Mirage Glide angle and Crashes
Hi Folks,
Several Issues
1. Mirage Gliding Angle
After and engine change, Mirage A3-2 was on the second test flight for the day when approx' 10 miles south of Avalon at about 9,000 feet and climbing, the engine RPM reduced to 2000 - 3000 RPM - just enough for hydraulic and electrics to operate - but not much thrust!.
The ARDU Test Pilot (S/Ldr Ron Green) made a very quick 180 degree turn to return to Avalon and during this turn, some altitude was lost.
During the glide with minimum thrust, S/Ldr Green provided a continuous transmission as to where he was and his altitude and position relative the southern approach to Avalon - eg., "over Corio Bay" and then "over the salt works" which meant he was about 1 mile short of the southern runway threshold.
He touched down in the over-run area just short of the runway and rolled down the runway. There was no damage the the aircraft - just a few bits of grass in the U/C scissors.
I don't know whether he considered ejecting, if he did, he never mentioned this over the radio, nor did ground control provide him with advice on this issue.
The cause of the loss of thrust was due to a restriction in the flow of fuel to the engine.
Some time later, S/Ldr Green received a well deserved AFC for this exploit.
2. Mirage Crashes
A second Mirage crashed about 2 miles north west of Avalon during a post-modification test flight and the pilot ejected safely.
The cause of the crash was a broken drive shaft to the main gearbox that drives the hydraulics and electrics.