N243NW From United States, joined Jul 2003, 975 posts, RR: 18 Posted (4 years 5 months 2 days 1 hour ago) and read 3206 times:
Hi all:
I recently came upon this interesting photo of a FedEx MD-11F with an unusually large plume of what appears to be exhaust smoke coming from the #2 engine.
The only reason I can think of that this is occurring is because of some large quantity of unburned fuel being lit in the engine. But as the aircraft appears to be landing, this seems unlikely. Judging by the comment on this next photo:
The aircraft appears to either have performed go-arounds several times, or it is a training flight doing touch-and-goes at SIN. In this case, could the cloud of smoke be due to a rapid application of TOGA power on the engines?
Any insight toward the cause of this phenomenon would be appreciated.
-N243NW
On the 7th day, God went on vacation. He flew a DC-9.
In a car, the plume in you pics would indicate that some oil has leaked and is being fried in the exhaust. This phenomenon is also used to make smoke trails for aerobatic jets. No idea if that's what you are seeing though.
My real self is a Blood Elf Mage in Azeroth. Meet him on Boulderfist.
Dc10guy From United States, joined Feb 2000, 2685 posts, RR: 6 Reply 2, posted (4 years 5 months 2 days ago) and read 3122 times:
I'll bet you they caught the bounce after it hit once ... Very normal. If you watch an MD11 take off you can see a puff of black smoke coming from the main tires. Its from the spin brakes being applied at gear retraction ...
Next time try the old "dirty Sanchez" She'll love it !!!
CFIcraigAPA From United States, joined Jan 2004, 223 posts, RR: 6 Reply 3, posted (4 years 5 months 1 day 18 hours ago) and read 2931 times:
You are all blind to the truth. It's obviously excess chemtrail fluid that has found its way to the engine. Well, I guess the secret it out now . . .
CM
Disclaimer - Just because I know there are going to be some people who don't get it, THIS IS A JOKE.
Mr Spaceman From Canada, joined Mar 2001, 2765 posts, RR: 14 Reply 4, posted (4 years 5 months 1 day 13 hours ago) and read 2811 times:
Hi guys.
>> N243NW, I agree with Dc10guy. It looks to me like nothing more than good old tire smoke after touchdown.
Perhaps the MD-11 landed hard enough to leave a good size cloud of smoke and has bounced up off it's front tires on the main gear. This is Normal - as was mentioned.
Or ...... it could be excess chemtrail fluid from it's last mission over Toronto. I see those trails all the time! OMG!
N243NW From United States, joined Jul 2003, 975 posts, RR: 18 Reply 6, posted (4 years 5 months 1 day 10 hours ago) and read 2726 times:
Thanks for the replies, everyone. The cause of the smoke being a bounce during landing certainly crossed my mind as I was looking at the photo for the first time. I think it was just the shape of the cloud that made me think it came from the engine. And since the chances of such a phenomenon appear slim with no real rational proof of the smoke being from the engine, I think you are right. Plus, if it is touch-and-go practice, as the photographer inferred, there is a good chance that a hard landing might have occurred.
Cheers!
-N243NW
On the 7th day, God went on vacation. He flew a DC-9.
SafetyDude From United States, joined Sep 2001, 3790 posts, RR: 18 Reply 8, posted (4 years 5 months 1 day 6 hours ago) and read 2621 times:
I'll bet you they caught the bounce after it hit once ... Very normal. If you watch an MD11 take off you can see a puff of black smoke coming from the main tires. Its from the spin brakes being applied at gear retraction ...
From the large version, it does not look like there was enough pressure on the wheels to cause any amount of smoke, and if you look at the smoke, it all appears to be coming from the tail-engine, unlike the other non-tri-jet photos where the smoke is all low to the ground.
Dc10guy From United States, joined Feb 2000, 2685 posts, RR: 6 Reply 9, posted (4 years 5 months 1 day 5 hours ago) and read 2615 times:
I think the "bounce" happens a lot on the MD11's when they have a light payload. Now here's something really stupid ... How many people like the "smell" of burnt airplanes tires after they land ??? I know I know that explains a lot .... Maybe I'm smelling the comtail chemicals ??? I think it smells like .......................Aviation !
Next time try the old "dirty Sanchez" She'll love it !!!
N243NW From United States, joined Jul 2003, 975 posts, RR: 18 Reply 10, posted (4 years 5 months 1 day 2 hours ago) and read 2559 times:
Dc10guy-
You're not crazy...I happen to love the "old airplane smell." This is common in vintage prop aircraft and is most likely a combination of old upholstery, oil/gas, and other items which I can not make out (I hope it's not puke ). Thanks for all the replies so far, everyone!
-N243NW
On the 7th day, God went on vacation. He flew a DC-9.
N766UA From United States, joined Jul 1999, 6734 posts, RR: 41 Reply 13, posted (4 years 5 months 23 hours ago) and read 2480 times:
If the guy who took the picture says "what's up?" it implies something other than a bounce to me. If he took the picture he'd have seen the bounce and explained it rather than stating as he did.
If God meant man to fly, He'd have given us bigger wallets.
Dc10guy From United States, joined Feb 2000, 2685 posts, RR: 6 Reply 14, posted (4 years 5 months 23 hours ago) and read 2477 times:
Well, that's one of my company's MD11's I work on them all the time and watch them land. At the point that picture was taken it was doing between 120 & 140 kts. I just don't think smoke would exit the engine like that... And what engine smoke would it be ??? Its tire smoke. It looks like tire smoke.
Next time try the old "dirty Sanchez" She'll love it !!!
SafetyDude From United States, joined Sep 2001, 3790 posts, RR: 18 Reply 16, posted (4 years 5 months 17 hours ago) and read 2381 times:
Safetydude, I don't think that smoke is comming from the #2 engine. It also is the same color as the tire smoke.
In the picture below I outlined the border of the smoke:
Now, imagine the plane moving, you can see how the #2 engine moves right through that path and the angle of the engine and smoke complement each other.
MD11Engineer From Germany, joined Oct 2003, 9598 posts, RR: 62 Reply 17, posted (4 years 5 months 17 hours ago) and read 2373 times:
You can see that the flaps are in landing configuration (maybe 25°). To me it looks as if the plane has been bouncing and the cloud of smoke from the wheels got distorted by the wing and flap vortices.
Thisplane is powered with GE CF-6 engines, as can be seen by the engine exhaust plugs, and those engines barely produce smoke, and if only during starting in cold weather (the PW4000 is much worse).
At this moment TOGA power would not have been applied yet.
NightFlyer From United States, joined Sep 2001, 81 posts, RR: 2 Reply 18, posted (4 years 5 months 15 hours ago) and read 2331 times:
FedEx does heavy maintenance in SIN and the aircraft have to be test flown before they are returned to the line. The aircraft are empty and the MD11 is not an easy airplane to land when it is light but it does land very nicely when she's heavy.
MD11Engineer,
The landing flap settings are 35 and 50 degrees. It looks like he's probably using 35 flaps in the picture.
Fly2HMO From United States, joined Jan 2004, 2276 posts, RR: 0 Reply 19, posted (4 years 5 months 7 hours ago) and read 2163 times:
Gee guys, you need sharper eyes...
I got a kind response from the photographer, here it is:
***************
Thanks for email to tell me about my picture. I think i need to let you know about this picture.
I noticed there was huge amonut of smoke being ejected from the no.2 engine. Then the aircraft went around with full thrust without touching the ground.
After the plane gone, I have seen the plane "touch and go" 4 times within 45min.
I hope it can let you know more about that.
Thanks,
Dickson Ching
Hong Kong
***************
Now we need to argue on what produced the smoke
Stop aircraft racism! If it ain't Boeing I'm still going!
Mr Spaceman From Canada, joined Mar 2001, 2765 posts, RR: 14 Reply 21, posted (4 years 4 months 4 weeks 1 day 14 hours ago) and read 1852 times:
Hi guys.
It's nice to learn that it is indeed white smoke from the #2 engine. I thought it was more likely to be tire smoke. That was simply my opinion.
Now, as Fly2HMO mentioned ........ we need to find out what the most likely cause of that engine smoke was. That is not something that I've ever seen before while out at Toronto Intl Airport (or at other large airports) or in any photos anywhere.
Could that smoke have been caused by a compressor stall or even a bird ingestion? But then again, the flight crew probably wouldn't have kept on flying the airliner for a few more "touch & go's" ..... or would they?
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), I doubt he'll respond.