Back in college I had internships for NASA Langley, one summer in the Flight Research Division on a program that was developing auto-land algorithms. There was a 737 that was configured with a "glass" cockpit in the passenger area and two research pilots, a real analog cockpit up front with the real pilots who could override the back cockpit. We had the glass cockpit simulator in the lab and I would fly it occasionally in the previous summer's internship in the Flight Simulation Division (the first big-time video game driven by some CDC Cyber/Star computers, you couldn't do any better than that, yowee!). Langley is built on fill land next to the bay, it is all swamp and tidal river around the place, which is about 10 ft above sea level there.
Anyway, I was given this problem to figure out why the autoland algorithms were pitching the plane down just before landing such that the pilots had to take over and fly it manually to landing, and the landings were really bad and hard. I looked at the data, and see this big blip on the radar altimeter (that was driving the altitude and vertical speed inputs) just before touchdown, which caused the plane to nose down a tad just before flaring as it thought it was too high. I talked to the front pilots, who of course could do no wrong, and they told me it was all the flight control software's problems. So trying to figure out what that was, over lunch one day I take a walk out to the end of the runway, and there was a big ditch there to divert water, about 8 ft deep. The blip just before the runway was 8 ft, quick, causing the plane to think it was higher so it pitched down then pitched up again quickly when the runway came along. So I suggested a little bit more slack in the altimeter vert speed input (longer averaging of altitude and altitude change rate) and we tried that in the sim and it worked OK. Then we loaded that in the plane, and it worked but the flyboys were so paranoid they wouldn't let it do its job, and they kept taking over and landing hard, and of course when I tried to suggest to them that they keep their hands on their [laps --ed.] they went ballistic at this college boy telling them how to fly an airplane. (I had flown airplanes too, not that big, but I sorta knew how they worked). So somebody else with a bit more mojo talked to them, got them to sit tight, and the autoland worked! I felt pretty good about that, and learned about flyboys. Looking at the new planes today, they look pretty much like that 737 we had there, and the autoland capabilities come directly from that work we did. Aside -- one of the flyboys, Lee something, who flew other stuff was a total swaggering Right Stuff guy, flew the first rocket belt and some other weird shit that they had developed there. Anyway, one day I was walking with him up the stairs in the hangar, and we were following this sweet young thing who had on a real short tight skirt, and he says to her, "Honey, it looks just like two puppies wrasslin under a blanket inside that skirt of yours!" I about had a puppy myself and the sweet young thing turned around and flipped him the bird with a big smile, and we all laughed like hell. He winked at me and whispered that I ought to work on that, but I think she was a bit much for me at the time. Don't think that kind of behavior would get too far these days, but it was sorta expected of those guys. --R Wilton Strickland wrote: > Yeah, it'll kill ya. Entire B-52H crew was killed several days ago near > Guam. They were very low over water; 'gonna do a low pass over downtown > Agana, Guam, to celebrate liberation from Japanese. We don't know the > detailed facts, yet, of course, 'may never know, but I suspect they either > turned too sharply and caught a wing tip or just descended gradually with > nobody watching the altimeter and just flew into the water. Either way, it > especially upsetting to me, knowing there were at least four well-trained > aviators (2 pilots , 2 navigators) aboard who were supposed to be watching > the altimeter. There used to be discussions amongst us aircrewmen about > what is the most important instrument on the aircraft. Some of us > maintained that it was airspeed indicator, but I always maintained that it > was the altimeter. Yea, I know ya gotta have airspeed to fly, but if ya > have altitude you can GET some airspeed, but if you're out of altitude, > you're not gonna have airspeed very long. I flew a LOT of LOW level; I > "pounded" my students all the time about the altimeter - ya can't get much > airspeed spread over the side of a hill. > > Wilton > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Loren Faeth" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "Mercedes Discussion List" <mercedes@okiebenz.com> > Sent: Tuesday, August 19, 2008 6:27 PM > Subject: Re: [MBZ] OT - B-70, B-52, B-1, etc. > > > >> Thanks Wilton! >> >> At 02:02 PM 8/19/2008, you wrote: >> >>> There's a saying amongst contemporary B-52 >>> aircrewmen, "When the last B-1 and/or B-2 is delivered to the bone yard, >>> > a > >>> B-52 will take the crew back home." Why get rid of a really good thing - >>> long-range bomber, MB, wife? >>> >> Many of the same folks that designed the B-17 were still at work with >> the 52 was designed. Durability: B17, B52, C47/DC3. 123 240D >> >> There is some comfort too in flying plane older than you are, or >> driving a car that was on the road before you were born. Tends to >> combat massive egos by reminding you that there were things before >> you and other things besides you, and things will be, after you are >> long gone too. Kinda like Old Man River. It was there, it is there, >> and it will be there. Enjoy it but respect it, or it will kill you. >> >> >> >> Loren Faeth >> >> >> _______________________________________ >> http://www.okiebenz.com >> For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ >> For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> >> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: >> http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com >> > > > _______________________________________ > http://www.okiebenz.com > For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ > For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > > _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
