So, you were a ramper or dispatcher and were not a line pilot making the kind of decisions we have been discussing. Calculating initial takeoff trim setting must have been a real challenge.
FWIW, the only potentially serious takeoff issue I ever had was due to dispatch getting the weight far under actual. Fortunately, my astonishing pilot skills allowed me to thumb the trim switch and compensate for the mis-trim after rotation. Within CG but very much overweight! Thank heavens for the well trained thumb with thousands of hours tweaking the trim switch! Imagine the horror if I had to wait for the FO or dispatch to calculate a new trim setting!
Youâve posted these quote before, maybe multiple timesâŚand they always are relevant and never grow old. That author nailed it 40 years ago, and I reckon it will still be valid 40 years from now.
I was just starting flight school when I was dispatching. It was pretty cool, I learned a lot. Then I found out 135 âdispatchersâ would GLADLY send me into a tornado or zombie attack, they didnât give one shit about anything but getting the load out on time. Very big difference between 121 world and where I started actually flying myself.
To this day I think I can balance a 737 in my sleep too, front half of the front compartment, front half of the back compartment, heavier remainder for the back of the front, leftovers for back of the back.