Re: Bob LaLonde and/or Bob Campbell

[Frank Olson <Use_the_email_links@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Robert L Bass wrote:


> Likewise, FO should be fine riding his bicycle at 6 mph.  Suddenly
> accelerating to 280 mph upon contact with the nose gear of an inverted 737
> would be a [hmm]....  :^)
>

Traveling down a roadway on a bicycle and somehow contacting the nose
gear of an *inverted* 737 would be "hmmmmm"...  I mean think about this
for a minute (I know you're capable)...  The jet is upside down...
traveling down the turnpike...  Now let's just say that this is even
remotely possible (the 737 can't maintain sustained inverted flight - it
just isn't equipped for it) but for sake of argument (if it could), the
pilot would have to maintain sufficient clearance above the ground to
ensure the vertical stabilizer doesn't make contact with it (big
ouch)...  Extending the landing gear would actually put it *on the wrong
side* and about 40 - 60 feet above the individual peddling madly down
the road screaming at the top of his lungs.  The aircraft would have to
keep nose "up" (the pilot would have to exert downward pressure on the
yolk if you're inverted which would tend to add additional height
between the ground and the nose wheel) in order to maintain altitude.

Of course, your knowledge of and experience with aerodynamics makes it
pretty darn near impossible to fly an aircraft inverted...  You did say
once that the wing's lift co-efficient would be added to the force of
gravity which makes any sort of sustained level inverted flight
impossible, right??

I passed a concrete pumping truck on the way home tonight...  The side
of the rig had "Putzmeister" printed on it in 3 foot high block letters.
  Someone else in Vancouver has heard of you, Robert!  :-)