Airplanes to sailboats

[robert sailor]

Aviation was my prime passion for many years. Float flying and aerobatics was something I taught for years and still love that part of the game. We have a little Pacer that sits in our hanger and patiently waits for us to come home in the summer. I should sell the little bug as it makes zero sense to own it but it's still there. Flying and sailing does have similarities for sure but it's hard to live on the plane.

[Prairie Chicken]

Merry Christmas to you & Carla, Robert.

I hope you're somewhere warm. We're pretty warm here--+7, with a brown Christmas, but that beats shovelling.

[brownoarsman]

This was a fun thread to read as I'm currently investigating going sailboat to airboat in order to see more of the Chesapeake faster and extend my weekend/day range. Thanks for the thoughts people!

[robert sailor]

[QUOTE=Prairie Chicken;2286993]Merry Christmas to you & Carla, Robert.

I hope you're somewhere warm. We're pretty warm here--+7, with a brown Christmas, but that beats shovelling.[/QUOTE

And a very Merry Christmas to you both, we are in Belize right now. Central America is neat but the food, especially fresh food can't compare to the Med. Wishing you a healthy and happy New Year. Do you get back to Nova Scotia from time to time? R

[VanIslandGuy]

Been flying since 1986, professionally since 1990, and sailing since 1998. Paid to fly, pay to sail.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by robert sailor

Aviation was my prime passion for many years. Float flying and aerobatics was something I taught for years and still love that part of the game. We have a little Pacer that sits in our hanger and patiently waits for us to come home in the summer. I should sell the little bug as it makes zero sense to own it but it's still there. Flying and sailing does have similarities for sure but it's hard to live on the plane.

Don't, once its gone, likely it's gone forever. I have seen that many times.
I believe this is the last year we have to take a physical to operate as a Private pilot?
We leave to begin cruising early next year, I sold my Maule to help buy the boat, but I have a 46 C-140 that I'm keeping, using the hangar for storage as well. One day when we swallow the anchor I can then become an airport bum.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by senormechanico

I lotorve reading this thread.
I've always been a boater and have wished I'd been an aviator.

If presented with the necessity of landing a single engine small plane, I think I could do it, but all I've ever really flown were these:

Fly RC for a while and you will get a better idea.

I didn't have to much trouble flying the twin engine planes on multimillion dollar simulators here because of 4-5 years experience flying RC

Using the arresting gear hook is also fun as are carrier landings..........

Btw, you'd most likely crash the small plane on your first few landings......

Best sailing related event for me including an airplane was this. Heading down I 55 to a TVA lake with a Hobie 16 to sail/race, suddenly the state troopers stopped all traffic.

We were just passed an overpass. After waiting a couple minutes, you hear a crop duster's strong radial engine.

He then taxis down the on ramp, goes to full power once on the interstate and takes off. Party over, troopers let traffic proceed

[meatservo]

I teach simulation, while there is a correlation to the real aircraft, it's NOT the same thing. We give someone a type rating in a Falcon 900, they don't go out and hop in the left seat as captain.

I have over 12,000 hrs. Dual ATP, 8 type ratings, 3 in helicopters.

In Feb. I got typed in a Falcon 2000 Easy II, had an offer for a trip as captain and turned it down. Reason? I have not actually flown the airplane...

Just sayin'

Merry Christmas

meatservo

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by meatservo

I teach simulation, while there is a correlation to the real aircraft, it's NOT the same thing.

I'm sure you are correct, but flying the simulators can give you enough information about flying to let you know if it's for you.

To me, it's too slow if not taking off or landing

The simulators are nice though because I can "fly over" my intended weekend sail destination before the actual sail just to get a better idea of the area or I can fly inland a couple hundred miles just to get away.......for a while

[a64pilot]

Simulators, even the multi-million dollar full motion ones are just that, simulators, they can't give you a real experience. I have seen and flown simulator aces, and they couldn't fly the real aircraft.
I learned to game our CMS, combat mission simulator, once you realize it's a computer and can only react in a programmed manner you can have some fun.
I learned to fly off the edge of the Earth, descend and come back under the surface of the Earth and I could shoot everything, but nothing could shoot me. Lots of other silly tricks.

[robert sailor]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Don't, once its gone, likely it's gone forever. I have seen that many times.
I believe this is the last year we have to take a physical to operate as a Private pilot?
We leave to begin cruising early next year, I sold my Maule to help buy the boat, but I have a 46 C-140 that I'm keeping, using the hangar for storage as well. One day when we swallow the anchor I can then become an airport bum.

Your probably right, when it's gone it won't be replaced. I've maintained a Class 1 medical for my Commercial Licence and as a Canadian, I'm not sure whether we are keeping in step with America on this or not. I'll have to look into it this summer.
We too use the hangar for storing cars and motorcycles, plus other stuff.

[senormechanico]

This is probably a bit OT, but I'll mention it anyway.

I have no fear of flying but...whenever I'm a passenger on a commercial flight, I tend to second guess the pilot, especially when getting ready to land.

They announce all the "fasten your seatbelts, we're starting our descent" etc.
They throttle back, and as the plane slows and descends, I know eventually they'll deploy some flaps, a bit at a time.
Often, it really starts to feel like we're really getting near a stall and I'm thinking, "Come on guys ! Where are the flaps? This is getting kinda scary."
Every time within seconds, here come the flaps.

Am I just a back seat driver or what?

[Saleen411]

Originally Posted by senormechanico

This is probably a bit OT, but I'll mention it anyway.

I have no fear of flying but...whenever I'm a passenger on a commercial flight, I tend to second guess the pilot, especially when getting ready to land.

They announce all the "fasten your seatbelts, we're starting our descent" etc.
They throttle back, and as the plane slows and descends, I know eventually they'll deploy some flaps, a bit at a time.
Often, it really starts to feel like we're really getting near a stall and I'm thinking, "Come on guys ! Where are the flaps? This is getting kinda scary."
Every time within seconds, here come the flaps.

Am I just a back seat driver or what?

Yes...You're a back seat driver. :big grin:

Airline pilots extend and retract flaps on a speed schedule. There is a nice margin of error built in. If one were to screw up somehow, a "stick shaker" goes off well before a stall would occur. It is loud and obnoxious.....the pilots would initiate a recovery way before an actual stall would occur.

I'm a Boeing guy, but am told airbuses are supposedly impossible to stall....computers prevent it.

So you can sit back and relax Senior Mechanico......unless your pilots fly you into a microburst at low altitude. But that's another issue...

Almost forgot..... the Asiana crash in SFO a few years ago. That was the result of a HUGE screw up by the pilots...they got WAY low and slow on final with the throttles back at idle.
...so bad stuff can happen but it's extremely rare.

Cheers,

Glorified Bus Driver Jerry

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Simulators, even the multi-million dollar full motion ones are just that, simulators, they can't give you a real experience. I have seen and flown simulator aces, and they couldn't fly the real aircraft.
I learned to game our CMS, combat mission simulator, once you realize it's a computer and can only react in a programmed manner you can have some fun.
I learned to fly off the edge of the Earth, descend and come back under the surface of the Earth and I could shoot everything, but nothing could shoot me. Lots of other silly tricks.

The point is it gives you a good idea of what it's like to fly without spending thousands of dollars for a private pilots license.

Our new sim's have 10 projectors. On takeoff, you feel like you are actually leaning back in you seat. The projectors are top of the line.

Our old motion sim's with 8 large hydraulic rams gave you a good idea also

Flying is just another skill....which can be learned in various ways like sailing

[gts1544]

senormechanico, As an old, retired "bus" driver, I can assure you that jet airplanes are so "clean" that the big problem that the pilots face is getting slowed down at the bottom of the descent from altitude. Most descents are in the M.80 / 300 kt. IAS area from altitude, slowing to 250 kts. at 10,000 MSL, then responding to ATC's speed instructions in the busier terminal areas. Flaps are deployed on a speed schedule, which is an airplane structural operating limitation not to be exceeded. Frequently you will feel the throttles at idle and the nose coming up in an effort to get slow enough to meet that structural speed requirement prior to extending the flaps to certain predetermined settings, said speeds which are way above the stalling speed in that configuration. Sometimes speed brakes (panels on top of the wings, which have no speed restrictions usually) are used to get slowed to the flap speeds.

So sit back and enjoy that portion of the flight, secure in the knowledge that getting rid of excess speed is far more of a problem than not having enough. Additionally, there is, by law, a "sterile cockpit" procedure enforced when operating below 10,000', requiring only conversation directly related to the task at hand, no chit chat allowed! The flight attendants are informed that the cockpit is sterile via chime signals at 10,000'.

Hope this puts your mind at ease! George