Search found 2091 matches

by elaw
Tue Mar 12, 2024 5:07 pm
Forum: Aviation Discussion Forum
Topic: A *great* video. *The best* video.
Replies: 0
Views: 43

A *great* video. *The best* video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0s_V5FF0uY

Subject of the video is interesting (and sad) but I nearly lost it around 7:00 when a book cover appeared showing a 3-holer landing at Meigs Field.
by elaw
Mon Mar 11, 2024 10:38 pm
Forum: Aviation Discussion Forum
Topic: The Chinese built my perfect airplane...
Replies: 9
Views: 113

Re: The Chinese built my perfect airplane...

True, but it has fewer middle seats than other "proper airliners", and the engines are in the back where God intended them to be!
by elaw
Sat Mar 09, 2024 8:23 pm
Forum: Off Topic Forum
Topic: Railroad Thread
Replies: 540
Views: 201018

Re: Railroad Thread

Yeah I knew about the neutral thing, but in D I get engine braking down to a surprisingly low speed... I'd say 4 or 5 MPH. And you're certainly right about the friction thing... though a train has orders of magnitude more wheels than a car. I guess I was thinking more in terms of everyday things peo...
by elaw
Sat Mar 09, 2024 4:27 pm
Forum: Off Topic Forum
Topic: Engineering Shortcomings Thread
Replies: 6
Views: 117

Re: Engineering Shortcomings Thread

...and only once was there a significant failure. And I blame Tom Hanks for that one. I can't remember where I heard this but a funny story about that movie... The people that made it were screening it to test audiences so they could make tweaks before it was widely released. The feedback they got ...
by elaw
Sat Mar 09, 2024 3:48 pm
Forum: Off Topic Forum
Topic: Engineering Shortcomings Thread
Replies: 6
Views: 117

Re: Engineering Shortcomings Thread

On-topic sort of... I was talking to my wife the other day about the space program, specifically the 1950s-1960s part of it. I feel that one part of that program that doesn't get much credit is it proved that things can be made really farkin' reliable when we want to. Prior to that if your car didn'...
by elaw
Sat Mar 09, 2024 3:42 pm
Forum: Off Topic Forum
Topic: Engineering Shortcomings Thread
Replies: 6
Views: 117

Re: Engineering Shortcomings Thread

(Runs around room, agitated and waving hands) WHAT? I CAN"T SELECT JUST ONE!!!
by elaw
Sat Mar 09, 2024 3:40 pm
Forum: Off Topic Forum
Topic: Railroad Thread
Replies: 540
Views: 201018

Re: Railroad Thread

There also could be an "optics" issue with that. "The train operator saw the bus full of nuns over a mile away, but didn't hit the brakes until the last second." would cause quite the media frenzy. Unrelated but possibly interesting: I wonder if I went out on the highway, got my ...
by elaw
Sat Mar 09, 2024 1:43 am
Forum: Off Topic Forum
Topic: Railroad Thread
Replies: 540
Views: 201018

Re: Math….

Ass-uming constant deceleration, what is the deceleration rate of a train that takes a mile to go 60 to zero. Don’t tell me, I’m going to get a pen and paper, and do some ciphering. I'll take a crack at doing this in my head... 0.5 MPH/second? I'm thinking if a train decelerates linearly (an ASSump...
by elaw
Sat Mar 09, 2024 12:43 am
Forum: Off Topic Forum
Topic: Railroad Thread
Replies: 540
Views: 201018

Re: Railroad Thread

I... don't recall there ever being an inspection! Though I only worked there for about a year and a half. The unit wasn't in any packaging... but I think it was in the bottom of a file cabinet covered in dust. I will say I've owned cars in this state for over 40 years and never had that test perform...
by elaw
Sat Mar 09, 2024 12:04 am
Forum: Off Topic Forum
Topic: Railroad Thread
Replies: 540
Views: 201018

Re: Railroad Thread

While I go grab some popcorn, I'll leave this here: https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/49/232.103 For what it's worth (approximately zero), around 1,000 years ago when I worked as a mechanic I used to do the annual automotive inspections required by my state. The law required, and we possessed, wh...
by elaw
Fri Mar 08, 2024 7:40 pm
Forum: Aviation Safety Discussion Forum
Topic: 737 Max troubles;:The latest news...
Replies: 192
Views: 44878

Re: 737 Max troubles;:The latest news...

Thankfully, I had the lasagna.
by elaw
Fri Mar 08, 2024 2:27 pm
Forum: Off Topic Forum
Topic: Railroad Thread
Replies: 540
Views: 201018

Re: Railroad Thread

Something I thought of re braking... take a look at this (what I think is typical for the USA) attachment of a railroad rail to a tie: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/Dogspike-on-wooden.jpg The rail is restrained vertically by lying on the tie (downward) and the spike (upward, in...
by elaw
Fri Mar 08, 2024 12:12 pm
Forum: Aviation Safety Discussion Forum
Topic: 737 Max troubles;:The latest news...
Replies: 192
Views: 44878

Re: 737 Max troubles;:The latest news...

When you thought that the 737-MAX was the Frankenstein of the planes... Here you have the new NASA / Boeing MD-C-152-737. https://www.infobae.com/america/ciencia-america/2024/03/08/la-nasa-mostro-un-anticipo-del-avion-cero-emisiones-que-prepara-junto-a-boeing/ That's very cool... NASA has figured o...
by elaw
Thu Mar 07, 2024 11:52 pm
Forum: Aviation Safety Discussion Forum
Topic: 737 Max troubles;:The latest news...
Replies: 192
Views: 44878

Re: 737 Max troubles;:The latest news...

And it seems Boeing has joined the very exclusive FUBAR-itude club that is organizations featured on John Oliver's show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8oCilY4szc
by elaw
Thu Mar 07, 2024 11:44 pm
Forum: Off Topic Forum
Topic: Railroad Thread
Replies: 540
Views: 201018

Re: Railroad Thread

To be fair, a lot of people have experimented with alternate means of stopping trains, like putting buses or tractor-trailers in front of them, and it never seems to work very well. :roll:
by elaw
Thu Mar 07, 2024 11:37 pm
Forum: Political Discussion Forum
Topic: "This is your captain. Brace for impact"
Replies: 3
Views: 734

Re: "This is your captain. Brace for impact"

It's a bunch of people who have convinced themselves that all politicians are s**theads, and somehow think that electing the worst s**thead they can find to office will somehow improve things.
by elaw
Thu Mar 07, 2024 1:20 pm
Forum: Aviation Safety Discussion Forum
Topic: 737 Max troubles;:The latest news...
Replies: 192
Views: 44878

Re: 737 Max troubles;:The latest news...


Hard to say who would want to buy it. It isn't really near anything, other than a muddy bend in the Missouri River.
In fairness, isn't that true of all of St Louis?
They do have this cool arch that according to at least one person, could be used as a runway if laid on its side.
by elaw
Thu Mar 07, 2024 1:02 pm
Forum: The Waldo Pepper Lounge
Topic: The "Funny Reddit aviation post" thread
Replies: 28
Views: 2891

Re: The "Funny Reddit aviation post" thread

Not aviation-related but funny: https://www.reddit.com/r/tires/comments ... s_to_pass/

Lots more in the same vein in that subreddit.
by elaw
Thu Mar 07, 2024 12:54 am
Forum: Aviation Safety Discussion Forum
Topic: 737 Max troubles;:The latest news...
Replies: 192
Views: 44878

Re: 737 Max troubles;:The latest news...

One excellent video here on the door plug accident. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROeGKs4xTfs Indeed! I know some are not fond of how drawn-out some of Mentour's videos are, but I have to say I'm impressed with the effort and research that go into them, and the production values have reached quit...

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