Well positioned, Brian. The nose is still in full flare, all the main wheels are on the ground but the tyre smoke hasn't passed under the tail yet. And the thrust reversers are deployed already. You got it all.
Some photos just have an immediately recognizable quality. I get the weekly digest email and the Flightaware page loads a bunch of thumbnail pictures. I always do a quick scan to decide which photo I want to look at first. This photo grabbed my attention out of all the fighter jets, commercial airliners and oddballs.
I agree it is a great picture. However, this Captain would have failed his Line Check. Never, Never should the reversers be deployed with the nose wheel off of the ground! If an outboard reverser fails to deploy when reverse thrust is applied the airplane will be in the grass within 3 seconds. This is old aerodynamic braking that stopped when airplanes were equipped with thrust reversers.
Regarding Robert Pretrasek's below comment, I feel that deployment of the reversers upon touchdown is authorized by the manufacturer based on my experience flying as a passenger, and, having experienced the pilot's advancing the throttles almost all the time prior to nosewheel touchdown. Furthermore, my private pilot and USAF training re mechanical braking was a minimum 60% of slowing the aircraft over the 40% thrust reversers. Petrasek wrote: I agree it is a great picture. However, this Captain would have failed his Line Check. Never, Never should the reversers be deployed with the nose wheel off of the ground! If an outboard reverser fails to deploy when reverse thrust is applied the airplane will be in the grass within 3 seconds. This is old aerodynamic braking that stopped when airplanes were equipped with thrust reversers.
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