San Antonio Sewer Pipe. I have about a 1000 hours in one of those damn things...
How The U.S. Air Force’s Fork-Tailed P-38 Lightning Became Most Feared Aircraft Of World War II
- Thread starter NVSMITH
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Thumpalumpacus
Major
Almost. Thing is, the tile holder was too long for most dinner tables.
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buffnut453
Captain
And the game board filled the Esszimmer and Wohnzimmer combined.
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special ed
2nd Lieutenant
- 5,754
- May 13, 2018
With the engine out, did the tail have to be supported?
Clayton Magnet
Staff Sergeant
- 904
- Feb 16, 2013
Those TPE 331's run at 98% when idling
33k in the air
Staff Sergeant
- 1,356
- Jan 31, 2021
No, the game board was just too big.
Thumpalumpacus
Major
I'm told that was the real reason behind Drang nach Ost. "Mein Fuhrer, even France is not enough!"
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GregP
Major
I understand the Metro, in whatever version you want, was a very high pilot load ... I've heard the pilot load was high, but no reason as to what made it more of a pilot load than any other turboprop, say a Beech 99 or something similar. How about a SAAB 340? What makes The Death Pencil stand out as a thing to avoid?
Care to comment, BiffF15?
Care to comment, BiffF15?
GrauGeist
Generalfeldmarschall zur Luftschiff Abteilung
Wasn't the Metro also called the "Terror Tube"?
wingnuts
Airman 1st Class
Pel-Air used their own people to do the work, I was not involved, but from the photo it doesn't look like it.
special ed
2nd Lieutenant
- 5,754
- May 13, 2018
That's what I thought it looked like. A long fuselage would tailsit easily with engine(s) out.
Greg,
The only other turbo prop I've flown is the Bronco. It was easy to fly but had no single engine takeoff capability. The Metro was tough engine out as it required almost full aileron into the good engine, lots of trimming, and a poor layout of avionics and switches (at least in USAF configuration) and poor performance. Both engines running it trimmed up fairly well, but was heavy / sluggish in roll if I remember correctly.
The autopilot controls for the left seater were in the center stack, while the right seaters stuff was to his right. It makes setting headings/ running the avionics tough engine out if the copilot is flying. Also there were a few bus transfer switches behind the copilots right elbow, or not located in a normal center overhead position so one guy can watch the other for safety / redundancy. Some freight operators run it single seat. Poor cockpit ergonomics.
They have a large freight door on the aft fuselage. It won't close sometimes, which required one guy to push up on the tail while another closed the door. I sh!t you not. When I took it off station I didn't let anyone use the cargo door as it was the weakest link in the system and would strand us all too often. No one ever complained even though it required forming a human chain to get the gear through the front door, down that skinny little tube to the back. My boss liked that damn door but he didn't mind an extra night out…
The guys I knew that flew both it and the King Air liked the latter much better.
Of all the planes I've flown it was my least favorite.
Cheers,
Biff
Clayton Magnet
Staff Sergeant
- 904
- Feb 16, 2013
Metroliner cargo doors are a structural element. As in, it needs to be closed or else the tail stand needs to be installed. Just don't let the stand touch the ground BEFORE loading, or else you wont be able to remove it after.
Edit: You can bend the aircraft if you jack it without closing the big cargo door
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Thumpalumpacus
Major
Reading today, I came across a report that the Japanese nicknamed the CAC Boomerang the "Combat Wombat". Any truth to this?
Greg Boeser
2nd Lieutenant
I thought they called it "Breaking Wind".
Thumpalumpacus
Major
Spinal Tap fans, eh?
Greg Boeser
2nd Lieutenant
How could I leave that behind?
FLYBOYJ
"THE GREAT GAZOO"
Never heard that one, any references?
Thumpalumpacus
Major
That's a shame, because those PTO P-38 pilots (two of whom combined for 78 kills by themselves, another fourteen of whom shot down Yamamoto and consorts in an unprecedented mission) were clearly not afraid of a scrap.
There's little room for casting aspersions and invidious comparisons when we're all fighting on the same side.
