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Old 12th Aug 2009, 04:15
  #137 (permalink)  
empacher48
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: I'm a wanderer
Age: 43
Posts: 421
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I agree with Tinpis over his comments about the Nomad;

I flew 24s for a while, yes they had a tendency to lean over particularly with a good cross wind (if you had about 45 knots from the side it was a good lean) but all you had to do was point nose into wind and use the ailerons to level the old girl. Plus taxiing with significant wind around you had to use the ailerons just like they teach in your very first flying lesson - positioning ailerons on the ground (or has that been lost now?).

The seat was great, it is the only aircraft I have flown where I've been able to get low enough, and stretch my legs out (6' 4").

The chip detector was a problem years ago, but has been fixed with modifications to point now that a chip light comes on it does mean imminent engine failure.

Regards to the control feedback in turbulence, yes it does happen, the flight manual even says that it happens and is at its worst between 100 -120 knots. It even tells you that if you're flying at that speed range using 10 degree flap will reduce the amount of feedback - and it does!

For training we found leaving the gear and flap down did provide adequate performance degradation to see what the Nomad can do on one engine (mind you, the ones I did fly had the Enhanced B17s, and having 500hp a side did mean it could fly well on one engine and where I flew them we were 2500' AMSL and in summer having OAT around 30 degrees) so the landing gear limitations weren't a problem. (no limitation on the flap)

All in all they were a great aeroplane for what we used it for and made the Caravan look like a waste of money.

When I last flew the old VH-DHP (not registered as that anymore) she had just over 11,000 hours was such a beautifully balanced aircraft to fly and I do miss the old girls!
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