Posts by user "Compton3fox" [Posts: 27 Total up-votes: 0 Pages: 2]

Originally Posted by grumpyoldgeek

Firstly. I find all the speculation about hearing the RAT suspect. Not that I doubt observers heard something sounding like a RAT, but that I question the fidelity of the low bit rate and bit depth of the audio to reproduce the difference between the sound of a deployed or non-deployed RAT. The audio sounds quite distorted and I have zero confidence that anyone could accurately tell. Secondly, is the speculation about best glide performance. Any private pilot knows that best glide does not exist until the pilot pitches the nose down and establishes it. As far as I can see, there is no time nor visible indication that the nose pitched down. What I see is the aircraft mushing down to the ground with the nose high and just short of a stall.

Originally Posted by grumpyoldgeek

Not trying to be a smart ass, but how do you "ground test" a RAT?

Originally Posted by jimtx

For the sake of argument, I hope you know what you are talking about. Because I don't.

Originally Posted by 172_driver

I have not read it all so pardon me if this has been covered already. The A350 had two separate cases of engines shutting down due to spilled coffee on the center console. It was just a thought that occurred to me, a forgotten water bottle left on the center console during rotation? Pilots are usually quite conscious about the liquid free areas but this happens at home, in the office... If someone with insight care to explain how the electrics is protected I am listening...

Originally Posted by FlyingUpsideDown

The PF could've been task focused flying manually, following the FD's and not expecting the sinking feeling of losing the lift. The PM has made the mistake without knowing. ie. he/she has selected the flaps all the way to UP believing that the gear was now retracting. Both pilots now think the gear is retracting, they have full thrust but are sinking into the ground. "Professional crews" like Air France for eg. have made way worse decisions. Slats are extended because they are the last to retract. I'm not convinced the RAT is deployed. If it has deployed it could've been a last ditch effort for the crew to bring the fuel control switches from RUN to CUTOFF & back to RUN believing they've had a dual engine failure. This would account for the RAT if it did deploy. The APU inlet door could've been open as well because they were carrying out an APU to Pack takeoff. Once the aircraft is airborne and the weight-on-wheels (WOW) switches indicate air mode , the main gear bogies automatically tilt to the neutral position before retraction. Also when the flaps passed the last takeoff position on the quadrant, the Landing gear configuration warning horn would've sounded further confusing the pilots.

Originally Posted by grumpyoldgeek

Firstly. I find all the speculation about hearing the RAT suspect. Not that I doubt observers heard something sounding like a RAT, but that I question the fidelity of the low bit rate and bit depth of the audio to reproduce the difference between the sound of a deployed or non-deployed RAT. The audio sounds quite distorted and I have zero confidence that anyone could accurately tell. Secondly, is the speculation about best glide performance. Any private pilot knows that best glide does not exist until the pilot pitches the nose down and establishes it. As far as I can see, there is no time nor visible indication that the nose pitched down. What I see is the aircraft mushing down to the ground with the nose high and just short of a stall.

Originally Posted by FlyingUpsideDown

The PF could've been task focused flying manually, following the FD's and not expecting the sinking feeling of losing the lift. The PM has made the mistake without knowing. ie. he/she has selected the flaps all the way to UP believing that the gear was now retracting. Both pilots now think the gear is retracting, they have full thrust but are sinking into the ground. "Professional crews" like Air France for eg. have made way worse decisions. Slats are extended because they are the last to retract. I'm not convinced the RAT is deployed. If it has deployed it could've been a last ditch effort for the crew to bring the fuel control switches from RUN to CUTOFF & back to RUN believing they've had a dual engine failure. This would account for the RAT if it did deploy. The APU inlet door could've been open as well because they were carrying out an APU to Pack takeoff. Once the aircraft is airborne and the weight-on-wheels (WOW) switches indicate air mode , the main gear bogies automatically tilt to the neutral position before retraction. Also when the flaps passed the last takeoff position on the quadrant, the Landing gear configuration warning horn would've sounded further confusing the pilots.