One for Beags

[jumpseater]

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b395/jumpseater/CRW_4916.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b395/jumpseater/CRW_4865.jpg


Gwarn Beags!, You know you want to...... :E

I'll start it for you, WIWO Gnats......

[BEagle]

Great piccies!

As a Gnat stude I wasn't very good. But I passed - just! It was a lovely little jet, but flying it to the demanding standards of 4FTS was no walk in the park!

Can just hear the rumble of the Orpheus and the characteristic radio buzz from those photos!

Long live the Folland Pocket Rocket - for which there'll always be a soft spot in the hearts of every student who struggled to master it!

Cam K, Q-gearing - the longitudinal control system was a classic of analogue cogs and springs technlogy!

[ShyTorque]

Is it just me? I enjoyed the Arrows more in the days of the Gnat and the "Twinkle" roll........ :8

[foxmoth]

No, not just you, I think the Gnat looked much better than the Hawk for the 9 ship display.:8

[BEagle]

The reason being that the Gnat's wing sweep angle is virtually the same as the vic angle of the Diamond Nine.

Which means it looks just perfect!

[Skylark4]

You got the whole display in the same county, too.

Mike W

[Yozzer]

When using the undercarriage as an airbrake:

Did all 3 operate?

Did the wheels extend also, or just the doors?

[BEagle]

All 3 undercarriage legs partially lowered. The u/c selector lever was moved to the midpoint of the quadrant to select airbrake, further back and the u/c lowered. In the event of hydraulic failure, the hydraulic pressure in the aileron circuit was exhausted and the accumulator pressure would be used for emergency extension of the u/c by rotating the u/c selector knob and pulling the lever fully aft.

When the u/c lowered normally, 'datum shift' was applied to the longitudinal control system to counteract the change in CG position with the gear down - I think it was around 4 deg of additional tailplane incidence.

With an hydraulic failure, the airbrakes couldn't be used, there was no datum shift, feel trim or Q-gearing and an entirely different pitch control method was required - 'standby trim' electrical switches motored the whole tailplane and 'trim' was achieved with the unlocked elevators. The technique was to keep the control column 'load free and central' by correct use of standby trim and elevators. To make it simpler, control of standby trim could be transferred to the redundant feel trim switches on the stick top by use of the 'mod. 399' switches adjacent to the cockpit wall mounted standby trim switches. The whole sequence was covered by the 'STUPRECCC' hydraulic failure procedure which had to be instinctive and 100% correct or the aircraft would have to be abandoned.... You ended up having to set a TPI value prior to landing which then required a positive push force to maintain the required attitude - this push force was relaxed into a slight pull force on touchdown.

We practised this (dual) constantly. Now try it at night into Mona, followed by a touch-and-go. It took large nuts on the part of the QFI to allow a student to do that!

(Please note that the passage of some 30 years since I last flew a Gnat may have incorporated errors into the above!)

[sycamore]

Enjoy them whilst you can, guys/gals, as the CAA, in the form of a chief propulsion surveyor wants to ground all/rpt all ex-mil jets that have not had their engines zero timed in the last 10 years. at great expense, by the manufacturer, irrespective of the manufacturers life.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:mad: :mad: :E
And of course , that`s a consultation period of 2 months b4 implementation............. obviously looking for early retirement with an engine manufacturer!

[Tarnished]

Do I understand the the Vulcan got permission to fly again?

What are the times on its engines?

Tarnished

[D SQDRN 97th IOTC]

sycamore

You'd better get more hours in on that L39 then! Do you have a link to the CAA consultation?

[sycamore]

D/97.
Sorry, no link, but it`s been sent to all owners/operators, so if you are S29, by any other name, you will hear about it.........
Rumour has it that tunnels are being dug under the Belgrano to lay charges, or use the sewers to fire a torpedo( actually, they are big enough to send a sub in there !); meanwhile, the Vulcan will drop a `tallboy` on loan from the RAF Museum at Hendon, Hunters will` scull about`, making blue music ,and possibly a bit of mud-moving, Gnats will act as `a smoke-screen`, Canberras and Meteors will whine about, J-P`s will clog up the circuit at Gatport Airwick; after that , everyone can go home, but must fly-thru` Tower Bridge on the way to a nice cup of tea, and medal presentation at a suitable base.. Nov 5th.. note in diary.......:cool: :D :ok: :ok: