Dangerous Flights

[DanWEC]

New series on Discovery channel, premieres at 9pm tonight (central time).
Looks interesting, but will inevitably be a bit padded up.

[Colonel Sanders]

I heard tonight's episode will be on the dreaded runaway
Hobbs meter. I had that happen to me, on a pre-PPL
solo flight. I was terrified when I calculated on downwind
that I was going to owe the FTU $181,432.67 for the flight.

This was before I learned about recording tachometers,
but still, it was the most dangerous flight I had up until
that point of 12.4 hours total time.

[Northern Flyer]

Haha. Good one

[DanWEC]

They took that item off the downwind check after the FBI attributed the actions of This Guy to Runaway Hobbs Cognitive Dissonance Syndrome. RHCDS.

[Beefitarian]

Should make it easier to get that first job with all those hours in you log book. Make sure you get it certified by the school.

[jet a1]

got the PVR all ready to go... should be interesting i'm thinking. made up drama for tv? absolutely! but i would never ferry a single engine over open water(i hate open water with a twin), i will however watch others do it from the safety of my couch with a beer

[ettw]

Had a chat with a couple of older ferry pilots a few years ago.

One of them had spent 7 hrs bobbing in the north atlantic one day. He also explained the extra fitting you see on some single engine piper oil filler necks. They used it it to add oil on delivery ferry flights. First question of course is how do you know when to add oil. His response was that you needed to know the engine and particularly where the oil pickup was. If the engines pickup was more to the rear of the engine, push the nose over. If the oil pressure drops, add oil! WTF!!??

The other guy who was older had more than 200 SINGLE ENGINE PACIFIC crossings!! He had some story's but generally his career was uneventful.

What surprised me was their age. I guess I assumed at the time that ferry flights would be dominated by younger pilots who were building time vs. older pilots.

Cheers

ETTW

[Siddley Hawker]

I once bent an elbow with Mira Slovak on his way through here with one of them Fournier RF-4 motorized gliders. He said the scariest part of the ferry flight was from Kuujjuaq to Sept-Iles. He said over the water someone would be coming to pick him out of the water pronto, but if he went down in the woods that would be it, they'd never find him.

[ettw]

I once bent an elbow with Mira Slovak on his way through here with one of them Fournier RF-4 motorized gliders. He said the scariest part of the ferry flight was from Kuujjuaq to Sept-Iles. He said over the water someone would be coming to pick him out of the water pronto, but if he went down in the woods that would be it, they'd never find him.

At least between Schefferville and Sept Isles there was a railway he might be able to put down near.

[jet a1]

"He said over the water someone would be coming to pick him out of the water pronto"... this is ridiculous... i assume you're talking about the north atlantic? who is gonna come and get you "pronto"? maybe... just maybe if you managed to stay afloat and you were within a stones throw of our shores you might get picked up... south of Greenland or Iceland you might as well just point her in. i would much rather spend a week in the Quebec sub arctic woods standing on my own two feet that doing the doggy paddle out in the ocean.
jet.

[1000 HP]

I've read quite a bit about this work. There is a large list of equipment required including a life raft and immersion suit. I think most pilots wear the immersion suit at all times while doing the North Atlantic. 10 minutes and your dead otherwise. Sounds risky. I wonder what the pay is like? It would have to be really good I'd think.

[nacho]

Pay will be enough if you are within your comfort zone.

[1000 HP]

I'd do it. Can't be worse than an engine failure over the Rockies in October. Either way, you're going to freeze if you make it through the impact difficulties. Oceans can have pretty large waves.

Either way, I'd need to get my IFR because that is also a requirement. It's in the works, but I've got to upgrade my panel I'm a bit short on radios.

[Cat Driver]

I have done ferry flights over a lot of the earths oceans and would not want to ditch in any of them....

........the coldest looking water from an airplane has to be around Greenland with all the ice floating in it.

The pay was good and I managed to survive.

Lying here in my nice new motor home tonight on my way to the Okanagan for a few days I wonder how I managed to survive some of the flights we did.

And I am sure happy I no longer have to do them.

[Rebelle]

I've read quite a bit about this work. There is a large list of equipment required including a life raft and immersion suit. I think most pilots wear the immersion suit at all times while doing the North Atlantic.

I watched last night's episode... They do indeed need a lot of material for the Atlantic crossing in that rickety old plane, the female co-pilot thought it was too much stuff the old military man wanted to bring for safety!

[ogopogo]

Although I found the technical part interesting, the over-the -top dramatics make me nuts. Why are all these shows like this??

I guess if it was straight up technical, no one would watch.

[wan2fly99]

Sad to hear this news. I always watched the show to see him and his ability to work with others.

I always said it would have been great to learn to fly from a man like that.
Lucky people who had the opportunity to do that.

When I saw him last on the show walking with a cane, inside I knew the end was near. I have had many deaths in the family due to cancer and it is a horrifying experience.

I pray now for his family and his soul that he will fly for ever in the heavens above.

It would be nice if Buffalo would to a tribute on one of his shows

[Rebelle]

Although I found the technical part interesting, the over-the -top dramatics make me nuts. Why are all these shows like this??

I guess if it was straight up technical, no one would watch.

Yea... It's always drama before an advertisement... And then it's all ok...

"Oh no, the runway in the middle of the Pacific is closed and we're low on fuel!"
"Oh no, we have a major fuel leak and our plane could explode!"

[ogopogo]

and of course we have the mandatory re-cap after the commercials....still, interesting camera shots.

How come no one has commented on the overdubbed sound of that Merlin -- sounded like pistons to me...

Must be a Discovery Channel thing.

[Jack In The Box]

and of course we have the mandatory re-cap after the commercials....still, interesting camera shots.

How come no one has commented on the overdubbed sound of that Merlin -- sounded like pistons to me...

Must be a Discovery Channel thing.

I went and looked outside my window to see if some piston beechcraft had just overflown my house when I heard that lol.

Couldn't believe the absurdity of this show

[hst]

Hey Cat, I'll be in the market for a new (used) motorhome one day to visit all those places I have overflown over the years. Keep that thing in good shape will ya? I'm only 10-15 yrs behind you.

Cheers!

[1000 HP]

What time is the show on? I get Discovery Channel here in the Jungle...Never seen the show yet.

[FlyGy]

Sad to hear this news. I always watched the show to see him and his ability to work with others.

I always said it would have been great to learn to fly from a man like that.
Lucky people who had the opportunity to do that.

When I saw him last on the show walking with a cane, inside I knew the end was near. I have had many deaths in the family due to cancer and it is a horrifying experience.

I pray now for his family and his soul that he will fly for ever in the heavens above.

It would be nice if Buffalo would to a tribute on one of his shows

Umm, wrong thread?

[1000islander]

" sounded like pistons to me... "
Notice it as well and don't understand why they do it...maybe an inside joke?? Ever see the movie "Airplane"??

[the goal is soul]

My impression was that the most dangerous parts of those flights was working for that guy.

The take-away should be the no-go decisions made by the Captains when they get presented with weather and serviceability issues.