A 330 Wheels down speed and noise
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Joined: Jul 2009
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From: Somewhere over the Rainbow
A 330 Wheels down speed and noise
On a recent trip on a brand new 330-200 I noticed on the IFE screen the speed reading at 250 mph when the wheels came down. Is this is the normal speed for wheels down? We landed about 2 minutes later. The noise of the wheels coming down were relatively noisy (louder than other aircraft i flew on a few days earlier) but not too loud to startle anyone
On the outbound journey a few days later the aircraft did a rapid descent after holding a while and this time when the wheels came out there was a lot of noise and very solid thunks followed by some banging noise of a longer duration. Unfortunately I was not on the screen that would give the speed. I looked around and the noise seem to have startled a lot of people. We landed barely 45 seconds later in what seemed was a higher speed than what is normal. This was followed by rapid braking which was then released and a very long roll out.
In the past I have noticed this sound on wheels down in 330 but it is absent in the 320 or 737
On the outbound journey a few days later the aircraft did a rapid descent after holding a while and this time when the wheels came out there was a lot of noise and very solid thunks followed by some banging noise of a longer duration. Unfortunately I was not on the screen that would give the speed. I looked around and the noise seem to have startled a lot of people. We landed barely 45 seconds later in what seemed was a higher speed than what is normal. This was followed by rapid braking which was then released and a very long roll out.
In the past I have noticed this sound on wheels down in 330 but it is absent in the 320 or 737
Warning Toxic!
Disgusted of Tunbridge
Disgusted of Tunbridge
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From: Hampshire, UK
One of the bigger problems for pilots these days are passengers who sit in 21J knowing how to fly the plane better than they do. Your impressions are mistaken- the gear would not come down 45 seconds before landing, the gear even on a 747 makes a noise, it certainly does on a 737, and passengers know best how much braking should be applied! The 'rapid descent after holding awhile'....that would be under the control of ATC. Do you think everybody wants your impressions of your flight and what you thought happened?
Joined: Oct 2009
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From: North West UK
I have not been on this site for long, but I am starting to learn about different people!!
Those of us who are a little technically minded but for whatever reason did not become pilots are permitted to ask reasonable questions about flying aircraft and may know a little about the technical details. What we would like on this particular section (this is the SLF section you know!) is some informed and pleasant advice about such matters, not - we are the masters of the universe; leave us alone.
If I treated my clients like that, I would have no business and therefore no money to spend flying a family of five several times a year on holiday.
So, please Mr Toxic, answer the question asked in a polite and informative manner.
Those of us who are a little technically minded but for whatever reason did not become pilots are permitted to ask reasonable questions about flying aircraft and may know a little about the technical details. What we would like on this particular section (this is the SLF section you know!) is some informed and pleasant advice about such matters, not - we are the masters of the universe; leave us alone.
If I treated my clients like that, I would have no business and therefore no money to spend flying a family of five several times a year on holiday.
So, please Mr Toxic, answer the question asked in a polite and informative manner.
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2009
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From: Somewhere over the Rainbow
Information
Rainboe,
Just a question asked tapping into vast knowledge of pilots. Therefore this was asked in the SLF section.
As far as the noise is concerned I have been flying as an SLF for over 20 years now and do realize the sound made in the passenger cabin is louder than normal or not. I am assuming you have done most of your flying up front so maybe in this area a veteran SLF does have some experience. I still stand by that the noise was way above what I have experienced and was wondering if gear lowered at 250 mph plus could be the cause (note on the IFE sector inbound I saw 250 mph on the screens when the noise of gear coming down started. Still ask this question and hope you can answer it.
The only reason I knew gear came down 45 seconds before landing is because on the IFE on the top left they had a countdown on the program I was watching and from the time the noise ended of the wheels down till we touched down was 45 seconds.
Staying on sound I was in row 23 G both times and I must say the 330 is the quitest plane I have been on a long time considering my proximity to the engines.
Just a question asked tapping into vast knowledge of pilots. Therefore this was asked in the SLF section.
As far as the noise is concerned I have been flying as an SLF for over 20 years now and do realize the sound made in the passenger cabin is louder than normal or not. I am assuming you have done most of your flying up front so maybe in this area a veteran SLF does have some experience. I still stand by that the noise was way above what I have experienced and was wondering if gear lowered at 250 mph plus could be the cause (note on the IFE sector inbound I saw 250 mph on the screens when the noise of gear coming down started. Still ask this question and hope you can answer it.
The only reason I knew gear came down 45 seconds before landing is because on the IFE on the top left they had a countdown on the program I was watching and from the time the noise ended of the wheels down till we touched down was 45 seconds.
Staying on sound I was in row 23 G both times and I must say the 330 is the quitest plane I have been on a long time considering my proximity to the engines.
Joined: Aug 2008
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From: UK
If the crew extended the landing gear at a higher speed than "normal" then yes of course it would be louder in the cabin especially as the gear doors open. Not sure if the 250mph they give on your IFE is IAS,TAS,GS and i'm certainly not sure if that information displayed is correct/current.
If they did extend earlier than usual then it may be because they had a strong tailwind, were struggling to get below vfe next, were getting significantly high on profile, had been cut in tight, continue ad nauseum...
On another note, Gear down 45 seconds before touchdown seems incredibly late, I would question your timing on that, given its source.
On the type I fly we extend gear at around 5nm (allowing for how deceleration is going/winds etc). If you average out the speed from then its around 120kts GS, so you'd be looking at around 2 minutes between gear down and touch down.
As you can see from that logic 45 seconds would equate to 1.5nm out or around 500ft AGL. They would not meet the stable criteria for landing and a go around would be flown.
Please excuse my figures if slightly out, i base them on A320, but imagine the A330 wouldn't be a million miles away!
If they did extend earlier than usual then it may be because they had a strong tailwind, were struggling to get below vfe next, were getting significantly high on profile, had been cut in tight, continue ad nauseum...
On another note, Gear down 45 seconds before touchdown seems incredibly late, I would question your timing on that, given its source.
On the type I fly we extend gear at around 5nm (allowing for how deceleration is going/winds etc). If you average out the speed from then its around 120kts GS, so you'd be looking at around 2 minutes between gear down and touch down.
As you can see from that logic 45 seconds would equate to 1.5nm out or around 500ft AGL. They would not meet the stable criteria for landing and a go around would be flown.
Please excuse my figures if slightly out, i base them on A320, but imagine the A330 wouldn't be a million miles away!
Joined: Jun 2007
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From: LHR
assumption...
screen the speed reading at 250 mph
If yes, it is normal.
Restrictions ( due to metal fatigue, stresses etc...) on the landing gear are hedged based on the Indicated Airspeed.
True airspeed may vary largely from what it is shown on the indicated airspeed indicator. ( due to high altitude, wind etc...)
Correction: It tends indeed to be the ground speed. Words misplacement.
[Sub all TAS with ground speed].
Last edited by Captain_djaffar; 3rd November 2009 at 05:00.
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2009
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From: Somewhere over the Rainbow
Thank you all for the information
Most in sightful. Will try and choose a different seat on my next trip and revert if the sounds are different. The 330 seems to be increasingly popular in the region I am flying in so the chances are good for me to make another determination. This time will be prepared with stopwatch 
Warning Toxic!
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What you took to be wheels down noise was far more likely to be engine power up after reducing speed to final approach speed. As said, sitting in a different cabin section, just a few rows away even, your noise perception will be totally different.
Joined: Oct 2009
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From: North West UK
Must admit that the A330 I sat in a few weeks ago (in front of the engines but in economy) was the quietest aircraft I have been in for a long time.
Up front on a 747 was not as quiet and the noise made when the wheels came up or went down was very clunky.
Up front on a 747 was not as quiet and the noise made when the wheels came up or went down was very clunky.
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From: South of France
Strake
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Blimey....he's like a pussy cat now !
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Blimey....he's like a pussy cat now !
Thread Starter
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From: Somewhere over the Rainbow
Sound of Music
What you took to be wheels down noise was far more likely to be engine power up after reducing speed to final approach speed.
While not even close to your flying experience, I did here the sound of the engines a short while later...... they were more uniform and had the familiar spooling up sound.
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I took two flights on a 330 this week and made a point of sitting over the wing.
CPP2009 calls it right, it does make a fearsome racket compared to other aircraft.
However, as much as one can judge from row 15, the approach and landing was normal.
I like the 330, very quiet in the cruise.
CPP2009 calls it right, it does make a fearsome racket compared to other aircraft.
However, as much as one can judge from row 15, the approach and landing was normal.
I like the 330, very quiet in the cruise.
