Farewell Shift | 7-8 Feb 2009 | European Sky

[Andre]

That's today for me, guarding a piece of the European sky for the last time, in the night of Sat -> Sun 7-8 Feb 2009 and then retirement.

 

[Astronuc]

Congratulations! Well done!

What's next?

 

[lisab]

Fantastic, Andre ...a big, big congratulations!

 

[hypatia]

Hope this does not mean the sky will be left unguarded. I felt so safe with you on the job. I hope you enjoy yourself. I know you will kept busy with all manor of fun stuff.

 

[Andre]

Thanks, all and don't worry Hypatia, my successor is a very capable guy. Next, Astronuc, is focussing on a possible PhD study honoris causa, on the rotation and geologic history of Venus and ditto on causes and effects of the last glacial transition during the Pleistocene/Holocene transition.

 

[Astronuc]

Ah, so retirement means you're just cutting back to full time

 

[hypatia]

study honoris causa, on the rotation and geologic history of Venus and ditto on causes and effects of the last glacial transition during the Pleistocene/Holocene transition.

I just knew you would having fun

 

[wolram]

Congrats Andre, i am sure what ever you will be cool.

 

[turbo]

Very nice, Andre. More time for cooking!

 

[OmCheeto]

That's today for me, guarding a piece of the European sky for the last time, in the night of Sat -> Sun 7-8 Feb 2009 and then retirement.

Guard? I thought you mopped floors near the front entrance?

Anyways, you must be very happy.

Happiness factor = (time worked)/(time left until retirement)
(Something we used to calculate back when I was in the navy so we could know how happy we should be while being miserable.)

Goede geluk en levende lang.

 

[Borek]

If you are happy with your retirement, I am happy with you

I suppose you will be busy as before, just now you will select things to be busy with on your own.

 

[Kurdt]

Enjoy your retirement Andre.

 

[Andre]

Thanks all. It seems that I'm going to be very busy indeed.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Thanks, all and don't worry Hypatia, my successor is a very capable guy. Next, Astronuc, is focussing on a possible PhD study honoris causa, on the rotation and geologic history of Venus and ditto on causes and effects of the last glacial transition during the Pleistocene/Holocene transition.

That's wonderful, Andre.

Congratulations to you.

 

[~christina~]

Congratulations to you, Andre! Now you can travel the world, but don't forget to bring your camera with you.

 

[Andre]

Thanks ~c~ and MiH.

And now the shift is definitely over, it was the most boring ever. Actually my real retirement date is March 1th. But there is some leave to be taken.

 

[Monique]

Congratulations, I see you already have a new adventure in mind

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Congratulations Andre!

What planes have you flown in the course of your duties and how long did you do it? How do you feel about keeping your feet on terra firma? Are you going to miss it at all?

 

[JasonRox]

Congrats Andre! That is amazing.

 

[turbo]

Congratulations Andre!

What planes have you flown in the course of your duties and how long did you do it? How do you feel about keeping your feet on terra firma? Are you going to miss it at all?

I shouldn't steal Andre's thunder, but flying F16's should be enough enough of a thrill to last most of us a lifetime.

 

[lisab]

I shouldn't steal Andre's thunder, but flying F16's should be enough enough of a thrill to last most of us a lifetime.

Must be amazing. Tell us what it's like, Andre...

 

[Andre]

So many questions, so a small resume, I started formal flying training in 1977 in Canada, with a few dozen hours on the Beechcraft Bonanza, followed by the http://www.airforce.forces.gc.ca/site/equip/ct114/default_e.asp at Cold Lake Alberta.

In the Netherlands I mainly flew the http://www.simwings.nl/nf5.htm for some 1600 hrs total from 1979-1991 and did about everything you can do with it. Then came the F-16 conversion which I flew until 1999, only a few hundred hours because of staff duties.

What's F-16 flying like? You have to consider that every step up is a major thrill and flying the NF-5 is already pretty demanding. But the big problem with that aircraft is that you're going to doubt about the law about preservation of energy It does not preserve energy. As soon as you demand some tough manouvring as in combat, it looses energy quickly and you find yourself back low and slow 0.5mv^2 + mgh = almost nothing and it takes a loooong time to get it back.

So that's the first big difference with the F-16. It let you fly where you want, with total energy perfectly preserved. But at the expensive of yourself because that tough manouvring generates high sustained acceleralarion forces, which you have to fight activily not to loose consiousness. And that's really physically highly demanding top sport.

Then there is this flying carpet feeling, sitting so high about the canopy seal that it seems that you're sitting on top of the aircraft rather than in it; giving an excellent full view all around.

Yet another big difference is that you're not controlling the aircraft but commanding a computer (three actually) to fly the aircraft according your inputs. The big difference is, who is doing the mechanical feedback to the control panels; ie to overcome inertia, an intial steering input is high and it would be reduced when the aircraft starts reacting to it. In conventional aircraft it's the pilot doing that, but don't do it in the F-16, starting with an aggressive high input to get the thing starting to move, since the computers will do it for you too. And the result of double initiation would be quite interesting but not that amusing. So you just give a basic input where you want to go and the computer does all the controlling.

There is a lot more to tell but perhaps some other time. Finally the landing is challenging too. A convential aircraft lands on minimum flying speed and highest flyable http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Dictionary/angle_of_attack/DI5.htm but not the F-16, because it would land tail first that way. So when it touches down, it's nowhere near ready flying and you'd have to convince the aircraft to stay on the ground. That can be challenging under higher crosswind conditions.

 

[fuzzyfelt]

Congratulations Andre, thanks for sharing the exciting news, and some of what you experienced!