Yeh, if we land on 16R they'll surely be a video. Hopefully I won't make a "firm" landing. If we're on 34L, the best I'll get is a picture. Typically in NRT 34 is the wintertime runway. Between November 29th (my last flight) and the pickup flight on the 20th I'll fly 3 flights. LAX -SFO - NRT on the 14th where I'll fly one leg (it's a 400) and NRT LAX on the 16th where I'll fly the leg (-8). So 3 legs and 2 landings in the 3 weeks preceding the pickup flight. OK, I'll stop making excuses for the possible "firm" touchdown already.....
Polar is operating under an ACMI contract with DHL http://pilotcareercentre.com/Aviation-Pilot-Recruitment-News-Item/5449/Polar+Air+Cargo+to+operate+two+B747-8F+for+DHL+Express
Too bad you can't use "full load" thrust settings for a Viking departure like this KDC-10, pull-up at :30, [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEdH7b3OdC8[/ame] (Royal Netherlands Air Force KDC10) I think he was "light".
Spasso, that KC-10 flyby was awesome. I haven't seen that before. Jet-X, we arrive at 2am. And at that hour, LAX is typically "overwater" operations, with departures on 24/25 heading west over that water and arrivals on 06/07 coming from the water. The flight then departs around 4am for SFO. So it's hard to find a picture of an NCA bird at LAX...
Just got notice that the flight will now happen on Jan 10th. I'll be heading to Seattle on the 8th and do a "cockpit check" on the 9th. I'm off after Dec 16th. So I won't have flown for 25 days preceeding the pickup....
The weather should be a lot better by then! Actually Jan weather is typically better than Dec, relatively speaking. Enjoy the holidays.
Thanks for the holiday wishes. I leave tomorrow morning for a Tokyo roundtrip (400 out and -8 back) and will post some pictures of an interesting difference between the two airplanes. Here's a holiday pic the FO took of me last year, or maybe a few years ago, with Santa. The kids always get a kick out of it. Probably because they can't really make out anything other than Rudolph's nose and it leaves a lot to the imagination. Happy Holidays..... Image Unavailable, Please Login
That's a great picture, Lou. Keep them coming. Have a safe trip and Happy Holidays to you and your family.
I just returned from another trip. 400 out to NRT, -8 back. Here are a few pics of the -8 engines and strut. I remember the first time I walked up the airstairs on the -8 and looked out at the wing and engines. Something seemed odd. A little background... cargo pilots don't have a "jetway", and use airstairs to access the main deck. What you can't see from ground level, is the connection of strut and wing. I was surprised at what looked like a huge drag area. Obviously the engineers and designers came up with the best solution to the attachment, but it sure looks "draggy". The first shot is taken from halfway up to the main deck. The rest of the pics are taken from the ground. Upon closer inspection, the area is quite curved. It's always nice to fly after you've been off a few weeks. It makes you appreciate what you normally take for granted. While the 400 is an amazing airplane, the -8 surpases it. It's so stable. Like a dawn dart. Just point it where you want it to go. Nothing seems to budge it. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Lou, it appears that the separation between the junction of the strut and wing leading edges is a solution to eliminate the confused drag at that point. It has always been a problem. This configuration appears to allow the boundary layer to flow aft and around the strut leading edge without getting into an argument with wing flow.Also look at that blade sticking up from that nacelle. That diverts the flow from the cowling and changes it into a vortex that flows over the wing without getting mixed up with the strut to wing junction. Some times things look bad and draggy but really help...like the vortex generators that maintain attachment in areas where the flow wants to separate into draggy burbles.
Your comment about the -8 being hard to budge reminds me of flying in a B-29. The pilot mentioned that after it was set up it was like it was on rails, " It just stayed there." A perfect bombing platform in high altitude cruise but dirty it up prior to landing, the airplane was all over the sky and required constant "herding". The B-17 was the same in cruise. I worked along side a stability and control guy and it was all math to him and after his equations were rubbed together he eventually came up with areas, angles, and moment arms that read stability. Boeing is good at that.
