Nimrod at Inverness

[Distant Voice]

I understand that Nimrod XV229 was seen at Inverness airport last Friday (12th Feb). Has Easy Jet made an offer for the fleet?

DV

[Ray Dahvectac]

Dan-Air looking for spares?

[EESDL]

probably set off to do some training at Brize but found it was full!

[Ginger Beer]

Twas this Friday just gone. Diverted due to weather at Kinloss and we then hopped it back later in the day.

Simples.

[TurningFinals]

Ginger is right, it diverted because Kinloss and Lossiemouth were both snow closed.

I was the unfortunate person who said he would start it. I didn't realise it was going to take half an hour! It was a welcome visitor though, a bit of a change to the usual Airbus and Saabs we have - and a lot bloody noisier! :ok:

Can anyone explain why the bomb doors are left open when it's on the ground? My theory is it's because theres no hydraulic pressure to keep them shut when the engines are off? (a pure guess because theres no brake pressure either).

[Distant Voice]

TurningFinals.

The bomb doors are open for the reason you have given. For that same reason, it was known that XV230 had lost hydraulics before the crash, because it was found with bomb doors open. The alloy hydraulic couplings had disintegrated with heat. A recommendation in 1996 (10 years before the accident) to replace them with a stainless steel type was never introduced because of costs. This issue is browsed over in the H-C report.

DV

[TurningFinals]

Distant Voice

Thanks for that! It was nice to get a close up of one before they are retired.

[getsometimein]

I believe it turned into a museum piece for its short stop at Inverness... Couldn't move for visitors and onlookers!

[Hoots]

Must admit I never knew Inverness airport employed so many staff, was good that they came out to see us.

:O

[Green Flash]

I hear that the front of a Nimrod (leading edge forwards to include some rear crew stations) is to be donated to the Airport Museum.

[Distant Voice]

Green Flash

I suggest they go forward from dry bay No.7; lest we forget.

DV

[fincastle84]

Glad she's still flying. She was my Fincastle winning aircraft & successfully circumnavigated the world in Oct/ Nov 1984.

A grand old lady & it's so sad that such a wonderful era is rapidly coming to an end. I hope she finds a good home & doesn't end up as fire section fodder.

[eagle28]

Picasa Web Albums - 10682337289103018... - Nimrod Inverness (http://picasaweb.google.com/106823372891030189617/NimrodInverness)

I was fortunate enough to capture this piece of history.

[RumPunch]

Can anyone explain why the bomb doors are left open when it's on the ground? My theory is it's because theres no hydraulic pressure to keep them shut when the engines are off? (a pure guess because theres no brake pressure either).

The Bomb Doors being open allow the Ground Crew access to enable them to carry out a flight Servicing which call s for inspections in the Bomb Bay itself. It is true they do droop when left unpressurized but when on Det theya re left closed when possible to prevent anyone get entry into the aircraft through the Hyd Bay (If the lock is not fitted).
The MRA4 will have shut Bomb Doors on ground due to ingress of corrosion and messing with warranty (off topic there)

[enginesuck]

The main reason for bomb doors being open would be to enable a visual inspection by the crew, of the stores they are carrying. Simples.

"I suggest they go forward from dry bay No.7; lest we forget."

let it go:(

[Distant Voice]

Of course XV229 started is life as a trials aircraft at A&AEE Boscombe Down in the late '60's.

DV

[cornish-stormrider]

don't know about anything else but this pic has bumped the gr4 and is now my desktop background :O

[fincastle84]

Great photos, thanks.:ok: Now have lump in throat & misty eyes.

[RumPunch]

Rumpunch, I would check my information about the MRA4 if I were you

Ok where can I check it :}

Bomb Bay Door issue last I heard was what I mentioned but that was a while ago but things change everyday. Be interested to know your take on it.

[rock34]

Distant Voice,

Ref XV230

Without wishing to re-open old wounds or any way insult the memory of those that died that fateful day in 2006, I'm curious as to your statement regarding the 'hydraulic loss / bomb bays being found open on XV230'.

Having been on the ground at the crash site, the only pieces of wreckage I could identify were the tail fin and engines. At no point could I have looked at it and said to myself "bomb bay doors were open when it crashed".

Was there something we recovered from the wreckage (fairly randomly, but thats another story) that was able to prove this? Clearly I'm no engineer, just curious considering our role in the event.

Thanks,

[Distant Voice]

Rock34,

Sorry, slight correction to my statement. I refer to the AAIB Final Report to BOI. On page 11, it states,

"Inded, for the ASR pack to be found by the tail would have required it to first release from its fitting in the bomb bay and then pass through the bomb bay doors. Therfore, by inference the bomb bay doors must have been open in flight to allow the pack to fall out. It is known that in the event of a loss of hydraulics, the bomb bay doors will open. So it is conceivable that as a result of a loss of hydraulics, the bomb bay doors opened and then departed due to air loads".

Before this, the pilot had already lost control because of hydraulic failure due to failing alloy couplings. Couplings that should have been replaced by stainless steel type years before.

DV

[Hoots]

DV, we all still mourn the loss of 230, as they say gone, but not forgotten and never will be.

There does however seem to be a bit of thread creep, the topics in here would be better placed in the Nimrod tech thread. The diversion to Inverness was simply due to weather and a lot of staff came out for a visit as it was apparently only the second time ever that a Nimrod had actually landed at Inverness.

I hope the staff enjoyed their unexpected visit and tour around the aircraft. The aircraft now is safer that it ever has been, it is extremely sad that it took a tragic loss to make it so. This is still an exceptionally capable platform.

I appreciate that it is a sensitive subject, but not every thread on the Nimrod has to go off in a tangent, when there are specific threads for that subject matter.

[Duncan D'Sorderlee]

Well said, Hoots. :D

Duncs:ok:

[Distant Voice]

Sorry, Hoots and Duncs. I simply tried to answer rock 34's question.

DV

[Duncan D'Sorderlee]

DV,

Not a dig at you, simply commenting on thread creep and how everything associated with Nimrod drifts towards XV230 eventually - the crew were our mates and we have not forgotten them.

Duncs:ok: