Imagine trying to explain you’ll be late for work before it makes the news. “No really, my plane is stuck in some power lines 100 feet in the air and I can’t get out”.
Oops.
It will be interesting to learn about how they came to be entangled in a high tension support tower at low altitude not particularly near an airport.
Perhaps better than an Pan Am (IIRC) Captain who many years ago crashed his light plane at JFK while commuting to work one winter evening in dense fog. He somehow ended up landing on a taxiway in foul conditions well below the weather minimums applicable to lightplanes. Then ran headlong into the nose gear of a 747 taxiing the opposite direction. He stubbed out his plane, and his life, like a used cigarette against the completely unyielding high-strength steel tree trunk of a 747’s nose gear strut. The ensuing fire was brief. And elicited considerable confusion in the cockpit 3 stories above the mishap they never saw.
Fortunately, no-one else was hurt. But his planned flight to Europe was cancelled that night. A tough story to tell your boss, even posthumously.
Aviation Week reports today that recently Rolls Royce test-ran one of their advanced, but still production model, turboprop engines on pure hydrogen created entirely from green-sourced electricity.
The source of the electricity used to make the hydrogen is IMO PR, but the idea of running an existing production turboprop engine on pure hydrogen is serious aero-engineering news.
This particular model of engine (AE2100) powers the C-130J and several other advanced turboprop airplanes.
The next 15 years of aeronautics will have more change than the last 50. The recurring cycle of revolution then refinement is entering the first revolutionary phase since I was a child. Wish I was young enough to participate in it, not just read about it from the old fart’s home. Oh well.
Maybe he was a Navy guy. You see some wires ahead, and you try to snag 'em.
The list of people that “walked” away from a stationary plane that did not actually land must be very short. Though I guess users of the Brodie “landing” system would count:
Autorotations are practiced… Well, I’d say ad nauseam but they’re really, really fun to do and I can’t imagine getting sick of them.
There is a best glide speed. For example, it’s 70 kts in a Robinson R22.
I’d score that landing an “OK - all three wires” 
!
As to the news helo crash … is there any info anywhere on what happened? Autorotations are the equivalent of fixed-wing forced landings. IOW, a workaround for an engine failure and nothing more. There are lots of other causes for crashes, including spatial disorientation, control failures, turbulence encounters, and craptacular piloting in a bad situation. Do we have any idea which of any of these things played a role?
It’s not uncommon that NTSB has nothing useful to say for a couple weeks after the fact. And even then only states the most basic of whats with no whys. And they seem to be having website problems to boot.
‘OK-3’ means you snagged the third wire, not three of the four.
Hence the “all :)”. Snagging one on a carrier is good. Snagging 3 on a power pole is better.
For certain values of non-Navy “better.”
Not worthy of its own thread and not GA either, sorry, but I’m flying this A321NEO tomorrow. The first black liveried Star Alliance aircraft and it’s flown about 12 hours since it arrived in country from Europe. It should still have that new plane smell.
Nice looking plane.
It’s not going to matter at altitude but is that going to be hard to keep cool on the ground?
The company has a few black aircraft (without the Star Alliance livery), I’ve never noticed any difference with the temperature on the ground. What they do have a problem with is being sensed by the Nose In Guidance System that gives directions for taxiing on to the gate. They’re a bit stealthy.
The first of each type is normally black with the subsequent aircraft being white with a black tail.
You’re flying for the CIA, aren’t you? (-:
I think the CIA only do black helicopters.
At least, that’s what my neighbor told me…
Over the years I’ve flown mostly elderly fleets. But I’ve been part of the introduction of two different new fleets or sub-fleets (B-717 and 737 MAX).
That new plane smell is the best. It only lasts a few days at most. Enjoy! You’ve certainly earned the privilege!
That’s badass. Sweet as!
And speaking of badass black planes…
The livestream of the event will be available here starting at 4:30PM PT/7:30PM ET