QXDX
Well-Known Member
This morning there is a C-17 sitting out on the ramp. It's been sitting there for about a week. Turns out it's out of service, awaiting repair. A few weeks ago, there was another C-17 that did the same thing; sat on the ramp broken for over week.
This reminded me of another event a few weeks ago. The military was holding some kind of exercise here involving C-130's and KC-135's, along with some other aircraft. I watched as these airplanes start-up and sit on the ramp. For about 20 minutes they sat there. Finally they start taxiing. They rolled out of parking and then sat on the taxiway for about 10 minutes before going to the runway and taking off. Time between start-up and takeoff was the better part of 30 minutes.
So, my questions is: Why do these things take so long? An airline, or any kind of civilian operator, would never let its airplane sit out of service for a week. Nor would they sit for 20-30 minutes on the with engines running. Most airplanes are airborne within a few minutes
So, what is the deal here? Is this normal military activity? If so, why?
This reminded me of another event a few weeks ago. The military was holding some kind of exercise here involving C-130's and KC-135's, along with some other aircraft. I watched as these airplanes start-up and sit on the ramp. For about 20 minutes they sat there. Finally they start taxiing. They rolled out of parking and then sat on the taxiway for about 10 minutes before going to the runway and taking off. Time between start-up and takeoff was the better part of 30 minutes.
So, my questions is: Why do these things take so long? An airline, or any kind of civilian operator, would never let its airplane sit out of service for a week. Nor would they sit for 20-30 minutes on the with engines running. Most airplanes are airborne within a few minutes
So, what is the deal here? Is this normal military activity? If so, why?