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Not an inch to spare!

Thu Jan 08, 2009 10:02 am

http://go.fark.com/cgi/fark/go.pl?i=405 ... -Australia.
Fully loaded. Not much runway left. WOW :shock:
Last edited by B-25 C on Thu Jan 08, 2009 10:32 am, edited 2 times in total.

Thu Jan 08, 2009 10:21 am

A couple of different sources list the MTOGW of an Il-76-TD @ 50000kg. or about 247000 lbs. So unless this guy was hauling pallets of bucking bars, I doubt seriously the 1 million pound claim. The -76 is about the same dimensions overall as the A model C-141's.

747's regularly operate close to, and sometimes over the million lb. mark as does the very much larger An-124. I also doubt the landing gear of the CANDID would support anywhere near that weight given its sort of splayed out trailing arm lower struts.

I agree the guy certainly did use every bit of cement available, but that could have come from reduced power settings for technical reasons or a weak engine.
Just my opinion in the matter-

Thu Jan 08, 2009 10:26 am

The Inspector wrote:A couple of different sources list the MTOGW of an Il-76-TD @ 50000kg. or about 247000 lbs. So unless this guy was hauling pallets of bucking bars, I doubt seriously the 1 million pound claim. The -76 is about the same dimensions overall as the A model C-141's.

747's regularly operate close to, and sometimes over the million lb. mark as does the very much larger An-124. I also doubt the landing gear of the CANDID would support anywhere near that weight given its sort of splayed out trailing arm lower struts.

I agree the guy certainly did use every bit of cement available, but that could have come from reduced power settings for technical reasons or a weak engine.
Just my opinion in the matter-

Probably not but that's what it said.

Thu Jan 08, 2009 1:53 pm

it was a hot day might that effect the engines ?

every inch counts

Thu Jan 08, 2009 3:36 pm

That was so close.I wonder if the crew knew they were going to be that close?

Thu Jan 08, 2009 5:48 pm

In 1992, two Russian Bear-Hs and an AN-124 visited the US (@ Barksdale AFB), and when they left they flew non-stop back to their base near Moscow. We were at the departure end of the runway and being full of fuel both Bears swayed the trees off the end of runway 15 - 12,000'! I've got a ton of film of the ~week they were at BAD, including mine and the Combat Camera raw footage, including the awesome takeoffs. The sound is exactly like Jimmy Stewart's B-36 - exactly.

Wade

Thu Jan 08, 2009 9:11 pm

Is the video real? Sure. Did he really need every foot of runway? Maybe. One explanation is that the pilot accelerated longer on the runway to build up more "smash" and pulled 'er off at the end. Is that possible? Sure.

When pilots fly the same airplane, big or small, day in and day out, the only way they genuinely get in a situation like this is to screw up big time, either with the gross weight of the bird or when computing their takeoff data (including a reduced power selection). Not only does experience tell you what's "doable" before crunching the numbers, but crews experienced with these big birds will also employ techniques such as an acceration time check or measured acceleration distance to ensure the airplane is performing properly long before getting to an abort point - not to mention the departure end. No, his climb-out path is not stellar, but he's not dragging the trees for miles either.

I'm a skeptic at heart. :wink: If it were really a goof (including computing no data at all), I'd've expected to see a much more aggressive rotation, given that the end was rapidly approaching. Also, look at it this way - if the airplane were overloaded, what are the odds that the overload was exactly such that it would lift off exactly at the end? Odds are that it'd lift off earlier ... or go long, but not need the precise length available. To me, it's more plausible that he chose his rotation spot, however gutsy it may have been.

One man's opinion.

Ken
767/757/737/727, DC-9, C-130

Thu Jan 08, 2009 9:40 pm

the AN-124s operate as independant contractors for the ISAF and bring in and out supplies to Bagram Afghanistan, and darn, they would use every inch of runway and you swear they used a couple of yards of the dirt at the end too to get off the ground. You'd think it wouldnt do it every week, but it sure made it!

Thu Jan 08, 2009 10:36 pm

Sounds like what the doctor told muddyboots :lol:

Thu Jan 08, 2009 11:18 pm

---v-O-v---

Next time I'll let YOU dig the foxhole ;)
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