Hi all,

nearing the end of a 737-900WL flight from URKK to UBBY I descended through the clouds and prepared to do a visual/manual landing as the FMC had no

ILS record even though it was on the chart I had from Simplates. Everything fully stabilized except no ATC to get clearance when I got to DA..dang...no AIRPORT! well...seemed a shame to waste my REF speed cruise with flaps and gear down so i cruised around at 5000 using FSX nearest airport guide to get me to.....UB16...didnt spot it at first until passing over it I had the devilish urge to try a short field landing as I wasnt fuly loaded (6.4 fuel 11.1% payload).

Flew a slow circuit at 3000 descending to 2000 on a 3 mile from strip I decided it was worth a go and hand flew the last mile or so to get as slow as poss with min beeps and alarms...touched down with spoilers arrmed at 125knts flaps 35 (forgot to lower last notch!)...reverse thrust/speedbrakes and manual braking (very legal under 60kts) kept me on the runway from touchdown to a smooth non-panic complete stop riht on the threshold. I was stunned! I knew aout the 600/700/800 short field package as Id been using that on other trips but didnt think this would be possible at all in this 900...checked runway length (after landing ) and found it to be listed as between 3600/3900ft aprox depending on where i found it on web (guess ADE will have the FSX length in it for exact reference).

Turned plane around on grass, parked it on edge of tarmac..held brake..spooled to N1 then released brake (NOW at flaps 40...)..I prepared for a nail-biting last second

plunge of the strip into the local news columns when half way down the runway (2/3 max) the thing shot up like a balloon in a very smooth fast climb which was easy to get back under control - I was so surprised by this I hadnt noted the exact T/o speed but it was about 90/100 at most...

Anyway...it put a huge smile on my face as I realised the possibilities this opened up. Yes it was the 900 WL model!

 

Anybody else got any short field success stories? I might start doing some challenges with the 600 SF package as I was pushing it here with the 900. Was this experience

realistic or not? Lots of fun regardless, from perfecting my FMC full autoland flights at Geneva to hand landing at UB16..this plane now does it all for me!

Ok...time to unpause and work out where the remaining fuel will get me as that strip had no services except the basics...tarmac, runway numbers and rabbits

RG

Was this experience

realistic or not?

 

Not really, since one would not be allowed to land in such a tight spot (there always has to be reserve in calculations), but in theory, it could happen if there was an absolute and utter need to land now (e.g. last gallons of usable fuel OB and only airport around)

 

For takeoff, F40 make too much drag, you might actually get better results with 15-20.

Thanks Fabo..by 'realistic' I actually meant in terms of the PMDG flight model, as I had enough fuel to make UGTB with 4.6 to spare, and Im well aware it would have been my last landing as a pilot in the RW whether Id made it safely or not! Id selected 40F as I had no expectations of taking off normally so it was an experiment. I saved the flight before and after landing so might try the 15/20 route and see what happens. The ballooning was what took me by surprise realism-wise it seemed way too easy to transition from the ground at 0 knots to an almost VTOL takeoff after 2000ft runway. Reducing the throttle with full flaps down also made me return to stable slow speed flight very quickly, hence my skepticism a 'real' plane could do this.

 

Also of course in the real word you dont have to wait until DA to confirm an airport in the FMC actually exists!