Fire engines pacing plane on landing!
Discussion
Landing at Stansted yesterday in a Boeing 737-800, looked out of the window just after we touched down and two of those airport fire trucks and a Discovery emergency vehicle were on the road that runs parallel to the runway, lights ablaze, keeping level with us as we slowed to a halt!
Training exercise or was there a problem with the plane we hadn't been told about and they were there to deal with the aftermath if it had gone wrong?
Also, how blimmin fast are those trucks? Presumably we touch down at 100mph+!
Training exercise or was there a problem with the plane we hadn't been told about and they were there to deal with the aftermath if it had gone wrong?
Also, how blimmin fast are those trucks? Presumably we touch down at 100mph+!
Ari said:
Landing at Stansted yesterday in a Boeing 737-800, looked out of the window just after we touched down and two of those airport fire trucks and a Discovery emergency vehicle were on the road that runs parallel to the runway, lights ablaze, keeping level with us as we slowed to a halt!
Training exercise or was there a problem with the plane we hadn't been told about and they were there to deal with the aftermath if it had gone wrong?
Also, how blimmin fast are those trucks? Presumably we touch down at 100mph+!
I'm sure if you post on Pprune, someone will know someone who knows somethingTraining exercise or was there a problem with the plane we hadn't been told about and they were there to deal with the aftermath if it had gone wrong?
Also, how blimmin fast are those trucks? Presumably we touch down at 100mph+!
Nickyboy said:
Ari said:
Also, how blimmin fast are those trucks? Presumably we touch down at 100mph+!
Pretty fast, the big crash tenders are around 800bhp. They have to be able to attend an incident anywhere on the airport usually in under 2 mins.Had similar at Inverness a few years ago during a particularly rough landing, weather was aweful, Pilot had warned us it was going to be very rough and that they would only attempt it once before diverting. I thought it was awesome but they wife went very quite and white and alot of passengers were very green on the decent. Possibly the most superb bit of flying i witnessed in a long time. People were happy to be on the ground i just wanted to ask the pilot what it was like from his point of view. He thought i was odd 
CrutyRammers said:
Had similar when a flap stuck open and we had to make a faster than normal landing. The pilot told us what was going on though.
Generally, if the pilot(s) request the fire services meet the aircraft on landing and give it an inspection they ought to tell the passengers. It's more distressing for people to see fire engines following the aircraft if they don't know what's going on. It's easy to use some pilot euphemisms to cover these events when telling passengers.
One engine fallen off/failed = We're experiencing a slight reduction in power.
Flap problem = Minor problem with the flaps.
Hit another aircraft = Minor loss of separation.
etc
Many years ago when I was 16 I went on an exchange trip to France. Left the UK on a ferry from Newhaven, 1st trip abroad on my own. It was Boxing Day and the weather was foul with approaching gale force winds.
I found it all quite exciting as the ferry lurched around. My parents watching the ferry depart weren't quite so pleased to see the lifeboat follow the ferry out!
I found it all quite exciting as the ferry lurched around. My parents watching the ferry depart weren't quite so pleased to see the lifeboat follow the ferry out!
el stovey said:
Generally, if the pilot(s) request the fire services meet the aircraft on landing and give it an inspection they ought to tell the passengers. It's more distressing for people to see fire engines following the aircraft if they don't know what's going on.
It's easy to use some pilot euphemisms to cover these events when telling passengers.
One engine fallen off/failed = We're experiencing a slight reduction in power.
Flap problem = Minor problem with the flaps.
Hit another aircraft = Minor loss of separation.
etc
It's easy to use some pilot euphemisms to cover these events when telling passengers.
One engine fallen off/failed = We're experiencing a slight reduction in power.
Flap problem = Minor problem with the flaps.
Hit another aircraft = Minor loss of separation.
etc
The phrase used repeatedly was "non-standard configuration". He was really quite informative. A stuck leading edge flap IIRC, which led to the whole flight being conducted at a rather crazy seeming angle of attack, somewhere down below 20,000 feet (can't remember exactly, but it was much lower than the usual 30,000).
I'd been getting more and more nervous about flying, to the point of trying to avoid it, but that experience actually seemed to help. I think because the pilot told us what was going on throughout.
el stovey said:
Generally, if the pilot(s) request the fire services meet the aircraft on landing and give it an inspection they ought to tell the passengers. It's more distressing for people to see fire engines following the aircraft if they don't know what's going on.
We were on the ground before I saw them. That's the point where I stop worrying on the basis that at least if something goes wrong we can all hop out! 
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