Viscount Dives
The two sharp diving training manoeuvres seemed to be part of standard initial conversion. I have no reason to think they were ex curricular, but we never did anything like this again in subsequent training.
The rapid descent from apx 13000' was probably part of a normal decompression exercise, although it certainly involved the non-normal stresses of initial sharp nosedown control column push to at least 45 degrees until maximum operating speed was achieved for descent. The level out would have been less stressful than the initial descent but still more than a normal level out. This exercise definitely took place on AOM days before the crash and I reported that to the second investigation. I have no knowledge of the training details of the others on our conversion course.
As for the sudden dive at the runway from 1000' this was certainly a dramatic manoeuvre with, again, initial heavy and sudden push for nose down after closing throttles to maintain speed control and a final pull up before landing sharper than any normal approach forces. But it would not have involved excessive G anywhere near limit.
Last edited by narnia; 3rd Mar 2008 at 09:15.
Reason: typo