up at Esperance and hear banging noises from underneath you. When you got out it was all the tens-of-kilos of ice hitting the ground.
The inlets for the heat exchangers on the packs would ice up and turn the cabin into an uncontrollable oven.
And in flight it was downright scary listening to all that ice hitting the fuselage inches from your head.
At 25,000' it was right in the ice belt.
And what were they thinking of with the manual bleed valves, and the numbering on the dials?
And water methanol. Why not put bigger motors on it? Great performance. For a minute!
50Kg of water meth, 95Kg for the plumbing, enough for four shots and five if you managed it well, two pages of limitations and two recall items that if you screwed up, you died.
Operating into the heart of WA meant 40+ degrees, dirt strips and heavy mining staff.
The water-meth took care of the first one until it ran out.
For dirt strip certification the J31 had the whole tailplane off-set by 1.5 degrees to handle a critical engine failure at V1.....classic piece of engineering.
The miners were standard weights apparently.
The punters who regularly had the window seat usually booked their chiropractic appointments in advance - post flight.
The electrics were an over-complicated disaster, especially coming off the B200. And what was with the bus-tie switch above the skippers head. It always had a brown stain around it as it was never left alone and had to be pushed a dozen times during startup.
And make sure the props were on the locks before you do start, and scare the sh!t out of the punters as you select reverse to get them off the locks. This was particularly good fun with a tail wind
Vne 216 knots - who thought up that one?
Two good points though, the Maxarett anti-lock brakes were the bees-knees.
And the automatic flap 50 on touch down was a nice thought too.
So it was good for one thing - stopping!
My progression from there was to the BAe146...just when l thought it was over!
Best aircraft? Just flew it the other day...777-200F TOGA takeoff empty, l think the space shuttle may have got a run for it's money
Join Date: Sep 2006
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LT-DT - I agree, the P68 is copping a bagging. Apart from needing to be a contortionist to get into the front seats(especially if full pax) and not bash your head on the fuel selectors/mag switches, it was a nice aircraft to fly.
Admittedly not as exciting as the Baron or Chieftan etc but not a bad aircraft to fly by any means. 1inop perormance wasnt anywhere near as bad as a fully loaded Chieftan in my experience.
Id like to hear why its so bad for those who hate it...
Admittedly not as exciting as the Baron or Chieftan etc but not a bad aircraft to fly by any means. 1inop perormance wasnt anywhere near as bad as a fully loaded Chieftan in my experience.
Id like to hear why its so bad for those who hate it...
Join Date: Apr 2009
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Ha! Yeah the P68 avionics master is in a terrible place. I once knocked it off about 30 seconds before entering a VOR hold. Never idented so many things so quickly.
I enjoyed flying them, although it was only for training, I'd bet there's worse around. Maybe an ancient Aztec or the like?
I enjoyed flying them, although it was only for training, I'd bet there's worse around. Maybe an ancient Aztec or the like?
Join Date: Oct 2001
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This is my favorite airplane to fly.
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...h/aaf4e977.jpg
The ones I hate the most are any airliners as flying by airline has become the most customer unfriendly means of travel since the invention of the wheel .....especially the farce you have to go through in security.
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...h/aaf4e977.jpg
The ones I hate the most are any airliners as flying by airline has become the most customer unfriendly means of travel since the invention of the wheel .....especially the farce you have to go through in security.
Join Date: Oct 2001
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Seeing as some of you guys liked the first picture here is another one taken just before we turned around to take off.
These pictures were taken by TF1 French television during the filming of the commemorative flight of the Aeropostale mail route from Toulouse, France to Santiago, Chile in 1998.
The pictures were taken in St Louis,Senegal in N.W. Africa.
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...ricanriver.jpg
These pictures were taken by TF1 French television during the filming of the commemorative flight of the Aeropostale mail route from Toulouse, France to Santiago, Chile in 1998.
The pictures were taken in St Louis,Senegal in N.W. Africa.
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...ricanriver.jpg
Join Date: Feb 2005
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Well where do I start,
I'm one of the luckyones....
Listed in order of FUN
As for Bad aircraft ... see above if one engine fails
(hornet aside)
I'm one of the luckyones....
Listed in order of FUN
- Caribou (night Airdrops on NVG's in the GAFFA)
- MB326 (300Kt low level solo Nav's as a 19/20yearold)
- FA18 (speaks for itself but 120 - 600kts in one go is a LOT of fun)
- Citabria (a great challenge to train guys who have never flown a taildragger or been upside down)
- NA T-6 Harvard (always fun to land flapless on the seal from the back)
- DC3 (just the sound and the smoke and getting the *&*^thing to start properly)
- M38 Messenger (Electronic devices won't interfere with the Navigation instruments with this old girl, unless one hits me in the head)
As for Bad aircraft ... see above if one engine fails
(hornet aside)
Join Date: Jun 2008
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Great colourful water shots.
These are all I have, bit faded now with age, and not as colourful as the action scenes, but they show the undercarriage and a little more fuselage.
Will take them off if you don't like..
These are all I have, bit faded now with age, and not as colourful as the action scenes, but they show the undercarriage and a little more fuselage.
Will take them off if you don't like..
Love to fly: Queenairs....I have owned and flew many others for over ten years. Sent me broke eventually but never let me down.
Anything Beechcraft in my book. Even a single...
Will own a B200 one day....my dream
Aircraft i hate... anything high wing. Feel like being in a hot air ballon
Anything Beechcraft in my book. Even a single...
Will own a B200 one day....my dream
Aircraft i hate... anything high wing. Feel like being in a hot air ballon
56 Baron. OMFingG!
Would absolutely s*it all over 55s or 58s.
(Test bed for Duke engines on a 55 airframe.)
Would absolutely s*it all over 55s or 58s.
(Test bed for Duke engines on a 55 airframe.)
'sms777' you went broke with the old Queens & now ya wanna own a B200? You have not learnt a thing have you buddy:-)
Built like a brick sh1thouse the old 200 but cost a bomb to keep in smick order:-) Hope you have mates in the maint game:-)
Loved the 'Cat' pix there 'frigatebird', well done I recall the old cat @ EN back in the 80's, the one with the wires hanging all over it. Was told years ago that if it ever landed in the water it would go straight to the bottom like the Titanic!:-)
Wmk2
Built like a brick sh1thouse the old 200 but cost a bomb to keep in smick order:-) Hope you have mates in the maint game:-)
Loved the 'Cat' pix there 'frigatebird', well done
I recall the old cat @ EN back in the 80's, the one with the wires hanging all over it. Was told years ago that if it ever landed in the water it would go straight to the bottom like the Titanic!:-)Wmk2