airforce C-17 question

"Dan Moos" wrote in message news:n_IHd.8859$IP6.2793@trnddc05...
I live in Washington state, home of McCord airforce base. They have C-17's
there, and the local news station just stated what seems to me to be an
unbelievable fact. They reported that th C-17 can descend 20,000 feet in 1
minute. Now I'm a general aviation pilot, and 2,000 feet per minute is a
fast descent in my world. Is 20,000 fpm with a C-17 for real, or did the
news (KOMO channel 4 for you other western Washinton folks) get it wrong?



I know that the thrust reversers on the C-17 are considered flight controls and can purposely be deployed in flight. I
have heard of C-130s being put into beta (reverse pitch?) while in flight to initiate a very steep descent to avoid SAMS
in Vietnam, so I imagine that the C-17 can do the same sort of tactical maneuver...

"Dan Moos" wrote in message
news:n_IHd.8859$IP6.2793@trnddc05...
I live in Washington state, home of McCord airforce base. They have C-17's
there, and the local news station just stated what seems to me to be an
unbelievable fact. They reported that th C-17 can descend 20,000 feet in 1
minute. Now I'm a general aviation pilot, and 2,000 feet per minute is a
fast descent in my world. Is 20,000 fpm with a C-17 for real, or did the
news (KOMO channel 4 for you other western Washinton folks) get it wrong?


When in doubt assume what a reporter says about airplanes is the result of
clueless people with hairspray poisoning. This rule-of-thumb is virtually
never wrong.

The Navy's S-3 Viking used to be famous for one of the highest rates of
descent. When I got time in the sim at JAX we were told they could set off
ATC alarms with a fast descent. It's a much smaller aircraft than a C-17 so
I assume the C-17 would not "out sink" it.

--

Scott

Liberals love America like OJ loved Nicole. - Ann Coulter

On Sat, 22 Jan 2005 09:03:35 -0600, "tscottme"
wrote in ::

... we were told they could set off ATC alarms with a fast descent.

I don't think it takes too high a rate of descent to set off ATC
alarms. I have done it on short final at KSNA (John Wayne/Santa Ana)
in a Piper PA28-235 in a full rudder deflection slip. The fire
equipment was rolling before I touched down.

"tscottme" wrote in message
...

The Navy's S-3 Viking used to be famous for one of the highest rates of
descent. When I got time in the sim at JAX we were told they could set
off
ATC alarms with a fast descent.


No more so than any other aircraft. Climb or descent rates markedly
different than normal cause loss of the Mode C readout.