F-150 stops a C-123

congobob · **Joined:** Fri Nov 25, 2005 1:16 am **Posts:** 26

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2HWMnkI ... re=related

Apologies if this has been posted before. Empty weight of a C-123K is at least 35K lbs :lol:

The Inspector · **Posted:** Mon Jan 28, 2008 2:46 pm

I have my doubts about this ad....several years ago the FTC required vehicles used in commercials be capable of doing exactly what was depicted in the ad (called truth in advertising). British Motors spent several MG's dropping them on a pallet out of a -123 and parachuting it to earth and the happy couple getting in and driving off. Several of them landed upside down and very flat on the Mojave Desert 'till they got one rigged right. Today you see Toymotor truck ads where the truck gets shaken like a rag doll by the Loc Ness Monster and happily drives off not even needing a wax job, but someone is getting waxed- :shock:

I suffer from AIDS....Aviation Induced Divorce Syndrome

Airlift48 · **Joined:** Sat Oct 29, 2005 7:01 pm **Posts:** 744

Probably not impossible, The C-123 was built as a glider to start with, so I think its stall speed is very low, therefore he probably isnt traveling that fast on touchdown. Also, has reversing propellers, which wouldnt be shown in the commercial either.

In all reality, the aircraft could probably stop much much shorter than that by itself.

I still think its probably a movie stunt and not a real demonstration of the truck's capability though.

CAPFlyer · **Posted:** Mon Jan 28, 2008 2:56 pm

The shot is real. "Truth in Advertising" requires that you make a visible statement specifying that what is being shown is fake. If you watch the F-150 ads (specifically the frame one with the locomotive) they state quite clearly that they used CGI to exaggerate the chain movement. In this one, they quite clearly state this is an actual braking demonstration. In the Toyota ads you speak of, they clearly state that it is not real and to not attempt it yourself.

BTW, it's not a huge stretch to have a 1/2-ton pickup stop a large aircraft like that in 3000 or 4000 feet (which is how far they went). In addition, they did "assist" the braking slightly with the aircraft brakes to ensure that they stopped at exactly the right spot (as can be seen when the aircraft stops and the nose dips slightly, something that would only happen if they were using the aircraft brakes). Getting it going again with the truck would be a stretch, but aircraft are notoriously easy to manipulate when they're moving.

In parting I ask, if 6-10 people can move the R4D then why can't an F-150 stop a C-123?

retroaviation · **Posted:** Mon Jan 28, 2008 5:40 pm

I'd say it's easy enough to do. Heck, if a 727 can be pulled around like this..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgVX2r980tQ ...then a truck should be able to stop a C-123. :wink:

Gary

RickH · **Posted:** Mon Jan 28, 2008 9:47 pm

I towed the TA-4 the other day with my F-350. ( Our tug was being borrowed by the Mig folks pictured in the Scout thread ). Stopped it too ! :lol:

Pooner · **Posted:** Mon Jan 28, 2008 10:38 pm

Pooner wants a refund! He bought the wrong truck!

I had to laugh at this more than a year ago we needed to move the Harpoon out of the dirt graveyard and onto the concrete hardstand to begin the gutting process of removing wings, tail, etc.

'Poon had sat in the dirt storage for 15+ years and had started to slowly slip into terra firma - meaning we literally had to dig a ramp in the wheel area to start the big slide forward. Tires had become one with mother earth and were literally down to the wheels in the desert.

One Dodge 1500 series 2WD quad cab attached to 'Poon and the great pull begins. Truck grunts and spins tires. OK, so we attach a 2500 series 4WD Chevy truck to 'Poon for round two. You guessed it - tires spinning and nothing moves other than dust. Brilliant idea - gang a Dodge and Chevy together and try to do same thing working together. A grand total of 6WD working together! Not! End result? Burned tires for both and dust clouds. Man, what's wrong here? We've seen airplanes moved in those commercials on television!

I'm sure the next suggestion would have been to find a Ford or maybe a lone GMC to enter the fight, but in the end the only way this hog moved was with an ugly old 1950s mil surplus tug with questionable tires and starting abilities and weepy hydraulics. In the end it was sheer dead weight and a little positive momentum that got the job done.

Smoke, mirrors, or maybe a little stretching of the truth in advertising I cannot say about these TV ads, but we yucked and laughed about them while doing this. In the end of the one that came through for us was none other than the squat, ugly looking thing lurking across the field that was the 11th hour miracle. She was truly the bar hag waving to us 15 minutes before closing time and last call... ah, what the hell... nothing else is in our favor...

I guess that would have made for bad TV - one crap wagon lumping another, eh? :wink:

n5151ts · **Posted:** Mon Jan 28, 2008 11:03 pm

I kind of miss the shade she used to provide us on the east end of the ramp...

The Inspector · **Posted:** Tue Jan 29, 2008 3:51 am

Capflyer, I guess I'l have to agree that a half ton pickup could drag an aircraft to a stop in 4000 feet? thats worse braking than the old Fiat a buddy had.
As far as the Toymotor ads, remember that these days you have to print 'caution-coffee is hot' on drive thru cups, supermarkets are required to place labels on fresh meat warning 'caution, refridgerate' and 'cook before eating' simply because the average American now pretty much functions at about a 4th grade level and about 80% of the population cannot make a decision for themselves anymore, so I'm fairly sure some beered up clown is gonna do the 'hey, watch this' in his truck 'cuz he dun seed it awn teevee :roll:

CAPFlyer · **Posted:** Tue Jan 29, 2008 10:04 am

It's not just the US that causes those warnings. A lot of the "cook before eating"-type stuff actually originated out of Europe and then was "demanded" here because it was "unfair" for the Europeans to be "Safer" than us.

It's bad everywhere, but a lot of the advertising stuff is brought on by the companies themselves because they do stuff they know they shouldn't and then get caught.

Jet Mech · **Posted:** Tue Jan 29, 2008 12:33 pm

One variation on the "Truth in Advertising" rules are that if its so stupidly wrong and could never be really done, then you can do it and not say its faked. Like having scissors walk and cut up your credit cards.....

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F-150 stops a C-123

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