Mooney landing gear is manual, no hydraulics involved.

Harrowing.

Hey W0X0F. Continuing thanks for this thread. What are your thoughts on a no nose gear landing like this?

I read the link and had to laugh at this quote:

"Landing without a nose gear is a very difficult manoeuvre, but one pilots train extensively for."

Speaking for myself, I have never trained for this maneuver (or manoeuvre). It's never even been discussed in all my years of airline flying. Also, I don't think it would be a particularly tough thing to do. I'd much rather have the nosewheel stuck in the retracted position than have one of the main gear stuck.


[On an unrelated note: my apologies for my apparent abandonment of this thread over the last few weeks. My best friend, who saw me through my bout with cancer, is now succumbing to his own 15 month ordeal with multiple myeloma. I've been spending most of my time at the hospital with him and doing little else. I will get to all of the questions that have been posted.]

Thanks. It was that line that prompted me to ask...

Sorry to hear what your friend's going through. I don't think anyone is going to hold a few unanswered questions against you.

Truth. You've already contributed well above and beyond. Anyone should feel grateful to have all this free content.

American Airlines pilot situation - pretty big cluster, right?

In your opinion, if they found the passenger, would the airline be justified in putting that person on a no-fly list, or at least subjecting them to enhanced security just as punishment for being a moron/dick?

It's been a while since I've posted any responses in this thread, and I'm going to respond to all of the unanswered posts this weekend, working my way backwards. Before I do that, please indulge me as I write a short tribute to my best friend, Rick Siegert, who died on November 11th from complications arising from his multiple myeloma. This is extremely off-topic, of course, and is probably tl;dr for most of you, but I feel a need to do this.

Rick was only 57 years old, which seems younger to me all the time (I'm 62 now). He had never been really sick in his life and always took care of himself, working out several times a week. During the summer of 2016 he began complaining of back pains when we played golf. He would take ibuprofen before we headed out and he just figured it was the aging process.

Rick with Skyler, his loyal boxer...





At the golf course, one month before diagnosis...
(that's me in front)



I should explain a little about our friendship. I've known Rick since the early 90's when I first started flying with ACA. The pay was so bad that I did part time work for two software companies. One of those companies was FGM, where Rick worked. We became very good friends, with similar interests (golf and, later, poker) and our senses of humor and outlook on things just meshed.

Many years later, we became a real life "odd couple" when his wife asked for a divorce and, not too long after that (2012), mine kicked me out (for reasons we don't have to dwell on, but no one would blame her). Rick let me have a room at his townhouse in Leesburg while I figured things out. I guess I was the Felix Unger of the two, since I was a bit neater (but not by much).

The situation became very comfortable and made sense for both of us. Rick was traveling a good bit at that point and so was I, of course, as a pilot. If he had a scheduled business trip, I'd finagle my schedule to be able to house- and dog-sit for him (and take care of his salt water aquarium). We used to laugh at the appearance we must have made to the neighbors. On some mornings, Rick would be in a coat and tie heading off to work while I came out in sweats with Skyler on a leash for her morning walk. All I needed was curlers in my hair to complete the image.

In August 2016, his back pain got bad enough he thought he might have kidney stones, so he went to the ER. He was found to have impaired kidney function, almost necessitating dialysis. The diagnosis was multiple myeloma. Initial treatment was some medication which gives positive results in about 85% of myeloma patients, but it did no good for him. That was an early indicator that his myeloma was aggressive.

Plasmapheresis (filtering of the blood) was performed with good results. He went home and was feeling pretty good.

One of our good friends scored tickets for us to the Ryder Cup in Minnesota, to be played at the end of September 2016. I flew out separately and called back to see if Rick was heading to the airport. He was hit with severe vertigo on the drive to the airport and never made it to the Ryder Cup, a great disappoint to both of us. I scored some swag for him. Unknown if the vertigo was related at all to the myeloma.

I had a good time at the Ryder Cup, indulging in the free drinks and food at the McMunn hospitality tent on the 7th hole. (I drink rarely, and then only to excess.) I made this video for Rick as we left at the end of one of the days of golf...

2016 Ryder Cup




The next 14 months Rick was in and out of the hospital, often for less than a week. My own situation, being out on medical disability since my own brush with cancer, now had some benefit as I was able to be there for him with doctor visits and taking care of his place whenever he had to spend time in the hospital.

Fortunately, he was in between hospital stays when his daughter Laura was married, April 15, 2017. His hair had grown back from his earlier chemos and he looked a lot like the Rick everyone knew.

Father and Daughter at her wedding...




One week later (April 20, 2017)...
(read the t-shirt)



He always bounced back and we were mildly optimistic. He was scheduled for a stem cell transplant at the University of Virginia, for early September this year. I drove him down to UVA in late August and spent three days there while they harvested his stem cells and then went back down with him for the procedure. But on the day they were to begin, it was discovered that his kidney function was not good enough to proceed and he was sent home for more chemo (maybe his third or fourth course of that, can't remember for sure). He still seemed to be bouncing back, but things took a bad turn a month ago, when I took him in for what I thought was a routine office visit with his oncologist. I got a gut punch when the doctor advised him that he needed to start thinking about whether he wanted to spend his last days in the hospital or at home. He then immediately followed up with "I'm not talking about in the next week. It could be months." It turned out to be eight days.

I guess I was in some serious denial. Rick was always a strong, healthy guy who took care of himself. We were actually planning a trip to Trinidad for this coming January to play golf with a mutual friend down there who is 73 and used to play on tour. Just days before Rick died, I was in his hospital room with one of my brothers and we were talking poker. It was election night (Nov 7th) and Rick was describing a hand where he lost set over set to the son of one of his good friends.

November 7, 2017
(I was taking this without his knowledge; hence the lack of focus)



Tomorrow, we're having a celebration of Rick's life here in Great Falls, VA. I've been trying to come up with the words I'll say and I've spent many sleepless nights thinking about what I want to say. If you're lucky, you have a few really good friends in your life. I've been very lucky in that regard, with maybe as many as half a dozen really solid friends I've known for 25-50 years. Rick stands alone in that group.

I've been mildly depressed for the last three weeks, ever since he took a downward turn on the morning of Nov 8th, and though I've gotten out to play golf and some poker in that time, I feel guilty for doing so and I find I want to share the moments with him, but that's when the reality hits.

I could go on and on about this guy. But one thing that was amazing throughout his 15 month "battle with cancer" (a phrase we both laughed at because it's the standard phrase in these situations, kind of like "thoughts and prayers" after national tragedies), Rick never, and I mean NEVER, complained or expressed one word of self-pity for what he was dealing with. They loved him on the 9th floor of Fairfax Hospital (oncology ward). He was one of the best patients they've ever had, I'm sure.

The one time I heard any word related to his situation was when we were out for dinner and saw some obese guy walking by. Rick said, "That's the only thing that gets me sometimes. That fat **** is going to outlive me."

Here he is October 24th, less than three weeks before he died, when I took him to the pharmacy.



Can't believe he's gone...


oh, p.s. He created a screen name on twoplustwo for the sole purpose of chiming in on this thread. His username was Rick Foldo and he had three posts in this thread, all on Nov 9, 2009:



Post #86

Easy for everyone else...pretending for him



Post #112

I would assume your ability to really stay on top of the "little things" is superior to that of the average Joe. You probably don't have buddies that are obligated to say things like "good thing you don't have a job that requires attention to detail" during every home game. True?


Post #118

Steve - great thread! It trails the "Donut Poll" and "The Official Wrestlemania Thread" in popularity but it is 2x better than "How to ask out a Poker Room Waitress".

W0X0F,

Very nice tribute to your dear friend. Please accept my most sincere condolences, he does truly sounds like a hell of a great person.

W0X0F - lost my dad (himself a pilot) to multiple myeloma 2 years ago. Sorry to hear about your friend. **** cancer.

I tell myself that if I'm going to live forever, I'm going to eventually have to outlive everyone. Sucks that so many good ones go first, is all. Sorry about your buddy, and I imagine you'll have no trouble giving a hell of a tribute.

+1

We all should have a friend like you to memorialize us when we're gone.

Sounds like you were a great friend to him. RIP Rick.

Yes, I believe it would certainly be justified for the airline to deny service to that passenger. I could definitely be wrong on this, but I think an airline can deny service for reasons to related to flight safety as long as the "reason" can't be categorized as discriminatory against legally protected groups.

As for the enhanced security for a particular passenger, I think that's specifically under the TSA's purview. Airlines don't have their own security procedures.


[Thanks to everyone for the condolences on my friend.]

Really unbelievable.

But now that they're in the situation of having no pilots scheduled for Christmas, they're going to have to pony up big bucks in incentive pay to cover those flights.

I don't know what the AA Pilot Working Agreement spells out here, but at Delta this would result in three categories of flight pay to cover flights: white slips, green slips and assignment pay. (These are strictly Delta terms, not at all generic in the industry.)

White slip - this is when a pilot picks up an open trip at straight pay. Can't imagine there will be much of that kind of thing in this situation.

Green slip - this is when a pilot offers to fly an open trip at double pay. The airline will first try to cover the trip using a Reserve pilot, then give it to a pilot who has proffered a white slip (why pay double if someone is offering to fly it at straight pay?).

Assignment Pay - this is when the company starts going through the seniority list and essentially telling the pilot they have to fly the trip. This is at double pay. Assignments are easy to avoid if the pilot so wishes. First way is to just not answer the phone (after all, if we're not on duty, we're not required to be contactable). Second way, if you make the mistake of picking up and get an assignment, it to beg out due to child care issues, or just say "I'd love to, but I'm out with friends and just cracked a beer. Can't fly."

As I said, American has different methods and terminology, I'm sure. But I read that the company is offering 150% pay and I think the pilot union is saying that isn't what the contract spells out. It will be interesting to follow this. Someone really screwed up over there.

Status update on my effort to get back to flying...

I've now had three CT scans since surgery in February 2016, and there is no indication of recurrence of the liposarcoma. Doctors from ALPA's aeromedical offices in Colorado have submitted an appeal to the FAA on my behalf, trying to get me a medical certificate. This appeal went in October 24th and I have not yet heard anything from the FAA. I was hoping to be back flying by the end of the year which is still possible, but looking less likely. The wheels of bureaucracy turn slowly.

When/if I get that certificate, I'll probably have to spend four weeks in Atlanta getting requalified. I might just take the opportunity to switch planes, as I can hold Captain on the 737 or Airbus 320 and might be able to get back to the 757/767, which would be a good plane to finish my career on.

Wondercall is right about the Mooney. The landing gear is completely manual, actuated by moving a long lever that sits between the front seats. That lever, called a Johnson bar by Mooney pilots (though I don't know if that's an official term for it), is a substantial metal bar about two feet in length. It's been so long since I've flown a Mooney, I can't remember which position is gear up and which is gear down. The bar either lays horizontally between the seats or vertically against the center of the forward panel.

The technique is to just move the bar is one swift motion. There are powerful springs to assist in the actuation, but if the motion is tentative, the bar can get sort of stuck halfway and it's necessary to reposition it and start the motion again. (Easier to show than to explain.)

The great thing about this manual system is that it works without hydraulics or an electrical system and the gear motion is just as fast as you can move the bar. With hydraulic gear, it might take 5-7 seconds for the gear to transition. On the Mooney, it's immediate.

W0X0F:

I know this past month has not been pleasant for you, so I'm going to try and cheer you up (a bit) with a question about a fellow "pilot" you might have heard about ...

Fifteen years ago a Steven Spielberg movie came out, (i.e. "Catch Me If You Can"), based on the real life exploits of one Frank W. Abagnale Jr.

https://www.amazon.com/Catch-You-Wid...if+you+can+dvd

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Abagnale

Before he was 22 years old, with a bit of inspired ingenuity, the real life Frank Abagnale figured out how to pass himself off as a Pan Am pilot. (Abagnale looks ten years older than his actual age, so people were [easily] taken in ... especially in the late 1960's.) Frank proceeded to "fly" (mostly in the jump seat) in TWA aircraft all around the world while routinely cashing [phony] Pan Am paychecks. Frank was a "pilot" for nearly a year before he decided to change careers taking (and passing) the bar exam and becoming a lawyer down in Louisiana. The scene in the movie where "Captain Taylor" organizes an audition contest for new Pan Am flight attendants who all just happen to be gorgeous is actually true - in addition to being hilarious. If you read Mr. Abagnale's book, you quickly realize that Frank had, from an early age, an advanced case of "girlitis" - he just could not resist beautiful women.

In the book Abagnale recalls a particular ocean crossing flight where the senior TWA captain invited him to sit in the captain's seat and fly the plane. Abagnale kept his cool acting like he was more interested in talking with the pilots rather than actually "flying" the airplane, (which terrified him), so he quickly spotted the autopilot switch and flipped it on.

The most hilarious scene of the book and the movie, the scene where Abagnale manages to trick a famous model - "Cheryl Ann" - into sleeping with him after she gives him $400.00 cash actually happened. This famous model told Frank that her "time" would not be free, so they went through an elaborate negotiation process - "Go fish!" - before finally settling on an agreed price of $1,000.00. (Keep in mind that this happened around 1968 when $1,000.00 in cash was a lot of money.) Mr. Abagnale says, in the book, that he had never paid a hooker for sex, so he saw this as a challenge - and Cheryl Ann as the perfect mark.

After the price was finally agreed upon, Frank acts like he's about to leave, ("... to go downstairs and cash a check,") but Cheryl Ann grabs him by the arm saying: "Oh no, you're not leaving now - not after we've made a deal!" Frank dodges telling Cheryl Ann, "No, no. I know the owner of this hotel. They cash my checks all the time - even at 2:00 A.M." (Abagnale had been passing himself off, earlier in the evening, as a wealthy businessman who owned "... a fleet of Rolls Royces" - a fact which seemed to attract Cheryl Ann's attention.) Cheryl Ann asks him to give her the check, but Abagnale balks telling her: "Well, the check is for $1,400.00. We agreed on $1,000.00 - and a deal is a deal." So, just as in the movie, Cheryl Ann reaches into her blouse and hands Abagnale $400.00 in cash - and he hands her the [phony] check. Later, when this famous fashion model meets up with the FBI special agent who's looking for Abagnale, the agent is bewildered as to why Abagnale "fleeced an individual rather than a large corporation as this is so 'out of character' for Frank Abagnale. He's never done this before ..." (The FBI agent is also curious as to why this famous woman is so mad?)

It takes a bit of Special Agent intuition to get her to reveal the full story. (The version as presented in the book is hilarious, but the movie version - with Jennifer Garner as Cheryl Ann - is funny enough.) The thing I've always wondered about is who was "Cheryl Ann" in real life? (Abagnale, being the perfect gentleman, has never revealed who the mystery woman actually is ... I wonder if she might have been another "Cheryl" who was a very famous magazine cover model in the 1960's?) OK, enough about Cheryl Ann - back to Abagnale's career as a pilot ...

In real life "Captain Taylor" (Abagnale) was flying for Pan Am in the late 1960's when airport security was much laxer than it is today. The movie came out in 2002, a time when I assume you were flying professionally. I'm wondering if you might have flown with a senior "old timer" pilot who saw the movie (and/or read Abagnale's book) and possibly recalled having "flown" with Frank Abagnale? (I imagine somebody trying to pull off a "Captain" ruse nowadays wouldn't get past first base - and certainly not onboard an actual plane.)

You're right, there's no way that could happen today. But I remember the times when it was possible. As someone once told me, "You can get away with almost anything if you look serious and carry a clipboard." The gist of that statement is to just act the part and most people won't challenge you.

I knew a guy in the 90s won jumpseated with a homemade pilot ID, kind of the same thing Abagnale did. This guy was a former ACA pilot (the company I flew for) who left ACA to fly with a small 135 operation in North Carolina. He wanted to jumpseat, but his company didn't even have official ID, so he made his own. I had him on my flights a couple of times.

I didn't ever meet anyone who knew of Abagnale. The first time I ever heard about him was when the movie came out, and then I read his book. Fascinating and all very believable for those times.

Would you recommend doing a commercial licence in 5 years, and they were around 19 years old?

I'm not sure I understand your question. (If English is your native language, please try restating this more clearly.)

Any 19 year old with an interest in flying should get a degree and a commercial pilot license with instrument rating and then try to get that first job with a regional carrier. The cost will be substantial, but it will be worth the debt to get started early and not stretch it out over many years.

I've flown in a friend's Mooney. I figured the lever actuated a motorized mechanism like in an airliner.

It's possible that modern day Mooney airplanes use a motor. The only one I've ever flown was 1963 Mooney Executive and it was purely mechanical with spring assist.

His was a 201, and from I can find on teh intarwebs, at least some of them used a motor.

It also used a motor for the flaps because it had a tiny electrical switch. That struck me as pretty weird on such a small plane.