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A330 flight control laws saved Voyager, inquiry finds

flightglobal.com

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Re: A330 flight control laws saved Voyager, inquiry finds

#4
The link I posted is the only good technical summary, but there are plenty of others about the pilot's ongoing military trial, eg: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/02/06/bored-raf-pilot-s... 'Bored' RAF pilot sent 187 passengers into a nosedive 'while playing with his camera'

Re: A330 flight control laws saved Voyager, inquiry finds

#7
"seven dented ceiling panels, 50 damaged in-flight entertainment sockets"

The article doesn't state it, but that's because the passengers, like the co-pilot, fell towards the ceiling of the airplane during this episode. Apparently, the headphone cables are stronger than those sockets.

Re: A330 flight control laws saved Voyager, inquiry finds

#8
post #5

> with a maximum indicated air speed of 358kt (662km/h), or Mach 0.9, recorded What? 358 knots is much closer to mach 0.5 in air. 358 meters/second is close... 662 mph is close.

Further confusing numbers:

> “Up to 24% of the aircraft occupants were rendered temporarily unfit for duties following the incident,” the report adds, referring to 25 passengers and seven crew members.

> “Without the excellent technology of the Airbus A330 flight control laws, the outcome could have been very different, with the realistic potential for the loss of the aircraft and 198 of our people,” MAA director general AM Richard Garwood says in his summary of the incident.

24% of 198 is not 25+7 but 47-ish. What am I missing here?

Re: A330 flight control laws saved Voyager, inquiry finds

#9
post #5

> with a maximum indicated air speed of 358kt (662km/h), or Mach 0.9, recorded What? 358 knots is much closer to mach 0.5 in air. 358 meters/second is close... 662 mph is close.

Indicated airspeed is based on the force of the oncoming air, and decreases as air gets less dense. There's some altitude where 358kt indicated is Mach 0.9.

Edit: before I get more replies attempting to lecture me on how wrong I am, please look up the difference between true airspeed (how fast the air is moving past the airplane) and indicated airspeed (a measurement derived from the difference between static and dynamic pressure on the aircraft that only matches how fast the air is moving when you're at sea level).

Re: A330 flight control laws saved Voyager, inquiry finds

#10
post #5

> with a maximum indicated air speed of 358kt (662km/h), or Mach 0.9, recorded What? 358 knots is much closer to mach 0.5 in air. 358 meters/second is close... 662 mph is close.

The speed of sound varies with altitude. Nevertheless, at 30,000 feet, Mach 1 is 1,091 km/h, so the original statement is not correct (mach 0.9 at 30,000 feet would be about 982 km/h).
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