Re: Question

[Jammyisme]

Hey everyone ,
 
 I noticed on our last trip that when we went to land in Varadero, the plane did a very quick drop (wings tilted to one side) to make his landing. I was talking to a pilot and he said that was a way to make a quick move if necessary, usually not done with passengers on board.   :p    

[Charmainiac]

Hi Jammy!
 Funny you mention...
 You have described our recent landing in Varadero perfectly! However, I must say, there were quick maneuvres, but it was smooth!
 On the landing back in Toronto though, it was so smooth we barely felt the plane touch the ground.
 I wonder if it has to do with any of a million factors, like shorter landing strip, wind, rain, weight of the aircraft...etc...????
 Steve's a pilot, he'll probably know...

[flopnfly]

I've landed in Varadero a few times and never noticed anything like that??  
 
 I'm sure Steve will have an answer.    :D

[JohnnyCastaway]

Hi Jammy,
 I'm only a flying enthusiast, no where near a pilot, but I'd guess that the pilot may have been landing into a cross wind, and had to do that maneuver to try and keep the plane in a straight line by banking slightly into the wind.  I believe it's called "slip streaming"  or "slipping" ?  (memory's failing me)
 
 Hopefully, Steve will be able to correct me on this one    :D

[Jammyisme]

*waiting for stevo*  :D

[Bulldog]

You may want to PM him to get him to see this   :D

[Jammyisme]

Great Im anticipating his answer. I think the thing I was wondering was is there something *screwy* going on at the airport that gives the pilot very little time to get his ass up and or down?   :D

[Steve_YYZ]

Hola:
 
 Well the stats for Varadero's airport are pretty straightforward with nothing unusual.
 
 JUAN GUALBERTO GOMEZ INTL
 Varadero, Cuba
 
 Runway 06/24
 ASPHALT
 11490 x 148 feet
 3502 x 45 meters
 
 Takeoff Distance
 11687 feet
 3562 meters
 
 Overrun Length
 197 feet
 60 meters
 
 The only NOTAM listed (Notice to Airmen) is "Bird Hazard" because obviously being on a seacoast birds can be a problem.
 
 There are NO published noise-abatement procedures for Varadero.
 
 The Navaids are pretty straightforward as well.
 
 Navaids  
 Type =  VOR-DME
 ID = UVA
 Name = VARDER
 Channel = 095X
 Freq = 114.8
 Distance From Field =  1.2 NM
 Bearing From Navaid = 060.2
 
 So what does that mean?
 
 Well assuming the weather was good (not dodging thunderstorms or other large CuNim type clouds, then it's possible he was keeping clear of birds if they were swarming and about.
 
 And what JohhnCastaway is referring to is called a "Side-Slip". An aircraft normally turns with rudder and ailerons working the same side together. Eg,Left Aileron (bank) with left rudder will make the aircraft turn left. However a "side-slip" is when the pilot crosses the controls and inputs either left or right aileron with opposite rudder. This has the effect of either "crabbing" the aircraft a bit sideways towards the airport (nose cocked into the crosswind) or the other technique is to drop one wing (into the cross-wind) and "slip" the aircraft into the wind. Both are valid flight techniques and both are also used on commercial flights to a minor degree.
 
 That's about all I can think of. As to a rapid climb-out leaving Varadero, again it could be to get up quickly over nearby birds or other stuff. Also, on hot summer days, turbulence is greater down below about 5,000 feet altitude, so the faster you get it up, the faster the flight smooths out.
 
 Hope this helped somewhat.
 
 Steve

[Jammyisme]

hmm. Veryy interesting Mr. Steve. I guess it was just a fluke then. Or maybe birds. I never thought of that possibility. I remember coming home after our quick climb, I was nervously awaiting for the turbulance and it never happened. So that was just a fluke too? Oh and when we landed in Ottawa, that had to be one of the smoothest landing ever. The wheels literally kissed the ground. Amazing.
 
 Thanks for the info sir.  :D