'We know about this" - things you don't want to see written

[Left Seater]

Planes tend to be extremely over engineered, but I am not a fan of deferring maintenance.

Just because it is an approved fix, why not completely replace it?

[Derron]

Coming back on a short 40 minute commuter flight on an Embraer Q4 a couple of years ago, I picked up a slight vibration in the starboard engine. Enough it got my attention, and kept it the whole flight, probably a prop issue.

On the ground at PDX, and deplaning, asked the kid flying the thing, " What's up with the prop vibration on your starboard engine ?" he looked at me, kind of like, what do I say look, and said, that he had noted it in the log and called maintenance on the way in...right....the plane was making those runs all day long, 20 minute turns at each end...right....

[Left Seater]

Well you know the old saying about filling thhe experience bucket before the luck bucket runs out...

Seems he borrowed from his luck bucket on the day.

[smackaholic]

Coming back on a short 40 minute commuter flight on an Embraer Q4 a couple of years ago, I picked up a slight vibration in the starboard engine. Enough it got my attention, and kept it the whole flight, probably a prop issue.

On the ground at PDX, and deplaning, asked the kid flying the thing, " What's up with the prop vibration on your starboard engine ?" he looked at me, kind of like, what do I say look, and said, that he had noted it in the log and called maintenance on the way in...right....the plane was making those runs all day long, 20 minute turns at each end...right....

You were able to pick up a slight vibration on one of those crates? How could you differentiate it from the major vibration the rest of it makes? Always was leary about climbing aboard a plane made in a country known more for its street urchins and carneval than technical abilities.

[Derron]

Coming back on a short 40 minute commuter flight on an Embraer Q4 a couple of years ago, I picked up a slight vibration in the starboard engine. Enough it got my attention, and kept it the whole flight, probably a prop issue.

On the ground at PDX, and deplaning, asked the kid flying the thing, " What's up with the prop vibration on your starboard engine ?" he looked at me, kind of like, what do I say look, and said, that he had noted it in the log and called maintenance on the way in...right....the plane was making those runs all day long, 20 minute turns at each end...right....

You were able to pick up a slight vibration on one of those crates? How could you differentiate it from the major vibration the rest of it makes? Always was leary about climbing aboard a plane made in a country known more for its street urchins and carneval than technical abilities.

Granted, fit and finish not the best on those things..not my choice of an aircraft by any means. They are Alaska's bread and butter plane in the Northwest getting in and out of the smaller airports, like Butt Fuck, Montana in January. But I am a pilot, and a gear head and you pick up on shit that is not right real fast. There is no mistaking a propeller that is out of balance, even slightly. Those harmonics are bad for the whole air frame as well. Enough it made me nervous, and a 26 year old pilot will do shit a 50 year old pilot would not even think of doing.

[Left Seater]

Well if the shit is hitting the fan, I would rather be in a Q400 over an airbus anything. Even the 26 year old can prolly get the Q400 down as a glider.

[smackaholic]

Well if the shit is hitting the fan, I would rather be in a Q400 over an airbus anything. Even the 26 year old can prolly get the Q400 down as a glider.

yeah, coasting an airbus down prolly ain't much fun.

[Left Seater]

The bigger the plane the more they start to resemble a rock when it comes to gliding.

[Atomic Punk]

I watched a US Airways Airbus A320 take off from New York La Guardia and the horizontal stabilizer was going crazy. The nose was pitching and it looked like that aircraft was doomed. Someone told me those are fly by wire. Must have been scary for the pax.

[smackaholic]

I watched a US Airways Airbus A320 take off from New York La Guardia and the horizontal stabilizer was going crazy. The nose was pitching and it looked like that aircraft was doomed. Someone told me those are fly by wire. Must have been scary for the pax.

I remember a long time ago reading about some sort of experimental plane that was so inherently unstable that a pilot, no matter his skill level could not fly it. It had to be controlled through fly by wire 'puter controls. Apparently this instability is the price tag of crazy manueverability. i can see how this makes sense in a fighter. Not so sure about passenger jet. Perhaps there are also efficiency gains that come with it.

[Derron]

This is your basic "fly by wire" Airbus in action

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cv2ud1339E

Another fly by wire aircraft- American built.