I would think that if they unloaded all of the cargo and gave it a light load of fuel that it should be able to make a quick hop over to the proper airport. That’s a short runway, but when unloaded that plane should be able to practically accelerate straight upwards.
I don’t know; that’s a big freaking plane. I’m actually surprised that it had a successful landing there in the first place.
Are 747s JATO-compatible?
The principle is sound, and has actually been applied; but I’d assume that the FAA is doing vodka 'n vicodin shots at the prospect of somebody trying it on a commercial airframe…
Happens on a regular basis.
The Poughkeepsie NY airport is in close proximity to the White Plains airport (and has its runway in the same orientation), and there have been instances of jumbo jets getting confused about which airport they were looking at and landing at POK by mistake. Unfortunately, Poughkeepsie’s runway is not long enough for them to take off again unless they are thoroughly stripped down – meaning unbolt optional accessories like passenger seats.
So, yeah, there are usually ways to get the plane unstuck. They just get more expensive as the runway gets shorter.
This one is a cargo plane, so I don’t think there are a lot of accessories to unbolt. It’s pretty much a flying warehouse already.
All other articles about this situation I’ve read say that engineers at Boeing have given to ok for the plane to take off from this airport. It won’t be a problem. There’s just not the large safety margin you’d want for routine operations.
Pilot heard repeatedly muttering “As Wichita falls, so falls Wichita Falls.”
How many airports? A lot. It’s the Air Capital of the world. Tons of companies make planes there.
Isn’t that used to be, since Boeing moved its headquarters? I know we have our pride, but just looking at this realistically.
Maybe something like this:
All three airports are basically lined up end-to-end over a span of some eight miles or so east of the city: http://goo.gl/maps/PaXIw I’m not saying it’s a good excuse for landing a the wrong one, but it does seem like poor planning. The big Wichita airport is west of the city.
For reference, the engines on the Dreamlifter produce 253,200 lbf and the dry weight of the plane is just shy of 400,000 lbs.
It looks like thanks to the relatively low fuel load, the plane won’t even have to unload its cargo to take off, although I’m guessing there are going to be some white knuckles in the cockpit when they begin their roll.
He was actually trying to land at McConell AFB, which shares a runway with what used to be Boeing, where Spirit AeroSystems builds the first 50 or so feet of the 787 that the dreamlifter was coming to pick up. It sounds like there won’t be too much trouble getting it in the air again. More info here:
KAKE.com
Perhaps this is a clever trap designed to let the people of Wichita capture large planes and loot their precious cargo.
Ah - I moved away from the area 13 years ago. I guess I vaguely remember the Boeing thing.
And we also don’t know if the cargo is weight-constrained or size-constrained. Could be something bulky but very light.
Just a few miles from the airport is a magician and illusionist. Maybe the solution to making the plane disappear is, well, making the plane disappear.
Um, POU (there is no POK) is 40 miles from HPN. That would be a pretty big mistake.
Maybe you meant SWF (Stewart Field in Newburgh)? It’s a big Air National Guard base and its main runway has the same orientation as POU’s, only about 13 miles away.
