Wheels Down in Ten

[sstaurus]

Somewhere around here, isn't there a picture of a captain of a light business jet who stuck his selfie-stick out the window on take off so he could snap a selfie? I think he wins this thread...

[CID]

That's like "clapped out". What does that mean exactly?? Illya Kuryakin seems to use that term a LOT. Maybe he can shed some light on it. Come to think of it, you know who else used that term a LOT? Doc. Funny.

But seriously, communication is not absolute. As long as you get the message across it's not a problem. I think dispatches know what "wheels down in ten" means and if they don't, I'm sure they will ask and sort it out. It's like "pax". How many dispatches actually vocalize this little abbreviation? It's the cool thing to say right? Participate in the jargon. Embrace the jargon.

[Meatservo]

If you believe in trends, the next one is going to be EVEN BETTER until its prosperity breeds a generation of wastrels who fiddle while Rome burns...

Well, to be pedantic, as one must be on Avcanada, Nero fiddled while Rome burned about 400 years before it finally fell. That means we've got 400 years to make selfie sticks even worse!

To be EVEN MORE PEDANTIC, after Rome fell, the eastern half of the Roman empire persisted for centuries almost until modern times in the form of the Byzantine Empire! Still, when it all came to an end, we got to keep all the cool stuff like architectural and road-building techniques, some of the less annoying philosophical "discoveries", the more lasting scientific discoveries, but almost none of their stupid colloquial attitudes and "I'm with stupid" togas. Hopefully the same thing will happen after our civilization falls, and the next one to rise after the upcoming (and exciting) period of zombie-infested darkness will be able to build on our successes without being dragged down by things like social media and selfie-sticks.

OK so when you say "wheels down in -", are you broadcasting the time you expect to extend the landing gear, or the time you expect to touch down? Really.

[Shiny Side Up]

That's like "clapped out". What does that mean exactly??

Hard to describe, but you know it when you fly it. As I recall, one of my old instructors used to encourage us by describing how most of our careers we'd be flying "clapped out" navajos and aztecs. I didn't know what he was talking about then, but I do now.

I think the best way to describe it is if the airplane had a soul, it feels like that soul is tired. Mostly due to the hard uncaring hands at the controls for so long. You feel like the airplane is flinching like a shy horse on the approach, had the spurs too many times, too many bad landings. Everything is worn or beat or both.

[fish4life]

Personally my pet peeve is people saying 10 minutes and taking 15 by the time they slow down and go around the other side, when you might have had the field showing on the box in 11 but can be touching down in 13.

[complexintentions]

We're in the last days of THIS civilization. If you believe in trends, the next one is going to be EVEN BETTER until its prosperity breeds a generation of wastrels who fiddle while Rome burns and argue about whether a spacesuit is blue or black, and don't spell good and like whatever, and on and on it will go until someday some post-human scientist invents time travel and then they will come back here and do god-knows-what. It's exciting. Ow, my balls.

Arguments and little bitch-fests like this are healthy, especially since we aren't allowed to really insult each other or the moderators anymore. It's like a safety valve.

Hmmm. The problem with bitch-fests, is that they tend to make people engaging in them seem like well... bitches. Not really my preferred image of pilots, but I guess the stereotype has shifted and I didn't get the memo.

You mentioned balls. This is a real ad in Thailand that made me laugh.

[GyvAir]

^ Thanks for the laugh!

I'm still trying to figure out though.. are those balls red and yellow, or green and purple?

[cyeg66]

Despite the fact that the subject matter of this thread is seated firmly at the bottom of the World's Most Important Issues totem pole, it has provided me with a whole lot of chuckles this icky Monday morning, and for that reason, I would like to thank all you suns'a'beeches....

[Meatservo]

See, this forum needs the inane chicanery to liven things up. If all we ever talked about was accidents and air regulations, it would be soul-destroying.

[TeePeeCreeper]

I heard this one while flying the milk run this morning from a non locally based helicopter pilot;

"....and if there is any conflicting traffic at this time please advise C-****"

I swear I had to try my damndest to not key the mic and give a verbal lashing or put my fist though my wind screen!

[Meatservo]

Well see that's pretty serious. If that helicopter doesn't have wheels, then how is he going to communicate to others the fact that he's adjusted his E.T.A. to take into account slowing down and entering the circuit? Since he can't very well say "wheels down in -", then he's forced to just say "landing in -", and according to some previous posters, this phrase indicates that he is just reading his ETA from the box, rather than adjusting it to make it more accurate and saying "wheels down" to let the rest of us know.

[TeePeeCreeper]

Well see that's pretty serious. If that helicopter doesn't have wheels, then how is he going to communicate to others the fact that he's adjusted his E.T.A. to take into account slowing down and entering the circuit? Since he can't very well say "wheels down in -", then he's forced to just say "landing in -", and according to some previous posters, this phrase indicates that he is just reading his ETA from the box, rather than adjusting it to make it more accurate and saying "wheels down" to let the rest of us know.

Dear "meat",

Please stop as you are fanning the flame of my pilot based anxiety and have effectively worded in a written form what could be considered the bane of my existence.

Your friend forever,
TPC