hadley page herald and f27
As far as I recall the ground crew at departure had stowed the chocks inside the wheel well (
) and then forgotten about them, and they subsequently jammed the gear when it was retracted on lift-off. Piedmont management were a group of pleasant Southern gentlemen but there was a stream of instant dismissals the next day when the reason was discovered.
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F27 main gear problems
A JEA F27 suffered a main gear failure at Lulsgate around 1991 (or 2), the right hand drag strut failured, the cause of failure was a change of section machining at the upper end had insufficient radius and a radial crack had formed leading to a fracture of the strut, shortly afterwards a second F27 had identical failure at Baroda in India (East West Airllines), I remember that the crack was obscured by the lower attaching clamp of the small spade door and so was not obvious on inspection.
The HP7 had a main gear problem also, the door sequence valve striker arm failed due to age/fatigue/incorrect rigging, and when fractured the main gear would hang up, generally found on maintenace before disaster struck, however G-BEZB did an inelegent arrival at Guernsey in 1984 with one main locked up due to this,
br om15
The HP7 had a main gear problem also, the door sequence valve striker arm failed due to age/fatigue/incorrect rigging, and when fractured the main gear would hang up, generally found on maintenace before disaster struck, however G-BEZB did an inelegent arrival at Guernsey in 1984 with one main locked up due to this,
br om15
Death Cruiser Flight Crew
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Virtually indestructible cargo bay of the HPR7
On the 25th of April 1977, I was the first officer on the hastily de-seated BAF Herald G-BCZG, flying from Groningen to Stavanger with the replacement blow-out preventer for the rig Ekofisk B which had popped its cork. The BOP was a massively impressive piece of kit, sitting squat and mounted mid-cabin on load spreaders. I forget what it weighed, but it was A LOT.
Fortunately, as it turned out, we had an engineer with us, because offloading at Stavanger, it slipped off the spreaders, and went through the cabin floor like a knife through butter. Much consternation, but having secured it, careful examination revealed that it had missed all the control runs and hadn't pierced the fuselage skin. After some considerable time and difficulty, it got fork-lifted off. (I could imagine Texas Red jumping up and down, demanding to know where in tarnation was that goddam Bee Oh Pee. Yes, it was the great man himself on the scene, out at the rig.)
We were out of hours by then - this hadn't quite been the start of the day's fun - so an unscheduled nightstop was spent in SVG finding out how expensive beer is in Scarwegia.
Fortunately, as it turned out, we had an engineer with us, because offloading at Stavanger, it slipped off the spreaders, and went through the cabin floor like a knife through butter. Much consternation, but having secured it, careful examination revealed that it had missed all the control runs and hadn't pierced the fuselage skin. After some considerable time and difficulty, it got fork-lifted off. (I could imagine Texas Red jumping up and down, demanding to know where in tarnation was that goddam Bee Oh Pee. Yes, it was the great man himself on the scene, out at the rig.)
We were out of hours by then - this hadn't quite been the start of the day's fun - so an unscheduled nightstop was spent in SVG finding out how expensive beer is in Scarwegia.
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The HPR7 certainly was a good cargo carrier. We had a lead lined coffin which was massive and very heavy. Servisair at MAN had great difficulty getting it loaded, but load it they did. Both rear cargo doors required opening to get it in using a fork lift truck. The Friendship would not have been able to carry it to the IOM with a load of passengers as we successfully did with the Herald in 1980.
Last edited by p1fel; 14th Nov 2012 at 13:58.
Since we are recalling examples of superb flying in F27s, I have been cudgelling my 3 remaining brain cells for the name of the pilot who extended and locked a recaltricant main leg by landing hard on the other one which had locked properly, in a "touch-and-go" with a difference.
Quebecair lost an F-27 in 1978 or 79 in Quebec City when the right prop and part of the compressor secton fell off the aircraft right at rotation. Short version of the story, they got an uncontrollable engine fire, shrapnel from the engine entered the DC electrical panel behind the co-pilot's seat and they were unable to raise the gear. Additionally the lower cowling had jammed down against the MLG drag strut. It was at night and they were taking off on R06, weather was crappy, a couple hundred feet and a mile viz in fog and mist. They turned right to try and complete a visual circuit and landing on R30, and almost made it back, but the stew moved the passengers sitting on the right side of the aircraft over to the left side to keep them away from the fire. Moving the passengers around put the airplane out of the rear CofG limits and they crashed just short of the R30 approach lights. There were a few survivors, but the three crew were killed. I believe there was a similar accident in Rome around the same time.
Last edited by pigboat; 14th Nov 2012 at 00:26.
I remember my dad going to Holland years after he retired on a holiday. Whilst there he and mum visited the Fokker factory, only to be warmly welcomed. It turns out he was the most senior in hours on type (F27) in the world.
He started flying on the F27-200 at the introduction of the type for Airlines of NSW, with a ferry flight from Holand to Australia and progressed to finish his career on the F27-500. The reason for the high hours was all the other senior pilots went on to fly the F28, but dad decided he liked the of F27.
Finished his career with a 12 month stint as one of the Captains on the Sandringhams flying between Sydney and lord Howe. he thought this was just like one long holiday.
As a side note, I put dad on one of our aircraft for a ride about 5 years ago. He sat next to the young pilot, who upon learning dad had "flown during the war" offered dad a go at the controls.
My father flew a perect approach down to 500 feet when the young pilot took over. After landing the young pilot complimented dad on his skills remarking how he hadn't lost any of them since the end of the war. The conversation finished with the young pilot inquiring how many hours dad had managed to get - thinking the answere may have been around 600 or so.
Imagine the young pilots face when dad in his laconic way casually mention he actually had 26,000 hours.
He started flying on the F27-200 at the introduction of the type for Airlines of NSW, with a ferry flight from Holand to Australia and progressed to finish his career on the F27-500. The reason for the high hours was all the other senior pilots went on to fly the F28, but dad decided he liked the of F27.
Finished his career with a 12 month stint as one of the Captains on the Sandringhams flying between Sydney and lord Howe. he thought this was just like one long holiday.
As a side note, I put dad on one of our aircraft for a ride about 5 years ago. He sat next to the young pilot, who upon learning dad had "flown during the war" offered dad a go at the controls.
My father flew a perect approach down to 500 feet when the young pilot took over. After landing the young pilot complimented dad on his skills remarking how he hadn't lost any of them since the end of the war. The conversation finished with the young pilot inquiring how many hours dad had managed to get - thinking the answere may have been around 600 or so.
Imagine the young pilots face when dad in his laconic way casually mention he actually had 26,000 hours.
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Much the same as the "English", and the majority of foreigners, refer to the British Isles as "England" ... The Dutch have also given up trying to educate the foreigners!!!
I live overseas where the most frequent tourists are Aussies ... When they refer to the British Isles as "England This and England That" I question why they called it "New South Wales" and not "New South England"!
I live overseas where the most frequent tourists are Aussies ... When they refer to the British Isles as "England This and England That" I question why they called it "New South Wales" and not "New South England"!
Do all you F27 aviators remember the first flight of the day gymnastics? Doing the feathering checks correctly before you ran out of oil pressure? And checking the maxarets before running out of air pressure?
While we are at it can somebody put the N in Hadley. Handley Page built the Herald, not Hadley Page 
Last edited by brakedwell; 14th Nov 2012 at 15:02.
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And I thought only the 748 would be silly enough to have something like that.
o all you F27 aviators remember the first flight of the day gymnastics? Doing the feathering checks correctly before you ran out of oil pressure? And checking the maxarets before running out of air pressure?
The Fairchild prototype suffered a gear collapse on the ground early in the flight test program. They'd come back from a test flight and the crew went to lunch. More flight tests were scheduled that afternoon, so nobody had installed the gear pins. A mechanic was walking by the aircraft and heard a hissing noise from one of the pneumatic vents forward of the cargo door. "Ha ah!" said he "There's a pneumatic leak!" so he pressed a finger over the hole from whence the air was hissing, which happened to be the emergency pneumatic vent. By some feat of pneumatic sorcery the system though "There is now positive pressure on this side of this valve, therefore we are airborne, why is the gear extended? I shall remedy this forthwith" and the gear retracted.
Very nice landing! I wonder if he thought he'd pulled it off, before the leg finally folded?
Really nice to see that vid of my old friend Des. Absolutely superb pilot.