USAFHummer From United States, joined May 2000, 10685 posts, RR: 63 Posted (5 years 8 months 2 weeks 1 day 6 hours ago) and read 1360 times:
Hello,
Its come to my attention that apparently its not unheard of for airline pilots on currency flights, mainly at night, do aerobatics such as barrel rolls in their respective airliners, such as 757's and 732's...I really don't believe this (this was told to me by someone else), and was wondering if any of the airline pilots on the forum could comment as to the validity/legality/practicality of that happening?
Thanks so much,
Greg
[Edited 2004-02-29 05:23:33]
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Jetguy From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 1, posted (5 years 8 months 2 weeks 1 day 6 hours ago) and read 1337 times:
Aerobatics in the sims (motion off) - Yes
Aerobatics in the actual aircraft? At night?? Do you really think that professional airmen would jeopardize their careers by doing something stupid like that???
Most if not all "currency flights" are done in the sims. Once the boxes have been checked off there may be some opportunity to play around a bit. In the corporate aircraft sims there are plenty of fun things to do - time permitting, for example on FlightSafety's MU-2 sim they had an aircraft carrier out in the bay. It was great sport trying to land on it. I've also tried to fly an inverted ILS in the jet sims. Hard to do, the engines keep flaming out.
USAFHummer From United States, joined May 2000, 10685 posts, RR: 63 Reply 2, posted (5 years 8 months 2 weeks 1 day 5 hours ago) and read 1316 times:
"Aerobatics in the actual aircraft? At night?? Do you really think that professional airmen would jeopardize their careers by doing something stupid like that???"
That was my reaction to the person that told me...
Greg
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Starlionblue From Greenland, joined Feb 2004, 13564 posts, RR: 68 Reply 3, posted (5 years 8 months 2 weeks 23 hours ago) and read 1242 times:
A barrel roll would enable the pilot to keep a rather constant 1g downward pointing force, so the effect on pax, fuel systems etc. could be minimized.
But I find it hard to believe that any pilot would do this. If nothing else, his license would be revoked faster than you can say flight data recorder.
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SlamClick From United States, joined Nov 2003, 9996 posts, RR: 78 Reply 6, posted (5 years 8 months 1 week 4 days 7 hours ago) and read 1146 times:
Currency Flights?
You mean on top of all the line flying I do, I have to fly currency flights too?
Block holding pilots have no trouble staying current. Reserves rarely do. Sometimes international reserve pilots might need a landing to stay current. All they have to do is call crew sked and the company will "buy" them a trip. The pilot originally scheduled for the trip gets paid to stay home and the person needing a landing takes the trip. I have used this provision to get trips to places my seniority would not otherwise hold. Hey, a landing is a landing. Might as well be somewhere good.
Aerobatics. Someone, somewhere might have done these things but I assure you it is by no means common. I guess if I ever get in a plane in the morning and there is blue biffy juice all over the inside of the cabin I'll know what happened. I'll also know the seniority list has moved up by two.
Happiness is not seeing another trite Ste. Maarten photo all week long.
7574EVER From United States, joined Jan 2004, 478 posts, RR: 7 Reply 8, posted (5 years 8 months 1 week 4 days 7 hours ago) and read 1140 times:
USAFHummer,
I think this rumor may have stemmed from the incident of the test pilot doing a barrel roll in the 707 while flying a demo flight. Otherwise, I don't think any self respecting pilot would be so wreckless.
Right rudder....Right rudder...Come on, more right rudder....Right rudder......Aw forget it, I quit!!
OPNLguy From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 9, posted (5 years 8 months 1 week 4 days 7 hours ago) and read 1137 times:
With all the FDAP-type programs out there where FDR data is analyzed for exceedences, nobody in their right mind would pull a stunt like this. I'd chalk that story off to aviation urban legend....
Buckfifty From Canada, joined Oct 2001, 1281 posts, RR: 29 Reply 10, posted (5 years 8 months 1 week 4 days 3 hours ago) and read 1115 times:
Yeah dude, the A340 can pull a 4g loop flawlessly. For the night training flights, we usually strap on a couple of extra spare CFM56's on the tailplane to assist us in getting the aircraft to the apex of the loop, though they often do sputter because they're gravity fed from the trim tank. Another Airbus folly, oh joy.
And this Airbus software limitation that everyone talks about is absolutely bollocks. There is an extra control law which we use sometimes, called Military Law. Once we pull all the CB's, that law comes into effect. It's amazing, the aircraft flys just like a Sopwith Camel on steroids!
FlightSimFreak From United States, joined Oct 2000, 720 posts, RR: 0 Reply 11, posted (5 years 8 months 1 week 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 1088 times:
I've talked to a captain at a small cargo airline who told me that while he was still in training for the B1900, his training captain pulled out a thermos and poored a cup of coffee. He sits the coffee on the floor behind them between the two seats, and tells the student to watch the cup of coffee. He does. Seconds later, the training captain tells his student to look back outside, and the plane is completely inverted going through a roll. The coffee did not spill a drop.
I heard it from the mouth of the student, now captain at this airline.
Cptkrell From United States, joined Sep 2001, 2222 posts, RR: 13 Reply 12, posted (5 years 8 months 1 week 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 1073 times:
Shaun3000; you are refering to A. M. "Tex" Johnston who rolled the prototype Dash 80 in 1954 at the hydroplane races in Lake Washington...not once, but twice. Regards...Jack
SlamClick From United States, joined Nov 2003, 9996 posts, RR: 78 Reply 13, posted (5 years 8 months 1 week 3 days 18 hours ago) and read 1068 times:
re: The 707 roll. There are pictures of this several places on the internet. It was filmed from the ground and there were photos taken from onboard.
Certainly transports would do a fine roll. But thirty years of good career is usually preferred over thirty seconds of "fun" which you can never tell anyone about. I'll leave the inevitable comments about "thirty seconds of fun which you can never tell anyone about" to others.
I have a really nice piece of video of a C-130 doing a roll at the Reno Air Races. It is really cool, and it is fake. I know because I shot it.
Happiness is not seeing another trite Ste. Maarten photo all week long.
KLM777 From Netherlands, joined Dec 2003, 372 posts, RR: 0 Reply 14, posted (5 years 8 months 1 week 3 days 18 hours ago) and read 1055 times:
I don't know if it qualifies, but about three years ago I've been on a zero gravity flight in a Fokker 50. We did about ten paraboles, really cool stuff.
The pilots were from KLM Cityhopper, I'm sure they've done some training to do it, but after all, it's not that hard to do zero-g, not too dangerous either.
QantasA332 From Australia, joined Dec 2003, 1500 posts, RR: 50 Reply 15, posted (5 years 8 months 1 week 3 days 15 hours ago) and read 1016 times:
Barrel rolls in airliners are quite feasible if, as you have all said, you don't particularly want to have a nice, long career. Whereas other aerobatic maneuvers do exert high g-loads on aircraft leading to high stall speeds and possible structural failure, a simple barrel roll is one of the few that can be performed without these things being an issue.
Goingboeing From United States, joined Dec 1999, 4875 posts, RR: 26 Reply 16, posted (5 years 8 months 1 week 2 days 18 hours ago) and read 944 times:
A few years ago there was an article in the "Aftermath" column of Flying magazine that covered just such an event. It was a roll, at night on a check ride. But the aircraft involved was a Beech 1900.
OPNLguy From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 17, posted (5 years 8 months 1 week 2 days 8 hours ago) and read 913 times:
>>>A few years ago there was an article in the "Aftermath" column of Flying magazine that covered just such an event. It was a roll, at night on a check ride. But the aircraft involved was a Beech 1900.
Was that the one that went into the water somewhere in the NE, Long Island Sound maybe?
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