(From Benjamin Boronat) Take it from a former mechanic, those Pratt and Whitneys even in Standby Mode on cycling can suck the hair off a gnat's ass at 20 feet. There's not a snowball's chance in hell you are going to be anywhere near those things while taxiing without going in as shredded beef and coming out barbequed pork on the other end. The heat coming off those things in exhaust can instantly liquefy aluminum. Crank those puppies up to operating speed and you are at forge-like temperatures and the blowtorch from hell. Instant Death ☠️💀 100 yards behind at full thrust.
That's why the Military in all it's wisdom puts in Big BOLD Letters "DANGER" all over the aircraft. You would have to be an absolute moron to be within 50 feet from that craft from the side, and you're definitely not going to be around those wings or their path. You ever stop to think why they wait to taxi this particular aircraft until all living life forms known to man and creation are clear front and back? The exhaust once the pilot lays on those throttles will land you a couple of football fields away if you aren't fully cremated already.
Works only in Hollywood folks. If that had been real life the air induction and sound alone would have cleared everything away from that plane just to taxi it. Notice that not a single person had on ear protection or were covering their ears. Even if you are totally deaf it would be painful to be that close to a running Pratt and Whitney without ear protection. Yeah, they are that loud. Don't take my word for it. Hang out by an airport runway and just watch and listen to a couple of jumbo jets take off. Then add in that the sound from a Pratt and Whitney is double that. Bet you will rethink your position real quick. You won't even have to be that close.
Just to put the final insult to injury on this charade — the insignia is missing below the words AIR FORCE. And where the hell is the Front Man door? It should be lower and slightly forward of the missing insignia. It's like a Blow Up Doll that's half dressed...
(From Richard Scurto) (from the comments) I’m an aviation mechanic, I also work for the company who makes the engines for the C17………This post is the truth!
And No pilot (I don’t care what country) would ever start their engines in that environment
Here's why he's wrong. He's a former mechanic, not an engineer.
These planes have a higher clearance than commercial planes. These engines are eight feet above the ground. The same engines on a 757 are 29 inches off the ground.
If they were prancing around a 757 with engines on, yes, very likely someone would have been sucked in. But this is a C-17. The engines would have to overcome the full force of gravity to lift a fully-grown man completely off of the ground. This doesn't happen in reality.
The reason is because the range of danger is 20 feet LATERALLY. The range of danger increases ABOVE the engine, and decreases BELOW it.
So, with a 757, a human body's mass is largely at the same level as the engine. For the C-17 it is ALL several feel below the engine. So the ability of the engine to pull in a whole person is diminished by the force of gravity. Yes, the engine CAN do it, but only from probably within a foot or so.
As for the heat, again the ground clearance matters. Also, hot air is less dense than cold air so it expands rapidly and rises into the atmosphere. It works the same way as a hair dryer. Put it on full blast and stick your hand one inch away. It will burn your hand. Move it one foot away, nice and cozy.
The noise level argument is nonsense also. It makes the assumption that all four engines are under throttle at all times. That's not how planes taxi. They give it a little thrust to get the plane rolling then back off to conserve fuel. Once the plane is rolling, the amount of thrust needed to keep it moving is less.
The noise level would only be an issue when the plane needed to ACCELERATE, not maintain speed.
Also, this is military. If they were given orders to take off, they are going to take off. Especially in a hostile environment.
This guy is trying to throw out his mechanic and employment credentials like he's some authority, but he's not. His premises fail to consider basic things like the force of gravity.
(From Benjamin Boronat) Take it from a former mechanic, those Pratt and Whitneys even in Standby Mode on cycling can suck the hair off a gnat's ass at 20 feet. There's not a snowball's chance in hell you are going to be anywhere near those things while taxiing without going in as shredded beef and coming out barbequed pork on the other end. The heat coming off those things in exhaust can instantly liquefy aluminum. Crank those puppies up to operating speed and you are at forge-like temperatures and the blowtorch from hell. Instant Death ☠️💀 100 yards behind at full thrust.
That's why the Military in all it's wisdom puts in Big BOLD Letters "DANGER" all over the aircraft. You would have to be an absolute moron to be within 50 feet from that craft from the side, and you're definitely not going to be around those wings or their path. You ever stop to think why they wait to taxi this particular aircraft until all living life forms known to man and creation are clear front and back? The exhaust once the pilot lays on those throttles will land you a couple of football fields away if you aren't fully cremated already.
Works only in Hollywood folks. If that had been real life the air induction and sound alone would have cleared everything away from that plane just to taxi it. Notice that not a single person had on ear protection or were covering their ears. Even if you are totally deaf it would be painful to be that close to a running Pratt and Whitney without ear protection. Yeah, they are that loud. Don't take my word for it. Hang out by an airport runway and just watch and listen to a couple of jumbo jets take off. Then add in that the sound from a Pratt and Whitney is double that. Bet you will rethink your position real quick. You won't even have to be that close.
Just to put the final insult to injury on this charade — the insignia is missing below the words AIR FORCE. And where the hell is the Front Man door? It should be lower and slightly forward of the missing insignia. It's like a Blow Up Doll that's half dressed...
(From Richard Scurto) (from the comments) I’m an aviation mechanic, I also work for the company who makes the engines for the C17………This post is the truth!
And No pilot (I don’t care what country) would ever start their engines in that environment
Here's why he's wrong. He's a former mechanic, not an engineer.
These planes have a higher clearance than commercial planes. These engines are eight feet above the ground. The same engines on a 757 are 29 inches off the ground.
If they were prancing around a 757 with engines on, yes, very likely someone would have been sucked in. But this is a C-17. The engines would have to overcome the full force of gravity to lift a fully-grown man completely off of the ground. This doesn't happen in reality.
The reason is because the range of danger is 20 feet LATERALLY. The range of danger increases ABOVE the engine, and decreases BELOW it.
So, with a 757, a human body's mass is largely at the same level as the engine. For the C-17 it is ALL several feel below the engine. So the ability of the engine to pull in a whole person is diminished by the force of gravity. Yes, the engine CAN do it, but only from probably within a foot or so.
As for the heat, again the ground clearance matters. Also, hot air is less dense than cold air so it expands rapidly and rises into the atmosphere. It works the same way as a hair dryer. Put it on full blast and stick your hand one inch away. It will burn your hand. Move it one foot away, nice and cozy.
The noise level argument is nonsense also. It makes the assumption that all four engines are under throttle at all times. That's not how planes taxi. They give it a little thrust to get the plane rolling then back off to conserve fuel. Once the plane is rolling, the amount of thrust needed to keep it moving is less.
The noise level would only be an issue when the plane needed to ACCELERATE, not maintain speed.
Also, this is military. If they were given orders to take off, they are going to take off. Especially in a hostile environment.
This guy is trying to throw out his mechanic and employment credentials like he's some authority, but he's not. His premises fail to consider basic things like the force of gravity.