Handling the Big Jets by D.P. Davies

[CCA]

It's been over 20 years since I saw the nudger, from memory it was on BA 747-200s that I saw it.

It was easy to demonstrate you simply activated the stall test on the overhead panel, the stick shaker(s) would activate and after a few seconds you would see the control column drive forward, once the stall test switch was released the shaker(s) stopped and the column would return to neutral.

* Can't remember if BA used single stick shakers or dual.

[Bergerie1]

CCA,

It was on the -100s too. I can't remember whether it was single or dual.

[aterpster]

Originally Posted by sheppey

The finest book on flying Jet transports you will ever read IMHO. The chapter on his advice to airline pilots is a must read in which he exhorts pilots to keep up with practicing manual raw data flying ILS in crosswinds and not to become lazy in their professional lives. . He makes the point that you should not need a flight director and autopilot to complete a flight. He warns of the danger of complacency and blind reliance on the automatics. And that was years before the spate of loss of control in-flight accidents where automation dependency and lack of basic instrument flying skills was the primary cause of most of these type of accidents, and still is. With many operators nowadays banning manual flying with threats of punishment if the QAR reveals a transgression, opportunities have become far less for a pilot to follow Davies's sage advice. More's the pity..

My time with TWA was 1964-1990. The entire time, the company ops specs required us to use LOC instead of ILS minimums if both the flight director and autopilot (autoflight on 767) were inop.

[Bellerophon]

Pugilistic Animus

As you say, Stick Nudgers were required and fitted to all BA's B747-100 and 200 aircraft, although judging from comments by TowerDog and bcgallacher, it appears this was not a requirement for B747 aircraft not on the UK register.

Bergerie1

In 1989, following some re-design work on either the flaps, flap tracks or engine mountings (I can't remember which), someone decided there was a requirement to test fly and stall the aircraft to verify that the flight manual data and speeds hadn't changed. I was the co-pilot on a few of these flights and, approaching the clean stall, the severity of the turbulence and general turbulent bouncing around can hardly be overstated. It was shocking and it isn't fanciful to say that it was easy to imagine an engine or parts of the wing coming off, or worse. Happily the test program was quickly halted, I suspect by the B747 Chief Pilot.

stilton

...I wish someone would write an updated version retaining the core of the original publication while adding chapters on fly by wire, fms, and other assorted modern technologies...

Some years ago, on another aircraft type, having just done a simulator check with the then CAA Chief Test Pilot, I did suggest to him that he was the ideal person to do just that. His reply was that attempting to follow in DPD's footsteps and update such a classic book was the very definition of a no-win situation, and if anyone was going to do it, it certainly wasn't going to be him!

Best Regards to all

Bellerophon

[mcdhu]

I have a Second Edition May 1968 copy which I got as soon as it came out at the start of my career. Sadly, 50 years later, my flying days are now over, but I keep dipping into it for Mr Davies excellent explanations of all sorts of aspects of handling big aeroplanes illustrated with simple diagrams and graphs. It's a must read for all aspiring transport pilots, but will not help with ATPLs.
Regards,
mcdhu

[Pugilistic Animus]

Thanks Bellerophon for the clarification. I bet on Concorde at M 2.0 you didn't worry so much about stalling