Scudrunners

Do you remember the light underneath the belly?

"Do you remember the light underneath the belly?"

God, no.

I'm happy if I get out the door with my zipper done all the way up... (;>0)

When the light under the belly of the Harvard suddenly spreads out, you are right over the runway :^)

Sort of an optical altimeter with the bonus that it is unaffected by 5G!

Dear Old Dad taught me that. Came in handy decades later on the hot-rod Harvard.

Odd that such information is gone. I am not exactly a current Harvard instructor.

There’s a great old guy - maybe dead now - that would know all about this. Bud Granley. Used to fly Airshows with him.

Everyone I used to fly with is dead now. Used to bother me, not so much any more. Maybe someday we'll go flying again together.

So now we wait until a Harvard crashes because the belly light is U/S and the pilots fly it into the ground?

Colonel wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 28, 2022 1:44 pm

Odd that such information is gone. I am not exactly a current Harvard instructor.

But it’s not gone. Click on the tiny arrow beside the colon after wrote or.. Scroll up.
I saw it right there.

Many pilots just don’t learn it because most planes don’t have enough spare useful load to add a light on the bottom. Also the runway is usually lit, so we can just fly down onto it if a fellow so chooses.

Yes, that reminds me of the "Initial Actions" in the event of engine failure in a SE helicopter at night:

1. Collective: down
2. Pitch for best glide
3. Landing light: ON
4. If you don't like what you see, landing light "OFF"

"When the light under the belly of the Harvard suddenly spreads out, you are right over the runway"


I find, in most light aircraft, the reflection of the nav lights off the runway works much the same.

Colonel wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 28, 2022 1:44 pm

When the light under the belly of the Harvard suddenly spreads out, you are right over the runway :^)

Sort of an optical altimeter with the bonus that it is unaffected by 5G!

By coincidence or by design?

Colonel wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 28, 2022 1:44 pm

There’s a great old guy that would know all about this. Bud Granley. Used to fly Airshows with him.

http://budgranleyairshows.com/index.php/about

Turns out he is another four bars superstar.

Hey, the old guys could fly. But they're all gone now.

The new four bars have plucked eyebrows and manicured hands.

I'm not sure anyone remembers, but I think it was Bud's kids that were
all flying without any paper at all. Everyone just assumed they had licences.