Pilot sets world record (Boeing 777)

The Is London ^ | 10 November 2005 | Staff

[lentulusgracchus]

Someone is still flying Constellations?

By "Constellation Super G" do you mean a "super guppy" type freight modification?

[lentulusgracchus]

My Dad did a stint with the Army in Okinawa in the late 50's and used to tell about those 36's shaking the walls when they flew over.

A B-36J flew right over my house one day in Lake Charles, back in 1960 or so, about the time they were changing the name of the SAC B-47 base there to Chennault. There was an air show, and I knew the sound of aircraft, and had run outdoors to get a look at a P-40 in sharkmouth paint flying over about 1000' feet up.........then a sudden wrath rose up on the southern horizon and everything began to vibrate, and then the biggest damned airplane I'd ever seen in my life flew over at about 600'......Gawd, what a glorious sight.....four jet engines streaming black smoke and six giant props flailing away mightily. It was truly, deeply impressive. If I'd been Russian, I'd have been constipated for a week.

Actually, it wasn't quite true that it was the biggest I'd ever seen -- I'd actually seen the XC-99, then the "biggest airplane in the world" over in San Antonio, six or seven years earlier, at a static display during another air show, and had actually been allowed on board with a group. I read somewhere years later that it's actually still there.

[Jet Jaguar]

ping

[ncountylee]

The Constellation Super G was striking.

[MHalblaub]

"airbus is toast"

After more than 22 hours on a plane I would be toasted too. For security reasons all passengers over 30 have to wear special stockings to prevent thromboses.

[elbucko]

Oh, really!! That would mean,....

Exactly. Boeing will have to lobby the UN's International Civil Aviation Organization, the ICAO, to change their Extended-range Twin-engine Operation Performance Standards or "ETOPS" for the 777. It will be necessary for Boeing to break the international political "barrier" next. The frogs, krauts, wops and limeys will squeal if the 777 can operate 4 engine routes.

[HKMk23]

They tried to shanghai me into 36s but that was a bit much.

LOL! A straight 36 hours of ANYTHING is a bit much. In a big, loud bird like that, I'd think it'd be really rough, although it might be easier if you were flying out of a base that had nice weather and/or picturesque surroundings.

How many crew went up on the 36's? Was there a rotation, or did everyone have to man their station for the whole flight?

[HKMk23]

...a sudden wrath rose up on the southern horizon...

That is just about exactly how Dad used to describe it, too. Huge. Loud. Earth-shaking. A massive engine of war evoking deep visceral feelings of awe and dread, which was just what we needed in those Cold War days.