Comments on: Back to the Future

By: Rivetjoint

Rivetjoint — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 04:28:55 +0000

Isn’t it an old aviation axiom that the only time you have too much fuel is when you’re on fire?

By: Glenn Cassel AMH1 USN Retired

Glenn Cassel AMH1 USN Retired — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 06:05:35 +0000

Project Liberty is King Air model 350 ERs with neat stuff in them. Right out of the Reaper UAV. It was in the little Friday rag that is available in Lancaster/Palmdale/Mojave/California City/Mojave.I did the instrument panel/pedestal and wire harness install on the first 6 of them at Plant IV at Hawker Beechcraft in Wichita. I got laid off on February 26. But by then we had done those six. It left the plant in the green with a C of A and was in Zinc Chromate. Where all the other stuff happened, I don’t know and I don’t care. But one should be aware that by the time it got to my position on the assembly line it had on the average, 60 to 80 tags for bad fastener intstallation. That being rivets, hi-locks and hi-shears. Remember that, OK.
I would not get in one on a bet.

By: Scott

Scott — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 04:02:46 +0000

That makes for an update of that bad old joke:

“Never met a pilot worth 300 lbs. of gas.”

By: Quartermaster

Quartermaster — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 03:49:47 +0000

Tweety has been out of production for many years, although I guess Cessna could bring it back fairly quickly if they didn’t destroy the tooling.

The Tweety has also been discontinued for use for pilot training in the AF. Gone the way of the T-2.

I friend, a retired Colonel, was involved in the initial flight testing of Tweety. His training was in the T-34 and T-28 back in the late 50s.

By: Quartermaster

Quartermaster — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 03:45:45 +0000

I’m sure the Tucano driver didn’t worry about inbound flying objects much. The 310 driver didn’t have the option of not worrying.

Yeah, highly rushed delivery.

By: Quartermaster

Quartermaster — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 03:44:29 +0000

There is an additive that prevents, or at least delays, gelling of Jet A. It’s regularly used in turbine AC, and that’s what would be burnt in a diesel AC engine.

The weight issues can be overcome, and have been in civil AC. Continental has a diesel AC engine. The prop issue may be the real trouble here. I just saw the mention of a prop problem in an article about Avgas.