Delta Lightning Strike at ATL tonight

[jynxyjoe]

Maybe if the lightning bolts would muster up some courage and strike a Maddog, it would fix that VNAV that everybody is always talking about.

If the autothrottles wouldn't "find themselves" by going up to max thrust VNAV would probably work fine.

While an aircraft certified under 25 is able to withstand a severe lightning strike (definition of severe lightning strike relates to voltage and current rating) it's tough to say, without an inspection, as to what may be damaged. In fairness to the feds, we certify with the hope that we are testing the most severe case where the aircraft is most vulnerable.

The tire should burn a little depending on attachment point, due to the heat and phenomenology of a lightning strike. After 500 ųs you would expect dissipation of the heat source and the tire would stop burning shortly after. Well at least i would. Im not sure if an attachment point on metal next to the sidewall would cause deflation, but even if it did the pilot may notice during taxi.

Part 23 aircraft you may expect a hole and minor - severe damage. At which time the pilot should expect his normal category to be reduced 50% on all load factors. (Going off memory)

 

[Cav]

Maybe if the lightning bolts would muster up some courage and strike a Maddog, it would fix that VNAV that everybody is always talking about.

My opinion is that the VNAV is actually pretty decent. Frankly a lot of the people who complain don't entirely understand it and can't anticipate its shortcomings. Like @jynxyjoe said, the promblem is mostly with the autothrottles and their slow reaction/overreaction. When you anticipate the "issues" and aren't afraid to be proactively override the throttles there's rarely an issue. Descend delete is your friend when use properly....recruising is unnecessarily over used and generally creates more issues than it solves.

 

[jynxyjoe]

My opinion is that the VNAV is actually pretty decent. Frankly a lot of the people who complain don't entirely understand it and can't anticipate its shortcomings. Like @jynxyjoe said, the promblem is mostly with the autothrottles and their slow reaction/overreaction. When you anticipate the "issues" and aren't afraid to be proactively override the throttles there's rarely an issue. Descend delete is your friend when use properly....recruising is unnecessarily over used and generally creates more issues than it solves.

Seemed like on the classics it never hurt to recruise before a non precision approach and it would only hurt if you didn't.