Quote:
Originally Posted by Crafty Angler
I'm trying to remember what a friend who's a pilot told me the stall speed is for a jet that size. Stall speed is the point at which the weight of the plane is greater than the lift - meaning it glides as well as a piano thrown out an open window.
If memory serves, it's + or - 160 MPH or thereabouts. When you consider that the pilot set it down in water at that speed, it's all the more incredible. No doubt he dumped the flaps at the last micro-second but jeeeezuzzzz... 
Gotta be an old Navy jet-jockey - what an incredible piece of flying. |
Stall speed varies with aircraft type, but 160 mph is probably in the ballpark for the A 320. Some eyewitnesses are saying he dragged the tail cone in the water to get some braking before the nose came down. You also want to keep the engines clear of the water for as long as possible to avoid standing the thing on its nose.
And the reports say he's an ex-Navy guy.