Was the Nomad really that bad?
Some of you blokes are being a little hard on the Nomad. It wasn't that bad and not dangerous at all. It had some odd flight characteristics for sure, being pitch unstable at times with an odd pumping of the stick in turbulence. I think with a new tail the aeroplane had good potential. The N22 was strange with that flap retraction on an overshoot and I disliked its tendency to 'lean over' in crosswinds. MJMJKG I see you have flown the "Rice Rocket", now there is a dangerous aeroplane, killed a good mate of mine in suspected icing and has a world-wide reputation that is highly suspect. Capt Wally where you at F.S. in '79? the Searchmaster was based on the N22 not the N24. The N22B had the Bendix thimble nose radar and the N22L had the chin Litton radar. I ferried SNL (nicknamed the 'snail') and SDZ to Darwin. Flight time the same as Singapore to London, 13hrs. Hardly a rocket, but I thought they were quite fun. Some of the accident history on the type is straight 'pilot error', you had to watch the C of G especially in the N24, it was out of forward limits when empty, for example, but it's not fair to call it dangerous. I wish the new venture all the best.
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'By George' Yes I was there in '79, Executive Air Maint then or Forrester Stephens as you say (VH-BOB came there I think?), taken over by H.C. Sleigh I believe (Golden Fleece?) after I left. It probably was the N22 as the Searchmaster like you say, they looked the same to me when I was a young whiper snipper
I mainly worked on IO540E1B5 piston engine O/Haul but the Nomad sure had a lot of people fuss over it with many a comment, good & bad.
Recall B. McG flying them too?
Wmk2
I mainly worked on IO540E1B5 piston engine O/Haul but the Nomad sure had a lot of people fuss over it with many a comment, good & bad.Recall B. McG flying them too?
Wmk2
Yes Wally I do remember him, is he still flying? Also I was wrong the Bendix radar Nomad was the N22S the 'B', the normal pax version. 30 years tests the memory sometimes. One delivery flight had to be via Bankstown for final fitting out, cannot remember what it was now, perhaps the radar? From Bankstown I went via Broken Hill, Leigh Creek and Alice with a spare engine on a pallet down the back. Can I claim to have flown a three engine Nomad?
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B Mac still flying. has done a few international ferries over the last few years, brought some dorniers back from Japan amongst other things. is still Reg 35 as well, still very active in GA, top bloke. has a business located at WSL
HD
HD
Silly Old Git
Funnily enough just bought a cheap patio set from Bunnies because it had mesh seats that reminded me of the Nomad.($245, how them Chinameese do it?)
It was a no sweat seat for the daily five odd hours of low level good fishiing and boat launching possibilities spotting up here
It was a no sweat seat for the daily five odd hours of low level good fishiing and boat launching possibilities spotting up here
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here in the Philippines we still fly the Nomad. I like this aircraft a lot
our motto with this aircraft "No runway too short, no place too remote".
we fly the N-22B and the N-22C. If this is a dangerous aircraft we must be the bravest pilots in the world. haha
I like this aircraft a lotour motto with this aircraft "No runway too short, no place too remote".
we fly the N-22B and the N-22C. If this is a dangerous aircraft we must be the bravest pilots in the world. haha
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"MSF" spent quite a bit of time in Hervey bay and Goldy doing the Lady Elliot run in the late 90s and early 2000.
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The Nomad at Kota Kinabalu 6/6/1976
I watched the Nomad spin on a right base at Kota Kinabalu airport until it crashed. There was no sign of it coming out of the spin. All people on board perished.
Not for me!
Tmb
Not for me!
Tmb
Man Bilong Balus long PNG
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Posted before on another thread but here again;
An ADF Nomad at Kerema. Gulf Province Papua New Guinea, sometime in 1990
[IMG]
[/IMG]
Graffitti on the Fuselage of the Nomad.[IMG]
[/IMG]
An ADF Nomad at Kerema. Gulf Province Papua New Guinea, sometime in 1990
[IMG]
[/IMG]Graffitti on the Fuselage of the Nomad.[IMG]
[/IMG]
Bottums Up
AnyGivenSunday99
It's been a long time and I can no longer remember the weights but I used to fly an N22B into Lady Elliot Island, in the late 80's early 90's with a full load of cargo, some thing like 1200 kg of freight. The strip there was 600 metres, high water mark to high water mark. It would also get out at max gross too.
Mind you, the TWotter would do the same at a higher gross weight.
It's been a long time and I can no longer remember the weights but I used to fly an N22B into Lady Elliot Island, in the late 80's early 90's with a full load of cargo, some thing like 1200 kg of freight. The strip there was 600 metres, high water mark to high water mark. It would also get out at max gross too.
Mind you, the TWotter would do the same at a higher gross weight.
Man Bilong Balus long PNG
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A sad example of the thread subject.
When DZ finally went bagarup, this a/c was attended to by a few blokes with power cutting tools and the result was sold to the local scrap merchant.
I believe the Queen Air behind suffered the same fate.
When DZ finally went bagarup, this a/c was attended to by a few blokes with power cutting tools and the result was sold to the local scrap merchant.
I believe the Queen Air behind suffered the same fate.
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Clarrie, that would have been the Wart - WRT. Not a bad old ship - just eccentric. Had the seat packs, to take the perishable freight to the Island if the passenger loads were light, or you could take the seats out and do a dedicated freight run.
Last edited by frigatebird; 10th Aug 2009 at 15:11.
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664 hours on the N22 out of Samoa and always found it it be a great airplane. Could lift 12 people easily out of 800 foot strips with the temps around 30C and never had it limited except by torque. Often had to increase power after takeoff since it got off the ground so easily even with the throttles at less than the climb setting. Could fly on one engine and climb to 5000, better than most light twins. Flew it to neighbouring islands including Tonga and Fiji as well as around the Samoas. Great visibility, good balanced controls, fantastic performance, miserly fuel consumption, could carry large loads (volume as well as weight), had good passenger appeal, pretty fast compared to it's rivals, etc. Hot inside on the ground, but good ventilation cooled it down after takeoff. My only problem was the noise, but again the Nomad was not unique in that area.
I truly don't understand the objections some offer to this airplane, especially by anyone who has actually flown it. I put it down to the "tall poppy" syndrome, or the Australian cringe factor. Ignore them.
I truly don't understand the objections some offer to this airplane, especially by anyone who has actually flown it. I put it down to the "tall poppy" syndrome, or the Australian cringe factor. Ignore them.
