irrational fear of flying

[rwsaunders]

Bombardier does alright. Paid my rent, light bill and fed me for a long time. If they say “No Step” I won’t argue. Our friends and neighbors in Canada and Québec are plenty savvy. But GDit those FBW surfaces on the upper wing, just aft of those placarded labels, can be a PITA! ;-)

I’d bet a Veloflex I’ve operated that actual airframe and likely into ORD, which you’re departing. Is almost certainly just one carrier.

Where were you headed?

Return flight AA2956 to PIT…Skywest as American Eagle…got lucky and scored a standby flight and an exit row seat on a Friday afternoon.

[Scott G.]

An intern at the Bombardier paint shop apparently went nuts with the “No Step” stencil…

Hopefully the intern has a job with Airbus now, bye bye CRJ, hello Airbus A220.

[Saab2000]

Hopefully the intern has a job with Airbus now, bye bye CRJ, hello Airbus A220.

That’s more sized like a baby Airbus than an RJ. I think they can seat around 140 folks are are far bigger than any traditional RJ and will never be flown by a contract carrier. Additionally, they have sick range. East coast to west coast no problem. I think they can make the UK to New York if anyone wanted this capability.

[jclay]

But GDit those FBW surfaces on the upper wing, just aft of those placarded labels, can be a PITA! ;-)

FBW surfaces? I figured that all control surfaces in contemporary commercial aircraft were fly by wire now. What am I missing?

Do you notice response time differences between individual aircraft the same type?

The difference in from-stop throttle response between my car and my spouse's is tiny but enough to be noticeable and annoying.

[Saab2000]

FBW surfaces? I figured that all control surfaces in contemporary commercial aircraft were fly by wire now. What am I missing?

Do you notice response time differences between individual aircraft the same type?

I’ve never flown an airplane with solely FBW controls. The SB-20 (SAAB2000) that was my first commercial airplane had a FBW elevator and rudder but that ailerons were conventional and unboosted. So the airplane was heavy in the roll axis. Also stable in roll. Very pitch sensitive.

Then I flew the non-mighty CRJ for a long time during that post-9/11 doldrums. Glad I had a job. Primary control surfaces all conventional but all boosted with redundant power control units. But the airplane was full of cables and pulleys and the elevator had a conventional jack screw for trim. With a complete loss of hydraulic pressure the airplane’s control surfaces could not be moved. But the hydraulic system exists in triplicate and the levels of redundancy are insane.

The 737 is a conventional airplane but hardly a modern design. It dates back to the 1960s. It can be flown without hydraulic boost but it feels like a dump truck with a failed power steering.

Can’t comment on control responsiveness of conventional vs. FBW. I just fly them. And I’m way out of currency now anyway. May get back to work in 2021 still. Not sure. The -700 is nicer to fly by hand than the -800 but that -800 rides nicer in the bumps. This is all I care about. And of course that I land on a runway, preferably the long one at my scheduled destination.

[Mabouya]

IAnd of course that I land on a runway, preferably the long one at my scheduled destination.

I'm sure the guys who landed this thing at Jabara would agree...

[jclay]

I’ve never flown an airplane with solely FBW controls. The SB-20 (SAAB2000) that was my first commercial airplane had a FBW elevator and rudder but that ailerons were conventional and unboosted. So the airplane was heavy in the roll axis. Also stable in roll. Very pitch sensitive.

Then I flew the non-mighty CRJ for a long time during that post-9/11 doldrums. Glad I had a job. Primary control surfaces all conventional but all boosted with redundant power control units. But the airplane was full of cables and pulleys and the elevator had a conventional jack screw for trim. With a complete loss of hydraulic pressure the airplane’s control surfaces could not be moved. But the hydraulic system exists in triplicate and the levels of redundancy are insane.

The 737 is a conventional airplane but hardly a modern design. It dates back to the 1960s. It can be flown without hydraulic boost but it feels like a dump truck with a failed power steering.

Can’t comment on control responsiveness of conventional vs. FBW. I just fly them. And I’m way out of currency now anyway. May get back to work in 2021 still. Not sure. The -700 is nicer to fly by hand than the -800 but that -800 rides nicer in the bumps. This is all I care about. And of course that I land on a runway, preferably the long one at my scheduled destination.

I'll be darned. I figured/assumed that FBW would be pretty standard by now, even (especially, actually) on recent production of airframes that are of vintage design like the 737 or newer incarnations of the DC9 (I still call'em that). Apparently not. That's fine by me; I am not an early adopter when it comes to general & commercial aviation.

I hope your employment situation resolves soon.

[Saab2000]

I'll be darned. I figured/assumed that FBW would be pretty standard by now, even (especially, actually) on recent production of airframes that are of vintage design like the 737 or newer incarnations of the DC9 (I still call'em that). Apparently not. That's fine by me; I am not an early adopter when it comes to general & commercial aviation.

I hope your employment situation resolves soon.

My employment situation is totally resolved! My layoff is voluntary. I’m slowly creeping up the seniority list while riding my bike. What could possibly be better? They’ll call the rest of us back soon enough. Meanwhile, I get to miss out on the fights in the cabin and operational difficulties all the airlines have been experiencing.

[AngryScientist]

So what's it like up there in the friendly skies these days?

i'm about to book EWR>SFO for the first time in like 18 months, a trip i've taken a million times. i wonder what fares are compared to 2019. am i expected to keep a mask on and up for a 6 hr flight? can i still get a cocktail or three? i'm curious what the vibe is going to be now that things are really loosening up.

[Saab2000]

So what's it like up there in the friendly skies these days?

i'm about to book EWR>SFO for the first time in like 18 months, a trip i've taken a million times. i wonder what fares are compared to 2019. am i expected to keep a mask on and up for a 6 hr flight? can i still get a cocktail or three? i'm curious what the vibe is going to be now that things are really loosening up.

Masks on the whole flight. Cocktails are limited to none, in part because of all the air rage at the moment and alcohol seems to fuel people’s worst behavior.

Expect a full flight.

I’m guessing this will be on United. My United friends say it’s full loads. Hope for a widebody airplane!

[rwsaunders]

Full airports, full flights, mandatory masks and business as usual from where I sit. I fly Delta and American and the food and beverage choices have been limited, but available. No magazine on Delta but Amercian still publishes theirs…I only know because I like the crosswords. Fares are higher, but rules for changing flights are relaxed at least for now. I’ve not seen any passenger rage issues, but the masks do limit interpersonal interactions to some extent. It’s all good and we are very fortunate that travel is open at this level.

[classtimesailer]

First trip since 2019: no booze but I still have my iPod and Stevie Ray Vaughn at max volume during takeoff, landing, and mid-flight tubulance. Nothing like Double Trouble to drown my fear. Disturbed also works. I might download Tres Hombres for the return flight. If I could use my points to buy gas, I'd drive.

[jclay]

Better living through turbo machinery is my motto!
Spinning those guys up to meaningful EPRs is music to my ears.

Sans wings, but I shoulda kept my Volvo 245 and stuck a turbocharged Cosworth in it....or put the Volvo DOHC head + turbo on a well prepared redblock, like some of these guys do: http://turbobricks.com/feature.php?content=summer_10
Bigger brakes and a few other tid-bits, and that woulda been fun.

[rwsaunders]

On my connecting flight from PIT-DTW last evening, a woman walked the aisles pre-flight handing out these “goodie” bags out in celebration of her 3-month old granddaughter making her first flight…there’s hope in this world…you just have to create it.

[rwsaunders]

[echappist]

Full airports, full flights, mandatory masks and business as usual from where I sit. I fly Delta and American and the food and beverage choices have been limited, but available. No magazine on Delta but Amercian still publishes theirs…I only know because I like the crosswords. Fares are higher, but rules for changing flights are relaxed at least for now. I’ve not seen any passenger rage issues, but the masks do limit interpersonal interactions to some extent. It’s all good and we are very fortunate that travel is open at this level.

On our flight back from South Carolina to Madison (via PHL), we saw:
-for the first leg, one middle-aged man with a southern twang, who absolutely choose not to be bothered with wearing a mask while waiting to board (he was making a loud call, complaining about something) Fortunately, he was masked on the flight;
-for the second leg, a group of three 20-somethings in charge of a teenager, where the 20-somethings talked loudly and choose not to wear their masks while waiting to board. Thought they wanted to let you know that they were rich/cool enough to buy masks from one of the LVMH brands (can't remember which), they aren't actually rich enough to fly first class. Then while before anyone else stood up to prepare to disembark, they all rushed from the very back of the plane and to the front while the plane was still taxiing, just absolutely dying to get off. Felt a bit sorry for whomever sitting next to them...

There will always be a few inconsiderate types, but at least they don't represent the overwhelming majority (we didn't encounter anyone inconsiderate on our trip down)

PS. For crosswords, unless you've done all of the NYT ones going back ~two decades, those are probably preferable to whatever is in the seatback pockets.

[Tom]

What I'm pretty sure was a Martin B-26 Marauder flew over the house Saturday. Cool sound to that thing.

[monadnocky]

What I'm pretty sure was a Martin B-26 Marauder flew over the house Saturday. Cool sound to that thing.

Friend of mine had a B-24 fly over his house yesterday...
odd.

[thollandpe]

Friend of mine had a B-24 fly over his house yesterday...
odd.

What I'm pretty sure was a Martin B-26 Marauder flew over the house Saturday. Cool sound to that thing.

Let’s go for a small straight. My best friend’s father flew a B-25 Mitchell. I worked with a navigator in a B-24 who did daylight raids of the Ploesti oil fields in WWII. He had brownie camera photos, it was horrific, but I digress.

Something the planes had in common? Pratt & Whitney engines, double-row radials — Twin Wasp or Twin Hornet. Something those guys had in common?

Same thing with the Lancaster (RAF, Avro, four inline Merlins) pilot I worked with — near complete hearing loss.

[rwsaunders]

Here’s a closeup of a Pratt & Whitney R-2800 in a P-47D Thunderbolt…ask and ye shall receive.