Yeovilton Air Day (Including Tornado and Hecules 'incidents') -Merged- pics
Join Date: Jun 2000
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Now here's an option some of you may recall from yesteryear.
It hadn't been raining prior to start up, had it?! Now that really was a poor design of the intake, and (IIRC) 7 out of 8 engines were trashed by a Sqn after a landaway in the early '90s. The pool of water being sucked into the engine caused major damage! Which proves that navigators did indeed have a use, albeit for a brief time and only on the ground.
It hadn't been raining prior to start up, had it?! Now that really was a poor design of the intake, and (IIRC) 7 out of 8 engines were trashed by a Sqn after a landaway in the early '90s. The pool of water being sucked into the engine caused major damage! Which proves that navigators did indeed have a use, albeit for a brief time and only on the ground.
Join Date: May 1999
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Yeovilton Air Day - Breach of flying regs?
I noticed that the Pitts Special was having trouble with the strong on-crowd wind but I was surprised when it overflew the crowd and carried out an aerobatic manoeuvre (behind the display line & over the crowd) before resuming the normal display axis. Should this not have been a 'knock it off'?
That aside, a cracking day and didn't the Blue Eagles do well? - one of their best display routines for a few years.
That aside, a cracking day and didn't the Blue Eagles do well? - one of their best display routines for a few years.
Suspicion breeds confidence
Now having got my slide rule out I've found that a C-130 can land on CVF and presumably can take off again. Thank for the RAF for letting us have our new F/A-130 fighters. Such an improvement on the GR7 
That was 29 takeoffs and landings on the USS Forrestal....weights of the Herc was from 80,000 to 121,000 pounds.
http://www.theaviationzone.com/facts...tal.asp#videos
http://www.theaviationzone.com/facts...tal.asp#videos
Join Date: Jul 2006
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As a former RB199 test bed man, I had heard all the stories about ECU runaways but never witnessed one. I did on Saturday!! Most impressive. My fishhead colleagues are still talking about the crabs Tornado ground display. One thing that surprised me was that the VASU guys did the right thing by doing a quick FOD plod, however 10 minutes later, a little man in his sweeper was still picking up blade parts and proudly putting them in a ‘poly’ bag just where a Magister and our brand new toy had taxied out. Could have been a really expensive day. The subject Tonka still here by the way.
Join Date: Nov 2000
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Originally Posted by BEagle
OK - yes, I know it has light red seats. Which are emphatically NOT pink!
Join Date: Mar 2001
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Bit confused at the duplicitous nature of this thread.... on the Tornado bit.
I was VERY close to it.... pilot stood up, engine spooled up, aircraft lept forward, spool up - afterburner - loud POP and turbine blades spat out of the back....fire a result.
All a bit expensive I suspect...glad that my taxes are going to good use again :-))
I was VERY close to it.... pilot stood up, engine spooled up, aircraft lept forward, spool up - afterburner - loud POP and turbine blades spat out of the back....fire a result.
All a bit expensive I suspect...glad that my taxes are going to good use again :-))
Join Date: Oct 2004
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Runaways on the Tornado are not as uncommon as you may think.
I personally have had it happen to me on start up, on two seperate occasions. Both times the DECU had failed and as soon as the engine reached normal idling speed, the RPM rapidly shot up with the throttles at idle. (In excess of 7% per second if I'm not mistaken?) If caught quickly, the engine can still be shut down, as I was able to do on both occasions, but if the RPM is allowed to rise too high, it's curtains for that particular ECU!! Having spoken to the engine men about it, many of them had had similar things happen to them.
A hazy memory tells me that they were designed to fail that way in the event of a total power failure, in order to give a final burst of thrust. Hopefully with which you would be able to gain some vital altitude, and point the jet in a safe direction before taking your Martin Baker taxi. Could be wrong, but it does make some sense.
Also, and I'm sure L Peacock will correct me if I'm wrong, I was under the impression that the mod to the DECU also had it hardwired to the battery, with power always available to the vital parts of the board
I personally have had it happen to me on start up, on two seperate occasions. Both times the DECU had failed and as soon as the engine reached normal idling speed, the RPM rapidly shot up with the throttles at idle. (In excess of 7% per second if I'm not mistaken?) If caught quickly, the engine can still be shut down, as I was able to do on both occasions, but if the RPM is allowed to rise too high, it's curtains for that particular ECU!! Having spoken to the engine men about it, many of them had had similar things happen to them.
A hazy memory tells me that they were designed to fail that way in the event of a total power failure, in order to give a final burst of thrust. Hopefully with which you would be able to gain some vital altitude, and point the jet in a safe direction before taking your Martin Baker taxi. Could be wrong, but it does make some sense.
Also, and I'm sure L Peacock will correct me if I'm wrong, I was under the impression that the mod to the DECU also had it hardwired to the battery, with power always available to the vital parts of the board
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Its gone......
The aircraft which deposited its insides on Yeoviltons hard standing has finally departed after nearly 3 weeks sat on the apron. Good job the RAF have plenty of aircraft available to them. Does it normally take 18 days to change and engine ?
The aircraft which deposited its insides on Yeoviltons hard standing has finally departed after nearly 3 weeks sat on the apron. Good job the RAF have plenty of aircraft available to them. Does it normally take 18 days to change and engine ?
