Wow, I always knew that if your flying anything bigger then a Cessna 172 putting down the flaps for take-off is ABSOLUTELY REQUIRED. I remember when a B-727 tried taking off from Detroit about 20 years go and the crew failed to lower flaps before take-off. Unfortunately everyone died as the plane barely got off the ground. Crew complacency was the fault.
Okay, so here I am at the Charlotte Airport in a small commuter jet last week and we back out of the ramp, hit the taxi-way and I am sitting in the window seat two rows behind the wing and in full view of the flaps. I am saying to myself as the co-pilot announces that they are number two for take-off that, why were the flaps not lowered yet? Too much drag going down the taxi-way? Maybe the check list fell between the seats? I am about to jump out of my seat and go screaming down the isle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!FLLAAAAPPSSS........
The plane turns onto the active runway and the flaps get lowered!!!! Whats wrong with this picture? Was this intended at the last moment? Do the modern jets have a built in recording that tells the pilot, "hey skipper, this plane ain't moving til the flaps are lowered"!?
All your commercial pilots please chime in.......am I nuts? got a bit too paranoid?
Or were we a throttle push from disaster?
Bob
