Tense exchange between ATC and pilot at JFK

I don't think I'll be yanking flaps up or using differential power for a crosswind landing anytime soon. If you can pull it off safely, more power to ya. But for me, if I can't get in doing things "normally", then..............I just go somewhere else.

-mini
 
Retracting flaps in the flare...no thanks! Way too much airmanship required for me. ;)

Nah, its not that hard, its easier in the cherokee where you can dump all the flaps instantly.

Yeah, differential power with twins really helps if/when you start to run out of rudder. I think with smaller planes in general it is easier to "feel" out the landing, so you can do some massive crosswinds. I imagine in a 747, it would be much harder and probably a better idea to stay closer to the company guidelines! :)

I agree, and your margin of error is significantly less. I read somewhere once that in the MD11 2 dots of loc off over the numbers was tires in the ditch.

I don't think I'll be yanking flaps up or using differential power for a crosswind landing anytime soon. If you can pull it off safely, more power to ya. But for me, if I can't get in doing things "normally", then..............I just go somewhere else.

-mini

Sometimes diverting isn't exactly an option, especially on Kodiak island. That's part of the reason why I left there. While I was there I scared my thousand hour ass more times in that summer than I have in the rest of my flying career. You always carried enough fuel there to fly around the whole island and once I actually did it. Sketchy to the max.

As for "normally," these are tried and true tactics trained and taught by multiple companies. The retraction of flaps in the flare and rapid reconfiguration close to the ground is something that I've had taught to me at multiple groundschools. We didn't do that in the 1900C though. That's too much airplane to do that down low, just used differential power and the crab to a slip method.
 
Yeah, differential power with twins really helps if/when you start to run out of rudder.
I had a rudder control failure in a C401 during a vmc demo over the ocean at around 6500' and, after regaining control of the aircraft I flew it back to the airport, and had to use differential power in the x wind because of the greatly reduced rudder authority...and on the 401 the rudder is pretty small anyway. Fortunately, I had practiced differential power approaches (sans rudder) to short final during flight training so it wasn't that big of an issue.
 
I had a rudder control failure in a C401 during a vmc demo over the ocean at around 6500' and, after regaining control of the aircraft I flew it back to the airport, and had to use differential power in the x wind because of the greatly reduced rudder authority...and on the 401 the rudder is pretty small anyway. Fortunately, I had practiced differential power approaches (sans rudder) to short final during flight training so it wasn't that big of an issue.

Very nice! I use it a lot as well, just to play around with it really. It is always nice to have another option just in case :)
 
I heard this story about 15 YEARS ago except it was a B-52 and the F-16 guy said, "Oh yeah, the dreaded 7-engine approach." The planes keep changing and the outcome gets better but THE STORY IS THE SAME.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that wasn't you. Oh wait, yes I am..

Yeah. Because that kind of thing couldn't ever happen twice. I remember once 15 years ago somebody told me how they found five bucks in the street. Couple weeks ago my wife told me the same thing. Little did she know that I was on to her game.
 
Haha, no kidding! I departed 33R after that landing on 28, and that was a mistake. They were calling 290@23, but I caught some pretty wicked gusts on the takeoff roll.

Oh, funny thing about yesterday. When I missed your radio call I was talking shop with a LNS tower controller sitting in the right seat. Seems like I'm running into controllers left and right. :D

I think I may have asked you this before but I can't seem to remember, but is your GF working w/ OpenAir out of GAI?
 
Stupid question for you or MJG...and also one for MikeD with his kind of ops, but what kind of special handling do you guys get from ATC? Are you pretty much given priority over everything else that is in the sky (barring a declared emergency)? How important are quick-turns when dumping retardent and does ATC know to accomodate that? Just wondering about these things - and thinking mostly in SoCal or more populated fire areas - I imagine in Idaho or Montana you guys get anything you want all the time.
I never made it south of the grapevine, so i am not familiar with SoCal, but every where else I've been, we get sequenced in and out pretty rapidly. I think a lifeguard flight would get priority over us, and there is no official expedited ATC, but they know the score when we are working a fire, and students and other slow movers can expect to get a little extra flying on the downwind ;)

I have seen them have the students extend on the opposing runway so we can go straight to the numbers...

...unless we are in Fresno, where the airspace is among the most over-controlled and least polite I've come across...they are famous (and I have heard this from pilots in many types of operations) for their attitude and lack of ability.

Generally the ATC thank us for being there and are very accommodating.
 
actually, I like that guy...


...and to correct my earlier post...for the most part Fresno ATC is really no fun to deal with
 
I spent a year flying out of KFAT and I agree there are a few guys there who can get an attitude for nothing. One guy always seemed like he was pissed just because you called. I do feel for them though, every odd hour during the day they get a rush of foreign students which can get pretty frustrating.
 
I don't "feel" for them whatsoever. FAT tower has coped an attitude with me oon several occasions for no reason whatsoever. If they hate their job so much maybe they should quit.
 
I know what you mean. Some can be really polite and fun to work with. Others... Get the job done.

If they were skilled, then I could even take a little attitude.... The problem is the ones who have attitude and couldn't make it as a clearance delivery at a fast airport who drip sarcasm...
 
I'd like to hear the previous 15 minutes of the flight.

I just barely listening to the edit here: click! and I can see how it would be very easy to scream "what a bonehead!" but I don't know many pilots who wouldn't exercise emergency authority without some causal reasoning.

Years ago back on the 737-200, we were flying from FLL to BOS over the AR routes offshore. There was a massive line of thunderstorms along the route and there were a bunch of aircraft that wouldn't have the fuel to divert to the west side of the storm system and there was an active warning area (or something) to the east of the storm.

The controlling agency wasn't un-assing (that's a Doug word! :)) the airspace to the east, but it was pretty clear that we were going to have to nudge into the warning area for a short period of time to avoid the cells.

ATC said, more or less, "If you tell me you're squawking 7700 and declaring an emergency, you can take 15 right for weather and then back on course when able".

I can't remember if we took the option or not, but there were a number of other aircraft that took the offer.
 
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