Why do planes take off down the centre line?
Discussion
Eric Mc said:
The Trident airliner's nose wheel was offset so keeping to the middle of the runway ensured that the nose wheel didn't hit the lights. That wasn't the reason the nose wheel was offset but it was a consequence of the design.
Does that make the Trident the twin brother to the A-10?
Boatbuoy said:
Kind of. The nosewheel offset was for similar reasons - basically they needed the space in the nose for bulky equipment. In the case of the A10 it's a sod-off gun. In the case of the Trident it was the black boxes for the autoland equipment.Eric Mc said:
The Trident airliner's nose wheel was offset so keeping to the middle of the runway ensured that the nose wheel didn't hit the lights. That wasn't the reason the nose wheel was offset but it was a consequence of the design.
That’s one for the ‘pictures that make your teeth itch’ thread.Eric Mc said:
The Trident airliner's nose wheel was offset so keeping to the middle of the runway ensured that the nose wheel didn't hit the lights. That wasn't the reason the nose wheel was offset but it was a consequence of the design.
Where is that please? My mum was a stewardess on BEA Tridents and I'd love to take her whilst she can still get up the air stairs! That said, she might not remember any of it, nothing to do with her very sprightly 82 years, more to do with the fact that from what she's said I think the cabin crew was usually p1ssed! There are two Tridents on display and reasonably accessible. The one in the picture is at Manchester and there is another one at Duxford. A third example is preserved at the Science Museum outstation at Wroughton but that is not open to the public at the moment.
There is a cockpit section on display at the FAST Museum in Farnborough.
There is a cockpit section on display at the FAST Museum in Farnborough.
The centreline lights aren't always fitted to the exact centreline of the runway. Sometimes they're installed along one edge of the white centreline markings, giving a bit more leeway for pilots avoid the "dink dink dink dink" of running them over.
On my type, the distance between the nosewheels from memory is probably about a foot or just over (B737-800) which sounds a lot but when you're accelerating to about 170mph and have a gusting crosswind pushing against the tail, keeping the lights exactly between the two nosewheels can become a challenge. Often, I'll position slightly to the side of the lights, to avoid battering the nosewheel, although if the aircraft wanders back onto the lights in a strong crosswind then so be it.
On my type, the distance between the nosewheels from memory is probably about a foot or just over (B737-800) which sounds a lot but when you're accelerating to about 170mph and have a gusting crosswind pushing against the tail, keeping the lights exactly between the two nosewheels can become a challenge. Often, I'll position slightly to the side of the lights, to avoid battering the nosewheel, although if the aircraft wanders back onto the lights in a strong crosswind then so be it.
14 said:
Jasey_ said:
I’m not sure that flying for an approach to runway 7 right and landing on runway 33 is considered not much choice. That was a very dangerous landing.Recall an incident at night, back in the '80s where I worked: a BAC1-11 lined up on the centreline lights, landed firmly with the left gear in the mud, before shimmying right back onto the runway taking quite a lot of mud with it: the runway didn't have centreline lights, only edge...
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