On Wed, 21 Jan 2009 06:14:18 -0800 (PST), cavedweller
wrote:

On Jan 21, 6:30Â*am, LouB wrote:
Smitty Two wrote:
In article ,
wrote:

On Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:27:28 -0600, Andy Asberry
wrote:

On Tue, 20 Jan 2009 10:02:47 -0800, Smitty Two
wrote:

Interesting. Thanks for the info. Yes, I have a lot of respect for the
pilot, as well. And I still say that any captain with the majors and
tens of thousands of hours in his logbook might well have done the same
thing, and done it well. He did a hell of fine job, but it wasn't the
one-in-a-million miracle that some people insist on believing.

Let's see, 30:1 at 3250 AGL works out to a theoretical maximum glide of
over 18 miles.
I don't believe he would have 30:1 at climb speed.

Airspeed is adjusted with the elevators, so no surprise that the pilot
did the 180 with minimal airspeed in order to preserve altitude. A 180
turn uses up quite a bit of it.
Depends on the rate of turn.

At the speed he was "gliding" significantly less than 20:1 according
to my pilot friend.

How does your friend happen to know the speed the pilot chose?

Chose?? Â*With no power how does he choose?

Lou

Clare will tell you
Well looking at the flight track info, he lost the engines at aprox
3:27 at 3200 feet while heading somewhat northerly at 202 knots in a
climb of 1000 feet per minute as he dropped the nose and traded off
1200 feet of altitude for 8 knots of airspeed and then banked to the
left ( to a more southerly track)and traded off another 400 feet of
altitude for another 13 knots. ( the turn, loss of altitude, and
following loss of airspeed all being directly connected)He then
stretched his glide, losing another 400 feet and dropping 21 knots of
speed (2 minutes elapsed) then traded off 3 knots of speed for an
extra 100 feet of altitude ( crossing GWB?) then it appears he put the
nose up, dropping 2 knots and 900 feet of altitude. In the nose up
altitude (and likely with flaps extended) he lost another 36 knots
and 100 feet, bringing him to 300 ft ASL. at 153 knots. (total elapsed
time aprox 4 minutes) at which time the plane was virtrually stalled
and the tail either dragging or ready to drag in the water. When the
tail hit the water, the forward speed dropped very quickly and the
entire belly of the plane met the water.

That's my take on it, anyway.