What the heck was that?

[Dave Homewood]

On Sunday morning I was having a nice lie in when a plane went over and I seriously sat bolt upright and winced, waiting for the bang. I was convinced it was in a dive and about to hit the ground.

We get loads of aircraft coming over our house going in and out of Hamilton Airport, a few minutes drive from here. But nothing has ever sounded like this before.

Anyway, no bang in the end. I thought nothing more of it till just now, and the same noise again directly over the house.

It is LOUD, and sounds just like a piston engine fighter in a dive, or a very sick Fletcher plummetting earthwards. it makes the house shake as it goes over.

I caught sight of it this time though. It is some sort of commuter or cororate aircraft,, has a high wing, tip tanks and a robust, round fuselage. It's about the size of a normal twin engined commuter, but I couldn't see engine pods. It is so fast you'd have thought it was a jet, but it sounds like a piston engined aircraft - real deep and throaty like a radial. Maybe the engine was a single and on the nose, not sure as it was going away from me at a high rate of knots. It also appeared to be really low, not much more than 500 feet at a guess, lower than most commuters that go over anyway.

This was approx 5.50pm and it had obviously just left Rkuhia which is possibly where it was headed on Sunday morning.

Did you see it Bruce? Anyone know what the hell it is?

[corsair67]

Mitsubishi MU-2?

[Dave Homewood]

After looking it up, yes, it quite possibly be one of those. Definately the right configuration. Do they sound like B-17's?

[Bruce]

No i didnt see it. Your description sounds a bit like a Mitsubishi MU2 (aka "Rice Rocket") which is a high wing twin with tip tanks and a chubby round fuselage. The nacelles are very small and hold Garrett turboprops which does produce a distinctive sound much as you describe. I think there is one currently in NZ. Airways corp hired it at one stage for Navaid calibration, which may explain unusual flightpaths.

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks Bruce. That possibly explains its lowness. The flightpath across our place is certainly not unusual, we get at least 30 planes a day criss crossing over our house or just nearby.

[corsair67]

Dave, I can't ever recall hearing one.

I gather they can be a handful in the wrong hands, so there aren't many around now - well at least not over here.

[FlyNavy]

Dave,
You have reminded me about the fun it must have been for our RAAF ARDU Dakotas to be calibrating the Nowra TACAN (& GCA?) all those years ago. They would fly down the approach (radar flight path) at max speed (with nose down). Now that was a sight. :-)
Phil.

[Peter Lewis]

There have been six MU2s in NZ over the years. Air Central was quite keen on them - EKZ is pictured here at Napier in 1981.
The only one extant here right now is Funnell's ZK-KOH based at Taupo.
Like the "rice rocket" term, not heard that one before.

[beagle]

Did the little green men inside wave to you dave

[Bruce]

flyernzl said:

Like the "rice rocket" term, not heard that one before.
quote]

That was a term used by Tim Wallis - Alpine deer Group had one for a while. The term is used in the book "Hurricane Tim" and I think its quite suitable - The MU2 is a really quick machine (but will bite if you let it!)

[fletcherfu24]

Definitely an MU-2,it was here at Tauranga last week,and I know someone who flew out of Hamilton in it the other week.

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks Fletch, that confirms it then.

[flyjoe180]

I have come across KOH a few times, it is used for ambulance work. The Garretts are 'baby' Garretts and have a distinctive noise to them, more of a drone than the typical turboprop noise you get out of the 1000 shp versions as on the Metro or Jetstream.

[Kereru]

Jonathan has a nice shot at Auckland.

www.airliners.net/open.file/1146912/L/

I remember them when they first came out in Japan(showing age now) and was always keen to see one up close. Alas that has not happened yet. One day soon maybe?

Colin