Round Engine Lament
Supposedly written by a Navy Corsair or Hellcat Pilot on transition to Jet aircraft:
DEDICATED TO ALL THOSE WHO
FLEW BEHIND ROUND ENGINES
We gotta get rid of those turbines, they're ruining aviation and
our hearing...
A turbine is too simple minded, it has no mystery.
The air travels through it in a straight line and doesn't pick up
any of the pungent fragrance of engine oil or pilot sweat.
Anybody can start a turbine. You just need to move a
switch from "OFF" to "START" and then remember to move
it back to "ON" after a while. My PC is harder to start.
Cranking a round engine requires skill, finesse and style. You
have to seduce it into starting. It's like waking up a sleepy mistress.
On some planes, the pilots aren't even allowed to do it...
Turbines start by whining for a while, then give a lady-like poof
and start whining a little louder.
Round engines give a satisfying rattle-rattle, click-click, BANG,
more rattles, another BANG, a big macho FART or two, more clicks,
a lot more smoke and finally a serious low pitched roar. We like that.
It's a GUY thing...
When you start a round engine, your mind is engaged and you can
concentrate on the flight ahead Starting a turbine is like flicking on
a ceiling fan: Useful, but, hardly exciting.
When you have started his round engine successfully your Crew
Chief looks up at you like he'd let you kiss his girl, too!
Turbines don't break or catch fire often enough, which leads to
aircrew boredom, complacency and inattention. A round engine
at speed looks and sounds like it's going to blow any minute. This
helps concentrate the mind!
Turbines don't have enough control levers or gauges to keep a pilot's
attention. There's nothing to fiddle with during long flights.
Turbines smell like a Boy Scout camp full of Coleman Lamps.
Round engines smell like God intended machines to smell.
__________________
Craig Taylor
RV8 flying
2020 VAF dues paid with thanks
Navy A7E Vietnam era
Ret. Corporate Pilot: G1159, IA Jet, Jetstar, Falcon 10, 20, 50
|
Linear Mode
