Tracking some youtubes I found a few examples of airliners moving from their parking stands sing thrust reversers 😕

Isn't there a way to simulate pushback / pull into taxi position in AEFS ? A MOD ? Some sort of simulated pushback truck ?

Google is your friend

Thx rka, so... no solution yet :-/

1 minute ago, jcomm said:

Thx rka, so... no solution yet 😕

Crazy, isn't it? They deliver several large jets but no pushback.

I've been eyeing AEFS2 for years, but it has so many shortcomings that I never actually bought it. And I don't believe now will be the time where AEFS4 gets more traction because now, there is even less need for it than there was before MSFS.

4 minutes ago, rka said:

Crazy, isn't it? They deliver several large jets but no pushback.

I've been eyeing AEFS2 for years, but it has so many shortcomings that I never actually bought it. And I don't believe now will be the time where AEFS4 gets more traction because now, there is even less need for it than there was before MSFS.

Unfortunately I have to share your opinion :-/

2 minutes ago, jcomm said:

Unfortunately I have to share your opinion 😕

That's a first I'd say ☺️

52 minutes ago, rka said:

That's a first I'd say ☺️

???

I always agree with anyone, provided I do 🙂

3 hours ago, jcomm said:

Tracking some youtubes I found a few examples of airliners moving from their parking stands sing thrust reversers 😕

As you may know, this is referred to as a 'powerback'. It did used to be a reasonably common thing at airports back in the 70s and 80s. Occasionally it was useful if there was a lot of ice on the ramp and a pushback tug could not get enough traction, so it wasn't that uncommon at airports in Canada and Russia for example, but there were/are a few problems with it which is why it is a bit of a rarity these days.

Issues include noise; it's very loud because you typically have to go to near maximum thrust to overcome the inertia of being stopped, and that means you also use a lot of fuel too. The risk of a tail-tipping and a tail strike when applying the brakes from rolling backwards is quite high and although many aeroplanes have external cameras all over them these days, even if there is no chance of a tail strike, it's still a bit of a risk to be backing up an aeroplane without really being able to see very well behind you.

Many aeroplane makers actually prohibit powerbacks because of the risk of FOD ingestion off the ramp and so it was usually only types such as the DC-9 and the 727, where the engines are a long way from the ground, which tended to do it. In addition to ramp FOD potentially going in the engines and/or FOD damaging the airframe, there were instances of reverse thrust powerbacks launching FOD at terminal windows and breaking them, or striking personnel at the head of the stand. Some prop aeroplanes with a wide range of propeller pitch can go into 'beta mode' and do a powerback, but again the same problems arise, so that too is not something which occurs in many places. 

As is often the case, the rules and restrictions tend to be a bit different for military aeroplanes, where tactical considerations can outweigh other risks for the purpose of expediency, for example flying at high speed at low level is risky, but it vastly reduces the exposure time for enemy fire so is deemed prudent for military aeroplanes, and the same is true with powerbacks, so you do quite frequently see things like the C-130s doing powerbacks, or using the engines on the inside of a turn in reverse mode to assist with turning, because it means they will moving faster and be on the ground for less time when at risk of mortar attacks on an airfield.

That's the good thing about flight sims though; as far as I'm aware, none of them simulate the risk of FOD ingestion off a ramp surface and so you don't have to worry about airport rules and such!

Which reminds me of something I saw yesterday at EGCC which was one of the most bizarre and risky things I've ever seen anyone do at an airport. We were working on an Icelandair B757 on Stand 23; the Captain was doing a walkaround, which is not unusual of course, but when he got to the rear of the aeroplane, instead of continuing the walkaround, he strolled out across the live taxiway behind the aeroplane and then onto the grass beyond it next to the blast screens near the LIMA taxiway junction, then got out his Ipad and started taking photographs of aeroplanes taxying past! The TL on the flight ran over to him and managed to get him to stop it and come back. That taxiway is one of the busiest ones on the airport; it's the one which nearly every airliner that goes onto T1 and T2 uses (I actually had to wait for two aeroplanes to push out before I could push that 757 out onto it, which gives you some idea of how busy that bit is), and he had in fact taxied down it in his own aeroplane when coming in to Stand 23, so you'd think he'd have known better! Quite apart from being really insanely dangerous, if one of the airfield ops guys or someone in the tower had seen him doing that, he'd have been in real trouble, so he's lucky one of our guys collared him and got him to stop it.. 

Edited July 3, 20223 yr by Chock