SonOfACaptain From United States of America, joined May 2004, 1747 posts, RR: 5 Reply 1, posted (7 years 11 months 3 weeks 1 day 13 hours ago) and read 3622 times:
HA_DC9 From United States of America, joined Jul 1999, 647 posts, RR: 1 Reply 2, posted (7 years 11 months 3 weeks 1 day 13 hours ago) and read 3609 times:
It's also used for a retiring pilot's last flight. Kind of a nice send-off.
Oops..disregard this post. Didn't read the full post. My bad
Aa757first From United States of America, joined Aug 2003, 3338 posts, RR: 8 Reply 3, posted (7 years 11 months 3 weeks 1 day 13 hours ago) and read 3604 times:
Pretty much anything out of the ordinary. First flight into a city, pilot's last flight, first flight for an aircraft, first flight of an airline, last flight on an aircraft, and so on and so forth.
EMBQA From United States of America, joined Oct 2003, 9292 posts, RR: 12 Reply 5, posted (7 years 11 months 3 weeks 1 day 12 hours ago) and read 3504 times:
My question is what are they for?
All 8 photo's tell you why they are receiving the water cannon salute...!!
[Edited 2005-07-04 01:55:41]
"It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog"
Fumanchewd From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 8, posted (7 years 11 months 3 weeks 1 day 9 hours ago) and read 3346 times:
Quoting Matt_milligan (Reply 7): What if there is a crash and the truck is out of water?
There are mucho trucks and mucho water.
They test fire these things fairly often anyway. I cant begin to count the times I've seen them firing at nothing while driving.
Cactus739 From United States of America, joined Jan 2004, 2381 posts, RR: 33 Reply 9, posted (7 years 11 months 3 weeks 1 day 9 hours ago) and read 3320 times:
TymnBalewne From United States of America, joined Mar 2005, 913 posts, RR: 1 Reply 10, posted (7 years 11 months 3 weeks 1 day 8 hours ago) and read 3307 times:
I arranged for a water cannon salute for a retiring captain who was departing YUL on his final flight.
When I contacted the fire brigade to do this, I asked if there was any cost to this. The reply was no...that it gave the guys a chance to play with the equipment.
I was also on an aircraft that received a water cannon salute...that being G-BOAG...the last BA Concorde to depart JFK. It went to, and still rests at BFI.
HPRamper From United States of America, joined May 2005, 3702 posts, RR: 8 Reply 11, posted (7 years 11 months 3 weeks 1 day 8 hours ago) and read 3296 times:
The first B6 flight into PDX got a water salute. I've also seen one for a FedEx MD10 at PDX, don't know what that was for.
Nycfuturepilot From United States of America, joined Dec 2003, 791 posts, RR: 0 Reply 12, posted (7 years 11 months 3 weeks 1 day 8 hours ago) and read 3261 times:
Quoting Fumanchewd (Reply 8): I've seen them firing at nothing while driving.
Those are done during run-ups at the start of each shift. The fire fighters have to take out their trucks to make sure that everything runs well and to fill up on gas and water if necessary, they also all take a quick shot of water to make sure that the systems work.
Vivek0072 From India, joined Jun 2005, 284 posts, RR: 0 Reply 13, posted (7 years 11 months 3 weeks 1 day 8 hours ago) and read 3228 times:
In ancient India there was a belief that when you are stepping out to do a major task and if some one passes your way with a bucket or a container of water then it would bring you good luck and you would be successful in doing whatever you have planned.
I do not know, but this may have a distant connection.
Yes there have been times when kings setting out for war did not prepare for war but instead had lot of maids with pitchers full of water on his way to the battlefield.
Quoting EMBQA (Reply 5): My question is what are they for?
All 8 photo's tell you why they are receiving the water cannon salute...!!
I was just kidding, but I am sure passengers would be afraid if they just saw a fire truck shooting water(forget guns) at them and if they did not know what exactly it is for.
That life's most failures were people who did not realise how close they were to success when they gave up. - Edison.
Wjcandee From United States of America, joined Jun 2000, 4594 posts, RR: 18 Reply 14, posted (7 years 11 months 3 weeks 1 day 8 hours ago) and read 3209 times:
At some commercial airports, they also sometimes do water cannon salutes for certain military flights. A photo on here references such a salute for an ATA L1011 at DFW -- the author didn't know why but I believe that is the reason.
Dl757md From United States of America, joined May 2004, 1555 posts, RR: 18 Reply 15, posted (7 years 11 months 3 weeks 1 day 4 hours ago) and read 3116 times:
They don't do the water cannon anymore at Delta for retiring pilots (at least not here in SLC but I think it's also true system wide) due to the fact that an aircraft received some slat damage during a salute. Now they just escort the plane from the runway to the gate with several emergency vehicles with lights and sirens.
Wayfarer From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 16, posted (7 years 11 months 2 weeks 6 days 19 hours ago) and read 2865 times:
Quoting Dl757md (Reply 15): They don't do the water cannon anymore at Delta for retiring pilots (at least not here in SLC but I think it's also true system wide) due to the fact that an aircraft received some slat damage during a salute.
what is slat damage? I am very curious about this.
Jetblue15 From United States of America, joined Mar 2004, 273 posts, RR: 1 Reply 17, posted (7 years 11 months 2 weeks 6 days 17 hours ago) and read 2815 times:
I've been lucky enough to be on a few inaugural flights. JFK-BQN, JFK-STI, JFK-SMF, JFK-SJU and BOS-DEN. All with B6. The best we be JFK-SMF b/c many politicans came out including the govenor.
N766UA From United States of America, joined Jul 1999, 8008 posts, RR: 27 Reply 19, posted (7 years 11 months 2 weeks 6 days 17 hours ago) and read 2745 times:
Quoting Wayfarer (Reply 16): what is slat damage? I am very curious about this
A stray water jet hit the wing and somehow damaged the slats? Sounds like a crappy reason to discontinue a long tradition, if you ask me.
Ckfred From United States of America, joined Apr 2001, 4684 posts, RR: 1 Reply 20, posted (7 years 11 months 2 weeks 6 days 7 hours ago) and read 2574 times:
I think I've heard of the water cannon salute for an aircraft being the first into a new terminal or concourse.
A little off the subject, but I believe that a retiring captain gets to pick who sits in the F/O's seat on his last trip.
Ha763 From United States of America, joined Jan 2003, 3494 posts, RR: 6 Reply 21, posted (7 years 11 months 2 weeks 6 days 6 hours ago) and read 2526 times:
Quoting Dl757md (Reply 15): They don't do the water cannon anymore at Delta for retiring pilots (at least not here in SLC but I think it's also true system wide) due to the fact that an aircraft received some slat damage during a salute.
Maybe ARFF thought the aircraft was on fire.
But, really, unless the nozzle was pointing straight at the slat and pretty close, I don't see how water sprayed in an arc over the wing would damage anything. Unless it was like the PIA salute in the first post where the wings will cut right through the stream of water. But then that can be fixed by having the ARFF trucks farther away or better, angling the nozzles higher up.
Quoting Ckfred (Reply 20): A little off the subject, but I believe that a retiring captain gets to pick who sits in the F/O's seat on his last trip.
True, provided they are type rated and trained in the type they are flying. It was even on an episode of the WN version of Airline. The retiring pilot had his son, a WN F/O, on the flight. Also, I remember when the #1 pilot on the senority list at HA retired (a DC-9 Captain), his son (also a HA DC-9 Captain) flew in the right seat with him.
Calags From United States of America, joined Jun 2005, 47 posts, RR: 0 Reply 22, posted (7 years 11 months 2 weeks 6 days 5 hours ago) and read 2473 times:
Quoting Cactus739 (Reply 9): Quoting SonOfACaptain (Reply 1):
Engine fire
lol.... not sure that's really a "salute"...
Well, I suppose that may (under the wrong conditions) qualify as:
1. Pilots' last flight
2. Aircraft's last revenue flight
3. Airline's last revenue flight
Oly720man From United Kingdom, joined May 2004, 6225 posts, RR: 11 Reply 23, posted (7 years 11 months 2 weeks 6 days 4 hours ago) and read 2442 times:
I was once at MAN and a SIA 747 got the water cannon treatment as it taxied past the fire station.
This was because one of the MAN airport firemen was a passenger. He had retired and was emigrating to Australia. Some of his family were on the car park watching, tissues at the ready. Quite moving it was.
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