PDA

View Full Version : Jet spin training.


RetiredBA/BY
28th Sep 2017, 08:46
Can any Gnat and Hawk QFIs tell me what spin training was/is conducted at Valley on these two types.

I am particularly interested in the recovery technique, taught by CFS, from fully developed spins on these swept wing types, and if there was any supplementary procedure such as inspin aileron.

When I was a QFI at Manby we went to some Lightning units to refresh pilots on spin recovery techniques. (The JP with fuel in the tips had very similar spin characterstics, except for the ROD (!) to the Lightning and the JP standard recovery would , we were told by Boscombe, work on the Lightning, height permitting.

Is any spin refreshing done for Tornado pilots, or is a MB recovery. I assume FBW won't allow the Typhoon to spin!

just another jocky
28th Sep 2017, 12:06
The only spin recovery training I recall on the Tornado was watching the video of the GR1 trials and revising in my head the spin-recovery drill from the FRCs.


The ac was not cleared to spin in normal service.

Gaspode the Dog
28th Sep 2017, 14:08
I did the Hawk Course in 1984 and did spin recovery. I seem to remember that it was just the case of centralising the controls and closing the throttle. It came out of the spin a turn later. Was that due to the Toblarones on the wing leading edge???

wiggy
28th Sep 2017, 14:37
When I was a QFI at Manby we went to some Lightning units to refresh pilots on spin recovery techniques

FWIW I had the secondary duty of running "Spinexs" out of CFS in the late 80s ...at that time we certainly spun the Lightning folks at Binbrook and UK F4 crews ( front and back seat), don't recall any Tornado spinning.

The F4 recovery certainly didn't have much commonality with that used on the JP so we got the guys to recite their recovery actions whilst we did the handling.....that sometimes had it's interesting moments since we had approval to use "out spin" aileron to get an oscillatory spin going...I think it was a bit of an eye opener for those who had trained on the JP and expected something quite benign.

I used to enjoy going off and doing them, and hopefully our victims had a bit of fun as well....with a bit of coaching I had more than one F4 navigator fly pretty much the whole detail apart from the rotational bit!!!!

nipva
28th Sep 2017, 15:06
Definitely no spin training on the Gnat - intentional spinning was strictly verboten
No spin training done on the Hawk at the TWU although I believe that spin training was done on the Hawk by 4FTS at Valley prior to students coming to the TWU. It was almost impossible to spin the Hawk accidentally as, the moment it departed, letting go of the controls effected an immediate recovery and you could immediately get back to the business of trying to shoot down your opponent. (what else would you be doing to go incipient?)

Bob Viking
28th Sep 2017, 15:32
Spinning is currently taught to students and is a periodic currency for staff throughout the Hawk training system.

Brief but to the point!

BV

Danny42C
28th Sep 2017, 15:45
À propos nothing at all, I learned spinning in a Meteor VII in 1950. "A rough ride may be expected", said the P.N. - and they weren't kidding !

Danny.

BEagle
28th Sep 2017, 16:41
On the Gnat, we were briefed a form of recovery rather than having any incipient spinning demo.

There were 2 yaw dolls' eyes, but no turn and slip (or turn co-ordinator :yuk: )

I think it went something like:

'Boot the black' (Rudder towards the black doll's eye)
'Punch the white' (Control column towards the white doll's eye)
'Set 6° nose-up' (Move control column to achieve 6° nose-up on the tailplane incidence gauge)
'Leave the throttle where it is'
'Wait...and hope!'
'When the music stops, recover from the dive'
'If it hasn't recovered by the briefed height, punch out immediately'

Forgiving little beast providing it wasn't provoked - centralising and waiting was often sufficient. As it was when I once saw more AoA than IAS in an F-4...:eek:

I only spun in the Hawk T1 once during my refresher course - it was a very 'canned' exercise with a choreographed entry procedure and was rather a waste of time. "Unload for control" was much simpler!

thrusts a must
28th Sep 2017, 17:07
In the Gnat do I recall a white mark against which to put the 'stick' to get ailerons neutral? then having 'kicked the black' I seem to remember tail to 6 and wait. I had an incident of uncommanded rapid roll at low speed where the 'GIB' punching out effected a fairly rapid recovery. Not in the FRC's but it worked.

thrusts a must
28th Sep 2017, 17:29
JF can elaborate but we were a bit cautious about the value of 'spinex' in the Harrier force, because having centralised and possibly shut down a surging motor the recovery action was stick back to un-mask the rudder. I don't recall a 'bona jet' i.e GR ever getting into a full spin by accident, indeed I think that it would only 'spin' if the donk was shut down.

Just This Once...
28th Sep 2017, 18:01
...letting go of the controls effected an immediate recovery and you could immediately get back to the business of trying to shoot down your opponent. (what else would you be doing to go incipient?)[/FONT]

That brought back a memory or two. :D

On the Tornado we were supposed to do counterintuitive stuff with the stick to keep us busy. After watching the altitude used on the spin trial videos I didn't anticipate doing much. It was often quipped that it was a 2-stage drill - put the SPILS switch into a less incriminating position for the accident photos before leaving.

That said, the Tornado spin was rather pedestrian compared to the Jaguar.

Onceapilot
28th Sep 2017, 18:31
Having done a bit of spinning in my time and, remembering the different recovery drills of the types, it is interesting to hark back to the recent thread where the limited amount of aircraft handling in today's flying training was discussed. :ooh:

OAP

sfm818
29th Sep 2017, 07:36
Tremblers around the 77 timeframe.


http://imageshack.com/a/img924/912/GVCVKU.jpg

Fareastdriver
29th Sep 2017, 09:16
In 1962 our Vampires were getting a bit twitter and bisted. Aircraft would have red line entries in the F700 like: 'Not to be spun solo' or 'No intentional spins.' Entry would vary even on the straight ones. Sometimes there would be a lazy roll and then pitch down; other times there would be two vicious flicks and you were in

Recovery was standard and it would recover between two to four or more turns depending on altitude.

On the walk round before flight one would shake one boom to ascertain whether the other boom shaked at the same rate.

roving
29th Sep 2017, 10:29
In 1962 our Vampires were getting a bit twitter and bisted. Aircraft would have red line entries in the F700 like: 'Not to be spun solo' or 'No intentional spins..

I wonder if this accident had any bearing on that restriction?


On 23rd January 1961 the crew of two on this aircraft were undertaking a training flight over the Pennines when twenty minutes into the flight, and whilst flying 27,000 feet, the instructor entered a practice spin to the right. After four turns he attempted to pull out of the spin but was unable to do so, therefore further emergency action was taken without effect and the instructor warned the pupil that he would have to eject and the canopy jettisoned.

https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=153858

The pilots ejected without serious injury but a number of sheep were not so fortunate.

After spending some time reading the posts here yesterday I watched the entire BBC series released in 1986 about The Empire Test Pilots School. Written and Produced by Brian Johnson.

add Episode 3 has some interesting footage on spinning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9knSaT_4Tw

Danny42C
29th Sep 2017, 10:50
Fareastdriver (#16),

Another "must" on a Vampire walkaround: inspect tail pipe for NAAFI meat pie left there by an erk to warm up (on a recently landed aircraft}, but had been called away before he could retrieve it.

Also heard that later, leaked fuel accumulated in bottom of engine panelling had led to fires in the air. Remedy: some form of collector tray which discharged into a rubber tube which was supposed to register with hole in bottom. You had to stick a finger up the Vampire's bum to make sure it did so.

Or so I read. Anybody corroborate this rather indelicate procedure ?

30mRad
29th Sep 2017, 12:15
Spin recovery was taught in the sim as part of the Tornado GR1/4 OCU, and is a mandatory trg requirement through the year in the sim too. Fairly hard to get into a spin, and recovery works well too.

just another jocky
29th Sep 2017, 12:38
...and recovery works well too.

Right up to the point where both engines flame out during your 20,000fpm descent towards terra firma. :eek:

Wander00
29th Sep 2017, 13:25
Cannot remember exercise number for spinning in the Gnat so cannot check if we ever did the exercise, but sure I would remember with sheer stark terror if I had!

57mm
29th Sep 2017, 13:38
IIRC, Reg Stock, a production tp at Warton, was tasked to spin a Strikemaster with one tip tank full and the other empty. In his report, he wrote that the aircraft recovered satisfactorily, after some 17 turns.......:cool:

Stuff
29th Sep 2017, 13:40
I don't recall a 'bona jet' i.e GR ever getting into a full spin by accident, indeed I think that it would only 'spin' if the donk was shut down.

I could well be mistaken but... I seem to recall during a phase brief being shown the HUD video of a GR in an ACMI range. The story went that the pilot in question hadn't managed to claim any kills for the whole sortie so on the final 1 vs 1 vs 1 Mercedes split he got sight of one of the other jets and tried just a little too hard to pull the nose round and the jet departed. The HUD video cut out as the g mounted but what was recorded looked pretty violent.

SpazSinbad
29th Sep 2017, 14:18
In 1962 our Vampires were getting a bit twitter and bisted. Aircraft would have red line entries in the F700 like: 'Not to be spun solo' or 'No intentional spins.' Entry would vary even on the straight ones. Sometimes there would be a lazy roll and then pitch down; other times there would be two vicious flicks and you were in

Recovery was standard and it would recover between two to four or more turns depending on altitude.

On the walk round before flight one would shake one boom to ascertain whether the other boom shaked at the same rate.
During the last years of the dual seat Vampires in the RAAF 1968-69 spinning was verboten because we were told (no access to flight manual then just poorly roneoed, poorly typed, very difficult to read, greasy pages) fuel in the gas bags in wings would likely burst out. So feet on floor and fly to the beginning burble - no harsh control movements. We had no twitter then - we wuz just bisted. :}

Intentional Spinning in A4G Skyhawk forbidden but many pages in NATOPS explain about recovery techniques from such activities if required. 'Luckily' spin training was undertaken in the radial prop Winjeel and as I recall could be quite a violent experience - depending on entry conditions but relatively easy recovery.

Early on the Macchi MB326H was spinnable in all modes until the RAAF found that inverted spins were problematic - then banned. However they failed to inform the RAN FAA so we lost one (both pilots ejected safely) from an unrecoverable inverted spin demo with the front seat student on first fam flight. As I recall (having been converted to them at QFI Heaven East Sale) all the spins were nice and recovery easy enough.

Being one of the last Sea Venom DELMAR target towing pilots it was commonplace to do preflight accompanied by the AEO (Air Engineer Officer) explaining why it was OK to have this part cracked or bent or not lined up with other parts with the booms particularly out of alignment due to drag from DELMAR target when streamed. Geez they were crappy Venoms. :}

Reverserbucket
29th Sep 2017, 14:53
I recall a story about inadvertently spinning a Vulcan many years ago. Does anyone else have any recollection?

Fareastdriver
29th Sep 2017, 15:14
I was always told that you couldn't spin a delta. It just went into megamush.

Mogwi
29th Sep 2017, 15:31
I could well be mistaken but... I seem to recall during a phase brief being shown the HUD video of a GR in an ACMI range. The story went that the pilot in question hadn't managed to claim any kills for the whole sortie so on the final 1 vs 1 vs 1 Mercedes split he got sight of one of the other jets and tried just a little too hard to pull the nose round and the jet departed. The HUD video cut out as the g mounted but what was recorded looked pretty violent.

Managed to depart a SHAR from a breaking-stop low speed scissors on one occasion; speed pegged below 30 (or was the min indicated 40?), flat, wings level, yaw vane 90 degrees, 360 degrees/sec rotation, 10k+ ft/min RoD, starting at 5000ft above the oggin.

Slapped the nozzles aft and saw the nadir star in the middle of the HUD at 3000'. (SHAR takes 5000' to recover from the vertical!!) Remembered Bartoonski's advice when I started displaying the jet and selected the hover stop, applied full power and nursed the nose up at 8 units AoA. Recovered at 1500' and knocked it off!! Thanks Paul!

Caught it all on film, as I was about to take a shot! Swing the lamp.

SpazSinbad
29th Sep 2017, 15:48
I was always told that you couldn't spin a delta. It just went into megamush.
Attached are three pages about spin recovery for the A-4E/F/G Skyhawk from NATOPS. GIF graphic from same source. Not allowed to intentionally spin.

Just This Once...
29th Sep 2017, 16:17
Spin recovery was taught in the sim as part of the Tornado GR1/4 OCU, and is a mandatory trg requirement through the year in the sim too. Fairly hard to get into a spin, and recovery works well too.

I seem to remember that the data for dirty or asymmetric configurations was non-existent. Given some of the weird external stores configurations we had I am sure that any actual spin would be unique!

ACW418
29th Sep 2017, 16:22
There was a Vulcan that entered a spin on a low speed approach demo into Boscombe Down in the early 1960's. They managed to recover once but it entered a spin in the opposite direction. From memory they deployed the tail brake chute but it broke away. Both pilots (one a Hawker Siddeley test pilot and the other RAF) ejected and survived. The rear crew did not. The aircraft crashed near Andover.

ACW

Dan Winterland
30th Sep 2017, 02:59
As a student, and QFI, on the Hawk spinning was part of the syllabus.....I seem to recall some instability in the spin, and one of the recovery criteria was excessive side forces, suggesting as others allude to that it was reluctant to spin anyway. Centralising always worked.

I got the impression that the Hawk 'spin' was just really a stall with rudder induced yaw. Centralising the rudder (easy due to the forces) just ended up with a stall. A very benign aircraft.

gzornenplatz
30th Sep 2017, 15:42
Early in the Gnat's life it was cleared for spinning, in fact it was cleared for solo spinning by more experienced students. All went well until certain QFI allowed his student to mishandle the aircraft to such an extent that they departed. QFI bravely took control and carried out the JP spin recovery actions. Result: scratch one Gnat and no more Gnat spinning.

Brat
1st Oct 2017, 11:05
A recent offering on spin testing. This on the Super Hornet. Interesting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLxK3maZqiA

MACH2NUMBER
1st Oct 2017, 14:49
The JP spin recovery visits to Lightning Sqns were indeed useful. I spun the Lightning twice and immediately put the JP spin technique to use. Out in 2 turns with only about 4000 ft height loss. Not so sure if the procedure would work so well for F4, Tornado etc as the recovery techniques were very different.

RetiredBA/BY
1st Oct 2017, 18:16
Thank you for replies, chaps. Most interesting reading.

Particularly pleased that our JP spin training saved at least one Lightning.

Not sure the F4 was recoverable, we understood at the time it went flat and was unrecoverable, although drag chute could possibly help.

Tales of the Vampire brought back a few memories. On my first spin in the T11 I was told to look at the booms flexing in the RV mirror. Never did again !

Thank you all, again.

wiggy
1st Oct 2017, 19:03
Not sure the F4 was recoverable, we understood at the time it went flat and was unrecoverable, although drag chute could possibly help.


As I recall it the USAF did spinning trials with the F4 (post losses due departures in Vietnam) which were made into a film that became required watching ( it may well be on YouTube somewhere). All bar one of the sorties ended in successful recoveries ...as I recall it the one loss was due to late deployment of the chute....the spin had time to go flat and then was indeed unrecoverable.

As I recall it initial actions (F4 K and Ms) were "unload, mil, bag, RAT" ...if that didn't solve it it was stick full forward and full in spin stick.....

In more mundane circumstances Going around again from the runway (especially into the radar pattern) having dumped the chute almost always resulted in some wag on the "other" squadron seeing the second landing and circulating a rumour that somebody had obviously almost spun in.......

SpazSinbad
1st Oct 2017, 22:10
3 page PDF of RAN FAA / RAAF Macchi MB326H SPIN info from 1973 RAAF Flight Manual (not seen in RAN FAA VC-724 Squadron then - perhaps later)

SpazSinbad
2nd Oct 2017, 00:10
Dual Trainer VAMPIRES Mk35 & 35A from AAP 953 (PDF of spin recovery actions below)
Section 3, Chapter 1, Limitations - Prohibited Manoeuvres (A/L 1-March, 1962)
"9. The aircraft is prohibited from performing the following manoeuvres:-
(a) Acrobatics when external stores are being carried.
(b) Spinning.
(c) Bunts.
(d) Stall turns.
(c) Flick manoeuvres.
(e) Above 20,000 feet - all acrobatics in the looping plane."

seven g
2nd Oct 2017, 01:18
In the early 70s at CFS Rissy we used to provide spin famil training to the CFS Gnat squadron (4 Sqn?), Valley QFIs and at times to FJ squadrons (Lightings I recall). Reading the earlier posts it seems spin famil training to FJ squadrons has always been a bit ad hoc. Training we provided was never programmed well ahead - just was ad hoc when we were around. I remember there wasn't much point in teaching the JP recovery as a technique for the aircraft the victim was flying since that varied depending on the type. The main value was in experiencing uncontrolled flight. The 'canned' JP spin entry and recovery was flown but the main value I found was spinning from the vertical which was part of the normal QFI instructional sequence such as a mis-handled stall turn. For these exercise I would use an entry just past the vertical to ensure the aircraft would flop over the top then apply full pro-spin controls at about 100 knots. The result was always a mix of aerodynamic & inertial gyrations as the aircraft lost upward momentum and headed downhill. Without exception it gained a s**t or f**k verbal reaction. Some swore it must be an inverted spin but with the IAS still below 100 knots it was just ballistic tumbling until it entered an upright spin as the speed increased with full pro-spin controls still held firmly in place. The training benefit for the FJ pilot was experiencing the uncontrolled flight and subsequent spin rather than the JP recovery.

Fortissimo
2nd Oct 2017, 07:45
The F4 was reasonably predictable when it departed (and I did it too often!) - if you were quick enough to unload it, the recovery was rapid, especially in roll. The spin recovery used no rudder but full in-spin aileron, and there was the drag bag too. Flat spin was not recoverable.

ISTR in the those days of STC just culture (you screw up, you're screwed) a high AOA briefing that ended with: "And if you are still spinning at 10,000 ft, eject and take your posting like a man..."

I also enjoyed teaching JP spinning to the Iraqis. OK, enjoyed is probably the wrong word. By the time they had got the 2 second pause out of the way with the laboured verbalising of 'one thousand, er, er, two thousand', the full opposite rudder had quite often turned into full pro-spin control as the direction had reversed. This was usually followed by some noises of confusion followed by QFI resuming control. Happy days.

Fareastdriver
2nd Oct 2017, 08:27
(e) Above 20,000 feet - all acrobatics in the looping plane."

In 1961 we were taught high altitude loops in the Vampire entering at 20,000 ft. It was slow; there was a lot of inertia involved and quite delicate over the top. I think the main object was to avoid MCrit going down.

Lordflasheart
2nd Oct 2017, 11:33
I think the main object was ....I fort the main object (T11) was to see how high you topped out after you mishandled going up and it flicked - I fink above 42000 was routine.

Never had rear view mirrors in the Sea Vampire or Sea Venom.

We were still spinning the Sea Venom in late 1969. I always believed the reason the spinning clearance had not been withdrawn was because the Admiralty didn't realise we had any left in service. :E

LFH


........................................

Fareastdriver
2nd Oct 2017, 12:18
30,000 was quite high enough for me, thank you. You need pressure breathing above that.

I once took off from Oakington at around midnight on a beautiful moonlit night. Controlled Airspace stopped at about 27,000 ft. in those days so I climbed up to 30 and orbited over central London. You could see Birmingham one way and over the darkness of the Channel I think I saw the lights of Paris.

Later on in life we did the last radar bombing run before the bombing task was removed from our tanker squadron. The target was King's Cross station which was one of the radar targets. Again a beautiful moonlit night and at 40 you could see a lot more.

R4H
2nd Oct 2017, 21:49
Re spin recovery -
Gnat, as already mentioned there were 2 doll eyes and during spin it could be quite oscilliatory and difficult to see exactly what was going on so kick the black i.e. rudder and punch the white i.e. aileron. There was also a tiny desyn indicator on the panel showing aileron neutral position so once once recovery happening, ailerons neutral on the indicator.
Hunter, no such sophistication but ailerons neutral important during unload and as stick top was slightly canted there was a white blob on the stick top covers and another somewhere on the instrument panel. Line them up for aileron neutral. Also handy if just departing and quickly needing to centralise everything.

stickstirrer
2nd Oct 2017, 23:38
CFS spinex visits 1986 to F4 , Lightning and Jag stations. I concur that the aim was to remind FJ pilots of spin/departure symptoms and how disorientating a spin can be especially if it went oscillitory. Achieved that by judicious use of in spin aileron (not supposed to but much more useful for the exercise) and noting the exchange of energy between the gyros (wing vs fuselage B over A ratios anyone?). pilots supposed to recite their aircraft spin recovery actions whilst we would try to facilitate the recovery to coincide with their final correct action. Last exercise was to get them to fly the entry, maintain the spin whilst reciting (but not doing!) their aircraft recovery drill. As said earlier this could produce some very interesting spins if they could not stop themselves from doing their own thing! Best performers in the cockpit?F4 navs..word perfect. Gnat as student in mid 70s, only did slow downs, no slip, unload and power out; Hunter, no spinning even demoed but fro personal experience it handled like a big JP loads of warning buffet, centralising always got things on track. Jag? Departed it once at LL, hard roll towards the bounce and pulled at same time, an absolute no no; aircraft calmly rolled back left to upright whilst I had nearly full right stick/spoiler...centralised bl@#dy fast and flew SandL for 30 secs to calm down. Used to demo spin entry in JP to FJ crews by inducing wing drop stall then trying to pick up down going wing with aileron. Although quite slow you could see the roll one way stick the other symptom of incipient departure. ‘Only second to Live’ by Duncan Hadley is an excellent book about the early days of flying and the discovery of spin recovery actions (partly by accident) and the subsequent development of theory and instruction in this part of the envelope.

2 TWU
3rd Oct 2017, 05:01
The Lightning spin recovery was fine, normal JP actions. BAC (as they were then) did the trials, some 40 plus spins I believe and only had one iffy recovery when opposite rudder wasn't fully applied. Classic r/t:-

Red 2 are you spinning?
Affirmative, out now, engaged

The main problem was the pitot tube could bend and lay across the intake.

sarn1e
3rd Oct 2017, 17:05
I was late enough in the life of the aircraft to be "taught" to spin the Lightning. The slow-speed handling check brief went along the lines of: "of course, we're not allowed to spin the ac intentionally; but, if it does, you'll see that it's just a big JP." Which, of course, it was. Didn't stop a mate of mine being killed, though.

My memory of the CFS spin rides was that it was much better to get a JP5 than a JP3 (twenty-ish minutes to get to height?) and that what felt like incipient spinning to the QFI was pretty much the normal sensation around the final turn! I knew what he was trying to show me, but it would have definitely helped him to have had a go in a T5 first - no doubt he'd have enjoyed that - to understand the difference between buffet and "buffet".

Good job we never had an AOA gauge...

Boxkite Montgolfier
4th Oct 2017, 13:37
May I refer the Great and the Good to the following article written by an old and cherished friend Jerry Lee. BAE Test Pilot/Chief Test Pilot 1982-1985.Entitled " Close to the Edge"
The article is copyright and appeared in Jets Winter 2000

Certainly it will answer some of the more fanciful explanations and is 'recoverable' by
web search.

SpazSinbad
4th Oct 2017, 14:44
Close to the Edge Jerry Lee JETS Winter 2000
"There is nothing like a spinning trial for creating adrenalin...."
Close to the edge (http://www.tornado-data.com/History/Jeremy%20Lee/close_to_the_edge.htm)

F-35 Flight Test Intentional Departure https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWji8AcOYGA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWji8AcOYGA

LL of LL
6th Oct 2017, 10:52
Have any of you watched Jerry Lee's Jaguar Spinning Trials film?

LOMCEVAK
7th Oct 2017, 13:02
With the Hunter, more than 1/4 outspin aileron would prevent recovery. At ETPS we would fly an erect spin then apply full outspin aileron. This would be maintained as recovery rudder then full forward stick were applied. Nothing happened so the outspin aileron was reduced progressively to 3/4 then 1/2 then 1/4 at which point it normally recovered. Occasionally you had to return to neutral aileron for recovery. However, a little inspin did give a quicker recovery and Bill Bedford used this in his spinning displays.

I had a Tornado GR1 (actually an IDS prototype, P14) spin during a rapid rolling trial. It had 2 x 1500l tanks inboard, bare outboard pylons and 5 x BL755 underfuselage. It was in 25CR wing, SPILS off. The test point was an 18AOA turn then full lateral stick for a 180 deg bank angle change then a full lateral stick reversal for a further 180 deg bank change. It rolled very slowly during the first roll input then essentially stopped rolling when I made the lateral reversal. I centralised the stick but it departed at 21 000 ft and went from 340 KCAS into a fully developed spin in less than 2 seconds. It was the most violent departure that I have ever seen. I closed the throttles, applied full back stick and I believed that we were spinning left so applied full left stick simultaneously. It continued spinning steadily for many turns! The briefed ejection height was 10 000 ft AGL and we were over the sea. As we reached 10 000 ft the AOA came back on scale and the HUD airspeed changed from 2 digits to 3 (I was too disorientated to read numbers at that stage). At 8000 ft the airspeed was still only 130 KCAS due to the drag. I elected to override the recommended procedure for waiting until 200 KCAS before recovering from the dive and selected manoeuvre flap and slat, rolled wings level and pulled out of the dive. We bottomed at 3000 ft with 2 good engines, a few CSAS first failures and all nav systems dead. Looking at the traces the next day, we had been spinning right so I actually had applied full outspin rather than full inspin lateral stick - and it still recovered (eventually). An interesting test point which generated a good departure boundary identification to establish what the SPILS OFF rapid rolling limit should be!

BEagle
7th Oct 2017, 13:52
Well bugger me with a fish fork, you certainly earned your flying pay in that trial, mate!

We bottomed at 3000 ft with 2 good engines, a few CSAS first failures and all nav systems dead.

I imagine that the food-powered nav system in the rear seat also had some serviceability issues after that little ride?

LOMCEVAK
7th Oct 2017, 14:20
It was my nav's first trip in a GR1/IDS; he was mainly an F3 man but for flying qualities trials it made little difference. He only said 2 things throughout: "Eleven Thousand" and, when we were half way through the pull out, "Yeeeee Haaaaaah!". I have flown several other rapid rolling trials with him and he was always very comfortable with being thrown around like that.

We drank lots of very fine red wine that night atop of one of Rome's seven hills.