Has anyone whilst at work (be that pilots or engineers) had a Brown Trouser moment?
Recently whilst climbing into the stab bay of a 744, my accomplice decided to move the lifter down whilst i was half in the hatch... let it be said that a few naughty words slipped from my mouth as i felt the lifter disappear from underneath my feet and i scrambled for life to grab onto anything to prevent my imminent fall to the ground... Luckily for me, he only dropped the lifter 4 or 5 inches and i quickly got my footing back. However i was " " this close to well and truly ruining a pair of my trousers...
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Brown Trousers?
Whoever said "laughter is the best medicine" never had Gonorrhea
RE: Brown Trousers?
I had one during an incident when there was smoke in the cockpit, upon realizing that the source of the smoke and heat was inches from a fuel line.
2H4
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- AirWillie6475
- Posts: 2372
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RE: Brown Trousers?
I thought this was a thread about UPS pilot uniforms.
RE: Brown Trousers?
same here... strange looking uniform they have.
"...cannot the kingdom of salvation take me home."
RE: Brown Trousers?
Once I was brake-riding a 747-400, which was being towed from the terminal to a maintenance area. We were holding short of the active and then were cleared to cross it, with the added instruction to "expedite" our crossing. The tug driver, for reasons I don't undertand, leadfooted it and didn't let off until we were well past the runway and almost at the left 90 degree turn we had to make. We must have been going close to 20 or 25 mph. He slams on the brakes and tries to turn. Before I can even ask him what the hell he thinks he's doing, I feel and hear things I had never experienced before. I spotted the tug in a place and position I knew it couldn't be in if the towbar was still hooked up, so I slammed on the brakes and almost threw myself into the windshield. Damn, those brakes work like RIGHT NOW.
Apparently, when he tried to brake and turn, the aircraft started pushing the tug around once into the turn. The towbar shearpin broke when the nosegear steering limit was reached, then the towbar hit the tug and got bent in half. He then full-throttled the tug and tried to "save it", which just succeeded in breaking off the nose gear tow lugs, but in retrospect, that probably kept the nosegear from running into the tug broadside.
Luckily, I didn't get into any hot water, but the driver sure did. That was the first and the last time I moved an aircraft with that particular person. Luckily, the sheepskin covers on the cockpit seats are brown.
Chris
Apparently, when he tried to brake and turn, the aircraft started pushing the tug around once into the turn. The towbar shearpin broke when the nosegear steering limit was reached, then the towbar hit the tug and got bent in half. He then full-throttled the tug and tried to "save it", which just succeeded in breaking off the nose gear tow lugs, but in retrospect, that probably kept the nosegear from running into the tug broadside.
Luckily, I didn't get into any hot water, but the driver sure did. That was the first and the last time I moved an aircraft with that particular person. Luckily, the sheepskin covers on the cockpit seats are brown.
Chris
Don't blame me, I don't work here...
RE: Brown Trousers?
Yep.....when you're employed by 5X, EVERYDAY is a brown trouser day. 
Thought I might soil my pants when jumpseating once on a 757. got hit by lightning right at the base of the F/O's windshield. Sounded like an M-80 went off, blinding flash & an instant electrical burning smell. Didn't have time to crap my pants though...
Thought I might soil my pants when jumpseating once on a 757. got hit by lightning right at the base of the F/O's windshield. Sounded like an M-80 went off, blinding flash & an instant electrical burning smell. Didn't have time to crap my pants though...
RE: Brown Trousers?
Almost Every 3rd Night.Glad blue trousers do not look as Dirty.
regds
MEL
regds
MEL
I may not win often, but I damn well never lose!!! 
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- FlyDeltaJets
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RE: Brown Trousers?
Hey I'm not a pilot or engineer but I will still post. I was towing in a SAA 343 on gate 7 at JFK right after that big snowstorm that dropped record snow on NYC. The ground was all ice but the ops had to go on. As I was nearing the stop line i took my foot off the gas and something told me to look forward and I saw the towbar just drop off of the plane. I stopped and yelled to the captain to set brakes whiles trying to get the hell outta the tractor. The plane rolled over the towbar and stopped like 3 feet from the windshield of the tractor. The good news was the wx was the cause and Delta "forgave" me.
The only valid opinions are those based in facts
RE: Brown Trousers?
| Quoting FlyDeltaJets (Reply 7): I saw the towbar just drop off of the plane |
What was the Tow bar Lock Attachment like.
regds
MEL
I may not win often, but I damn well never lose!!!
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- SkydrolBoy
- Posts: 334
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RE: Brown Trousers?
I had a good scare this winter, we had just finished towing an aircraft, and parked it infornt of the hangar doors. At this hangar the ramp is sloped quite heavily towards the hangar doors. We chocked the a/c and set the brakes, i grabbed the front of the towbar and pulled the pin from the tug, as the tug was backing away from the a/c i realized that the plane was sliding on the icy ramp and pushing the chocks aswell towards the hangar and tug, and i was now steering it with the towbar in my hand. I yelled at the tug driver to stop so I could attempt to reconnect the towbar. And as I was steering the towbar i was praying that it would work and not kick the towbar to the side, otherwise i would have been the middle of a nosegear/tug sandwich.
RE: Brown Trousers?
| Quoting SkydrolBoy (Reply 9): I yelled at the tug driver to stop so I could attempt to reconnect the towbar |
Did you succeed.
regds
MEL
I may not win often, but I damn well never lose!!!
RE: Brown Trousers?
| Quoting SkydrolBoy (Reply 9): I yelled at the tug driver to stop so I could attempt to reconnect the towbar |
Skydrolboy, what type of aircraft was it? I'm amazed that you got it hooked up, sounds like you had one chance to do it right. Do you wear a big S on the front of your costume and a cape in the back?
RE: Brown Trousers?
Try being a CFI, teaching somebody to land for the first time. Every day is a brown trouser day.
Here is my personal favorite. I am teaching a student touch and goes for the first time. Proper procedure is to retract the flaps after touchdown, then apply full power. Well he got it backward. Not a huge deal, the airplane (C-172) will still fly fine, we are just a little slow.
He realized he did it wrong just as he began to retract the flaps. His reaction to this discovery was to abort the takeoff. He pulled the power to idle while retracting the flaps, 100 feet above the ground, with about 700 feet of runway left and tall trees at the end. I took over and got us climbing out again, but that was a seriously uncomfortable feeling while the airplane sank toward the trees.
Here is my personal favorite. I am teaching a student touch and goes for the first time. Proper procedure is to retract the flaps after touchdown, then apply full power. Well he got it backward. Not a huge deal, the airplane (C-172) will still fly fine, we are just a little slow.
He realized he did it wrong just as he began to retract the flaps. His reaction to this discovery was to abort the takeoff. He pulled the power to idle while retracting the flaps, 100 feet above the ground, with about 700 feet of runway left and tall trees at the end. I took over and got us climbing out again, but that was a seriously uncomfortable feeling while the airplane sank toward the trees.
It is a mistake to think you can solve any major problems with just potatoes.
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- SkydrolBoy
- Posts: 334
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RE: Brown Trousers?
| Quoting HAWK21M (Reply 10): Did you succeed. regds MEL |
Yes i succeeded, barely, but I did it. I'm sure if i tried again to do it I would miss....LOL
| Quoting Aogdesk (Reply 12): Skydrolboy, what type of aircraft was it? I'm amazed that you got it hooked up, sounds like you had one chance to do it right. Do you wear a big S on the front of your costume and a cape in the back? |
It was a 727. No i don't wear a big S and a cape, but now that you mention it maybe I should make some modifications to my coveralls.
RE: Brown Trousers?
| Quoting Kaddyuk (Thread starter): Recently whilst climbing into the stab bay of a 744, my accomplice decided to move the lifter down whilst i was half in the hatch... let it be said that a few naughty words slipped from my mouth as i felt the lifter disappear from underneath my feet and i scrambled for life to grab onto anything to prevent my imminent fall to the ground |
Oh how I wish I was there to see that. Would have been ROTFLMAO !!!.
"She Rolls, 45 knots, 90, 135, nose comes up to 20 degrees, she's airborne - She flies, Concorde Flies"
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- bsergonomics
- Posts: 458
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RE: Brown Trousers?
This one was mostly my fault because I'm a sinner and I am going hell [translation: I smoke]. Following an unsuccessful test flight, I went out the back of the hangar for a smoke. Preoccupied by the implications of the test failure, I failed to notice 20 tonnes of helicopter being towed past me (this was unusual, but a vehicle had broken down on the usual towing path). I threw the cigarette on the ground and, as I was stamping on it before throwing the butt into the bin, I noticed some fluid on the ground about 3 feet away.
We didn't know at the time, but the reason for the mission abort was a fuel leak. That, combined with the blocked tow route and my cigarette nearly led to the loss of both the helicopter and yours truly.
Trust me, the lesson was learned VERY quickly...
Also, it reinforced the message that accidents rarely happen as a result of single actions. It takes a series of actions (or inactions) all happening at the same time.
We didn't know at the time, but the reason for the mission abort was a fuel leak. That, combined with the blocked tow route and my cigarette nearly led to the loss of both the helicopter and yours truly.
Trust me, the lesson was learned VERY quickly...
Also, it reinforced the message that accidents rarely happen as a result of single actions. It takes a series of actions (or inactions) all happening at the same time.
The definition of a 'Pessimist': an Optimist with experience...
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