disturbing sight

[phazey]

This morning, i think i saw a boeing 737 crash. I saw it take off from the airport some 15 minutes beforehand (i was finishing golf).

On the way home, it flew over us. It was less than 150M high, and going towards the runway at a 90 degree angle (i know this because the road i was on is parallel to the runway). According to google earth, and some local maps, the runway is 600M or less from the road.

Before it dissapeared from view, it flaired up. Flaps and gear down.

Can an aircraft like this make such a violent 90 degree turn, at the end of the runway with such little height? I hope so.....

 

[Draylor]

Yes it can: otherwise the BBC would be reporting a crash by now

 

[phazey]

News does not get out too quickly here...if it got down then thank pheck, ...

 

[TdC]

planes can do some amazing things. still, I suspect you'd have seen something more than you did if it went down.

I can understand your being shaken though. your conclusion wasn't a pleasent one

 

[old.user4556]

Have a look at this

I had it lying about the hard disk (don't ask why) and thought about it when i saw this thread. It shows the tight angles of approach and decent, right up to the last few seconds as it hits the runway. It's not 90 degrees like you say, but certainly very tight.

Hax tbh.

 

[xane]

I landed at the old Hong Kong airport many years ago, which requires a sharp turn to avoid the mountain, a low approach taking you _between_ office blocks (I could see workers at their desks as we flew by) and then a rapid braking to avoid falling off the end of the runway into the harbour.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/127354.stm

 

[mank!]

living right near raf brize norton, i can confirm how low planes fly sometimes. it is a bit scary.

 

[Cdr]

cross winds are a real bitch.

You can see how windy it is in Big-G's movie from the flag at the start. There's some amazing and quite scary vids around the net showcasing airliners landing in quite heavy cross winds. Because you have to point the aircraft into the wind, so that you track down the runway, then kick out with the rudder at the last moment it looks quite spectacular - and seen from the ground, it could look as tho it's heading in to crash.

 

[Maljonic]

I landed at the old Hong Kong airport many years ago, which requires a sharp turn to avoid the mountain, a low approach taking you _between_ office blocks (I could see workers at their desks as we flew by) and then a rapid braking to avoid falling off the end of the runway into the harbour.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/127354.stm

I did that too, I forgot all about it until we were nearly there then thought, 'Wait a minute, this is that crazy airport where you fly between the buildings,' and was actually experiencing it a couple of minutes later. You could feel loads of minor course corrections every few seconds and see washing hanging out of windows as you flew by. That was in 1996, I think they made the new airport a couple of years later.

Just remembered, when it was time to leave I got there early so I could watch the planes come in to see if it looked as mad from the outside, and it did.

 

[Chilly]

I did that too, I forgot all about it until we were nearly there then thought, 'Wait a minute, this is that crazy airport where you fly between the buildings,' and was actually experiencing it a couple of minutes later. You could feel loads of minor course corrections every few seconds and see washing hanging out of windows as you flew by. That was in 1996, I think they made the new airport a couple of years later.

Just remembered, when it was time to leave I got there early so I could watch the planes come in to see if it looked as mad from the outside, and it did.

shame its all gone I've never flown to Hong Kong and now if I do I wont get the chance to take the fun route

 

[caLLous]

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4040760640868929521&q=747+landing

 

[TdC]

shame its all gone I've never flown to Hong Kong and now if I do I wont get the chance to take the fun route

I have, like Xane. trust me, it's not the fun route. I used to have bad dreams about it as a kid, both about hitting a building or missing the runway and going into the sea

 

[JingleBells]

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4040760640868929521&q=747+landing

St Maarten has one cool airport, just look at the gallery of planes landing there.

 

[Maljonic]

I have, like Xane. trust me, it's not the fun route. I used to have bad dreams about it as a kid, both about hitting a building or missing the runway and going into the sea

The first thing I thought when I landed was, 'Now there's a disaster waiting to happen.' So it is a good thing they moved to a new airport up the harbour a bit.

 

[old.Tohtori]

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4040760640868929521&q=747+landing

And in this video we see how it's possible for a couple of hundred people to soil themselves at the same time.

Stlong pilot skills.

 

[TdC]

Stlong pilot skills.

nice indeed. Pilots don't have to be brilliant all of the time, they just have to be so at the time it's needed. imo that takes some serious skills.