Took Jet Blue 1779 home from Las Vegas this past Monday. We were in Row 9, just in front of the wing. When we took off, the tires started to shudder quite noticeably as we left the ground. Does anyone have any idea why?
And when we landed, the plane came in faster than normal, at least faster than we’re used to as we fly Jet Blue out of Long Beach three or four times a year. As the pilot attempted to slow the plane, we noticed or heard a loud whooshing sound of air right over the fuselage over our heads. That was a first for us as well. Anyone have any idea why that might be?
Shuddering wheels on liftoff means the tires are a bit out of balance or a wheel bearing is going bad. Out of balance is fairly common as the tires wear.
Noise inside an aluminum tube is a funny thing, what sounds like something overhead may actually be coming from somewhere else. The only change in air noise right after touchdown would be from the reverse thrust which is nothing more than re-directing the airflow of the engine exhaust. Maybe it sounds different in row 9.
Long Beach often lands on RY 30 with a southerly tail wind, so jet landings can be a bit fast, depending on the wind speed. The good news is RY 30 is 10,000 feet long, so plenty of asphalt to play with.
