Hail and an Airplane

[Ben]

Holy crap.

http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2017/07/31/pilot-lands-plane-blind-after-hail-destroys-nose-and-windshield-aircraft.html

[RoadKingLarry]

Speaking to reporters after the landing, Akopov gave some insight into how he was able to land the aircraft safely.
"I have been flying for 30 years,” he said. “Well, did you see the plane landing? Was it OK? The passengers are alive. It is normal," he said, according to The Mirror.

Translated to: "What's the big deal, nobody died, get over it".

[RocketMan]

I would like to have seen the leading edges of the wings of that Airbus.  I'll bet they looked pretty bad.
I once saw a Beechcraft King Air that had passed through a hail storm north of Colorado Springs. We all stood around in absolute awe because the pilot was able the land the thing successfully.  The windshield and leading edges of the wings were beat to crap.  The airfoil of the wings was disrupted completely.  None of us thought it should have been able to stay in the air.

[Fly320s]

This is why we stay 20 miles from thunderstorms.

[Ben]

Here in CA, the hail (when we get it) is generally pea sized and not very damaging. I don't think I've ever seen hail damage in my entire life here.

My first experience with real hail only happened a couple of weeks ago when driving to Helena from Glacier National Park. It went from 85deg to 60deg in the span of a few miles, then started raining with drops the size of small dogs. Then it started hailing. Big and hard. I was really worried that I was gonna lose my windshield between the strength of the hailstorm and my speed on the highway. I was kinda thinking, "Would I be a wussy Californian if I pulled over?" when I came up to a couple of turnouts with a dozen people pulled over, so decision made. Fifteen minutes later it was down to CA sized hail and I started driving again, but I kept thinking about driving 50mph and that hail and my windshield*. I can't imagine what that's like when you're doing 350mph.



*Thank goodness for all the plastic on modern cars. I'm betting I would have had hail dents if my hood was metal.

[230RN]

I'm surprised he had any engines left.  I know they test the engines against snow and birds and rain and hailstones, but gee, golf ball or chicken egg sized hail stones should have disrupted the compressor blades, it seems to me.

Somehow reminds me of the probably apocryphal story about the British engineers who wanted to test their aircraft windshield designs against birds in flight and asked the Americans how they built their compressed-air "chicken guns" which blew chickens at high speed at the windshields under test.

So the Brits copied the American chicken gun design and were dismayed to find that in every test, the high-speed chickens broke their test windshields.  Every single one.

After much discussion back and forth across the pond and much head scratching and deep analysis of the test parameters, the solution was found.

The Americans finally told them that they couldn't use frozen chickens.  You had to thaw them out first.

....Unnamed poster runs and hides without leaving any trace of forensic evidence.

[RoadKingLarry]

The son of one of my cousins used to have the job of shooting the chicken canon for one of the builders in Wichita. He said it was lots of fun.

[RoadKingLarry]

As to the 320...That'll buff right out.

[230RN]

The son of one of my cousins used to have the job of shooting the chicken canon for one of the builders in Wichita. He said it was lots of fun.

I understand they were pump-action guns.


https://youtu.be/DToJph_PVFA

[RocketMan]

I had forgotten that British chicken cannon story, 230RN.  Thanks for the reminder.   It's still good for a laugh.

[zxcvbob]

.

[230RN]

.

^ Yes, Mythbusters did another one of their "investigations" of the frozen versus thawed chicken story.

Terry, 230RN

REF:
https://youtu.be/sCQ2oZtVNpg

[Jamisjockey]

This is why we stay 20 miles from thunderstorms.

But privatization will prevent all delays!

[Fly320s]

But privatization will prevent all delays!

You know the country has gotten FUBAR when you and I are in favor of more government.

[Jamisjockey]

You know the country has gotten FUBAR when you and I are in favor of more government.

I'm all for privatization if it's done right.  But this blowing smoke up my ass and calling it sunshine that both my Union and the administration are pulling ain't cutting it.
NATCA is desperately trying to convince us that we'll end up with pay raises, new equipment and 32 hour workweeks.
Pretty sure the union P and VP are on the take at this point.

[MechAg94]

I'm all for privatization if it's done right.  But this blowing smoke up my ass and calling it sunshine that both my Union and the administration are pulling ain't cutting it.
NATCA is desperately trying to convince us that we'll end up with pay raises, new equipment and 32 hour workweeks.
Pretty sure the union P and VP are on the take at this point.

The last part has likely been true for quite some time.

[Scout26]

There are some parts (very, very few) of government that can't or shouldn't be privatized.  ICE to name one.  The USCG for another.  Air Traffic Control for another.  (Surprisingly, all of which should be under Commerce or Treasury.)  Defense should remain under fed.gov

But those are rare exceptions, just about everything else should either be eliminated or privatized.   

[wmenorr67]

There are some parts (very, very few) of government that can't or shouldn't be privatized.  ICE to name one.  The USCG for another.  Air Traffic Control for another.  (Surprisingly, all of which should be under Commerce or Treasury.)  Defense should remain under fed.gov

But those are rare exceptions, just about everything else should either be eliminated or privatized.   

Remember the .gov couldn't even make money running a brothel.

[Hawkmoon]

Remember the .gov couldn't even make money running a brothel.

It isn't the purpose of government to make money.

I have that problem when it comes to building permit fees. The concept of requiring permits and inspections is part of the so-called "police power of the state -- to promote public safety. To that end, a building department should charge permit fees that are sufficient to cover the cost of running the building inspection department. That's only fair -- the people using the system pay for the services they use.

In my state, I know of several smaller municipalities that are running their building departments as profit centers, and I have a problem with that. Once the fees exceed what's needed to run the department, the excess becomes a discriminatory tax, used to provide some services for the entire population but paid only by a small sub-set of the population.

[Scout26]

Remember the .gov couldn't even make money running a brothel.

ICE is also Customs Enforcement.  And yes, it should make money.   Up until the 16th amendment, it was pretty much the only way the Fed.Gov was financed.   And it should be the only way the Fed.Gov gets money.

Same with the FAA/Air Traffic Control.  Airport and Airline fees should pay for those services.

ICE should cover the costs of the USCG.

And we should charge other countries for Defense.  You want a bunch of US Troops on your border with your BSC Cousin,  Here's our bill.

[Jamisjockey]

The last part has likely been true for quite some time.

The sudden about face on privatization is staggering, really.  Honestly feels like the sole reason for it.  But at least the last union conference, the membership voted in a rule that any sitting president cannot serve on the board of privatized ATC for 1 year 

[Jamisjockey]

Jesus the last two days have been a zoo.  But at least it's forecast to be worse today.

[Fly320s]

Jesus the last two days have been a zoo.  But at least it's forecast to be worse today.

Same around NY.