An inch is as good as a mile?

ScottAR · Oct 10, 2004

Never ridden one but the B52 has a fully steerable undercarriage. Crosswind Crab system if I remember.

Tdog · Oct 10, 2004

Nice photos, jinman.

Henro · Oct 10, 2004

Here's a thread that has some interesting details regarding this landing... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

johnday · Oct 10, 2004

Bill; Nothing like playing bushpilot with a full size plane. No wonder jinman's 2nd photo looked like it did!! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

johnday · Oct 10, 2004

Bird, Just curious, they used quite a few of the Helios and Porter Pileatus's in Viet Nam. The History channel Friday had a real good documentary on Air America who used a number of them. I only graduated from High School, so the only flying I did was watching. The Navy and Marines figured only college types were smart enough to have fun like those pilots did. Those guys deserve alot of credit. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Bird · Oct 10, 2004

John, while we had that Helio, we drove the FAA crazy. Our helicopter facility was on a corner of one of the city owned airports and of course we had pads for 4 helicopters at a time, although we usually only had one in the air and another sitting there ready to go. But we did not have a paved taxiway to the runways. Our only fixed wing aircraft was a DeHavilland Beaver and we could just taxi across the grass to the runways, but for the Helio we got permission from the FAA to just take off and land in the grass beside our building. Of course I had several experienced pilots, some of whom had been military instructors, and the salesman was quite a pilot himself, so the FAA had lots of phone calls from folks, even other pilots, calling in to say there was drunk out there doing things with an airplane that an airplane just can't do. Do you know how much head wind it requires to maintain altitude and fly a Helio backwards? I once flew it backwards all the way across the airport. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

johnday · Oct 10, 2004

Bird; Next thing you'll be telling me you guys tried a tailslide like a Mig 29. You know, some guys have ALL the fun. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

jinman · Oct 10, 2004

Thanks, Bill. That's a lot more info and it all goes to show what dedication and professionalism these guys have. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif They're dedicated to their old airplanes like some of us are to our old ships. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

BTW: Did you know about this or did you do some searching?

Bird · Oct 11, 2004

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( tailslide like a Mig 29 )</font>

That's one I don't recall ever hearing of, so I don't know what you're talking about.

shvl73 · Oct 11, 2004

Bird, it's where the pilot of the Mig-29 brings the nose up to vertical & then even further back so the tail is actually leading the aircraft, then brings it back to normal horizontal flight. I've seen it on Discovery Wings channel & it's pretty impressive. I think it may have vectored thrust.