6pm yesterday, Heathrow?

[slidejules]

Hi all,

Please excuse my lack of knowledge about these things - I'm just a nobody, but saw something yesterday that I'm curious to find out about, you guys look like the most appropriate to ask! - I was driving round the M25 at approx 6pm and saw a Virgin plane (couldn't catch markings and am not sure exactly what it was - I'm pretty sure it was a quad engine - possibly A340?) presumably having just taken off (I'm guessing), heading west out and over windsor, undercarriage still down and pretty low over the road - it stayed low and straight with the undercarriage down for a lot longer than I would have thought was normal - I lost sight of it due to runnymede reservoirs but it was definitely not climbing as I'm used to seeing there. Just curious what was up with it? Anyone know?

Cheers! Jules

[aviatordom]

I'm no Pilot but referring to the aircraft undercarriage-it could be that the temperature on the brakes was a little high at the time and the crew wanted them to cool down before retracting the gear.

This is not an uncommon occurence

Hope this helps!

[Dit]

Im no expert

I'll wait for someone else to say it...

[Hotel Tango]

Simonflyer, very commendable of you to answer slidejules post. A little advice though, make sure you know what you're talking about before you start posting! But thanks for giving me a good laugh.

[TopBunk]

1. VS only have quad engined aircraft.
2. LHR were on westerlies yesterday, so heading west wwld be after takeoff (or on a go-around).
3. VS do not have any A380 (so either A340 or B747).
4. Some defects require wheels left down for a specific time interval after take off (with considerable performance implications).
5. Simonflyer, if you don't know something, it is prudent to keep quiet rather than open your mouth and be seen to be a fool.

[Capetonian]

Simonflyer, if you don't know something, it is prudent to keep quiet rather than open your mouth and be seen to be a fool

Go easy on the guy, he's in Australia. The aircraft fly upside down there so when they look as if they're on climb out they're actually landing and vice versa. And when the 'wheels' look as if they're down, they're really up. Flaps are reversed too. Jeez, I wonder how those pilots who fly between Europe and Australia cope with all that stuff. Do the cabin service carts run along the aircraft ceiling?

[Hotel Tango]

:

Is that last poster for real or did he forget to take his medication today?!!

PLEASE NOTE: This post was not intended for Capetonian's post which is NOW above mine. The poster to whom it referred has since deleted his/her post.

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

Strikes me that few people on here know what they are talking about!!

Firstly' gone are the days when heavy aircraft just clear the hedge at the far end - they climb pretty well nowadays as they have specific altitudes to meet on their departure tracks (SIDs).

Secondly, leaving undercarriages down so the brakes cool down is far from being a rare occurrence.

[Captain Airclues]

I can only speak for the 747, but the aircraft is allowed to dispatch with up to two brake units locked out. During a normal take-off the brakes are applied as soon as the gear is selected up to ensure that the wheels are not turning when they enter the bay. With brake units locked out the gear is left down for two minutes to allow the wheels to stop turning without the braking. This is taken into account in the performance calculations.
I don't know if this is what happened, but it is one possibility.

Dave

[Chesty Morgan]

Tckvs,

Ref the Brakes being hot, unlikely! normal ops mean the a/c is on the ground long enough(unless they had an abort just before).

Cool, brakes that don't heat up during taxy. Where can one get hold of these uber brakes?

[Rainboe]

Jeez, I wonder how those pilots who fly between Europe and Australia cope with all that stuff. Do the cabin service carts run along the aircraft ceiling?

You have no idea how hard it is! You watch the equator approaching on the SINS (Super Inertial Navigation System), brace everybody, and as you go over that line (Equator), everything flips over! The worst part of being in the Antipodean Hemisphere (where nobody lives- who wants to be there- they want to be in Earls Court), when you come out of the bars at night there it is- Orion is upside down! I kid you not! And the Great Bear has gone into hibernation- nowhere to be seen, and if you look carefully, the bloody Moon is upside down too! It topples your gyros, and I'm afraid Cap'n Rainboe has been known to actually fall over and be unable to walk back to the hotel.

Why do people who evidently don't know what they are talking about leap in with the most detailed answers that mean nonsense? Do they forget that here......we are awash, nay, infested with real pilots who can see straight away what utter plonkers they are?

[Skipness One Echo]

Firstly' gone are the days when heavy aircraft just clear the hedge at the far end - they climb pretty well nowadays as they have specific altitudes to meet on their departure tracks (SIDs).

I can't help thinking that the original A340s remind of the old DC8 as the struggle into the sky, noticeably lower than the rest. Alas that second choice engine ! Not a safety issue by any means, just slightly anoying if you're number one at the hold going the same way in a lightly loaded B757....

[chiglet]

Back in the days of PATCRU..... we had Clipper1 on freq...passing 110 at LICHFIELD . He was asked to confirm a/c type [B747]. Reply was..."Negative Sir, we're a B707, but very heavy.
Not unknown for B747 transats to go through Dean Cross at FL190-210, and they were ex LHR.....

[slidejules]

So you're the guy in the Renault Clio who nearly drove into me as you drifted into my lane with your eye on the sky instead of the road ahead? Well done.

As interesting as aircraft are, driving safely is more important.

Ha! Nope, a Vito van rather than a Clio. And fortunately the Mrs was with me, and it was in actual fact her that was watching the plane for me

Thanks for the replies and for the info - all interesting ideas... I go round that part of M25 pretty often and am used to seeing planes coming over from that perspective, usually climbing pretty rapidly. This one just struck me as unusual in both altitude and how long it stayed there, hence asking. Evidently nothing overly dramatic happened to the plane, but it's interesting to me to ask nonetheless...

Cheers - Jules

[Icare9]

As a slight footnote to the above postings......
At approx 08:35 yesterday (Sunday) morning the quiet of our little part of Chiswick was treated to the unusual sight of a Virgin 747 cutting across from the North East to join the Heathrow Approach. Thought he was on finals for the as yet unbuilt Third Runway!! Lovely in the sunshine but hope didn't wake the Corgi's at Buck House or it'll be back to plain Richard Branson!!
Just an idle thought that it might have been the same one seen later slowly climbing over Windsor.... missed the Royals first time, going for the second home??

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

<<At approx 08:35 yesterday (Sunday) morning the quiet of our little part of Chiswick was treated to the unusual sight of a Virgin 747 cutting across from the North East to join the Heathrow Approach.>>

Not sure what you mean? Chiswick is about 8 miles out and there should be nothing unusual in an aircraft heading southwest to join the ILS for 27L...

[simonchowder]

Your right HD there certainly is some prize halfwits on here, however after all is a spotters forum so you have to accept the level of technical knowledge is often poor, however what they lack in knowledge they do make for in enthusiasm, which often makes for excellent entertainment luckily the forum is also visited by pilots/ engineers /atc and other aviation pros so some semblance of sanity normally prevails

[GK430]

And Rainboe didn't get round to quoting Buys Ballots Law - what a pity
When disorientated out in the bush in the midday sun, I always struggled to work out which direction the sun would set in - Yes, I know it's still west, but where was it

[Rainboe]

Well that's another thing. In the northern hemisphere, when the sun rises, it is on the left, and sets on the right. In the southern hemisphere, it rises on the right and sets on the left. No wonder they are confused down there and think they have a permanent right to the Ashes, and win everything in sport. They go home without the Ashes and having been beaten thoroughly in the Olympics by the 'old' Country. I could never get used to upside down Orion there. The only way to prevent your gyros toppling is to only look down coming out of Australian pubs.