That 32 Squadron HS.125 damaged by hail-storm at Kandahar, Afghanistan...
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 256
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
That 32 Squadron HS.125 damaged by hail-storm at Kandahar, Afghanistan...
DVIDS - News - 451st EMXS lends hand to coalition partner
AFGHANISTAN - Teamwork and coordination were the words for the day as members
of the 451st Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron helped their Royal Air
Force coalition partners move a damaged British Aerospace BAe 125, also known
as the, “Queen’s airplane,” for transport back to England where it will be
reconstructed or used for parts.
Originally designed for passenger
transport, the Queen’s airplane was damaged during a hail storm in previous
months and deemed not airworthy. Since then, the Royal Air Force has been
working to determine the fate of the airplane.
“The aircraft encountered
some pretty rough weather," said Tech. Sgt. Larry Hamlin, 451st Expeditionary
Maintenance Squadron assistant section chief. “It’s not able to fly in any
condition what so ever. They have a need to get that aircraft out of here, and
we’re happy to help them in any way we can.”
AFGHANISTAN - Teamwork and coordination were the words for the day as members
of the 451st Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron helped their Royal Air
Force coalition partners move a damaged British Aerospace BAe 125, also known
as the, “Queen’s airplane,” for transport back to England where it will be
reconstructed or used for parts.
Originally designed for passenger
transport, the Queen’s airplane was damaged during a hail storm in previous
months and deemed not airworthy. Since then, the Royal Air Force has been
working to determine the fate of the airplane.
“The aircraft encountered
some pretty rough weather," said Tech. Sgt. Larry Hamlin, 451st Expeditionary
Maintenance Squadron assistant section chief. “It’s not able to fly in any
condition what so ever. They have a need to get that aircraft out of here, and
we’re happy to help them in any way we can.”
The '146 was one of the 'new ones' ... the overall grey ones that were acquired late last year from the civil market.
A short while after the news of the storm (and the damage) appeared in the media aircraft ZE707 appeared back in the UK, noted by me crossing the Channel at FL100, and landing at Boscombe Down (... well, it could have gone into Netheravon, but seems unlikely!).
I think that the damaged aircraft must be either ZE395 or ZE396, as they're the only ones that have not been seen in the UK for many months. Time will tell.
A short while after the news of the storm (and the damage) appeared in the media aircraft ZE707 appeared back in the UK, noted by me crossing the Channel at FL100, and landing at Boscombe Down (... well, it could have gone into Netheravon, but seems unlikely!).
I think that the damaged aircraft must be either ZE395 or ZE396, as they're the only ones that have not been seen in the UK for many months. Time will tell.
Last edited by Geezers of Nazareth; 3rd Nov 2013 at 17:40.
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Hanging off the end of a thread
Posts: 33,049
Received 2,920 Likes
on
1,249 Posts
You would have thought at the price of a second hand 125 they would have gutted it and binned the rest.... But then logic never was a word that made it to the MOD phrase book, look at the farce when the Tristar auto landed, even Lockheed I believe said scrap it... What is it 700 series?
Last edited by NutLoose; 3rd Nov 2013 at 18:04.
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Hanging off the end of a thread
Posts: 33,049
Received 2,920 Likes
on
1,249 Posts
Just after we got them, they did an autoland which was fine except it wasn't available, so the poor old Tristar flew itself all on its own into the runway at Brize as the crew watched on, it bounced about 80 foot at which point the crew reacted and flew it around the circuit losing about a rumoured 8 Ton of fuel out of all the holes before gently putting it down... It sheared the main spars and the only thing holding the wings on were the skins, the gear also spread a foot or so and tried to come through the top skins, it was still leaking as it was towed up to base hangar and jacked / trestled. I believe Lockheed when asked the questions about repairing it could not believe it, so came over and stood looking at it in amazement, they recommended if I'm remembering correctly scrapping it, but the RAF rebuilt it instead.. I can still see those spars lying on the hangar floor looking like a sheet of torn paper.
Last edited by NutLoose; 3rd Nov 2013 at 21:51.
Join Date: Feb 2001
Posts: 32
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Almost the correct story...
Autoland was available...it just uses the regular ILS. It was a T&E crew who performed the approach but who failed to adhere to the written procedure that sets out the parameters for an autoland approach. They cut in for what was effectively a short-pattern approach that didn't allow the kit to fully capture the ILS and cycle through its modes.
The result was that autolands were banned forthwith (C130J trim issue anyone?) even though the kit is perfectly serviceable. It flies like a dream in the sim and is always kept 'in the back pocket' if it were needed in an emergency situation.
ZE705 was the aircraft in question and is busy still flying back and forth to Afghanistan even as I write...
Autoland was available...it just uses the regular ILS. It was a T&E crew who performed the approach but who failed to adhere to the written procedure that sets out the parameters for an autoland approach. They cut in for what was effectively a short-pattern approach that didn't allow the kit to fully capture the ILS and cycle through its modes.
The result was that autolands were banned forthwith (C130J trim issue anyone?) even though the kit is perfectly serviceable. It flies like a dream in the sim and is always kept 'in the back pocket' if it were needed in an emergency situation.
ZE705 was the aircraft in question and is busy still flying back and forth to Afghanistan even as I write...
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: norfolk
Posts: 68
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I arrived at Brize Base Hangar just as the repair was finishing (British Airways engineers I think), iirc it was just around Christmas they were dismantling the scaffold frame covered in plastic sheet that had covered the tail (pre clamshell). It had been bloody cold inside already but with a big gap in the doors and the lowest temperature outside for years, even with the heating on it was bloody freezing, someone mentioned -6 one day. The mess was sending us urns of soup every couple of hours, and the lads were wearing as much clothing as they could to try and stay warm, Our Flight Sergeant sent us all home on one really cold day, after his interview with the boss he said he was not expecting promotion any time soon 
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: In the State of Denial
Posts: 1,078
Likes: 0
Received 146 Likes
on
28 Posts
TP death grip on the trim switch during AAR.
I had quite forgotten about that TP-induced nonsense.
NL - we were waiting for that aircraft to fly south and carry out a FI rotation - the few days' delay saw a lot of bad feeling amongst the brown jobs and the odd airman subject to physical abuse around the Islands.
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Hanging off the end of a thread
Posts: 33,049
Received 2,920 Likes
on
1,249 Posts
I could believe it, the early days of the Tristar they had a few interesting hiccups, the other memorable one was the holding in of a popping CB ( by the then BA Engineer seconded to Brize ) whilst doing an EGR and the resulting explosion as the seized Hydraulic pump exploded.. That sat outside under a heated plastic and Bodge tape tent as they repaired it.
acmech on the Line we used to do everything outside, all weathers and all times of the year
we rarely got a slot in Base.
acmech on the Line we used to do everything outside, all weathers and all times of the year
we rarely got a slot in Base.
I remember the BA Engineer in FI reckoning the fan on the Tri* that had a No 2 engine surge (the one that aborted take-off with members of the FI Families Association on board) had seized, and then he tried turning the fan not some static blades at the front of the fan section. Red face, much beer bought - then OC Eng ground ran it, but that is another story...................
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: norfolk
Posts: 68
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
acmech on the Line we used to do everything outside, all weathers and all times of the year 
we rarely got a slot in Base.
That's because the bloody things didn't fit the hangar (then)
we rarely got a slot in Base. That's because the bloody things didn't fit the hangar (then)
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Hanging off the end of a thread
Posts: 33,049
Received 2,920 Likes
on
1,249 Posts
I was on VC Tens not those American Cast offs that were bought second hand.
not those American Cast offs that were bought second hand.
Just a quick question for you "Tristar" experts. I remember on an early trip as a C130(K) GE a Nav explaining to me, with some merriment about GASOs (Group Air Staff Orders), where he insisted that on entry to service the GASO regulation was that Three engined take offs were not allowed for RAF transport aircraft. He assured me that it was only changed after a C130 Nav at Group pointed the anomaly out. Anyone know if there's any truth in this, or is it just more "banter" ?
Smudge
Smudge