Topic: Test pilots

[azuredesign]

I went for a check ride after changing the fork seals on my Hayabusa this afternoon. After initially gingerly making sure everything felt solid, I wrung the bike out over all sorts of curves and road surfaces before bringing it home and making sure the new seals were working correctly. When I was about 5 minutes from home, I started thinking about test pilots, and how it's one thing to test your own work, but something again to test some perhaps unknown flight engineer's work in extremely hazardous conditions. I barely trust myself, and trusting someone else's work with your like must be tough!

[Duke McDukiedook]

That's why they get paid the big hazard pay...

[azuredesign]

Well, according to this it's perhaps a small bit better than being a cop, not as good as I would have thought.

http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Aircraft_Test_Pilot/Salary

[BobbyR]

I was stationed at Groom Lake Nevada, we were  testing variations on gunships which was not very hazardous since they were only improvements on weapons.

The Air Force test pilots were the bravest calmest people I ever met. They took some weird stuff up, a lot of it at night for obvious reasons.  The Engineers were nervous wrecks and kind of annoying. When they gave the Jet Jocks instructions, the Pilots would nod, smile and say "OK, you take it up."

[Duke McDukiedook]

Engineers are paid to be nervous.

[Prospect]

I'm a pilot and have done several test flights after maintenace/engineers have worked on the plane.  Usually they're no big deal but I remember the closest I've come to death in a plane was during a test flight.  The engineers were working for days trying to resolve a porblem with "trip runaway" which is basically uncommanded climb or descent.  We took the plane for a test flight and  we were unable to get the airplane under control while very low to the ground and shortly after take-off.  We had bruised arms from trying to overpower the controls.  Oh and this was at night too.  It was our companies policy that the engineers come with us on the test flights so as to make sure their work was top quality. 

[BobbyR]

How in the hell did you get it back? Better yet how did you get it down?

[azuredesign]

It was our companies policy that the engineers come with us on the test flights so as to make sure their work was top quality.
[/quote

That's a very interesting policy and quite an intense anecdote as well. Glad you were able to wrestle control back!

[Prospect]

How in the hell did you get it back? Better yet how did you get it down?

We got it back by pulling several circuit brakers (hard to find at night) and disconnecting the power to the actuator that drives to "trim" that was forcing the airplane to climb abruptly (loosing airspeed and eventual stall).  Once we pulled the circuit brakers then the airplane stayed in the same climb attitude but at least if wasn't pitching up and up to an eventual stall.  We tried to overpower they controls and then used the alternate trim system (backup) to get the airplane to stop climbing.  The emergency procedures which had to be memorized didn't work and we had to figure things out fast! We briefly thought to do an emergency landing at night on a busy highway but then we got her under control.  The engineers were as white as ghosts. 

[azuredesign]

Good job and great story! I flew a '64 Piper 140 from Nashua NH to the west coast and back in '98 with my friend Jim. Slow and low, nothing like what you were working with, but we were certainly faced with a number of situations( weather, topography, mechanical issues, other aircraft, birds etc.) where we had to think analytically, clearly and creatively within a short time frame. I wonder if the experience of having done so frequently makes you less likely to become pale in a situation like you describe. I certainly think that translates to critical situations on a bike as well, and probably increases the possibility of a successful outcome.

[BobbyR]

Prospect, I am sure all of that happened much faster than most people imagine it would. And it proves the best flight management system is between your ears.

Azure, that is a ballsy trip in a little plane. You are right, what you learned will help you be a better rider. You learn to pay attention and expect something to happen.

We had to test out prototypes of systems of what would become the AH-64 Longbow. This sometimes entailed going low and fast and hiding behind something at hover and poking the fire control radar up and dropping back down. If you did not watch your rate of descent in a confined area you could get what is called "power settling". In other words you get caught in your own rotor wash and the unstable air causes you to lose lift. A vortex ring forms around the rotor hub and you can lose cyclic control. The first reaction is to go full collective to rise, which makes it worse.  This is probably happened during the Bin Laden raid. The best thing is to lower the collective to lessen the turbulence and use the cyclic to try to move sideways, forward or backward to  find cleaner air.
A lot of skids got bent learning those lessons. 

 

[faux fiddy]

My dad was a Boeing engineer in the '70's and one of our best friends was a test pilot.

One time  he was scrambled in an f104 to go take pictures of a B-52 that they were testing low level  buzzing the front range of the rockies.  It had hit an enormous updraft that rattled  the verticle stableizer loose.  If you ever saw a picture of a B-52 flying without a tail, he was the one that took the photo.

We have one of the original polaroids around here somewhere.  If I knew right where it was I would scan it and post it. Maybe it will show up.

[BobbyR]

Here is a link http://www.talkingproud.us/Military/B52%20No%20Tail/B52NoTail.html

B-52 Stratofortress Landing Without Tail