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#1
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Mystery Plane
Hi all,
I was on a recently flying (as a passenger) on a flight frou Houston IAH to SFO. When taxiing out for departure, my eyes were drawn to an unusual plane. I want to find out what it was. It was unmarked, but seemed to be a cargo plane by the boxy fuselage, and by the location where it pulled up on the tarmac. (Cargo terminal) It had: A turboprop engine on each wing, graced by five-bladed propellers. Fixed tricycle gear, the main gear having cowls that attatched to the wing struts. A shoulder (high) wing arrangement. A conventional tail section. It looked big enough to haul roughly 20-30 people, but sported no fuselage windows. It's "back" was sort of humped up. Viewed directly from behind, the fuselage was a very fat 90*-angular "box". Stick-straight wings, like a DH-8, only not so long and skinny. Had never seen anything like it before, so my curiosity is killing me. |
#2
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Mystery Plane
wrote: Hi all, I was on a recently flying (as a passenger) on a flight frou Houston IAH to SFO. When taxiing out for departure, my eyes were drawn to an unusual plane. I want to find out what it was. It was unmarked, but seemed to be a cargo plane by the boxy fuselage, and by the location where it pulled up on the tarmac. (Cargo terminal) It had: A turboprop engine on each wing, graced by five-bladed propellers. Fixed tricycle gear, the main gear having cowls that attatched to the wing struts. A shoulder (high) wing arrangement. A conventional tail section. It looked big enough to haul roughly 20-30 people, but sported no fuselage windows. It's "back" was sort of humped up. Viewed directly from behind, the fuselage was a very fat 90*-angular "box". Stick-straight wings, like a DH-8, only not so long and skinny. Had never seen anything like it before, so my curiosity is killing me. Its probably a Shorts 360: http://www.airliners.net/discussions...ad.main/59468/ Dean W. |
#5
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Mystery Plane
Its probably a Shorts 360: http://www.airliners.net/discussions...ad.main/59468/ Dean W. I almost had a mid-air with one of those things once. We were inbound to a VOR for an approach. We called on the CTAF "10 miles north, inbound for the VOR-B approach", then "5 miles north, inbound for the VOR-B approach", then again announcing VOR outbound. Then out of nowhere we hear "Gallia Meigs traffic, millitary Shorts procedure turn inbound VOR-B, Gallia Meigs". Me and my instructor were like "OH SHI..." and abruptly turned back north, just in time to see it fly right past us maybe 10 seconds later. We were both at 3000 ft, and on the exact same radial. If we had continued on with the approach, a mid-air would have almost certainly occurred. Up to that point I've always descended to the first minimum altitude before crossing the IAP, but now I always make sure to be at least a few hundred feet higher, and do the rest of the descending while in the procedure turn. That way, if some joker is doing the approach and not making any radio calls, he'll at least pass below me. Anyways, I knew it was a Shorts 360 because I was previously familiar with the plane from looking at pictures on airliners.net, and we passed so close to it I could make out the boxy fuselage and single tail (the 330 would have had a double tail). It must have been flying the approach at category A speeds (90 knots), because it seemed to just float in mid air as it crossed the FAF. |
#6
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Mystery Plane
I think you're right. Thanks!
I'll add a new plane to my mental plane-spotting resources. I remember it being a little stubbier and the nose more misshapen, but maybe in my wild excitement my mind's eye amplified the unusual qualities of the plane. Case solved, thanks! |
#7
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Mystery Plane
Its probably a Shorts 360:
And here comes the inevitable joke: ATC: "Airliner123, number 2 to land, traffic ahead is a Shorts 360 on final" Airliner123: "Roger, traffic in sight... no, lost it, it just went over a trailer park" -- Thomas Borchert (EDDH) |
#9
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Mystery Plane
Thomas Borchert wrote:
And here comes the inevitable joke: ATC: "Airliner123, number 2 to land, traffic ahead is a Shorts 360 on final" Airliner123: "Roger, traffic in sight... no, lost it, it just went over a trailer park" And the ubiquitous... TOWER: "XYZ123 (Shorts 360, Female pilot) clear to land 34" XYZ123:"roger,clear to land" TOWER:"ABC987 (budgie visual approach) report final number 2 to a Shorts 360" ABC987:"OK when the Lady's got her shorts down we'll slide in behind" |
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