"Connie 636 you are cleared to land..." (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Randy
- Start date
Yesterday I was stationed in Terminal 3 at Sky Harbor. I'm walking the E gates and can see North runway. Notice 4 BIG fire trucks & numerous Ops trucks. So what is going on? Smaller jet lands & taxies over to where Fire is stationed. After a bit, all the trucks leave and that's it. I suspect an on-board problem of some kind, evidently solved before aircraft landed. Didn't find out anything. What is interesting to me is how big the fire trucks are. A few are "standard" size and the others are 2 wheels in front & 2 in the rear. Almost look like trucks in the military.
z28
Nitro Member
better than losing a plane and 7 souls
none
Nitro Member
Every time I hear one of these "Crisis" calls I am amazed at how calm everyone is. Like the United pilot that lost the engine coming out of DIA a couple of years back. Even the guy who landed in the Hudson River.
If I'm this guy and I have a fire warning coming from the cargo bay, my first communication would be GET ME A FREAKIN PARACHUTE!!!!
Major props to guys who stay that cool when things go that wrong.
Alan
If I'm this guy and I have a fire warning coming from the cargo bay, my first communication would be GET ME A FREAKIN PARACHUTE!!!!
Major props to guys who stay that cool when things go that wrong.
Alan
mikebcurve
Nitro Member
It definitely takes a certain type of person to handle that pressure. These people deserve every penny they make and probably more.
Makes you wonder if they saw ELVIS at 35,000 FT.
They are lucky they didn't have to land in California. The fuel price would be Chump Change compared to the cleanup bill. Everywhere from Eureka to San Ysidro would be shut down.
Jer
Nitro Member
I love sniffin jet fuel fumes out of the exhaust,almost as good as nitro!
Randy
Nitro Member
I'd hate to be the guy flying my GA (general aviation) plane through a cloud of freshly dumped fuel. Imaging the light show!
Randy
Nitro Member
Another thought. RV's and planes have what's called a "black water tank." If dumped at altitude, I wonder if any of that vaporizes before it hit's the ground.
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Randy
Nitro Member
Jet A weighs between 6.47 and 7.01 pounds per gallon. Average cost right now is $2.49 per gallon. Figuring 135,000 pounds (full tanks dumped) that would equal 20,000 gallons. I figured they would dump maybe 17,000 gallons of it to leave some room for remaining flight time to land plus contingencies. 17,000 gallons x $2.49 per gallon = $42,330 worth of fuel dumped because of a faulty fire sensor, not to mention flight costs. Better safe than sorry. That probably equals what it takes to make just the qualifying runs for Doug's TF car at one event.
Randy
Nitro Member
What amazes me is how aggressive the FAA/NTSB was going after the pilot after saving everyone's life on that flight. If you haven't seen the movie made about it you should. Here's the trailer.
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mick
Nitro Member
or the fanAnother thought. RV's and planes have what's called a "black water tank." If dumped at altitude, I wonder if any of that vaporizes before it hit's the ground.
I retired in Jan 2019 from 30 years in hospitals, as a Pharmacy Tech. Took a tour of Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix & discovered I could volunteer as a Navigator - the people who give out info about the airport. We all wear purple shirts and are known as "purple people". We are famous even in Europe - passengers are told to look for the purple shirts. Anyhoo, been doing this for 3 years, 3 days a week, 4 hours per day. I have learned so much about airports, pilots, planes, etc etc. It's like a small city, with our own Police, Fire, EMT. The fun thing is meeting people from all over the world and just helping folks to find where they need to go. I get to "plane spot" - go to the roof of Terminal 4 parking garage and you can see north & south runways, watch planes take off & land. Almost (almost) as much fun as going to the drags. Oh, I think we are the only airport that has WAYMO - that infamous self driving car that now takes people from downtown Phx to the airport. I think it's WAYMO dangerous than real drivers.......
