What did it take to get a ticket in 1946?

Larry Dighera writes:

Henry Tindall "Dick" Merrill was the Eastern Airlines captain on that
flight. Judging from the account below, and Merrill's book, The Wings
Of Man," it would appear that Merrill and Godfrey were personal
friends.

He looked rather nervous and unhappy in the film, but perhaps he wasn't used
to being in the movies. I was surprised that he turned down Godfrey's offer
of a Chesterfield cigarette.

Gig 601XL Builder wrote in
:

Bertie the Bunyip wrote:
Bob Moore wrote in
46.128:

wrote
Somebody's been reading "Aerodynamics for Naval Aviators"
I was required to read it 50 years ago while in Preflight
Class 12-58, NAS Pensacola. I still have my copy.



I have one given to me when I was 13..

Bertie

You can't beat those basic military flight manuals. I read through the
Army Basic Rotorcraft manual (Can't remember the title)before I
started
my PP R-H instructions and I was WAY ahead of the other guy that
started
lessons the same day I did.


Hm, well, the Aerodynamics for Naval Aviators" was a bit over my head at
the time and the instrument flying one was a bit confusing with the pics
of giants holding up the wings of Wildcats!
I have it somewhere. I mighth post some of the funnier things in it.
It's a bit scary top think of guys going to war after reading the "Boys
big big book of instrument flying"

To this day I figure I can spot a Navy pilot if he's flying a
taildragger.
No joke, no smart remark, I used to check out jys in cubs and such who
had been away for a while and I got it right every time.
Anyone else know how?
Hint, they had to be a bit unco-ordinated first...


Bertie

Mxsmanic wrote in
:

Jay Honeck writes:

I saw Arthur Godfrey pilot an Eastern Airlines Constellation.

That was a great video that really captures the era. I've got
excerpts from it he

http://www.alexisparkinn.com/photoga...-16-Flyingwi19
53.mpg

and

http://www.alexisparkinn.com/photoga...-16_Flyingwi19
53_2.mpg

These are gi-normous downloads, so be patient.

That's where I got the whole thing, although it's on YouTube as well.

I wonder how the real Eastern captain felt as mere copilot to the
Hollywood Eastern captain in the person of Arthur Godfrey.


He probably felt like the Captain.

I also wonder whom the film targeted, since I don't recall hearing
about it before, and I can't find many references to it.

Idiot

Bertie

Mxsmanic wrote in
:

Larry Dighera writes:

Henry Tindall "Dick" Merrill was the Eastern Airlines captain on that
flight. Judging from the account below, and Merrill's book, The
Wings Of Man," it would appear that Merrill and Godfrey were personal
friends.

He looked rather nervous and unhappy in the film, but perhaps he
wasn't used to being in the movies. I was surprised that he turned
down Godfrey's offer of a Chesterfield cigarette.


Why, that "yer brand"?

Bertie

On Jan 23, 12:56 am, Bertie the Bunyip wrote:

Hm, well, the Aerodynamics for Naval Aviators" was a bit over my head at
the time and the instrument flying one was a bit confusing with the pics
of giants holding up the wings of Wildcats!

I read through it for the first time (prior I had picked my way
through) while watching the NFC and AFC playoffs this Sunday. It was
the perfect 10 minutes at a time read -- more than that and it was
just too much info to process.

Most was a review of things I had read elsewhere, but written in a
much more succinct and authoritative manner.

The landing performance section confirmed earlier posts about arriving
at the runway with minimal energy -- 1.3-1.5 Vso.

Seems as if this rule would be doubly critical to conventional gear.

Dan

" wrote in news:28fafb4c-f37c-4f9f-
:

On Jan 23, 12:56 am, Bertie the Bunyip wrote:

Hm, well, the Aerodynamics for Naval Aviators" was a bit over my head at
the time and the instrument flying one was a bit confusing with the pics
of giants holding up the wings of Wildcats!

I read through it for the first time (prior I had picked my way
through) while watching the NFC and AFC playoffs this Sunday. It was
the perfect 10 minutes at a time read -- more than that and it was
just too much info to process.

Most was a review of things I had read elsewhere, but written in a
much more succinct and authoritative manner.

The landing performance section confirmed earlier posts about arriving
at the runway with minimal energy -- 1.3-1.5 Vso.

Seems as if this rule would be doubly critical to conventional gear.


Well, yeah, becase you generaly three point them anyway, arriving with any
more than that just extends your flare. It's not what I'd call critical,
more pointless.






Bertie

On Jan 23, 9:12 am, Bertie the Bunyip wrote:
" wrote in news:28fafb4c-f37c-4f9f-
:







On Jan 23, 12:56 am, Bertie the Bunyip wrote:

Hm, well, the Aerodynamics for Naval Aviators" was a bit over my head at
the time and the instrument flying one was a bit confusing with the pics
of giants holding up the wings of Wildcats!

I read through it for the first time (prior I had picked my way
through) while watching the NFC and AFC playoffs this Sunday. It was
the perfect 10 minutes at a time read -- more than that and it was
just too much info to process.

Most was a review of things I had read elsewhere, but written in a
much more succinct and authoritative manner.

The landing performance section confirmed earlier posts about arriving
at the runway with minimal energy -- 1.3-1.5 Vso.

Seems as if this rule would be doubly critical to conventional gear.

Well, yeah, becase you generaly three point them anyway, arriving with any
more than that just extends your flare. It's not what I'd call critical,
more pointless.

Bertie

Well, isn't it critical in the sense that excess speed increases the
possibility of a ground loop?

Dan

" wrote in
:

On Jan 23, 9:12 am, Bertie the Bunyip wrote:
" wrote in
news:28fafb4c-f37c-4f9f-
:







On Jan 23, 12:56 am, Bertie the Bunyip wrote:

Hm, well, the Aerodynamics for Naval Aviators" was a bit over my
head at the time and the instrument flying one was a bit confusing
with the pics of giants holding up the wings of Wildcats!

I read through it for the first time (prior I had picked my way
through) while watching the NFC and AFC playoffs this Sunday. It
was the perfect 10 minutes at a time read -- more than that and it
was just too much info to process.

Most was a review of things I had read elsewhere, but written in a
much more succinct and authoritative manner.

The landing performance section confirmed earlier posts about
arriving at the runway with minimal energy -- 1.3-1.5 Vso.

Seems as if this rule would be doubly critical to conventional
gear.

Well, yeah, becase you generaly three point them anyway, arriving
with any more than that just extends your flare. It's not what I'd
call critical, more pointless.

Bertie

Well, isn't it critical in the sense that excess speed increases the
possibility of a ground loop?


ell, not if you land three point. If you land three point the speed is
pretty much always exactly the same for a given weight. For a wheel
landing, though, you'd be correct, if the wheel landing was done by
driving the airplane onto the ground, which would be poor technique. A
wheel lnding should also be made in the same attitude each tie and that
will give you the same touchdown speed eahc time regardless of the
approach speed. You will float, though!


Bertie

On Wed, 23 Jan 2008 15:33:28 +0000 (UTC), Bertie the Bunyip
wrote:

" wrote in
:

On Jan 23, 9:12 am, Bertie the Bunyip wrote:
" wrote in
news:28fafb4c-f37c-4f9f-
:







On Jan 23, 12:56 am, Bertie the Bunyip wrote:

Hm, well, the Aerodynamics for Naval Aviators" was a bit over my
head at the time and the instrument flying one was a bit confusing
with the pics of giants holding up the wings of Wildcats!

I read through it for the first time (prior I had picked my way
through) while watching the NFC and AFC playoffs this Sunday. It
was the perfect 10 minutes at a time read -- more than that and it
was just too much info to process.

Most was a review of things I had read elsewhere, but written in a
much more succinct and authoritative manner.

The landing performance section confirmed earlier posts about
arriving at the runway with minimal energy -- 1.3-1.5 Vso.

Seems as if this rule would be doubly critical to conventional
gear.

Well, yeah, becase you generaly three point them anyway, arriving
with any more than that just extends your flare. It's not what I'd
call critical, more pointless.

Bertie

Well, isn't it critical in the sense that excess speed increases the
possibility of a ground loop?


ell, not if you land three point. If you land three point the speed is
pretty much always exactly the same for a given weight. For a wheel
landing, though, you'd be correct, if the wheel landing was done by
driving the airplane onto the ground, which would be poor technique. A
wheel lnding should also be made in the same attitude each tie and that
will give you the same touchdown speed eahc time regardless of the
approach speed. You will float, though!


Bertie

you can improve on that.

the secret to a successful landing is to have the longitudinal axis of
the aircraft aligned in the direction of flight, to have no sideslip,
to have no vertical speed at the point of touchdown and to have no
excess of speed.

if you have any excess of speed and some vertical speed on touchdown,
unless your tyres are pretty flat, you'll bounce back into the air in
a balloon. guaranteed.

speed does not increase the possibility of a groundloop if the
aircraft is kept aligned with the direction of flight.

Stealth (tailwind) Pilot

Stealth Pilot wrote in
:

On Wed, 23 Jan 2008 15:33:28 +0000 (UTC), Bertie the Bunyip
wrote:

" wrote in
:

On Jan 23, 9:12 am, Bertie the Bunyip wrote:
" wrote in
news:28fafb4c-f37c-4f9f-
:







On Jan 23, 12:56 am, Bertie the Bunyip wrote:

Hm, well, the Aerodynamics for Naval Aviators" was a bit over my
head at the time and the instrument flying one was a bit
confusing
with the pics of giants holding up the wings of Wildcats!

I read through it for the first time (prior I had picked my way
through) while watching the NFC and AFC playoffs this Sunday. It
was the perfect 10 minutes at a time read -- more than that and
it
was just too much info to process.

Most was a review of things I had read elsewhere, but written in
a
much more succinct and authoritative manner.

The landing performance section confirmed earlier posts about
arriving at the runway with minimal energy -- 1.3-1.5 Vso.

Seems as if this rule would be doubly critical to conventional
gear.

Well, yeah, becase you generaly three point them anyway, arriving
with any more than that just extends your flare. It's not what I'd
call critical, more pointless.

Bertie

Well, isn't it critical in the sense that excess speed increases the
possibility of a ground loop?


ell, not if you land three point. If you land three point the speed is
pretty much always exactly the same for a given weight. For a wheel
landing, though, you'd be correct, if the wheel landing was done by
driving the airplane onto the ground, which would be poor technique. A
wheel lnding should also be made in the same attitude each tie and
that
will give you the same touchdown speed eahc time regardless of the
approach speed. You will float, though!


Bertie

you can improve on that.

the secret to a successful landing is to have the longitudinal axis of
the aircraft aligned in the direction of flight, to have no sideslip,
to have no vertical speed at the point of touchdown and to have no
excess of speed.

if you have any excess of speed and some vertical speed on touchdown,
unless your tyres are pretty flat, you'll bounce back into the air in
a balloon. guaranteed.

speed does not increase the possibility of a groundloop if the
aircraft is kept aligned with the direction of flight.

Mmmmm, true enough. if you're on top of it it's nto going anywhere.

It's probably more accurate, or maybel helpful is the wird, to state
that excess speed will imart more energy to a ground loop if you let one
develop. The groundloop will be more violent if you are traveling faster
when it begins.
It's beside the point, though, since if you touch down in the corrct
attitude, the speed at touchdown will always be the same for a given
weight, reardless of the approach speed. You'll just spend a lot longer
in the flare!


Bertie