[QUOTE=W0X0F;57831900]If the plane looked close, then you are probably right that it was a thousand feet below you. We fly odd altitudes going west and even altitudes going east.

You have been retired for a bit, but it's odd eastbound, even westbound....

Counting down the days until I can say the same.

https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publ...section_5.html

Dyslexia affects 10 out of 7 retired pilots.


Thanks for catching the error.

Hope this wasn't asked before. But was watching 9-11 documentary recently which made me think of this thread. How difficult were the flight made from Boston to WTC? What percentile of FAA trained commercial pilots could have executed that?

Some radio fun

A couple of navigational questions:

Do runway numbers in the southern hemisphere orient around magnetic south, since it's closer?

When navigating or flying, is there any reason to know about true north (or south), or are the magnetic points close enough. (Excluding the extreme cases of polar flying, ofc).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qD6bPNZRRbQ

At cruising altitude how many degrees is the nose of the aeroplane titled downward to fly around the globe earth?

Are you suggesting that if it wasn't tilted down the plane would fly off into space?

I think with enough power, you could increase the angle of attack almost as much as you want.

bout tree fiddy

Ha ha! Are you a flat earther just trolling?

If serious, you’ll be surprised to know that the nose sits about 4 degrees nose UP in cruise flight.

True.

I stumbled across this thread and I've seen a flat earther ask this specific question before.
It started as a troll but upon further examination it appears to me as an aeronautical novice to be a valid question.

This is all to maintain lift & the current elevation correct?

I guess the next question is; why 4 degrees specifically?

Couldn't it be any angle dependent appon variables like atmospheric conditions, wind speed/direction and engine speed?

What's the list of variables required to calculate the correct angle and speed required to maintain elevation?

Are you suggesting that pilots circumnavigating the globe don't take into account the curvature of the earth?

Seriously, I suggest you get yourself a copy of Microsoft Flight Simulator and go through the initial training process. I found it very educational on exactly this issues/questions/etc.

Suggest is a bit weak, but yes.

That's great advice, I will look into it thanks.


I imagine a whole long list of variables are required for the autopilot to function accurately.

I also imagine that a revised list of only the important variables and a formula are taught to pilots to use in case of an emergency.

What are the two lists of variables and what is the formula?

As an aside I thought it worth mentioning that you, me and W0X0F all commented on a little three page thread 10 years ago a out angle shooting.
What a strange coincidence I thought...

First, let me correct my error (which I will attribute to being out of the cockpit for 2 years): it’s not 4 degrees nose up, it’s actually 2.5 degrees nose up. My memory failed me when I wrote that response, but I had a moment of clarity while reading these comments.

This is only in transport category jets that I observed this. In GA planes I’ve flown, the nose is pretty much at 0 degrees.

I can’t really say why it’s 2.5 degrees. It surprised me the first time I was in the cockpit of an airliner. Obviously it must provide the angle of attack necessary to produce the exact lift needed to counteract gravity.

How in the world did you happen to notice that?


btw, love your avatar. Here’s the link to a video of Michele Jeneke (it’s in my YouTube Favorites). I tried to embed it here, but it wasn’t allowed.

https://youtu.be/xm7oX1yCFU0

She might need some lotion...

Did you ever see any UFO's on radar or visually? Or know other pilots who did? This navy pilot on Joe Rogan says they were out there everyday they trained so airline pilots would see them too likely or this guy is lying.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsNSF7oBYS0

Over the years, I’ve been asked this questions many times. Not just here. It seems to be the “go to” questions from people when they find out I flew for a living.

I have no first hand experiences, but I’ve been fooled on occasion. In a story I’m sure I’ve related in this thread, I got kind of freaked out once by para-flares being used for a night exercise at Quantico, VA. I was in a Piper Cherokee in the vicinity of Manassas and saw what looked like the landing lights of a large plane bearing down on me. The lights stayed steady, not moving left or right, indicating it was coming right at me. I descended below the altitude that any large plane would use in the area and finally deduced that it couldn’t be a plane. The lights finally extinguished, one at a time, and I later confirmed that the marines do night exercises in that area.

I’ve heard the occasional 3rd person account of sightings but I can’t personally vouch for them. Just keep in mind that the “U” in UFO simply means Unidentified. It doesn’t mean extraterrestrial.

From a few months ago they're no longer UFOs, but rebranded by the US military as UAPs (unidentified aerial phenomenon).

The "U" hasn't changed.