Flying the Kudu?
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Used to do a bit of paradropping myself and always used toe brakes when the meatbombs climbed out to avoid that sort of thing. Good fun as well if the meat bomb got up your nose a bit.... You just released the brakes and watched the doleful creature pedalling away like a hamster on speed to stay upright before applying brakes again in unsynched spurts to catch him napping. Most just dondered off first time so no real contest.
Pete's Dragon, is jy die jonge Frederikus, of hoe nou?
BAKELA, story I heard also involved a lot of "extras" for the driver.
Pete's Dragon, is jy die jonge Frederikus, of hoe nou?
BAKELA, story I heard also involved a lot of "extras" for the driver.
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Petes Dragon, the best time I had was when we had C185's and Kudus at the sqn and ended up flying both
. That was at the time when the Kudus and Bossies were banned from night flying due to engine problems. This was later sorted out by the way.
Have to agree on the C185 though. Remember the time we did a 'fly-away' to give new Kudu pilots their ops conversion. I went out with a 185 on this exercise when this crop spraying pilot who's strip we used claimed that his Piper Ag-Whatever cropsprayer could take off shorter than the 185. Thirty minutes later, argument settled, although the ground crew made sure I had just enough fuel for one take off, one circuit and a full stop. You know that technique of using the 185's flap lever like a collective...
.
Exjet, also remember you guys commuting by Kudu (I lived out Jo'burg way). It was the Kudu that was on casevac standby at Swarties every night, therefor the convenient taxi
. Lanseria as the playground?...Can you remember how the guards at Swarties main gate phoned us when the Base OC left Swarties to pay a visit to Lanseria and it took us 30 minutes to get everybody back to the squadron...that is everybody except certain individuals who always used to pop of to Sun City to gamble.
Cardinal Puff, I just told Sharalumi last night how we used the brakes to get the guys donnering of the wheels. Excellent one there
. I'm not too clear about the 'extras' though.
. That was at the time when the Kudus and Bossies were banned from night flying due to engine problems. This was later sorted out by the way. Have to agree on the C185 though. Remember the time we did a 'fly-away' to give new Kudu pilots their ops conversion. I went out with a 185 on this exercise when this crop spraying pilot who's strip we used claimed that his Piper Ag-Whatever cropsprayer could take off shorter than the 185. Thirty minutes later, argument settled, although the ground crew made sure I had just enough fuel for one take off, one circuit and a full stop. You know that technique of using the 185's flap lever like a collective...
.Exjet, also remember you guys commuting by Kudu (I lived out Jo'burg way). It was the Kudu that was on casevac standby at Swarties every night, therefor the convenient taxi
. Lanseria as the playground?...Can you remember how the guards at Swarties main gate phoned us when the Base OC left Swarties to pay a visit to Lanseria and it took us 30 minutes to get everybody back to the squadron...that is everybody except certain individuals who always used to pop of to Sun City to gamble. Cardinal Puff, I just told Sharalumi last night how we used the brakes to get the guys donnering of the wheels. Excellent one there
. I'm not too clear about the 'extras' though.
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BAKELA
Wonder if we can get the modbloke to post a link on the "Campfire" war stories thread and in the Mil forum.
Too durned lazy and rekenaarbedonderd to do it myself.
The three bottles of Gilroy's Serious don't help either.......
Too durned lazy and rekenaarbedonderd to do it myself.
The three bottles of Gilroy's Serious don't help either.......
Yes, Him
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Ah, the Kudu.
Had a 2hr 20min night flight in thunderstorms from Eenhana to Rundu 15 November 1985.
Lt Rod King (Proppy?) flying, me, Herman Potgeiter, Crow Stanard and John Orr (Miracle mate) in back. Wandering around in severe turbulence, rain coming inside looking for Rundu and watching the fuel get so low that Crow suggested looking for a road to put down on.
To cut a long story short, Proppy found Rundu and landed in about 5cm of standing water and five of us made a VERY big hole in the bar stocks for rest of the night.
PS Seem to remember Kudus were modded with some really smart rally car racing seats?
Happy Daze
Had a 2hr 20min night flight in thunderstorms from Eenhana to Rundu 15 November 1985.
Lt Rod King (Proppy?) flying, me, Herman Potgeiter, Crow Stanard and John Orr (Miracle mate) in back. Wandering around in severe turbulence, rain coming inside looking for Rundu and watching the fuel get so low that Crow suggested looking for a road to put down on.
To cut a long story short, Proppy found Rundu and landed in about 5cm of standing water and five of us made a VERY big hole in the bar stocks for rest of the night.
PS Seem to remember Kudus were modded with some really smart rally car racing seats?
Happy Daze
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CP,
Good idea will do the link just now - in my own modest way. Not as clever as Guns with this 'puter stuff either.
Gainesy,
You should not have been concerned with the weather. Proppie, being the good and clever oak he is, organised the k@k weather to keep a chopper jock and a vlammie busy and sh*tscared in the back thereby preventing them from getting at each other throats
. Incidentally, at the time you mention I was enjoying a glorious two weeks at Sodwana Bay - only flew 28 hours in 14 days! - that was the life
.
The modded seats were actually Mazda 626 seats (whatever year the 626 saw the light in SA - early 80's?). Only one aircraft modded and it was moer of a cumfy to fly in those seats. If I remember correctly a combination of weight, cost and lack of armour plating on those seats floored the project
. Me also thinks some or other heavy brass shot it down as he would have been sitting on the canvas parabat seats in the back while the pilot was having this leather padded throne to sit in
.
Good idea will do the link just now - in my own modest way. Not as clever as Guns with this 'puter stuff either.
Gainesy,
You should not have been concerned with the weather. Proppie, being the good and clever oak he is, organised the k@k weather to keep a chopper jock and a vlammie busy and sh*tscared in the back thereby preventing them from getting at each other throats
. Incidentally, at the time you mention I was enjoying a glorious two weeks at Sodwana Bay - only flew 28 hours in 14 days! - that was the life. The modded seats were actually Mazda 626 seats (whatever year the 626 saw the light in SA - early 80's?). Only one aircraft modded and it was moer of a cumfy to fly in those seats. If I remember correctly a combination of weight, cost and lack of armour plating on those seats floored the project
. Me also thinks some or other heavy brass shot it down as he would have been sitting on the canvas parabat seats in the back while the pilot was having this leather padded throne to sit in.
Yes, Him
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BAKELA,
The reason we left Eenhana late was 'cos the first Kudu sent to get us had binding brakes & we aborted take off.
We were worried about staying another night at Eenhana 'cos the Castles were getting to Bingo and the brown jobs threatened us with Lions!
The bloke that told me about the seats was the first guy to (I think) command the Caravans; can't remember his name, he was also something to do with the Historic Flight at Swartkop.?
Well its 1705 Friday and I should be in the Pub.
Stay Well All.
The reason we left Eenhana late was 'cos the first Kudu sent to get us had binding brakes & we aborted take off.
We were worried about staying another night at Eenhana 'cos the Castles were getting to Bingo and the brown jobs threatened us with Lions!
The bloke that told me about the seats was the first guy to (I think) command the Caravans; can't remember his name, he was also something to do with the Historic Flight at Swartkop.?
Well its 1705 Friday and I should be in the Pub.
Stay Well All.
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Gainesy,
Oh yes...the binding brake problem. That was a common occurrence on the 'earlier' Kudus. A mod was done to the brake discs and -pads and the problem mostly went away. Although a lot of it was also caused by blokes 'riding the brakes' while taxiing, keeping in mind the Kudus tailwheel was only steerable for 12 degrees(?) either side when locked and when any turn of 'magnitude' had to be made the tailwheel was unlocked and differential braking used.
Point taken about Eenhana, although I must say one of the most memorable X-mas lunches I had was there. '81 I think??? It was also the best supply depot for the beloved firewood for braais at Ondangs and of course for supplying the odd box (BIG box) full of steaks - all of which could of course fit in the Kudu and not the Bossie or C185 
(Pete's Dragon goes ape now!).
You are right about the bloke who told you about the car seats. I'll drop you a mail with his name which will revitalise your memories.
Glad your priorities are still in order by not missing opening time .
Cheers vir eers.
Oh yes...the binding brake problem. That was a common occurrence on the 'earlier' Kudus. A mod was done to the brake discs and -pads and the problem mostly went away. Although a lot of it was also caused by blokes 'riding the brakes' while taxiing, keeping in mind the Kudus tailwheel was only steerable for 12 degrees(?) either side when locked and when any turn of 'magnitude' had to be made the tailwheel was unlocked and differential braking used.
Point taken about Eenhana, although I must say one of the most memorable X-mas lunches I had was there. '81 I think??? It was also the best supply depot for the beloved firewood for braais at Ondangs and of course for supplying the odd box (BIG box)
full of steaks - all of which could of course fit in the Kudu and not the Bossie or C185 (Pete's Dragon goes ape now!). You are right about the bloke who told you about the car seats. I'll drop you a mail with his name which will revitalise your memories.
Glad your priorities are still in order by not missing opening time
.Cheers vir eers.
Yes, Him
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BAKELA,
Thanks for the PM, Yep thats the bloke: I remember that at the time I thought he was a bit serious and strait-laced but then I was comparing him with such personalities as Herman, Polla Kruger, Double-Dave (Atkinson?)and Monster Wilkins, plus dozens of others whose names I have, sadly, forgotten.
Back on the Kudu, wasn't it known also as the Blarebok?
Cheers
Gainesy
PS I'll drag out some of the pics I took and scan them in, but could anyone host them please?
Thanks for the PM, Yep thats the bloke: I remember that at the time I thought he was a bit serious and strait-laced but then I was comparing him with such personalities as Herman, Polla Kruger, Double-Dave (Atkinson?)and Monster Wilkins, plus dozens of others whose names I have, sadly, forgotten.
Back on the Kudu, wasn't it known also as the Blarebok?
Cheers
Gainesy
PS I'll drag out some of the pics I took and scan them in, but could anyone host them please?
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Pleasure Gainesy. All I can say is having had him as an OC was an absolute pleasure. In his time as OC we once dispatched the Kudus to a bush strip near Thabazimbi for a weekend to do some ops flying with the Citizen Force pilots. The 'weekend warriors' really enjoyed it whenever we PF's arranged that for them.
Anyway, that Saturday night, with all serious flying for the weekend done, a horrendous party broke out around the braai in the tented bush camp we had erected. Some time after midnight (some said it was closer to dawn) we ended up throwing toilet rolls (which we had used up to now to play rugby with) into the thorn trees and having histerical laughs and shouts at how well our tree 'decorations' looked. You know what stage of a p***-up I'm talking about - when you can hardly stand, never mind aim and throw 
.
The sqn training captain (call him Capt. DU) and yours truly (ops officer) eventually stumbled to our chopper tent and passed out on our beds
. Lo and behold, to our astonishment, a couple of hours later at about 9 o'clock, we were woken up by our OC and the senior pilot of the 'weekend warriors' (he was then a very senior Captain at spoories), each of them handing us a plate of bacon, eggs and toast with a steaming mug of coffee. Their reasoning? They decided to give Capt DU and yours truly breakfast in bed as a token of appreciation for the two of us organising the weekend excursion. Needless to say, that was the one and only time I was given breakfast in bed by a superior officer.
As for Blarebok, yep. Both the Kudu and Bossie belongs to a genetic family called "Blêrbok".
Anyway, that Saturday night, with all serious flying for the weekend done, a horrendous party broke out
around the braai in the tented bush camp we had erected. Some time after midnight (some said it was closer to dawn) we ended up throwing toilet rolls (which we had used up to now to play rugby with) into the thorn trees and having histerical laughs and shouts at how well our tree 'decorations' looked. You know what stage of a p***-up I'm talking about - when you can hardly stand, never mind aim and throw . The sqn training captain (call him Capt. DU) and yours truly (ops officer) eventually stumbled to our chopper tent and passed out on our beds
. Lo and behold, to our astonishment, a couple of hours later at about 9 o'clock, we were woken up by our OC and the senior pilot of the 'weekend warriors' (he was then a very senior Captain at spoories), each of them handing us a plate of bacon, eggs and toast with a steaming mug of coffee. Their reasoning? They decided to give Capt DU and yours truly breakfast in bed as a token of appreciation for the two of us organising the weekend excursion. Needless to say, that was the one and only time I was given breakfast in bed by a superior officer. As for Blarebok, yep. Both the Kudu and Bossie belongs to a genetic family called "Blêrbok".
Last edited by BAKELA; 30th Apr 2003 at 19:13.
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I still reckon the Bossie is a better looking plane, Having a few 188/185 hrs I would love to fly one or the other....even both, they look like great planes. How come they aint made anymore?.
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The wiz,
I was wondering when the Blêrbok family of aircraft questions would get to the stage where they became difficult
.
The normal flying characteristics of the Kudu and the Bossie is very similar. If you have family/friends that travels with you and you need to cart stuff around the Kudu is the answer. If you want to have loads of fun flying, the Bossie will be the better option - it has a limited aerobatic capability. As mentioned before, both are very solid aeroplanes.
The SAAF were feeling the effect of sanctions from the late'60's into the early '70's and very few countries were willing to sell anything to SA. The first Kudu flew in '75 and only 41 were built (not 40 as is popularly believed). The attrition rate was high and in 1993 when Armscor sold them there were only 16 flyable Kudu's left. I don't have any reliable information on the Bossies. It is notable that when the armed conflict in the then SWA and Angola ended, plenty of SAAF aircraft were 'parked' very quickly. These included the Bossies, Kudus, Albatrosses (Piaggio P166's), several Daks (the DC3TP was on it's way in then), the Skymasters. At the time we were told that all Avgas burning pistons had to go...but yet the C185's survived to this day (can hear Pete's Dragon cheering in background).
The whole deal with the Kudu and Bosbok also had to do with the purchase in the '60's of the licence agreement to manufacture the MB326GB (Impala Mk I) and the MB326KC (Impala MkII). All in all, I reckon the agreement(s) reached as well as the armed conflict sapping plenty of money from the country's coffers, resulted in the very limited production of both types. The hoped for civil market for the Kudu also never materialised. The second Kudu prototype was demonstrated at Aviation Africa (Lanseria) in '75 to try and get civil orders. I know the Rwandan AF also had/has Bossies (3 I think) - the Aermacchi AM-3C bought from the Italians.
I was wondering when the Blêrbok family of aircraft questions would get to the stage where they became difficult
. The normal flying characteristics of the Kudu and the Bossie is very similar. If you have family/friends that travels with you and you need to cart stuff around the Kudu is the answer. If you want to have loads of fun flying, the Bossie will be the better option - it has a limited aerobatic capability. As mentioned before, both are very solid aeroplanes.
The SAAF were feeling the effect of sanctions from the late'60's into the early '70's and very few countries were willing to sell anything to SA. The first Kudu flew in '75 and only 41 were built (not 40 as is popularly believed). The attrition rate was high and in 1993 when Armscor sold them there were only 16 flyable Kudu's left. I don't have any reliable information on the Bossies. It is notable that when the armed conflict in the then SWA and Angola ended, plenty of SAAF aircraft were 'parked' very quickly. These included the Bossies, Kudus, Albatrosses (Piaggio P166's), several Daks (the DC3TP was on it's way in then), the Skymasters. At the time we were told that all Avgas burning pistons had to go...but yet the C185's survived to this day (can hear Pete's Dragon cheering in background).
The whole deal with the Kudu and Bosbok also had to do with the purchase in the '60's of the licence agreement to manufacture the MB326GB (Impala Mk I) and the MB326KC (Impala MkII). All in all, I reckon the agreement(s) reached as well as the armed conflict sapping plenty of money from the country's coffers, resulted in the very limited production of both types. The hoped for civil market for the Kudu also never materialised. The second Kudu prototype was demonstrated at Aviation Africa (Lanseria) in '75 to try and get civil orders. I know the Rwandan AF also had/has Bossies (3 I think) - the Aermacchi AM-3C bought from the Italians.
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I have managed to find a Bossie for sale in oz and am determind to go and have a look at it a bit closer now (thanx guys..... your really going to impress my bank manager) If for nothing else I would consider buying it for its potential historic value (and the fact I love flying stuff of the 185/188 ilk). worst comes to worst, I will manage a flight in one just to enter it in my log book.
I still reckon its a great looking machine...... now I have to find a job for it to justify buying it.
check it out here. Aint sha a perty ol gal?.
I still reckon its a great looking machine...... now I have to find a job for it to justify buying it.
check it out here. Aint sha a perty ol gal?.
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Damn me, she's still got the SAAF markings as well. Looks in very good nick Wiz.
What exactly would you use her for in your part of the world? Now that would have been something to see at Cunderdin
What exactly would you use her for in your part of the world? Now that would have been something to see at Cunderdin
Gainesy
The Kudu was a development of the Aermacchi-Lockheed AL-60 "Conestoga" which had both tricycle and tailwheel versions. Rhodesia did obtain a few which they called the "Trojan" and these did have a tricycle undercarriage. This was not a "one-off" however?
In Rhodesian service they said, "one cylinder did the work whilst the other five applauded!"
In Rhodesian service they said, "one cylinder did the work whilst the other five applauded!"
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Claw,
Thanks mate, I was wandering if the brain cells were fading.
Just a thought, if they were about the same length and there was a nose/tail wheel variant the CG must have been a bit marginal on both versions? (Not that I'm any good at aerodynamics etc)
Thanks mate, I was wandering if the brain cells were fading.
Just a thought, if they were about the same length and there was a nose/tail wheel variant the CG must have been a bit marginal on both versions? (Not that I'm any good at aerodynamics etc)
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The Wiz, like Flyboy said, it looks like a magnificent specimen of the Bossie and it seems as if it was well cared for.
Claw, spot on there with the info. Lêkker man.
Gainesy, the CG was definately marginal in the Kudu (forward and rear) and loading had to be done carefully, especially at or near MTOW. And if my brain cells are not fading, I can remember an ex-Trojan (RRAF) driver telling me that the CG on the 'Trog" was also very marginal.
Claw, spot on there with the info. Lêkker man.
Gainesy, the CG was definately marginal in the Kudu (forward and rear) and loading had to be done carefully, especially at or near MTOW. And if my brain cells are not fading, I can remember an ex-Trojan (RRAF) driver telling me that the CG on the 'Trog" was also very marginal.
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Bakela, the Bossie in the photos wasn't well cared for, she is a total rebuild by Johan Lok of Warbirds International, FAWB. She was assembled from a collection of spares that Johan has managed to collect from sources around the airfield. It is a good job though, and the original 943, scribbled in an accident, looked like a complete write-off. USD90K? WAAAAAY too much.
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After doing some sums I reckon its a bit exy as well. I should just go and have a test fly and leave it at that I think.