rules of the air

[noahzark]

RULES OF THE AIR

 

1. Every takeoff is optional. Every landing is mandatory.

 

2. If you push the stick forward, the houses get bigger. If you pull the stick back, they get smaller. That is, unless you keep pulling the stick all the way back, then they get bigger again.

 

3. Flying isn't dangerous. Crashing is what's dangerous.

 

4. It's always better to be down here wishing you were up there than up there wishing you were down here.

 

5. The ONLY time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

 

6. The propeller is just a big fan in front of the plane used to keep the pilot cool. When it stops, you can actually watch the pilot start sweating.

 

7. When in doubt, hold on to your altitude. No-one has ever collided with the sky.

 

8. A 'good' landing is one from which you can walk away. A 'great' landing is one after which they can use the plane again.

 

9. Learn from the mistakes of others. You won't live long enough to make all of them yourself.

 

10. You know you've landed with the wheels up if it takes full power to taxi to the ramp.

 

11. The probability of survival is inversely proportional to the angle of arrival. Large angle of arrival, small probability of survival and vice versa.

 

12. Never let an aircraft take you somewhere your brain didn't get to five minutes earlier.

 

13. Stay out of clouds. The silver lining everyone keeps talking about might be another airplane going in the opposite direction. Reliable sources also report that mountains have been known to hide out in clouds.

 

14. Always try to keep the number of landings you make equal to the number of take offs you've made.

 

15. There are three simple rules for making a smooth landing. Unfortunately no-one knows what they are.

[ediddy]

That was funny but so true. It reminded me of the time years ago that I took flying lessons. We were in ground school going over the procedures for flying at night. The instructor said, "Here's what you do if you are flying at night and your engine fails." "Wait until you get down to about 500 feet and then turn on your landing lights." "If you don't like what you see, turn them off." OK.

[Albino Rhino]

Been at no. 4 a couple of times... But not recently...

 

The weekend before the one just past, I went flying for the first time in 2 years. Cessna 172, four people on board, flight instructor in the right seat. Flight instructor in the rear seat behind me (no dummies on this flight) and wife in the other rear seat. Cross country flight for lunch. Lots of fun!

[pegscraper]

I like #3. Motorcycling isn't dangerous. Crashing is what's dangerous.

[SilvrT]

My plane's joystick is hooked to my computer. I crash intentionally! LOL

[Guest tx2sturgis]

Yall might like these:

 

http://samsonmotorworks.com/gallery/

 

http://www.airscooter.com/

 

[Guest Swifty]

I had to circle a few times over the years when I hit #12, but after 30 years of just doing it for fun I always managed to keep #14 equal.

[CrazyHorse]

Well said being a former pilot and knowing a few fellow pilots that are no longer amongst the living because of those truths you quoted and nearly being killed myself while flying a couple times those words couldnt be truer. (Especially #4 wishing you were on the ground thing not a good feeling when you would like to panic but know the only thing thats gonna save you is landing the plane. #9 a good statement just for living life. Learn from the mistakes of others. I think so many people forget this in everyday life. That being said watch this. The most remarkable flying I've ever seen.

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRCbkBfdBrQ]YouTube - THE BEST AIR RACE PILOT EVER!!![/ame]

Edited December 2, 2008 by CrazyHorse

[Guest Swifty]

that youtube video is debunked just a few slides to the left of that link.

[CrazyHorse]

that youtube video is debunked just a few slides to the left of that link.

 

Really, it wouldnt surprise me.

[barend]

"Keep the pointy side forward, and the dirty side down"

[greg_in_london]

 

that youtube video is debunked just a few slides to the left of that link.

 

I don't understand .... there is another video of a radio controlled plane which the controller brings down safely, but it appears to be a different plane.

 

Do you mean it's a photo-shopped fake or a deliberate stunt - if someone chopped their own wing off deliberately then, well .....

[Venturous Randy]

I am at work and got a virus detection on this post, a first for me.

RandyA

[jlh3rd]

i could maybe believe that a RC airplane could be saved like that....the power to weight ratio may allow it..........but controlling the aircraft with one wing missing, i can't buy it....there isn't enough lift from the body, how would you counteract the torque produced by the engine that would obviously be running at max power...you can't roll an airplane level with only one wing....the cg of the aircraft isn't being supported....there isn't anywhere near enough rudder to acquire and hold the nose up while trying to fly horizontal.............yes, stunt planes do it, but they enter a knife edge manuever by rolling into it from a level attitude and high speed...this enables the rudder to put the nose up, let the body produce some lift and the momentum and power carries the plane through the stunt, and you use your wings to keep the airplane stable while performing this stunt..........

[greg_in_london]

I had a flying lesson once, but obviously that doesn't make me a flyer. From the video though, it looked as if the plane was being held up by the thrust from the propellor, rather than the lift from the wing. It was a stunt plane, after all, and some of them can just hang in the air on their prop.

 

Mind you a bit of extra weight in stronger bolts holdig the wings on might have been worth the penalty..

[CrazyHorse]

i could maybe believe that a RC airplane could be saved like that....the power to weight ratio may allow it..........but controlling the aircraft with one wing missing, i can't buy it....there isn't enough lift from the body, how would you counteract the torque produced by the engine that would obviously be running at max power...you can't roll an airplane level with only one wing....the cg of the aircraft isn't being supported....there isn't anywhere near enough rudder to acquire and hold the nose up while trying to fly horizontal.............yes, stunt planes do it, but they enter a knife edge manuever by rolling into it from a level attitude and high speed...this enables the rudder to put the nose up, let the body produce some lift and the momentum and power carries the plane through the stunt, and you use your wings to keep the airplane stable while performing this stunt..........

 

Thats what I originally thought the plane was a RC but at the end you see to guy running up to the plane and seems normal size. There have been some milltary jets that have lost wings in collisions and have landed but their power to weight ratio is high and thier elevators are big . Being a former pilot losing a wing is pretty much game over and it goes into a spin like a plane would without a wing. I got this in a email from a friend. Whats up with the virus thing? What virus is it.

[CrazyHorse]

i could maybe believe that a RC airplane could be saved like that....the power to weight ratio may allow it..........but controlling the aircraft with one wing missing, i can't buy it....there isn't enough lift from the body, how would you counteract the torque produced by the engine that would obviously be running at max power...you can't roll an airplane level with only one wing....the cg of the aircraft isn't being supported....there isn't anywhere near enough rudder to acquire and hold the nose up while trying to fly horizontal.............yes, stunt planes do it, but they enter a knife edge manuever by rolling into it from a level attitude and high speed...this enables the rudder to put the nose up, let the body produce some lift and the momentum and power carries the plane through the stunt, and you use your wings to keep the airplane stable while performing this stunt..........

 

 

The plane looks really light and we dont know the horspower of the motor is. I knida doubted it when I first saw the video but then that guy running up at the end plane looks normal size. I need to look at the other youtube posts.

[FozzyUSN]

Here's a monkey wrench for the works; I have taken off three times, and have yet to land. My fathers told me that my landing to takeoff ratio sucks!

[hig4s]

Thats what I originally thought the plane was a RC but at the end you see to guy running up to the plane and seems normal size. There have been some milltary jets that have lost wings in collisions and have landed but their power to weight ratio is high and thier elevators are big . Being a former pilot losing a wing is pretty much game over and it goes into a spin like a plane would without a wing. I got this in a email from a friend. Whats up with the virus thing? What virus is it.

 

 

Actually one of those military jets with a wing missing is in a video just over from the debunking video.

[noahzark]

Don't know what the virus stuff is. I use Norton 360 and have never had a problem with viruses--sending or receiving--or any of the other malware. Maybe Don can tell us what's happening.

[Freebird]

I've gotten no notices of any type of viruses. I suspect that it was an over aggressive virus scanner or something that gave a false warning.

[timgray]

The youtube video is certianly a fake. What gives it away to me is the video stability when they are "running" and the audio. no camera on the planet can shoot as stable as that. it's on a tripod on the ground. yet they shake the video to make it look like they are "running" or moving.

 

Finally the audio is too clear for a camcorder recording. I shoot with a pro camcorder and a $800 microphone and I cant get it that clear unless I have a audio guy with a shotgun in a zepplin at the end of a fishpole. Video fakes like that are easy to do on youtube because it's bad quality hides a lot of your editing and fakery.

 

It's handy to be a video and photography pro.

 

If you want to see some awesome stunt pilot stuff, I should dig out my footage of the National Motorcycle hill climbs or the bubba blackwell stunts. Amazing things in the air without an airplane.

 

Finally there are 2 planes that can fly and land missing a wing or the entire tail section. F-14 jet can fly and land without a wing. This has happened several times during the life of that airframe from combat damage. and the A10 worthog. That plane I think can make it back to the ground safely if it's missing most of the tailsection and if it's missing up to 45% of it's wings. I have seen photos of those safe on the tarmac that barely look like a plane anymore. One had one engine twisted at 16 degrees and the tail section bent over more than 30 degrees and a wing blown off.

Edited December 3, 2008 by timgray

[jlh3rd]

like one guy already said, this video was debunked........but to answer: i haven't followed stunt aircraft in years, but i don't think that even the newer aircraft develope enough thrust to hold the aircraft in flight by power alone.....and if it did, it would have to be standing on it's tail the entire time,not in a knife edge attitude.. and if it's doing that , there would have to be some way to prevent the aircraft from spinning in opposition to the rotation of the prop....in other words, you gotta have both wings, and even then ,once it stops moving forward,(up) the plane will spin anyway.....

[Venturous Randy]

I've gotten no notices of any type of viruses. I suspect that it was an over aggressive virus scanner or something that gave a false warning.

 

I pulled it up again a minute ago and did not get a virus warning.

RandyA

[CrazyHorse]

The youtube video is certianly a fake. What gives it away to me is the video stability when they are "running" and the audio. no camera on the planet can shoot as stable as that. it's on a tripod on the ground. yet they shake the video to make it look like they are "running" or moving.

 

Finally the audio is too clear for a camcorder recording. I shoot with a pro camcorder and a $800 microphone and I cant get it that clear unless I have a audio guy with a shotgun in a zepplin at the end of a fishpole. Video fakes like that are easy to do on youtube because it's bad quality hides a lot of your editing and fakery.

 

It's handy to be a video and photography pro.

 

If you want to see some awesome stunt pilot stuff, I should dig out my footage of the National Motorcycle hill climbs or the bubba blackwell stunts. Amazing things in the air without an airplane.

 

Finally there are 2 planes that can fly and land missing a wing or the entire tail section. F-14 jet can fly and land without a wing. This has happened several times during the life of that airframe from combat damage. and the A10 worthog. That plane I think can make it back to the ground safely if it's missing most of the tailsection and if it's missing up to 45% of it's wings. I have seen photos of those safe on the tarmac that barely look like a plane anymore. One had one engine twisted at 16 degrees and the tail section bent over more than 30 degrees and a wing blown off.

 

F-15's have landed w/o wing Red Flag training if I remember right collided w/an F-5 also but they have large elevators and very high thrust to weight ratio as compared to most fighters. Actually its an Israeli pilot landing one. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9h2UTap-c3E]YouTube - F-15 lands without a wing[/ame]

Edited December 3, 2008 by CrazyHorse