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Post by skyhawkdon on Jul 2, 2006 16:41:18 GMT 12
I would like to share a couple of interesting Strikemaster beat up photos with everyone. The first was taken from the Dunedin airport control tower as 14 Sqn was departing after a Falcons Roost exercise. I don't know the date unfortunately - maybe someone else does. I think it is RNZAF Official  . The second one was taken by me at Ohakea in 1989 from on top of 14 Sqn's hangar.  |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 2, 2006 17:52:09 GMT 12
Very cool photos! Thanks for sharing them
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Post by trimotor on Oct 25, 2014 5:25:44 GMT 12
Excellent. In 1989 SMR69 would have had new wings and been a good machine for a beat up..
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Post by kiwiinoz on Oct 25, 2014 7:47:34 GMT 12
Only problem was shortly after the wing replacement it crashed
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Post by trimotor on Oct 30, 2014 20:03:35 GMT 12
Yes, with Sean Singleton-Turner (RAAF) 'Two Dads' at the controls, doing a spinning test flight after re-rigging the ailerons, after a VERY delayed spin recovery with Graeme Dobson flying, with my student. They should have jumped out at 10000ft, but eventually achieved a recovery at something a little under 5000ft. I was 14 Sqn Flight safety officer at the time and went to the scene.
Incidentally, minimum spin entry was 18000ft, and there had to be (from memory) no under wing stores, no tip fuel and less than 1800lbs fuel with tight imbalance limits. The worthless fuel gauge did not allow you to read the total fuel unless it was quite low, requiring mental addition with the left/right, tips/mains selectors and one gauge. It turned out there was a couple of fuel quantity indication errors on the crash aircraft, resulting in a bigger-than-allowed imbalance and fuel in the tips, plus more than 1800lbs. Personally, I didn't like spinning it with close to 1800 lbs in it (in any of them), and would spin later in the sortie, with usually less than 1400lbs. The ensuing Court of Enquiry brought all sorts of info to light - the Singaporeans had a 1400 lbs limit and a 1973 letter from BAE was dredged up telling the RNZAF not to spin with more than 1400 lbs, due to the potential for delayed recoveries...oops.
The Macchi, by comparison, was a dream to spin, erect or inverted. We kept the 'grandfather' rules of 18000ft for entry (probably a legacy from the Vampire, unless I miss my guess), but the AerMacchi test pilots would take us flying when the aircraft were being delivered and do things not allowed in the RNZAF, prior to the aircraft being handed over. Spinning at 6000ft was one. Shutting the engine down was another (proving the speed/altitude limits of the relight envelope in the process - 450kts at 250ft, in the circuit, at 30000ft at low speed, etc, etc).
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