397395 posts as of 10:44pm 5-1-03

[23Kev]

Definitely has to go to the pool room.

If only there was a way to recover old Autospeed threads so we could see the thread where Bill first posted the stuff about the G'Techd 747.....if I remember correctly it was a classic thread....

Ahhhhh, old school autospeed.....wasn't it FUN!!!!


Kev

[THE ASH]

I so wanna see the 0-400m on that thing, what a pisser this has become. :D

Bill = :worship:

[markooos]

Hey Bill, just having a look at your website and stumbled across the "Real Flying Experiences" story - unbelievable! I hope you remembered to pack a spare pair of undies on that flight!

Now going to head off into the depths of Google and check out this St Elmo's fire stuff that you mentioned there...heard of the name but never actually knew what it was, sounds pretty cool though.

[demuire]

Bill: I'll have to listen out for your name next time I'm on a plane (when they are going "this is your captain speaking...") I always seem to get boring flights. Then again, who do you fly for? I'm generally flying on SIA, if not Quantas & MAS.

My dad took me up a few weeks ago (when I was in Malaysia, am back in sunny Brissy now) in his trike which is more like a powered hanglider, heaps of fun - silly photos here

2 stroke twin carbie 600cc Rotax engine, 2 piston watercooled twinspark with like 60hp or something, we took off in like 25 meters!

*fun*

[Billzilla]

Thanks again guys. I'm just lucky to have a good job and be able to stuff around a fair bit. :D

sketchypip - Nah, I stopped instructing in 1988 or so. I'd done 1000 hours of it and it was time to start scaring myself in charter planes. I did that in a Piper Aerostar for a short while ...

Markooos, all part of the job. Some friends of mine haven't been so lucky though.
See if you can find some pics of St Elmo's Fire though, it's awesome stuff.

Demuire, nah, I'll never work for the Big Red Rat, ie, Qantas. Long story but .... ah, what the heck.
The last resumé update I sent them in early 2000 said that I was flying their 747's (which were leased to Air Pacific, who I was flying for at the time), I had over 1,000 hours on the type, I was flying with Qantas procedures, I renewed my licence in their simulator, and I was also rated to fly all their 737 fleet.
They sent a letter back saying something like that they had found people more suited to their requirements and they wished me all the best in my flying career.
Work that one out.
I fly for a mob called Air Atlanta Icelandic, and they lease out their planes & crews to other airlines on a short to long term basis. At the moment I'm in Kuala Lumpur flying for Malaysian Cargo, on one of our converted freighters. In two days I'm off to Penang then Dubai for another day, then back here on the 11th some time.

[Beavis]

Bill: Got any videos of the 777s doing take-off tests with one engine, by chance?

[demuire]

Bill: They say that if you travel at a high speed a lot of the time you age slower, feel any younger? :D

... or maybe you have to be going in the correct direction...

Hmm.

[tandy ass]

Bill, let us know when you're in Melbourne, I'm sure the Melbournites would definitely organise a meetup (and probably pissup at a bar) at Tullamarine around your schedule

[Billzilla]

Chris, no sorry I don't. There wouldn't be much to see anyway, just a little bit of yawing & the plane would still climb out just fine as they have a huge excess of power. The latest engine for plane of that size has just been tested in the last few months, and it's 115,000lbs of thrust all by itself. On the 747 test plane that took it into the air, it nearly had as much thrust as the other three engines put together!

Demuire, nah, not that fast!!

Bozz, ta for that, I'd love to meet some of the southern guys. Unless they change my roster (which they probably will) I'll be in Melbourne on the 15th. I'll know more in a few days.

[AxGT]

Demuire - dont think that the 747 can reach an appreciable fraction of the speed of light

it needs NAAAAAAWZ for that

[BALISTC]

HAHAHAHHAA, a big NOS sticker on the side of a 747....Bill, you should do that and take a photo of it and post it on the forums :p

Or "POWERED BY BOEING" (or ROLLS ROYCE, or whatever it is :p)

LOL :D

[Billzilla]

Weeeeelll, actually, the early ones used water injection for get more power for take-off. They still have the big water tanks in the fuselage but the pumps & pipes have been removed as with the bigger engines, even the ratty old 7A's, you don't need them.
The Germans and to a lesser extent the English used to use naaaaawwwwwzzzz in World War Two, to boost the performance of some of their planes. Something like a 500hp kit though, none of the kiddies 100hp ones. :D

[AxGT]

Yah, the JU88 night fighter variants used to use them didnt they?
used the Nitrous to help them get high enough to get the bombers

[demuire]

AxGT: You never know, with Bills 6800+ hours, maybe he'll get about 6 seconds of his life extended... What can I do in 6 seconds? Hmm... I know, I can scratch myself... Mmm, 6 extra seconds of scratching :D

They still have the water tanks? Why?

And since they aren't carrying water and pumps and pipes anymore, can we carry more luggage? 20kg is never enough :p

[Tex]

Originally posted by demuire
And since they aren't carrying water and pumps and pipes anymore, can we carry more luggage? 20kg is never enough :p

You need to up your margin then, my friend. :D

Tex