Airplanes

[dbdartman]

Copied from a skydiving forum I post on.

Turbines Have Ruined Aviation!!

We must get rid of turbines.


They are ruining aviation.


We need to go back to big round engines.
Anybody can start a turbine, you just need to
move a switch from "OFF" to
"START" and then remember to move it back
to "ON" after a while.


My PC is more difficult to start. Cranking a round engine
requires skill, finesse and style. On some planes, the
pilots are not even allowed to do it. Turbines start by
whining for a while, then give a small lady-like poot and
start whining louder.


Round engines give a satisfying rattle-rattle, click-click
BANG, more rattles, another BANG, a big macho fart or two,
more clicks, a lot of smoke and finally a serious low
pitched roar. We like that. It's a guy thing. When you
start a round engine, your mind is engaged and you can
concentrate on the flight ahead.


Starting a turbine is like flicking on a ceiling fan:
Useful, but hardly exciting.


Turbines don't break often enough, leading to aircrew
boredom,complacency and inattention. A round engine at
speed looks and sounds like it's going to blow at any
minute. This helps concentrate the mind.

Turbines don't have enough control levers to keep a
pilot's attention.There's nothing to fiddle with during
the flight.


Turbines smell like a Boy Scout camp full of Coleman
lanterns.


Round engines smell like God intended flying machines to smell.

Having jumped from more than a half-dozen different DC-3's, a DC-4, 3 or 4 different DHC4A Caribous, a few different C-180's, a 196 & a 205, plus a few other assorted piston powered aircraft (including a 1927 Navy N3N3 biplane), but also being experienced with some of the "new" turbo-prop jobs (Beech 99, C-130H, turbo Pilatus Porter, Twin Otter) I found it quite interesting & entertaining. It's true, too! BTW, I found nothing quite so soothing on the ride to altitude as the radials vibrating through your butt while sitting on the floor of a DC-3. I LOVE those aircraft!

 

[Podunkadunk]

Yeah, I always liked the sound of the few radials that I've been around.

However, I wouldn't want to be at 200'AGL, at o'dark-thirty in the morning, 1200 miles from the nearest "friendly" airfield, over open ocean, on any type piston driven engine!

I'll take a "whining" turbine any day!

Podunk

 

[chh]

Being a private pilot makes my list a lot less exciting than you guys.

C-150 (cessna)
C-172
C-182
Beech Bonanza(V-tail)

Would love to fly a J3 cub or a Stearman, but the way things are going I haven't flown much in the last 3 years and have even let my medical expire. Not enough money in ranching for that hobby.
Really liked the Radial engines vs turbines thing.

 

[mjarrels]

I remember on my first cruise (USS America) we had a C-1A that we would deck launch from the fantail... no cataput involved... that thing would leave the ship and disapear below the flight deck and slowly reapear.

mark

 

[RobertN]

I remember on my first cruise (USS America) we had a C-1A that we would deck launch from the fantail... no cataput involved... that thing would leave the ship and disapear below the flight deck and slowly reapear.

mark

have you seen the footage of Doolittles flights off of USS-Hornet CV-8? Interesting to watch; those planes drop coming off the deck. I have seen the footage before, but now it can be found on youtube too. Really amazing to check out. CV-8 was a little shorter than USS-Hornet CV-12. They did not have that much room on the straight deck carriers.

 

[RobertN]

I have only been on civilian air liners.

I would add to this thread, the plane I would LIKE to ride in... I wish I could catch a ride in an F4U. I was looking at some Corsair stuff; there was a guy that has one that can take a passenger. Not enough info on the plane to see how he gets a passenger on board though. If they came to my area, I would plunk down the cash for that... Best prop plane ever made, IMHO of course

 

[RobertN]

I have only been on civilian air liners.

I would add to this thread, the plane I would LIKE to ride in... I wish I could catch a ride in an F4U. I was looking at some Corsair stuff; there was a guy that has one that can take a passenger. Not enough info on the plane to see how he gets a passenger on board though. If they came to my area, I would plunk down the cash for that... Best prop plane ever made, IMHO of course

I found a picture of this plane, with an apparent set of windows just behind the pilot. Not sure how anyone could squeeze in there... There are multiple shots that show the back window.

Aviation Photos: NX83782

 

[mjarrels]

Did the VJ Day over Japan on my last Carl Vinson Cruise... Deck launched about 15 WW2 airplines including B-29 and F-4U's... S-L-O-W air speed wheen leaving the deck... Next was a couple F-18 Horents... Blink and they are gone!

mark

 

[mjarrels]

RobertN,

Parked aside that Carrier for about 1 year... toured it many times... My Master Chief was stationed on it many years earlier!

mark

 

[mjarrels]

One more bit of information... rode the Carl Vinson from closing Alameda to Washington State.... Heavy seas and strong winds... 50 miles off the coast of Wa. and the OOD says put some more tie down chains on that truck and camper... Yep, I put two more tie down chains on it in 60 MPH winds... Always wondered how you would explain to your ensurance company how you lost your truck and camper 0ff a Carrier 50 miles at sea!

mark