Definitely an E Ticket
July 28, 2014 12:03 PM Subscribe
This 3 minute video of Boeing's 787 Dreamliner rehearsing for the 2014 Farnborough airshow is notable for the performance takeoff, sure, but hey check out those slipping turns, and the forward slip to a landing, in a jetliner. Remember the Gimli Glider? [upbeat pseudo-techno music warning]
I know there have been a lot of problems with the plane, but it's still gorgeous. Flight performance seems gorgeous too.
posted by Ickster at 12:17 PM on July 28, 2014
posted by Ickster at 12:17 PM on July 28, 2014
Wow, that plane is actually pretty--the bird-like sweep and curve of the wings in flight is lovely.
posted by yoink at 12:19 PM on July 28, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by yoink at 12:19 PM on July 28, 2014 [2 favorites]
I hope this video, on MeFi, can be watched for the sheer elegance and the amazing technology and engineering and development that went into this aircraft. it is reassuring to see beauty and strength of this. Thanks so much for posting.
posted by rmhsinc at 12:21 PM on July 28, 2014
posted by rmhsinc at 12:21 PM on July 28, 2014
They don't make 'em like they used to.
posted by The White Hat at 12:22 PM on July 28, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by The White Hat at 12:22 PM on July 28, 2014 [1 favorite]
I'd thought the 9 was a g, and had been wondering for months whose livery it was - there are several of them parked in my neighborhood.
posted by wotsac at 12:24 PM on July 28, 2014
posted by wotsac at 12:24 PM on July 28, 2014
Well, that was a sweet breath of fresh air after so much aviation horror. Thank you.
posted by kinnakeet at 12:25 PM on July 28, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by kinnakeet at 12:25 PM on July 28, 2014 [1 favorite]
Those wings sure are flexible. The tips must move 20 feet!
Materials science sure has come a long way, even in my lifetime.
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 12:26 PM on July 28, 2014
Materials science sure has come a long way, even in my lifetime.
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 12:26 PM on July 28, 2014
The take off angle at the beginning was incredible!
I had to stop a minute and realize that the footage have to have been sped up because yikes, that plane is going up almost completely vertical! There are probably some people with a slight fear of flying who won't feel great when they look at that video.
posted by fuse theorem at 12:28 PM on July 28, 2014
I had to stop a minute and realize that the footage have to have been sped up because yikes, that plane is going up almost completely vertical! There are probably some people with a slight fear of flying who won't feel great when they look at that video.
posted by fuse theorem at 12:28 PM on July 28, 2014
upbeat pseudo-techno music warning
More like Tesh-no. #amirite
posted by The Tensor at 12:30 PM on July 28, 2014 [11 favorites]
More like Tesh-no. #amirite
posted by The Tensor at 12:30 PM on July 28, 2014 [11 favorites]
that plane is going up almost completely vertical
I think I read it was a 30 degree takeoff angle. Definitely steep! This is the full six-minute routine.
posted by backseatpilot at 12:30 PM on July 28, 2014 [2 favorites]
I think I read it was a 30 degree takeoff angle. Definitely steep! This is the full six-minute routine.
posted by backseatpilot at 12:30 PM on July 28, 2014 [2 favorites]
The takeoff was impressive, but holy crap, the touch-and-go was possibly even more ridiculous.
Of course, the real stars of the show are the helicopter pilot and camerapeople who managed to film this.
posted by schmod at 12:32 PM on July 28, 2014 [7 favorites]
Of course, the real stars of the show are the helicopter pilot and camerapeople who managed to film this.
posted by schmod at 12:32 PM on July 28, 2014 [7 favorites]
The touch and go was borderline parkour.
posted by MillMan at 12:46 PM on July 28, 2014 [4 favorites]
posted by MillMan at 12:46 PM on July 28, 2014 [4 favorites]
Those wings look way too skinny to support that plane.
posted by Dip Flash at 12:48 PM on July 28, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Dip Flash at 12:48 PM on July 28, 2014 [1 favorite]
Beautiful. The wingtips drooping or flexing upward from below the fuselage to above the vertical stabilizer, depending on load, unnerve me. But here we are, living in the future of plastic (OK, composite) bendy planes.
posted by Dreidl at 12:49 PM on July 28, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Dreidl at 12:49 PM on July 28, 2014 [1 favorite]
Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Airplane!
Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
posted by Mister_A at 12:56 PM on July 28, 2014 [1 favorite]
Airplane!
Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
posted by Mister_A at 12:56 PM on July 28, 2014 [1 favorite]
"Lookkit me, I'm an F-16! Zooooooooooooom! Whoooooooooooosh! Ratatatatatatatatatatat!"
posted by fatbird at 1:03 PM on July 28, 2014 [11 favorites]
posted by fatbird at 1:03 PM on July 28, 2014 [11 favorites]
In my own small way I've contributed to that plane so it's always a treat to see it actually taking off and flying. I hope to ride it someday.
posted by Green With You at 1:10 PM on July 28, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by Green With You at 1:10 PM on July 28, 2014 [3 favorites]
I have a fear of flying and I felt better after watching this. If the plane can do all that then the little bumps during a normal flight are nothing. (I know they're nothing but I have to keep reminding myself :-)
posted by sineater at 1:13 PM on July 28, 2014
posted by sineater at 1:13 PM on July 28, 2014
But here we are, living in the future of plastic (OK, composite) bendy planes.
Yeah, but aluminum aircraft structure does exactly the same thing. 777 wing test. DG 800 motorglider. Pipistrel Sinus. NASA Gulfstream III.
posted by backseatpilot at 1:15 PM on July 28, 2014 [4 favorites]
Yeah, but aluminum aircraft structure does exactly the same thing. 777 wing test. DG 800 motorglider. Pipistrel Sinus. NASA Gulfstream III.
posted by backseatpilot at 1:15 PM on July 28, 2014 [4 favorites]
There are probably some people with a slight fear of flying who won't feel great when they look at that video.
Ahem....umm yeah that's me. That takeoff would totally freak me the fuck out.
posted by Benway at 1:20 PM on July 28, 2014
Ahem....umm yeah that's me. That takeoff would totally freak me the fuck out.
posted by Benway at 1:20 PM on July 28, 2014
I'm booked for a flight to Oslo on one of these things (the -8 variant, though) in September and I am so very excited for it. If only they'd do a 30-degree climb after takeoff in revenue service...
posted by spitefulcrow at 1:22 PM on July 28, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by spitefulcrow at 1:22 PM on July 28, 2014 [3 favorites]
Ahem....umm yeah that's me. That takeoff would totally freak me the fuck out.
I think the way to look at this is "the stresses the plane is being subject to during this demonstration take off are orders of magnitude greater than anything it will be subjected to on any take off I'll ever experience, and yet see: perfectly safe."
posted by yoink at 1:23 PM on July 28, 2014
I think the way to look at this is "the stresses the plane is being subject to during this demonstration take off are orders of magnitude greater than anything it will be subjected to on any take off I'll ever experience, and yet see: perfectly safe."
posted by yoink at 1:23 PM on July 28, 2014
"If only they'd do a 30-degree climb after takeoff in revenue service..."
Fastest drink service ever!
posted by troll on a pony at 1:25 PM on July 28, 2014 [8 favorites]
Fastest drink service ever!
posted by troll on a pony at 1:25 PM on July 28, 2014 [8 favorites]
Now this is what I'd pay an extra 50$ surcharge to experience...
"Check this box if you want a rollercoaster airplane ride - 50$ fuel surcharge applies"
posted by el io at 1:37 PM on July 28, 2014 [7 favorites]
"Check this box if you want a rollercoaster airplane ride - 50$ fuel surcharge applies"
posted by el io at 1:37 PM on July 28, 2014 [7 favorites]
el io: I was just having that conversation with a friend on Twitter. Sign me up for Extreme Airways!
posted by spitefulcrow at 1:42 PM on July 28, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by spitefulcrow at 1:42 PM on July 28, 2014 [1 favorite]
Here you go: Steep takeoffs land JWA on 'scariest airports' list
posted by smackfu at 1:46 PM on July 28, 2014
posted by smackfu at 1:46 PM on July 28, 2014
The UPS and DHL guys do some impressively steep climbs out of Boeing Field on occasion. I suspect the passenger lines would rather limit the odds of somebody freaking out.
posted by wotsac at 1:47 PM on July 28, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by wotsac at 1:47 PM on July 28, 2014 [1 favorite]
Here you go: Steep takeoffs land JWA on 'scariest airports' list
I've had Southwest distribute peanuts by dumping the basked out during takeoff at JWA and just letting them roll down the aisle. It's a pretty weird airport to fly in and out of.
posted by dismas at 2:06 PM on July 28, 2014 [1 favorite]
I've had Southwest distribute peanuts by dumping the basked out during takeoff at JWA and just letting them roll down the aisle. It's a pretty weird airport to fly in and out of.
posted by dismas at 2:06 PM on July 28, 2014 [1 favorite]
Stunning. Just lovely. It's impressive to see this kind of skill executed with a nimble two-seater, but a craft this large? I'm awestruck.
posted by obfuscation at 2:07 PM on July 28, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by obfuscation at 2:07 PM on July 28, 2014 [1 favorite]
Steep takeoffs are a lot of fun. For the little Cessnas that I fly, typical takeoff procedure is to roll out on the runway, apply power, and then rotate at about 60-65 kts and climb out at 80 kts or so. That can get you airborne in under a thousand feet. If you're trying to get out of a small field (and for a multi-thousand ton airliner, John Wayne's 5,700 foot runway is positively tiny), the procedure is:
-Taxi out on to the runway, giving yourself as much length as possible.
-Apply 20 degrees of flaps.
-Hold the brakes, apply full engine power.
-Once you're developing full power, release the brakes.
-Hold the yoke back so that the plane rotates as soon as it has enough lift to do so (40-45 kts).
-Climb out at 50-55 kts. Once you're clear of obstacles, start retracting flaps and increase airspeed.
That'll get you off the ground in 300 feet or so. The plane basically catapults itself into the air.
posted by backseatpilot at 2:16 PM on July 28, 2014 [4 favorites]
-Taxi out on to the runway, giving yourself as much length as possible.
-Apply 20 degrees of flaps.
-Hold the brakes, apply full engine power.
-Once you're developing full power, release the brakes.
-Hold the yoke back so that the plane rotates as soon as it has enough lift to do so (40-45 kts).
-Climb out at 50-55 kts. Once you're clear of obstacles, start retracting flaps and increase airspeed.
That'll get you off the ground in 300 feet or so. The plane basically catapults itself into the air.
posted by backseatpilot at 2:16 PM on July 28, 2014 [4 favorites]
This video is lovely, but it's also frustrating. It's hard to tell how much of that is cool flying and how much of it is camera angle or sped-up-footage trickery. Low altitude turns on takeoff sure make me nervous though, yikes.
Those wings sure are beautiful though aren't they? It looks like the narrow, nimble wings of a bird of prey, not some long haul mailing tube.
posted by Nelson at 2:28 PM on July 28, 2014
Those wings sure are beautiful though aren't they? It looks like the narrow, nimble wings of a bird of prey, not some long haul mailing tube.
posted by Nelson at 2:28 PM on July 28, 2014
Came to post Tex Johnson, was too late. Thought I'd post the 777 wing test. Dammit. STOL hasn't been posted yet right?
Why are the engine cowlings round again? For a while they were shaped sort of like wings.
It's a beautiful aircraft - high bypass with power and it's elegant.
I'm no pilot but my friend Jim is a licensed commercial instructor and used me, who can kind of keep a plane in the air, for practice.
Two things: takeoff feels way too steep and you lean forward and you can bounce a Cessna 172 really really hard.
posted by vapidave at 2:31 PM on July 28, 2014 [1 favorite]
Why are the engine cowlings round again? For a while they were shaped sort of like wings.
It's a beautiful aircraft - high bypass with power and it's elegant.
I'm no pilot but my friend Jim is a licensed commercial instructor and used me, who can kind of keep a plane in the air, for practice.
Two things: takeoff feels way too steep and you lean forward and you can bounce a Cessna 172 really really hard.
posted by vapidave at 2:31 PM on July 28, 2014 [1 favorite]
The UPS and DHL guys do some impressively steep climbs out of Boeing Field on occasion. I suspect the passenger lines would rather limit the odds of somebody freaking out.
This is hilarious to me, because it means they're basically just the airborne version of UPS truck drivers. Several times i've thought some frat boy was hot dogging in their mustang or whatever, and it was actually just a UPS truck close to its redline blasting through a yellow light at like, 45mph on broadway.(which is a 25 to 30mph street in seattle, depending on what section you're on. everyone drives 30ish though).
I always thought being a cargo plane pilot would be pretty fun when it wasn't boring, just because you'd get to do stuff like that.
I also always thought it would be fun to watch a delivery truck driver competition, similar to the bus autox competitions.
And it makes me wonder, who's flying the plane in this video? A former airforce pilot/naval aviator?
posted by emptythought at 2:38 PM on July 28, 2014
This is hilarious to me, because it means they're basically just the airborne version of UPS truck drivers. Several times i've thought some frat boy was hot dogging in their mustang or whatever, and it was actually just a UPS truck close to its redline blasting through a yellow light at like, 45mph on broadway.(which is a 25 to 30mph street in seattle, depending on what section you're on. everyone drives 30ish though).
I always thought being a cargo plane pilot would be pretty fun when it wasn't boring, just because you'd get to do stuff like that.
I also always thought it would be fun to watch a delivery truck driver competition, similar to the bus autox competitions.
And it makes me wonder, who's flying the plane in this video? A former airforce pilot/naval aviator?
posted by emptythought at 2:38 PM on July 28, 2014
I had to stop a minute and realize that the footage have to have been sped up because yikes, that plane is going up almost completely vertical!
I predict this plane will be perfect for America's shittiest, scariest, most porktastical airport, National, which calls for takeoffs like rocket launches, landings like Wile E. Coyote plummets, and insane buffeting swooping river-tracking approaches because Congress was just too goddamn lazy to drive to Dulles.
Neat plane, though the Comet had way better engine cowlings.
posted by sonascope at 2:57 PM on July 28, 2014 [2 favorites]
I predict this plane will be perfect for America's shittiest, scariest, most porktastical airport, National, which calls for takeoffs like rocket launches, landings like Wile E. Coyote plummets, and insane buffeting swooping river-tracking approaches because Congress was just too goddamn lazy to drive to Dulles.
Neat plane, though the Comet had way better engine cowlings.
posted by sonascope at 2:57 PM on July 28, 2014 [2 favorites]
If you are a cargo pilot doing short take offs, you'd better trust your loadmasters. A quick change in the centre of gravity can be fatal, as in the case of that military 747 that augured in over in Afghanistan when a pallet broke free, that was a heartbreaking video.
This plane is gorgeous. I want to stay Boeing but I keep getting the damn Bus when I go transatlantic.
For those of you nervous fliers, you would have loved when my small sons, fresh from Grandpa's flight sim for his Cessna habit, encountered pretty rough turbulence over the Atlantic. The pilot was silent, so the tension was silently mounting in the crowd over 20 minutes as the random drops and shoves increasingly unnerved the passengers. One big WHOOSH drop down, then little giggles broke out in my fearless two, and cries to the pilot to "DO A BARREL ROLL!" broke the silence. Ugh.
Funny in hindsight, though.
Thanks for the post
posted by C.A.S. at 3:09 PM on July 28, 2014 [8 favorites]
This plane is gorgeous. I want to stay Boeing but I keep getting the damn Bus when I go transatlantic.
For those of you nervous fliers, you would have loved when my small sons, fresh from Grandpa's flight sim for his Cessna habit, encountered pretty rough turbulence over the Atlantic. The pilot was silent, so the tension was silently mounting in the crowd over 20 minutes as the random drops and shoves increasingly unnerved the passengers. One big WHOOSH drop down, then little giggles broke out in my fearless two, and cries to the pilot to "DO A BARREL ROLL!" broke the silence. Ugh.
Funny in hindsight, though.
Thanks for the post
posted by C.A.S. at 3:09 PM on July 28, 2014 [8 favorites]
I predict this plane will be perfect for America's shittiest, scariest, most porktastical airport, National, which calls for takeoffs like rocket launches, landings like Wile E. Coyote plummets, and insane buffeting swooping river-tracking approaches because Congress was just too goddamn lazy to drive to Dulles.
Uhm. I quite like flying out of National. It's a very pleasant airport in virtually every aspect when compared to Dulles (which was the real pork-belly project -- DCA existed long before congress decided to put an airport in middle-of-nowhere, VA).
I don't believe that there are any plans to operate 787s out of DCA, though.
posted by schmod at 3:15 PM on July 28, 2014
Uhm. I quite like flying out of National. It's a very pleasant airport in virtually every aspect when compared to Dulles (which was the real pork-belly project -- DCA existed long before congress decided to put an airport in middle-of-nowhere, VA).
I don't believe that there are any plans to operate 787s out of DCA, though.
posted by schmod at 3:15 PM on July 28, 2014
Ahem....umm yeah that's me. That takeoff would totally freak me the fuck out.
Me too. Especially if the plane was full of passengers and luggage, which this one isn't. I sometimes feel parts of my brain are in the 16th century. Huge jets just look outright impossible to me. Ativan doesn't do squat for me either. I still get on them though.
I even got on a Spanair MD82 (and I really don't like MD82s) a month after another one crashed. That was the steepest climb I've ever experienced. First, the plane stalled on the runway, all the lights went out (it was around 9:30pm and dark) and they restarted the plane. Then they gunned it and pointed up at a very steep angle before eventually leveling off. Every one I could see on the plane was holding on to the armrests tight.
posted by juiceCake at 3:40 PM on July 28, 2014
Me too. Especially if the plane was full of passengers and luggage, which this one isn't. I sometimes feel parts of my brain are in the 16th century. Huge jets just look outright impossible to me. Ativan doesn't do squat for me either. I still get on them though.
I even got on a Spanair MD82 (and I really don't like MD82s) a month after another one crashed. That was the steepest climb I've ever experienced. First, the plane stalled on the runway, all the lights went out (it was around 9:30pm and dark) and they restarted the plane. Then they gunned it and pointed up at a very steep angle before eventually leveling off. Every one I could see on the plane was holding on to the armrests tight.
posted by juiceCake at 3:40 PM on July 28, 2014
Jetliners in general are far more aerobatic than most people realize, especially when they're not loaded with passengers and cargo. On the occasion of the introduction of the first jetliner, the 707, the test pilot decided to show it off by doing a barrel roll with all the journalists aboard. There's a famous photo showing the upside-down landscape in the background behind a cocktail.
The main reason you don't see these maneuvers in revenue traffic is that they would kill any passengers foolish enough not to belt in and likely fill the cabin with a fog of vomit from those that survived.
posted by localroger at 6:08 PM on July 28, 2014 [2 favorites]
The main reason you don't see these maneuvers in revenue traffic is that they would kill any passengers foolish enough not to belt in and likely fill the cabin with a fog of vomit from those that survived.
posted by localroger at 6:08 PM on July 28, 2014 [2 favorites]
I remain concerned about the effect of high altitude UV rays on the composites after a few years.
posted by buzzman at 8:28 PM on July 28, 2014
posted by buzzman at 8:28 PM on July 28, 2014
Ativan doesn't do squat for me either.
PSssssst
Xanaaaaaxxxxx....
posted by emptythought at 9:20 PM on July 28, 2014
PSssssst
Xanaaaaaxxxxx....
posted by emptythought at 9:20 PM on July 28, 2014
It's not just Boeing's wide-bodies that can do the insane take-off. (SLYT: Airbus 380 super-jumbo doing something eye-popping.)
posted by cstross at 4:14 AM on July 29, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by cstross at 4:14 AM on July 29, 2014 [1 favorite]
It's not just Boeing's wide-bodies that can do the insane take-off
I know, but watching the A380 going through its routine seems to me to be a little like watching a whale broach as opposed to the 787's porpoise frolicking.
posted by pjern at 6:28 AM on July 29, 2014 [3 favorites]
I know, but watching the A380 going through its routine seems to me to be a little like watching a whale broach as opposed to the 787's porpoise frolicking.
posted by pjern at 6:28 AM on July 29, 2014 [3 favorites]
727 has structures similar to the A380 flaps - they call 'em wings!
posted by Mister_A at 7:01 AM on July 29, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by Mister_A at 7:01 AM on July 29, 2014 [2 favorites]
Oh, for those of you who don't like National, its not just for congressmen. After way too many parking tickets in DC/Arlington, I ditched my car, and having Metro-connected air travel is truly great, more like London where I live now.
Also, even thought it seems like a PITA, a lot of pilots secretly love the difficult approach downriver that requires hand flying. That is one way to stop the automation creep in commercial aviation.
posted by C.A.S. at 7:22 AM on July 29, 2014
Also, even thought it seems like a PITA, a lot of pilots secretly love the difficult approach downriver that requires hand flying. That is one way to stop the automation creep in commercial aviation.
posted by C.A.S. at 7:22 AM on July 29, 2014
Yeah, National is great. Fabulous views on takeoff and landing, and a five guys in the terminal, and a metro station right there. Win win win.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:40 AM on July 29, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:40 AM on July 29, 2014 [1 favorite]
Agree, airports you can reach via transit are the bomb. We have a regional rail to the Philly airport - not as great as a subway or something but still nice.
posted by Mister_A at 8:11 AM on July 29, 2014
posted by Mister_A at 8:11 AM on July 29, 2014
PSssssst
Xanaaaaaxxxxx....
Aware of it. There is a general rule in Ontario that anything above Ativan is great restricted and you have to have seen a psychologist. Even for Ativan you have to sign for it now.
posted by juiceCake at 8:29 AM on July 29, 2014
Xanaaaaaxxxxx....
Aware of it. There is a general rule in Ontario that anything above Ativan is great restricted and you have to have seen a psychologist. Even for Ativan you have to sign for it now.
posted by juiceCake at 8:29 AM on July 29, 2014
*feels tearful gratitude to everyone for still calling it National*
Back on-topic, this makes me happy. I love flying. I mean, airports are loathsome, but I love flying; I love the triumph of physics over practicality; I love the feeling of hurtling through the open sky in a machine made of thousands of tons of metal, extending an eloquent middle finger to gravity. Give me a window seat and I'm joyful-- you never get the same sky twice.
I also love turbulence: it's a salutary reminder that, for all its weight and power, the aircraft I'm in is downright puny and can be buffeted around by forces far stronger. Plus, it is FUN-- the jet stream is God's own 100-mile-per-hour roller coaster.
posted by Pallas Athena at 10:59 AM on July 29, 2014 [3 favorites]
Back on-topic, this makes me happy. I love flying. I mean, airports are loathsome, but I love flying; I love the triumph of physics over practicality; I love the feeling of hurtling through the open sky in a machine made of thousands of tons of metal, extending an eloquent middle finger to gravity. Give me a window seat and I'm joyful-- you never get the same sky twice.
I also love turbulence: it's a salutary reminder that, for all its weight and power, the aircraft I'm in is downright puny and can be buffeted around by forces far stronger. Plus, it is FUN-- the jet stream is God's own 100-mile-per-hour roller coaster.
posted by Pallas Athena at 10:59 AM on July 29, 2014 [3 favorites]
Nice graceful flight. That leveling off at the end of the climb would have caused most people to lose their lunch.
I was slightly involved in the flight test of her smaller sister, the 787-8. I can recall the flight director’s pre-flight briefing on board the ship always ended with “Know where your barf bag is!” You really didn’t want to barf on the banks of flight test equipment, which often had hot power sections that would cook the vomit, making the cabin intolerable for the other engineers and test flight personnel. I was on a flight where they were testing several systems at close to Mach .96 and inverted 115° (in other words, slightly inverted) hanging from my shoulder harness, and I remember thinking “If I puke, which way will the barf go?”
While the video looks like the aircraft is performing at extreme ends of the flight envelope, it really isn’t. For these flights the aircraft carries only a small fuel load, so while the extreme “yank and banks” look cool they are not stressing the airframe at all. In fact, this video shows a choreographed flight that demonstrates the grace and beauty of the aircraft. Most test flights work from a list of predetermined maneuvers that are designed to measure specific engineering parameters, such as flap deployment, maximum airspeed for landing gear retraction, etc. These maneuvers are not nearly as pretty to watch, or fun for the pilots to perform. Each test flight costs several million dollars with all the bureaucracy involved, so to be able to just fly the 787-9 elegantly is a rare treat for the pilots and us observers on the ground.
posted by Mag Plug at 8:38 PM on July 29, 2014 [5 favorites]
I was slightly involved in the flight test of her smaller sister, the 787-8. I can recall the flight director’s pre-flight briefing on board the ship always ended with “Know where your barf bag is!” You really didn’t want to barf on the banks of flight test equipment, which often had hot power sections that would cook the vomit, making the cabin intolerable for the other engineers and test flight personnel. I was on a flight where they were testing several systems at close to Mach .96 and inverted 115° (in other words, slightly inverted) hanging from my shoulder harness, and I remember thinking “If I puke, which way will the barf go?”
While the video looks like the aircraft is performing at extreme ends of the flight envelope, it really isn’t. For these flights the aircraft carries only a small fuel load, so while the extreme “yank and banks” look cool they are not stressing the airframe at all. In fact, this video shows a choreographed flight that demonstrates the grace and beauty of the aircraft. Most test flights work from a list of predetermined maneuvers that are designed to measure specific engineering parameters, such as flap deployment, maximum airspeed for landing gear retraction, etc. These maneuvers are not nearly as pretty to watch, or fun for the pilots to perform. Each test flight costs several million dollars with all the bureaucracy involved, so to be able to just fly the 787-9 elegantly is a rare treat for the pilots and us observers on the ground.
posted by Mag Plug at 8:38 PM on July 29, 2014 [5 favorites]
WOuld you consider TWO Ativan?
I've had a number of Lorezapam doses and no dice. I know about equivalency across drug families but I know people who are attempting to get off Diazepam (slowly of course, which is also not allowed so they're royally fucked and treated awfully by the medical profession who first prescribed it in buckets when they were younger) and the different benzos seem to affect some in rather different ways and degrees.
posted by juiceCake at 2:27 PM on July 30, 2014
I've had a number of Lorezapam doses and no dice. I know about equivalency across drug families but I know people who are attempting to get off Diazepam (slowly of course, which is also not allowed so they're royally fucked and treated awfully by the medical profession who first prescribed it in buckets when they were younger) and the different benzos seem to affect some in rather different ways and degrees.
posted by juiceCake at 2:27 PM on July 30, 2014
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