Wikiposts
Search
Military Aviation A forum for the professionals who fly military hardware. Also for the backroom boys and girls who support the flying and maintain the equipment, and without whom nothing would ever leave the ground. All armies, navies and air forces of the world equally welcome here.

SAAF "4 ship"

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 17th Aug 2011, 08:54
  #1 (permalink)  
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: NSW
Posts: 4,298
Received 41 Likes on 32 Posts
SAAF "4 ship"

Don't try this at home!



DC4 Skymaster Flight Sequence - SAAF Harvard 50 Year Anniversary - YouTube
TBM-Legend is offline  
Old 17th Aug 2011, 10:07
  #2 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Nomadic
Posts: 1,343
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Not sure how much fatigue on that 'mature' airframe has (had) in the past.....
It is an impressive display - but does it pass the 'common-sense' check of airmanship - Altitude, Rolling 'G', etc..


I wasn't there, nor am I aware of the maintenance records, nor the G limits on that airframe....

Just an opinion.
L J R is offline  
Old 17th Aug 2011, 16:28
  #3 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: 45 yards from a tropical beach
Posts: 1,103
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
LJR

If you look closely, you will see that when the aircraft is rolling, it is in an attitude demanding very little (if any) g.
Neptunus Rex is offline  
Old 17th Aug 2011, 18:46
  #4 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Lincolnshire
Posts: 543
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Massively impressive for a big aeroplane
Geehovah is offline  
Old 17th Aug 2011, 20:00
  #5 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Malkin Tower
Posts: 847
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
in the left to right pass at around 1:14 are the two starboard props really feathered or is that just a camera illusion?
jamesdevice is offline  
Old 17th Aug 2011, 20:43
  #6 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: May 1999
Location: Quite near 'An aerodrome somewhere in England'
Posts: 26,839
Received 279 Likes on 113 Posts
The no.3 and no.4 engines were both shut down and the props feathered, then restarted before the next pass.....

Sarel Ceronio was the pilot for this SAAF DC-4 display at the Harvard 50 year reunion, Central Flying School Dunnotar - he'd be red-carded for a similar performance today!
BEagle is online now  
Old 17th Aug 2011, 20:55
  #7 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Home
Posts: 3,399
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
BEagle.

What in particular would he be red carded for, assuming he had clearance to be that low?
Tourist is offline  
Old 17th Aug 2011, 22:27
  #8 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: May 1999
Location: Quite near 'An aerodrome somewhere in England'
Posts: 26,839
Received 279 Likes on 113 Posts
The answer is in your question.

A yarp mate who is very well known in the SA aviation world tells me that there's no way such a display would ever be permitted nowadays.

Impressive though the display undoubtedly was, it left little margin for error or the unexpected.
BEagle is online now  
Old 18th Aug 2011, 05:22
  #9 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Home
Posts: 3,399
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I admit to having no idea how the civvy display system works, but I know that some of them have much lower height minima than we do.
As you say there is not much room for unexpected in there, however it is very smoothly flown and exhibits none of the hallmarks of a pilot on the edge of his envelope. It is controled and precise at all times, and you notice that even at very low level, when he dips his wing towards the ground and it looks momentarily like it might go wrong, in fact he is already climbing and his wingtip maintains a fairly even separation from terra firma. There is another section of the video where he appears to have a worrying rate of descent/nose down attitude, however when he pitches back to the level attitude it becomes apparent that he actually had plenty of flex and then relaxes the rate of pitch up to take it low level. As far as the double engine shut down on one side is concerned, I guess you would need to know the type to say whether that is crazy or not.

The C27 in this vid is allowed to display.....
Tourist is offline  
Old 18th Aug 2011, 07:18
  #10 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: May 1999
Location: Quite near 'An aerodrome somewhere in England'
Posts: 26,839
Received 279 Likes on 113 Posts
The C-27J display was flown rather higher and further from the crowd than Sarel's gracefully flown DC-4 display was. Neither did the pilot shut down 50% of the powerplants!

Modern transport aircraft are becoming a lot more agile than those of earlier generations. As witness the first ever display flown by the A400M:


However, the display at Farnborough last year was rather more conservative...
BEagle is online now  

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off



Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.