Speaking of aircraft - any idea what this was?

[SDGuy]

Dakota's post below reminded me of something that's been bothering me for awhile.

I've got this dim memory of riding in a passenger jet, sometime around 1989-1991 (don't ask me to remember which airline it was).

I had a window seat, and a perfect view of the back half of the wing and jet engine hung underneath. Upon landing, the back part of the cowling of the jet engine opened up (split into an upper and lower half), and rotated into a scoop-like structure. I assumed this was meant to be some sort of air brake to slow down the plane on landing.

It kinda freaked me out at the time, and I haven't seen anything like it since. Any idea what this was? It was definitely a larger passenger jet, not some puddle-jumper sized thing.

[Pat]

Thrust deflector.

When you hear the engines rev on landing, they are redirecting the thrust to slow down the plane.

[MacMagus]

This?

http://www.theairlinehub.com/2006/01/how..._stop.html


Edit: Whoops! I linked to the wrong picture.

[grad]

I know what you mean, where the front of the engine appears to break away from the engine. I have seen this on the smaller Airbuses.

[jdc]

reverse thrust

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Rever...70.arp.jpg

[sscutchen]

[Carnos Jax]

Those are thrust reversers. There are basically two types. Cascade and bucket style. Planes like the early 737's and most DC-9's (as well as most business jets) used the bucket style, which is what SDGuy saw (most likely on a 737).

Most other aircraft which use wing mounted 'high bypass turbofan' jet engines such as latter versions of the 737 and the 757, 747, 767, and almost the entire Airbus line use the cascade type, where a portion of the engine's body slides back and deflects the majority of the air going through the engine forward.

[SDGuy]

Thanks - that was it. Must have been a 737, as Carnos Jax said, and just like MacMagus's pic.

Now I can sleep tonight...

[SKYLANE]

At some airports in the past, I have seen 727s and DC-9s using their thrust reversers to back away from a gate without a tug. Was kinda cool to watch. I am sure for safety reasons is why I have not seen it on a more frequent basis.