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KC-10 Driver ✈️ 👨‍✈️ B-737 Wrangler

@MCCCANM • 46,580 subscribers

USAF KC-10 (Retired ‘24) Lt Col Instructor/Evaluator & Airline 737 Captain. Views my own; think critically, verify sources & keep your seatbelt fastened. No DMs

Shorts

Passengers sometimes hear an odd, rhythmic “thumping” just after takeoff, when the gear is retracted. Particularly if seated near the front. That’s the nose gear, and the wheels being stopped once they get into the bay. Unlike the main gear, which applies some brakes before pulling in the wheels, the nose gear has no brakes installed. So, to stop the wheels, it pulls the gear up until the tires come in contact with “snubbers”. These are flexible strips w/ a bit of rubber mounted to them. As the tires come in contact, the snubbers slow & stop them. In the picture, you can see some rubber gets flung around the nose gear bay. Anyway, contact is not always perfect, so you sometimes get a rhythmic thumping as the wheels slow. Other times you may hear it as a constant sound for a few seconds that seems to slow down & change pitch…and slowing down is exactly what’s happening. Anyway, now you know what the sound right after takeoff is. We generally retract the gear immediately after confirming we have a rate of climb. “Positive rates (of climb), gear up”. Hope that helps!

Passengers sometimes hear an odd, rhythmic “thumping” just after takeoff, when the gear is retracted. Particularly if seated near the front. That’s the nose gear, and the wheels being stopped once they get into the bay. Unlike the main gear, which applies some brakes before pulling in the wheels, the nose gear has no brakes installed. So, to stop the wheels, it pulls the gear up until the tires come in contact with “snubbers”. These are flexible strips w/ a bit of rubber mounted to them. As the tires come in contact, the snubbers slow & stop them. In the picture, you can see some rubber gets flung around the nose gear bay. Anyway, contact is not always perfect, so you sometimes get a rhythmic thumping as the wheels slow. Other times you may hear it as a constant sound for a few seconds that seems to slow down & change pitch…and slowing down is exactly what’s happening. Anyway, now you know what the sound right after takeoff is. We generally retract the gear immediately after confirming we have a rate of climb. “Positive rates (of climb), gear up”. Hope that helps!

108,837 views

DEN has the best shoeshine in the system. Been trying to get my new boots in to these guys for months, but never had enough time. Came in early off my layover for a shine & bowl of Green Chile Stew. Worth it!

DEN has the best shoeshine in the system. Been trying to get my new boots in to these guys for months, but never had enough time. Came in early off my layover for a shine & bowl of Green Chile Stew. Worth it!

98,452 views

Sorry, I’m drunk: We don’t have many “little steps” left to take or make. We won’t be together much longer. She will be taken; though I’ve known it for years, it doesn’t hurt less. She shined in an incredible way – a supernova. I was black-pilled after a terrible divorce complete w/ false accusations & later this woman came along; I was slow to trust & bitter but she made the world bright again. She made me smile. She gave me hope & something to come home to. I think that’s what most men aspire to…something to come home to, some family unit to serve & sacrifice for. I put my own life below my children’s, and below my wife or partner. I will suffer whatever I must for their benefit, and I’ll take satisfaction in doing it. In a weird way, it will make me happy. She is far more than I deserve & now she is wasting away…and I can’t do anything about it, no matter how much I work or suffer. Part of me – maybe a large part – will go with her. I will soldier on for the kids, but she was so beautiful & bright…that light will be gone & I’m not sure what’s left. Now she struggles to get out of bed. Can’t eat besides a bag of liquids hooked to a pump & tube, either. Which is only one of three tubes & bags. Cancer is devouring her. She weighs 80 pounds. She’s still beautiful. I will be lost without her; no purpose or rudder. I was going to show her the world & how to have spontaneous adventures…she’d started learning to non-rev & we made good use of it, but it’s not to be. I’ll carry on for the kids, but I just don’t see anything for me, and I’m tired of being the good soldier & sucking up all the bad shit. So, so tired of “you’ll survive”. I’m sorry. Like I said, I’m drunk. I need to let this stuff out sometimes. Bobby Brown had a great sentiment & my GF danced to it in the video: “Every little step I take, you will be there Every little step I make, we’ll be together” I was against commitments when we met, then skeptical, then hoped & lived for it. I rejoiced in finding a partner like her – she’s just so good. Then I was robbed of it. More importantly, she was robbed of everything. I already mourn for her, and part of that is mourning for all that could have been for her. The world is losing an amazing woman. Just a zombie at this point. Not feeling much of anything. Sorry, drunk musings as I go through my phone. I try not to talk about this, and I am really good when she’s unloading on me, but I don’t have anyone else to share that with & sometimes it builds up. I’m not a threat to anyone or myself; my job actually gives me some joy…but I’m just hurting at home now.

Sensitive content

Sorry, I’m drunk: We don’t have many “little steps” left to take or make. We won’t be together much longer. She will be taken; though I’ve known it for years, it doesn’t hurt less. She shined in an incredible way – a supernova. I was black-pilled after a terrible divorce complete w/ false accusations & later this woman came along; I was slow to trust & bitter but she made the world bright again. She made me smile. She gave me hope & something to come home to. I think that’s what most men aspire to…something to come home to, some family unit to serve & sacrifice for. I put my own life below my children’s, and below my wife or partner. I will suffer whatever I must for their benefit, and I’ll take satisfaction in doing it. In a weird way, it will make me happy. She is far more than I deserve & now she is wasting away…and I can’t do anything about it, no matter how much I work or suffer. Part of me – maybe a large part – will go with her. I will soldier on for the kids, but she was so beautiful & bright…that light will be gone & I’m not sure what’s left. Now she struggles to get out of bed. Can’t eat besides a bag of liquids hooked to a pump & tube, either. Which is only one of three tubes & bags. Cancer is devouring her. She weighs 80 pounds. She’s still beautiful. I will be lost without her; no purpose or rudder. I was going to show her the world & how to have spontaneous adventures…she’d started learning to non-rev & we made good use of it, but it’s not to be. I’ll carry on for the kids, but I just don’t see anything for me, and I’m tired of being the good soldier & sucking up all the bad shit. So, so tired of “you’ll survive”. I’m sorry. Like I said, I’m drunk. I need to let this stuff out sometimes. Bobby Brown had a great sentiment & my GF danced to it in the video: “Every little step I take, you will be there Every little step I make, we’ll be together” I was against commitments when we met, then skeptical, then hoped & lived for it. I rejoiced in finding a partner like her – she’s just so good. Then I was robbed of it. More importantly, she was robbed of everything. I already mourn for her, and part of that is mourning for all that could have been for her. The world is losing an amazing woman. Just a zombie at this point. Not feeling much of anything. Sorry, drunk musings as I go through my phone. I try not to talk about this, and I am really good when she’s unloading on me, but I don’t have anyone else to share that with & sometimes it builds up. I’m not a threat to anyone or myself; my job actually gives me some joy…but I’m just hurting at home now.

171,492 views

I’ve posted it before, but apparently you people like the view of a KC-10 approaching a KC-10 (“the mothership”) to swap fuel. Likely nobody did Receiver Air Refueling more than us. Standard sortie. When you connect, you can both hear & feel it. There is a loud thump & shudder.

I’ve posted it before, but apparently you people like the view of a KC-10 approaching a KC-10 (“the mothership”) to swap fuel. Likely nobody did Receiver Air Refueling more than us. Standard sortie. When you connect, you can both hear & feel it. There is a loud thump & shudder.

33,513 views

It was harder than it looks

It was harder than it looks

26,939 views

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When everyone else gets to go flying, but you get to sit in the penalty box with the brakes set & engines off because the city won’t let you stay at their gate to wait while SAN has an EDCT. 😢
1:25
MCCCANM's profile picture

When everyone else gets to go flying, but you get to sit in the penalty box with the brakes set & engines off because the city won’t let you stay at their gate to wait while SAN has an EDCT. 😢

KC-10 Driver ✈️ 👨‍✈️ B-737 Wrangler

76,252 views • 19 days ago

More thoughts on landings: I went to the Reserves & got re-qualified as a KC-10 instructor after a couple years away from the jet. The DO (Director of Operations) assigned me to fly w/ the Wing Commander, who flew jets occasionally now & had only a weird “Senior Staff” Qual in the KC-10. Long story. Anyway, the DO gave me a warning. He phrased it in a nice way, but told me they only allowed certain instructors to fly w/ the Wing Commander. It piqued my curiosity, but I didn’t go on high alert or anything. So, we’re on the last landing of the sortie, really late at night. Things look fine, he’s doing fine, and I’m happy we’re almost done. Somehow in the last 100’, this guy manages to put the jet down almost in the lights leading up to the runway. I’ve never seen anything like it & couldn’t explain it. It was like the universe paused, reset our height above the ground, then resumed play. We touched down on the main gear maybe 50’ from the runway threshold. I didn’t have time to react. I realized we were safe & stopping, so didn’t say anything. I didn’t debrief him, either…he wasn’t going to listen to me anyway. I tried to figure out how that happened. I honestly never did. I didn’t see any yoke movements or power adjustments that would account for it, nor was there any weather that would do it. We were on speed & glidepath. I still don’t really know. Anyway, I talked to the DO the next day. He wasn’t surprised, and reiterated that was why they only let him fly with a handful of instructors. I flew with him again, and it was vanilla, but I watched like a Hawk. That lesson sticks with me. Fast forward to years later, and I haven’t actually flown the KC-10 in a long time. I’m not current & so my qualification has lapsed. I hear my son on a video game group chat telling others something along the lines of “yeah, when my dad retires I get to wave the jet in to parking”. Shit. The kids are expecting that. I was just going to go away quietly…I had a lot going on in those years. A lot. I didn’t have the bandwidth for the KC-10, but now there is an expectation & I can’t let them down. So, the squadron goes to extraordinary lengths & draws up a whole requalification plan for me, which has to be signed at multiple levels. In reality, it’s just to do one last flight, and not even do much flying. The squadron was extremely gracious in this regard. My instructor, a good friend of mine, offers me the last landing. I’ve strapped into the seat for this one…I’d been napping in the back while the other pilots took turns practicing touch & gos for their currency. I considered it, but the jet – which I had thousands of hours on – felt huge now & I was uncomfortable. I declined & put my hands in my lap. He landed & slowed it down. I took over to taxi it in for my kids, and then we had the whole show of throwing water on me, champagne & pictures. And that was it. That was my last landing in a military jet.
0:45
MCCCANM's profile picture

More thoughts on landings: I went to the Reserves & got re-qualified as a KC-10 instructor after a couple years away from the jet. The DO (Director of Operations) assigned me to fly w/ the Wing Commander, who flew jets occasionally now & had only a weird “Senior Staff” Qual in the KC-10. Long story. Anyway, the DO gave me a warning. He phrased it in a nice way, but told me they only allowed certain instructors to fly w/ the Wing Commander. It piqued my curiosity, but I didn’t go on high alert or anything. So, we’re on the last landing of the sortie, really late at night. Things look fine, he’s doing fine, and I’m happy we’re almost done. Somehow in the last 100’, this guy manages to put the jet down almost in the lights leading up to the runway. I’ve never seen anything like it & couldn’t explain it. It was like the universe paused, reset our height above the ground, then resumed play. We touched down on the main gear maybe 50’ from the runway threshold. I didn’t have time to react. I realized we were safe & stopping, so didn’t say anything. I didn’t debrief him, either…he wasn’t going to listen to me anyway. I tried to figure out how that happened. I honestly never did. I didn’t see any yoke movements or power adjustments that would account for it, nor was there any weather that would do it. We were on speed & glidepath. I still don’t really know. Anyway, I talked to the DO the next day. He wasn’t surprised, and reiterated that was why they only let him fly with a handful of instructors. I flew with him again, and it was vanilla, but I watched like a Hawk. That lesson sticks with me. Fast forward to years later, and I haven’t actually flown the KC-10 in a long time. I’m not current & so my qualification has lapsed. I hear my son on a video game group chat telling others something along the lines of “yeah, when my dad retires I get to wave the jet in to parking”. Shit. The kids are expecting that. I was just going to go away quietly…I had a lot going on in those years. A lot. I didn’t have the bandwidth for the KC-10, but now there is an expectation & I can’t let them down. So, the squadron goes to extraordinary lengths & draws up a whole requalification plan for me, which has to be signed at multiple levels. In reality, it’s just to do one last flight, and not even do much flying. The squadron was extremely gracious in this regard. My instructor, a good friend of mine, offers me the last landing. I’ve strapped into the seat for this one…I’d been napping in the back while the other pilots took turns practicing touch & gos for their currency. I considered it, but the jet – which I had thousands of hours on – felt huge now & I was uncomfortable. I declined & put my hands in my lap. He landed & slowed it down. I took over to taxi it in for my kids, and then we had the whole show of throwing water on me, champagne & pictures. And that was it. That was my last landing in a military jet.

KC-10 Driver ✈️ 👨‍✈️ B-737 Wrangler

69,712 views • 1 month ago

That was a lot of effort to deport a Canadian guy. In all seriousness, congrats, NASA and Godspeed, Astronauts! GO, GO, GO! If you haven’t seen it, the best movie about the space program is “The Right Stuff”. Worth your time!
1:10
MCCCANM's profile picture

That was a lot of effort to deport a Canadian guy. In all seriousness, congrats, NASA and Godspeed, Astronauts! GO, GO, GO! If you haven’t seen it, the best movie about the space program is “The Right Stuff”. Worth your time!

KC-10 Driver ✈️ 👨‍✈️ B-737 Wrangler

72,874 views • 2 months ago

My good KC-10 friend stays w/ me when he comes to town for reserve duty. Lives in Idaho. He’s been blessed by having connections to big aviation families forever, keeps tempting me to visit. This is his latest lure, a Grumman Goose, in June of ‘22. I may take the bait. Sexy!
0:37
MCCCANM's profile picture

My good KC-10 friend stays w/ me when he comes to town for reserve duty. Lives in Idaho. He’s been blessed by having connections to big aviation families forever, keeps tempting me to visit. This is his latest lure, a Grumman Goose, in June of ‘22. I may take the bait. Sexy!

KC-10 Driver ✈️ 👨‍✈️ B-737 Wrangler

286,079 views • 1 year ago

They sent her with some friends so she wouldn’t be lonely…🥲
0:28
MCCCANM's profile picture

They sent her with some friends so she wouldn’t be lonely…🥲

KC-10 Driver ✈️ 👨‍✈️ B-737 Wrangler

255,330 views • 1 year ago

Timelapse video showing the “magic hour” when satellites reflect the light of a sun still several hours over the horizon…if you’re at the right angle to see it. Quite the show!
0:22
MCCCANM's profile picture

Timelapse video showing the “magic hour” when satellites reflect the light of a sun still several hours over the horizon…if you’re at the right angle to see it. Quite the show!

KC-10 Driver ✈️ 👨‍✈️ B-737 Wrangler

77,797 views • 8 months ago

Quite a few pilots & passengers heading West tonight got an unusual sight: a mystery glowing blob. A SpaceX rocket. It had launched East from FL…causing some confusion. The rocket had come all the way around the earth & was burning the engines…then it “staged” & left a bloom.
0:56
MCCCANM's profile picture

Quite a few pilots & passengers heading West tonight got an unusual sight: a mystery glowing blob. A SpaceX rocket. It had launched East from FL…causing some confusion. The rocket had come all the way around the earth & was burning the engines…then it “staged” & left a bloom.

KC-10 Driver ✈️ 👨‍✈️ B-737 Wrangler

38,866 views • 4 months ago

I think “I don’t need an airplane, it makes no financial sense”. Then I go down memory lane to the time I had an airplane & it blows up that argument, purely on emotion. I should be better than that, but…I need an airplane again.
1:34
MCCCANM's profile picture

I think “I don’t need an airplane, it makes no financial sense”. Then I go down memory lane to the time I had an airplane & it blows up that argument, purely on emotion. I should be better than that, but…I need an airplane again.

KC-10 Driver ✈️ 👨‍✈️ B-737 Wrangler

53,642 views • 8 months ago

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