Originally Posted by Molesworth Hold
Is there any truth in the rumour that one airframe is a bit longer than all the rest?
Yes, in a word. The airframes were built by hand, and in most cases they vary slightly. I recal that the difference in length across the fleet is in the order of 6 inches. In fact, the panels for each aircraft are more-or-less completely unique to that airframe. You can't pull an access panel off one and fit it to another, they're all different sizes!
As a student pilot, I recall that certain aircraft flew noticably better than others. ZF243 was a partictular favourite of mine, it seemed very easy to fly accurately. Others had their own foibles, such as refusing to trim or being less stable than others.
Why is the Tucano fleet knackered? I can't speak for them all, but if you were to find the aircraft I learned Glide Circuits in, then I'll take responsibility for that one!
Blunty