Hey Captain have you ever seen a Brocken spectre in your travels. Thought it was pretty cool but maybe a little unnerving for a pilot. Then maybe you see it all of the time.
◙ Li’l PINCH (←thang) ◙ pdib (←maker) ◙ not sayin’ (←just sayin’) ◙ shuh-ZAM! (←hyperbole)
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Many times Ray, when the sun is in the right position in relation to the aircraft and there's a haze we see it all the time. Just a trick of the light reflecting on the haze but I agree it can look quite impressive if you've never seen it before
What is a great sight (which we also see very often) is St Elmo's Fire. I haven't filmed it myself but here is what it looks like. Just go to 2:25 if you don't want to watch the whole thing
It's plasma discharge created from static from a thunderstorm and it appears on the aircraft surfaces, windows, wings and tail. It's quite harmless because we have static dischargers but very impressive to see
It's plasma discharge created from static from a thunderstorm and it appears on the aircraft surfaces, windows, wings and tail. It's quite harmless because we have static dischargers but very impressive to see
No, that was St. Elmo's fire phenomenon Pete. Sprites I've never seen and I hope I never do because they're killers
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In 2005 at 39000ft over the Pacific I took this picture
Captain do you fly a plane like we drive a car? I mean in an automatic manner not thinking and then you see yourself just reached there? Or it doesn't become that mechanical?
In 2005 at 39000ft over the Pacific I took this picture
Wow, did you or have you thought about offering that as a print? That's a really nice shot! You'd probably sell a few...
Probably even more so but the term "not thinking" doesn't do it justice really. With experience it certainly becomes much more mechanical but there is a lot of thinking constantly during critical phases. You have to constantly be thinking 30 seconds ahead because at the speeds things happen you don't want to loose situational awerness.
The main problem being, unlike your car, there's no pulling over with this thing
Aal_! Don't ask the nice Captain questions when he's trying to fly the plane!
.. . . perhaps . . .. if you'll just return to your seat.
(anyway, I'm talking to him ↓ right now, so . .. )
I didn't use enough words . . .
(did you ever encounter) sprites? (hah-hah) (not to say that they are the same thing, nor to say that I'd think you'd survive it if you did) (rather to draw a loose correlation and jokingly inquire as though it were similar/same when not)
Cap'n?
Yes in fact it was taken with a pro camera too but I have to keep a few things for me to do when I hang up the uniform
No Pete, and in fact the Sprite phenomenon is very much a seasonal one around the ITCZ (Intertropical Convergence Zone) around the equator. Always associated with big thunderstorms they're considered lightning's distant relatives. Why they happen is a mystery but they certainly discharge massive energy with the potential to annihilate anything in their path.
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