Anyone here ever piloted an airship?

On Feb 14, 10:37 am, Jim Logajan wrote:
Just curious if anyone reading this group has ever piloted an airship.

Can't say as I have but there was an interesting Airships documentaty
on Discovery or Nat Geo here a while back.

On the one hand, they look like a really neat thing to fly, on the
other it seems like a complete pain in the ass to get them on and off
the ground.

Mortimer Schnerd, RN opined

Steve Foley wrote:
Is it becuase the airlines are trying to keep the pax comfortable, and
don't want to bounce all over the sky on an approach, or are freight dogs
better?


The airliners fly the approach... they want in just as bad as anybody else.
I don't think the freight dogs were necessarily any better either. We just
pushed it a little harder. I never had another crewman sitting next to me
to tell me I popped a DH, not that I would ever do such a thing. But it
would be an amazing thing. I'd shoot an approach to minimums in Charlotte
and land, then watch airliner after airliner fly down the runway only to
climb out into the slag again, interspaced with freighter after freighter
taxiing up to the FBO.

I heard a theory it was because we sat closer to the ground that it was just
enough difference for us to see the runway compared to somebody sitting in a
big airliner cockpit.

Great theory. I love it.

But I suspect it was just that we pushed it.

I'm shocked, SHOCKED, that anyone would consider descending under minimums
without sight of the runway.

The boss didn't want to hear excuses; he wanted to hear the airplane taxiing
up. So we did.



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN
mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com




-ash
Cthulhu in 2007!
Why wait for nature?

Ash Wyllie wrote:
But I suspect it was just that we pushed it.

I'm shocked, SHOCKED, that anyone would consider descending under minimums
without sight of the runway.


Well, none of us would do that. Of course we saw it first. G (I'm pretty
sure it was down there anyway.)

You know, there is always a certain percentage of pilots out there who turn
there noses up at the thought of doing anything like that. "Why didn't you
quit?", "No job is worth that", etc. Sometimes I think folks who didn't or
don't fly for a living on the lowest level ever understand how difficult those
jobs are to find. They pay really poorly... I can remember one year grossing
$13K. And yet they were the path to the airlines where life was much better.

I did quit my courier job (which at least was steady) over a disagreement about
flying into known icing in a Lance. I ended up trying to sell cars for three
months before I found a freight job locally flying C-402s. That job lasted less
than 2 months before the company collapsed. I worked construction for a while.
Then an outfit out of Atlanta held a massive interview session looking for folks
to fly their Aerostars. I knew something was up when the woman asked me what my
attitude was toward flying no-flap approaches in the Aerostar (there was some
sort of AD out at the time). This didn't sound good. They didn't offer me the
job as it turned out. However about three weeks later, they wanted me after
all. That means their first choice took a look and didn't like the situation.
Why the hell would I? I didn't take it... ended up getting into nursing school
instead. Never flew for money again. Never dug forms again at a construction
site either. G

But the point is that those jobs don't grow on trees. And unless you learned
how to fly in the military, your access to the airlines and the good life is
limited without passing through their clutches, at least for a while.



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN
mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com

Mortimer Schnerd, RN wrote:
Jim Logajan wrote:
Just curious if anyone reading this group has ever piloted an airship.


No, but I applied for a job with an airship company back when I was finishing up
my recovery from a plane crash. I figured if I crashed an airship, it would be
slower and not hurt as much.

If you told them that, it could be the reason you didn't get the job.

Also making references to the Hindenburg (Oh the humanity) doesn't earn
you any points either :-)

("Ron Natalie" wrote)
If you told them that, it could be the reason you didn't get the job.

Also making references to the Hindenburg (Oh the humanity) doesn't earn
you any points either :-)


"Favorite movie?"

"Black Sunday." ....(1977)

"Next!"


Montblack

Anybody remember the beer ad from the mid-90's? Win a ride in the blimp?

"35 MPH! That's as fast as it goes!" G

On Feb 14, 3:20 am, "James Sleeman" wrote:
On Feb 14, 10:37 am, Jim Logajan wrote:

Just curious if anyone reading this group has ever piloted an airship.

Can't say as I have but there was an interesting Airships documentaty
on Discovery or Nat Geo here a while back.

On the one hand, they look like a really neat thing to fly, on the
other it seems like a complete pain in the ass to get them on and off
the ground.

I've not had the chance, but three guys in the radio-control aircraft
club I belonged to (before getting all tangled up in full-scale) got a
gig flying a radio-control Metlife blimp around the local hockey arena
during games. Small pay, but huge fun. That lead to an invitation to
go for a ride on the real Metlife blimp, which was based nearby at
Solberg NJ. The guy who drew right seat was given a chance to fly
it. He had a great time.

Gary wrote:

I've not had the chance, but three guys in the radio-control aircraft
club I belonged to (before getting all tangled up in full-scale) got a
gig flying a radio-control Metlife blimp around the local hockey arena
during games.

Was that in Hartford?

There was an r/c blimp at Whalers games during the 90's.

On Feb 16, 10:14 am, B A R R Y wrote:
Gary wrote:

I've not had the chance, but three guys in the radio-control aircraft
club I belonged to (before getting all tangled up in full-scale) got a
gig flying a radio-control Metlife blimp around the local hockey arena
during games.

Was that in Hartford?

There was an r/c blimp at Whalers games during the 90's.

No, this was for the Trenton Titans, an ECHL team playing in Trenton,
NJ.