NAMC YS11 returning to the skies..?
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NAMC YS11 returning to the skies..?
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Hostage to geographical fortune.
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Best of luck to them: they'll need it. I last drove that particular chariot 26 yeas ago and even then it was a dinosaur rapidly becoming something of a maintenance nightmare. Most airframes went to the bone yard.
Lots (very much lots) of TLC between trips was required to prevent unfortunate things happening to the RR Darts. RR sent a maintenance Rep from Derby - it didn't help because the equation could only be balanced by the application of manpower to the engines, but manpower equaled money - so it didn't happen.
High tech in its day, but that day has long since passed into history.
Engine failure after landing: pulling the props through on the successive preflight gave the sound of glass in a coffee grinder accompanied by considerable mechanical resistance.
Some engines failed in the air: shearing of the N2 drive shaft was a favourite as was the ancient wiring harnesses initiating an auto-feather in cruise flight. Darts don't like that scenario.
Single engine performance isn't as advertised. On one occasion I shut the fuel cock during a test flight to force an auto-feather at 8 degrees pitch and 95 knots (simulated rotation plus a bit for Mum). Very illuminating.
Lots (very much lots) of TLC between trips was required to prevent unfortunate things happening to the RR Darts. RR sent a maintenance Rep from Derby - it didn't help because the equation could only be balanced by the application of manpower to the engines, but manpower equaled money - so it didn't happen.
High tech in its day, but that day has long since passed into history.
Engine failure after landing: pulling the props through on the successive preflight gave the sound of glass in a coffee grinder accompanied by considerable mechanical resistance.
Some engines failed in the air: shearing of the N2 drive shaft was a favourite as was the ancient wiring harnesses initiating an auto-feather in cruise flight. Darts don't like that scenario.
Single engine performance isn't as advertised. On one occasion I shut the fuel cock during a test flight to force an auto-feather at 8 degrees pitch and 95 knots (simulated rotation plus a bit for Mum). Very illuminating.
Fil-Asian Airways Takes Off June 22 ~ Philippine Flight Network
Website currently showing "Under construction". Hmmm.
FIL-ASIAN AIR | Under Construction
I always wonder why companies decide to fly such old aircraft from the perspective of cost. Romantic reasons, I understand, I used to fly on them regularly with MidPac Air N109MP Mid Pacific Air | Flickr - Photo Sharing! back in the day and the experience was always pleasant. However, the difficulties as ably explained by cvg2iln whilst operating them years ago spell out the challenges. I can't believe that it would make financial sense, but would be happy to be proved wrong.
SHJ
SHJ
