Airplane questions

[PineRidge]

We had an old saying too that went like this:

I would rather be on the ground wishing that I was in the air,
than in the air wishing that I was on the ground.

Think about it.......

 

[CRJCaptain]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Rigid wings, rudders, and pedals, wheels, and floorboards are for weenies. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I am integral part of my aircraft.. hehehe Without my lard-butt there is nothing to keep the lines tight and my wing becomes a fluttering pile of laundry.

)</font>

Ah, you're a braver man than me...

To the original poster, if you're really interested I'd suggest going down to your local general aviation airport to a flight school on the field and ask for a familiarization flight. For $49 an instructor will take you up and let you fly for 30-45 minutes, which is a great deal. Once you're hooked you'll never be the same!

Also, check out this website:

Be A Pilot

Incidentally, the rudder pedals do steer most nosewheel equipped aircraft on the ground, and control yaw motion in the air...mainly to make coordinated turns in conjunction with the ailerons, and when landing in a crosswind keep you lined up with the runway.

An airliner also has a hand operated tiller on the captain's side to assist with tight turns while steering on the ground.

 

[SCB]

<font color="green"> An airliner also has a hand operated tiller on the captain's side to assist with tight turns while steering on the ground </font>
Slight correction. I do the functional testing for the 777 and there is a tiller on the captain and co-pilot side.

 

[getut]

Not braver.. just hooked on a different kind of flight.

Low and slow... ground skimming... picking corn tassles out from between your toes. Floor boards would ruin all that. The physical aspect of foot launching (no wheels) has a certain appeal and takes it to the true "sport" level for me. Critiquing my take offs and landings and striving for improvement. The humor of a good slide in butt landing when the wind changes directions on you... its all great.

I'm actually young for this sport. The majority of people doing this are in their 40s-50s. The mean age is probably right around 48-49 years old.