Just out of curiosity - Airplane Guys

But, pray tell your story of how you bent Tango Tango.
Might have oversold the drama... :rolleyes: Night landing after flying from DBQ back to LXT. Unbeknownst to me, the nose wheel steering link came loose somewhere during the flight and the nosewheel rotated and stuck full left. I had an inkling as I was holding a little right rudder for most of the flight. Was a couple hr flight so I just filed that away in the grey matter as something to investigate during the next 100hr.
Anyway.... Touchdown was normal. In fact, I remember the guy with me saying "nice one." .... then the nosewheel touched. :yikes: Falcon did an immediate left face and off we went into the weeds. I managed to get it straightened out and thought to myself... we're cool, all I gotta do is get us stopped. About that time a runway marker and raised taxiway came into view from the landing light (marker was inop at the time). I remember uttering "aw sh*t" and all hell broke loose. Soon as we came to a stop we exited immediately as the marker had ruptured the lt wing fuel tank and gas was pouring everywhere.

We were standing there kinda dazed by it all when I realized we exited so fast that I neglected to shut anything off. So I walked back into the muddy gas puddle to shut everything off. At the time I was reminded of an old Air Force joke about dealing with fuel in the cockpit... the procedure was to put your left finger in your left ear, right finger in the right ear... and nudge the master off with your elbow. Funny the stuff you think of when you're coming down off an adrenaline rush.

View looking aft. You can clearly see the rwy marker.

My falcon oops 21.JPG
 
Glad you walked away!
Do have a question. Looking back now was going back in the right thing to do? I ask because I do not know?
Good question... one I've long considered. Best I figure is... no... not very smart at all. Shoulda' just stayed away and let the battery die. Adrenalin induced oops is my excuse. :er:
 
...the USS Queen Mary

YIKES!! Sorry to be picky, but the Queen Mary was never a United States Navy ship - she was however designated as an official carrier of the Royal Mail and so her correct designation was RMS Queen Mary (RMS meaning "Royal Mail Ship").
 
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Trivia - despite photographic evidence to the contrary, officially the Hughes flying boat never flew. Hughes said he was conducting taxying trials . . .
 
Trivia - despite photographic evidence to the contrary, officially the Hughes flying boat never flew. Hughes said he was conducting taxying trials . . .
Raymond is correct. Although H H claimed to Congress that it "flew," it was considered a "high speed taxi test." I was involved in the development of putting a Lycoming engine in the Renegade Falcon. We conducted dozens taxi tests that involved lifting 5-10 feet in the air and settling back down. None of those constituted a "first flight." The actual first flight came with much celebration about 3 months after the first time we lifted a Lycoming powered one into the air.
 
Found this book that my brother lent to me and I lent to my son. If you haven't read it, you should.

I have one I return to often... "Five Down and Glory." It's a factual account of all American aces in both world wars and Korea with a lot of commentary from the aces themselves. It's a good read.

41DiS55720L._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg
 
I have one I return to often... "Five Down and Glory." It's a factual account of all American aces in both world wars and Korea with a lot of commentary from the aces themselves. It's a good read.
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Hi Jim,
touring the USA on my XS650 mebbe 30 years ago I stopped for gas and noticed a P38 on a stick at the next street corner.
As all Brits know, the Spitfire won the air war in Europe but I'd never heard of Richard Bong and the Pacific air war until I read the plaque under that P38.
 

Hi halfmile,
the original Hawker Harrier first flew WAY before 1978.
I watched their Bristol Pegasus vectored thrust engines being assembled at the Rolls-Royce Bristol Engine Division plant in Filton Bristol
and I emigrated to Canada in 1969.
And guess what turns the engines thrust nozzles? Motorcycle chains! I won't swear they're #530 but they look about that size.
 
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