Triggered by underpressure, which exposes the Strontium-90 to the IBIS detector in the fuselage below the root end of the MRBs. A "popped" indicator must be manually reset. IIRC, an IBIS BIM indication in-flight was a "Land as soon as possible" item; if the BIM would reset and ho...
Jump to postIntegrity only. IIRC, the pressure was in the neighborhood of 8psi N2, and a special servicing kit is used to ensure the blades can't be over-pressurized. Since the pressure is so low, the BIM indicator is quite sensitive, and it's possible to get nuisance BIM indications with rapid weather changes....
Jump to postAIUI, the theory behind maintaining FAA certification on a commercial-derivative military aircraft is cost savings . Engineering work is expensive, so staying as close as possible to an already-certificated design minimizes the amount of clean-sheet engineering to be done, and should save money. As ...
Jump to posthttp://www.navair.navy.mil/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.download&key=AD8FFC4F-C0CD-4B7A-BD4D-40CE61273AA9 Radiation source mechanically exposed on pressure loss in the blade. How old is that system? Late '50s-early '60s design - it's the same basic design on all of Sikorsky's metal-spar MRBs from ...
Jump to postI've got multiple trips "at the back of the bus" (Economy) in all 3 of these airframes. My opinion, in order from quietest to loudest: 787, 777, A330. My experience with the A330 is pretty much the opposite of what's posted here - my flight in a Lufthansa A330 was uncomfortably loud. I wil...
Jump to postIt happens, even with the B-2, as I noted upthread. A single occurrence isn't worthy of an asschewing if there were mitigating circumstances such as weather, unstable receiver, etc. A trend of the same BO doing it is another matter... but still should be handled more professionally than yelling. I o...
Jump to postOr perhaps it's the lack of experience of the USAF boom operators with the new KC-46A vision systems (camera's), because the current generation of USAF boomoperators is only used to "eyeball one' boom operation. Other airforces with KDC-10, KC-767A and A330MRTT aircraft have gained already yea...
Jump to postBoom strikes outside the receptacle have to be reported to B-2, F-22, and F-35 pilots (and F-117s, when the fleet was still active), so they can notify their maintenance folks. Shortly before I retired, there was a trend of boom strikes on multiple B-2s that cost ACC over $1mil to repair, so a speci...
Jump to postIts a bit archaic that each of the landing gear legs are not capable of reporting back the load its under. Every one of them consist of oleo struts. Measuring the pressure* of the N2 within the strut, and knowing the contact area of the face would quickly tell you the load on the strut. Essentially...
Jump to postThe Bagram crash, the 747 could still have recovered if the MRAP hadn't impacted the horizontal stabilizer as it did. :( Highly, highly doubt that. Not right after takeoff, barely above V2, with a 20k+ lb. MRAP on the loose in the aft end of the cargo compartment. That's assuming the other 4 MRAPs ...
Jump to postLogs & records entries. In the case of the S-92 helicopters that I'm currently working on, production improvements usually are made available to the fleet via SSI (Sikorsky Service Instruction). When an operator complies with an SSI, a log entry is made reflecting that, and a future buyer would ...
Jump to postC-17 crews from strictly Reserve/ANG units won't be airdrop qualified. A significant number of AD C-17 crews are airland-only, yet they're still considered current & qualified. The point remains: There's not a separate training, proficiency, and currency standard for USAF aircrew members based ...
Jump to postFormer USAF Reserve KC-10 crewmember (boom operator) AND former USMC Active duty and Reserve CH-53E aerial observer/aerial gunner here. All KC-10 and CH-53E crewmembers have the same training, proficiency, and currency requirements, whether they're Active Duty or Reserve. From online and in-person c...
Jump to postDon't forget Ramstein. The ICAO code is ETAR. This Airbase is also used (or was) used as the main charter flights to and from Iraq and Afghanistan. It was also used as the main hub for transporting fallen US troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. The flights were operating to and from Dover AFB. Ramstei...
Jump to postNot a pilot, but USAF enlisted aircrew (same rules for meds) from 2006-2016. I don't recall which specific allergy meds were approved, but any USAF crewmember has to see a flight surgeon before starting any meds, whether prescription or OTC. There's probably a list in one of the AFIs (Air Force Inst...
Jump to postSpeed costs money. Whether it's operational costs like fuel and maintenance, or design & engineering costs that drive the per-airframe cost up, speed costs money. I would imagine that the airlines have done the math repeatedly, and determined that the current speed range is acceptable for their ...
Jump to postWhen GPWS was first installed in the CH-53E in the mid/late '90s, it had a female voice (I have no idea whether that has changed or not since late '03); I don't recall any of the callouts being more urgent-sounding than others. The BANK ANGLE callout seemed to have a bit more "attitude" or...
Jump to postI don't think they ever used the AAR capability on the VC-25s, either. If I had to guess it's probably never even flown a mission with POTUS gassed up more than 2/3 of capacity, and has never refuel in flight (except for testing/pilot proficiency.) I was told by an E-4 pilot on boom interphone, lat...
Jump to postI've never seen or heard of any regulatory requirements for engine stands. That doesn't mean they don't exist... it just means that in 15+ years of .civ helicopter maintenance I haven't seen or heard of any regulatory requirements for engine stands. I could see OSHA regulations being applicable if t...
Jump to postwould the helicopter not be able to fit in a 747? Helicopter s . At least 2, sometimes more. No, the VH-60 and VH-3 will not fit in a 747. Nor will the VH-92, when it takes over for the -60s and -3s. An S-76 requires significant disassembly to fit in a 747 (and still won't go through the nose IIRC)...
Jump to postI used to work at Sikorsky in Coatesville, PA. For the S-76D and S-92 helicopters: The first 5 flight hours are flown by Sikorsky production test pilots, with the aircraft in the baseline "green" configuration. All aircraft systems are tested, rotor track & balance is done, and operati...
Jump to postI read somewhere that the big issue with doing probe / drogue on the KC10 was that once the a/c was fitted that was the only thing it could do as the boom was rendered inop, so in effect a speciality mission just for the Navy or Marines...based on military spending criteria, would it have been bett...
Jump to postRefueling 2 V-22 Osprey concurrently is a real game changer. I think there would be a clearance issue with two V-22 refueling from the WARPS. Clearance for the V-22 to HAR from the KC-10 happened after I had left the jet, so I'm not 100% certain... but every picture or video I've seen of KC-10 - V-...
Jump to postJust the weight reductions, which amount to I believe some 10,000 pounds by last year compared to the first builds, which were some 5000 to 6000 pounds heavier than design spec. So the latest builds are a fair bit lighter than design spec. The A&P in me needs to know: What sort of things has Bo...
Jump to postIf those are WARPS they look way out at the extreme ends of the wings, is there a capability or requirement to refuel 3 a/c at once - 2 Navy 1 Air Force? Not gonna happen. In the KC-10, simultaneous boom and WARP receivers are prohibited, due to inadequate receiver separation distance. Different ai...
Jump to postIs it easier to refuel with boom, or drogue system? As a KC-10 boom operator, drogue AR is boring*. Flip a couple switches, push a button before each contact, and make a couple radio calls. The receiver does all the work; the tanker just holds position. KC-135 BOs on a jet with the BDA (Boom Drogue...
Jump to postThose two are especially challenging receivers - no lead-in lines, or any other AR markings or lights for that matter.
Jump to postConversely, I've heard the C-5 generates a bow wake. Can that be felt by, or affect, the tanker? Former KC-10 boom operator here. All the large receivers (KC-10, C-17, C-5, E-4/VC-25 to a greater extent; E-3, E-6, E-8, x C-135, C-32 to a lesser extent), generate a "bow wave". That's the t...
Jump to postWouldn't the C-40B have to refuel in flight between ADW and Italy? I don't believe the C-40B is inflight refueling capable, is it? Not sure I'd want to refuel it with the Secretary of State on board, except in an emergency. As of mid-2015, when I was last qualified in the KC-10 as a boom operator, ...
Jump to postBeen to FL410/420 many times in the KC-10. Just as Starlionblue said about the A350, that last step climb is slow... but doable.
Jump to postDidn't the MD-11 have a similar problem with noise and landing lights? They are located on the side of the forward fuselage right next to the first windows and can be extended and retracted like the ones on the A320. I'm sure they did. The KC-10 got a whole lot louder when the landing lights were t...
Jump to postI read somewhere that the pilots prefer not to train in flight refueling with the VC-25s because if you scratch that shiny paint with the boom tip it is a massive hassle. The pilots train with the NEACP E-4s instead. The E-4s have a convenient grey and black scheme around the refueling receptacle a...
Jump to postExperimental/Amateur-Built airplanes are frequently vinyl-wrapped without problems. Control surfaces can be wrapped, in the same way they can be painted; they will need to be re-balanced afterwards (same as if they were painted). All seams should be sealed, and a new W&B should be done after the...
Jump to postAbout the only difference one would see is the EGT and fuel burn would be higher if the electrical load was proportionately high to the throttle setting under normal conditions. Now if you were talking of maximum thrust requirement beyond normal applications then I suppose it would not be a show st...
Jump to postJust like props, tail rotors are configured in two basic flavors - "tractor" and "pusher" (excluding Fenestrons and NOTARs). As an example: CH-53 and UH-60; both have main rotors that spin counterclockwise. The -53 has the tail rotor on the left side of the vertical stab in a pus...
Jump to post...And when there's no tents, trucks, or heaters, you work as long as you can, then try to find a place out of the wind to re-warm your hands. Repeat as required until the job is done.
Jump to postdfwjim1 wrote:Very interesting...where are the F-16s and the KC-46s based?
The bandwidth to get that data off each individual aircraft, real-time, is substantial. Multiply that by however many long-haul aircraft are airborne at any given moment (add whatever "fudge factor" you'd like), and you've got a LARGE chunk of bandwidth consumed solely by HUMS data from ai...
Jump to postSomebody had to figure out how to run the very first steamship. The first steamship "snipes" had the benefit of living in the age of steam power, and having the designers and builders of the power plant still alive. They may even have been involved in the ship's construction. The first st...
Jump to postSomehow, I missed this the first time through... <TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=95% style="border-top: 1pt #28455E solid;border-right: 1pt #1B2E3F solid;border-bottom: 1pt #1B2E3F solid;border-left: 1pt #28455E solid;table-layout:fixed;border-spacing:0;padding:0;border-collapse: collapse;" bgcol...
Jump to post<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=95% style="border-top: 1pt #28455E solid;border-right: 1pt #1B2E3F solid;border-bottom: 1pt #1B2E3F solid;border-left: 1pt #28455E solid;table-layout:fixed;border-spacing:0;padding:0;border-collapse: collapse;" bgcolor=#1E3951><tr><td><font size=2 face="ARIAL, Hel...
Jump to post<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=95% style="border-top: 1pt #28455E solid;border-right: 1pt #1B2E3F solid;border-bottom: 1pt #1B2E3F solid;border-left: 1pt #28455E solid;table-layout:fixed;border-spacing:0;padding:0;border-collapse: collapse;" bgcolor=#1E3951><tr><td><font size=2 face="ARIAL, Hel...
Jump to post"New" titanium takes on a bluish tinge when heated to jet engine temps. It's normal.
It will gradually fade to a grayish-tan patina (at least the ones I've had first-hand experience with have done so).
The inboard ailerons on the <acronym title="Carpatian Air Transport (Hungary)">KC</acronym>-10 (which is basically a DC-10-30CF) are "above" the wing engines, and do deflect downward into the fan exhaust stream. I don't know whether this is a design feature to improve inboard aileron control authori...
Jump to post<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=95% style="border-top: 1pt #28455E solid;border-right: 1pt #1B2E3F solid;border-bottom: 1pt #1B2E3F solid;border-left: 1pt #28455E solid;table-layout:fixed;border-spacing:0;padding:0;border-collapse: collapse;" bgcolor=#1E3951><tr><td><font size=2 face="ARIAL, Hel...
Jump to postNever seen an official specification for that sort of thing, aside from the obvious things like having enough length to stay well clear of prop arcs, inlet hazard areas, etc.
Jump to post<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=95% style="border-top: 1pt #28455E solid;border-right: 1pt #1B2E3F solid;border-bottom: 1pt #1B2E3F solid;border-left: 1pt #28455E solid;table-layout:fixed;border-spacing:0;padding:0;border-collapse: collapse;" bgcolor=#1E3951><tr><td><font size=2 face="ARIAL, Hel...
Jump to post<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=95% style="border-top: 1pt #28455E solid;border-right: 1pt #1B2E3F solid;border-bottom: 1pt #1B2E3F solid;border-left: 1pt #28455E solid;table-layout:fixed;border-spacing:0;padding:0;border-collapse: collapse;" bgcolor=#1E3951><tr><td><font size=2 face="ARIAL, Hel...
Jump to postIn the <acronym title="Carpatian Air Transport (Hungary)">KC</acronym>-10 (which is basically a DC-10-30), the decision to takeoff with packs on/off is dependent on a lot of things, as determined by the flight engineer. I'll list several of them, in descending order: - takeoff gross weight - OAT - r...
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