Bent airframes
Originally Posted by 26er
1955, 34 Squadron, Tangmere. We had a Meteor F8 WF742 which was very twisted and no amount of twitching could straighten it. Eventually all the trim tabs were set to zero and I offered to fly it to the MU at Aston Down. As I accelerated down the runway the left wing began to go down and once airborne I was unable to fly wings level above 180 knots. The landing was unusual. God knows what happened to it though it turned out that a mate was the unit test pilot there and he was not grateful for my gift.
Comet 4C XR399 was slightly bent, I was told that it had been on jacks during its first major when the hangar floor subsided slightly. It was trimmed to fly straight but had a higher fuel consumption than the other 4 Comets on 216 Sqn.
Re the suspect strength of hangar floors and hard standings at Lyneham. I was watching XR 398 being towed out of C2 Hangar when the surface under the port u/c dipped as it was towed over. Subsequent investigation by civil engineers found a void about 4 feet under the surface.
Re the suspect strength of hangar floors and hard standings at Lyneham. I was watching XR 398 being towed out of C2 Hangar when the surface under the port u/c dipped as it was towed over. Subsequent investigation by civil engineers found a void about 4 feet under the surface.
Last edited by izod tester; 15th Oct 2015 at 14:58. Reason: sp
Instead of flying straight and level, Victor K1 XA 930 tended to fly in a very slow corkscrew which was detectable through the seat of your pants in the back seats. The aircraft had at one time been in the hands of either Boscombe Down or Farnborough, I forget which, and rumour had it that it had once been barrel rolled. Whatever the reason it was definitely "bent"!
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and an L13 Blanik once that everyone said would not fly right. It had a MASSIVE trim tab riveted onto the port aileron and this was bent fully upwards. Obviously the aircraft was a bit 'out of true' - but not unusual for a metal aeroplane of this type. The Aileron was a bit out of adjustment but it was impossible to adjust within the limits of the control rods.................
When the wing went down after landing it went down with a thump and we never worked out why. After scraping paint off the wing during maintenance we found it was a different wing to the rest of the airframe (obviously a 'bitsa') and had all been oversprayed to match. I assume at some point it had been trashed and it was quicker to fit a new wing than repair the old one. Even more interesting was the fact that the salmon fairing on the wingtip was full of concrete (approx 4lb) that had been injected into the void to try and use the 'law of the lever' to balance the glider............. !!
We fitted a new salmon fairing and the CFI flew it again. The aircraft was completely uncontrollable above 70Kts and poor above 50Kts. It was at this point (after a hasty landing at low speed and full flap) that the GSA scrapped the airframe..........................
Sometimes you just gotta walk away................
Arc
When the wing went down after landing it went down with a thump and we never worked out why. After scraping paint off the wing during maintenance we found it was a different wing to the rest of the airframe (obviously a 'bitsa') and had all been oversprayed to match. I assume at some point it had been trashed and it was quicker to fit a new wing than repair the old one. Even more interesting was the fact that the salmon fairing on the wingtip was full of concrete (approx 4lb) that had been injected into the void to try and use the 'law of the lever' to balance the glider............. !!
We fitted a new salmon fairing and the CFI flew it again. The aircraft was completely uncontrollable above 70Kts and poor above 50Kts. It was at this point (after a hasty landing at low speed and full flap) that the GSA scrapped the airframe..........................
Sometimes you just gotta walk away................
Arc
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Shytorque
Part way through my RAF flying scholarship, back in the dark ages, the civvy flying school received a C150 which wouldn't fly straight and in balance at the same time after a post-accident rebuild. It always dropped the left wing at the stall.
It was allocated to me and my instructor for a check ride; I had to spin it. From a normal entry it entered the spin very rapidly, flicked then settled and spun inverted, whereupon the engine promptly stopped. My instructor looked very surprised and asked me how I intended to recover. I said I would try easing back on the yoke after full opposite rudder, he nodded. It came out of the spin very quickly and the engine restarted itself as I raised the nose. The instructor abandoned the flight and the aircraft was taken off the flying programme. It was later found to have the wings rigged at different angles!
ADJUSTMENT
(CORRECTING "WING-HEAVY" CONDlTION). (Refer to figure 4-1.) If
considerable control wheel pressure Is required to keep the wings level in normal flight. a
"wing-heavy" condition exists. To remedy this condition. proceed as follows:
a. considerable control wheel pressure Is required to keep the wings level in normal flight. a
"wing-heavy" condition exists. To remedy this condition. proceed as follows:
Remove wmg root fairing stnp on "wing heavy" side of aircraft.
b. Loosen nut (10) and rotate eccentnc bushings (8) simultaneously until the bushings
are poslhoned with the thick sides of the eccentrics up. This will lower the trailing
edge of the wing. and decrease "wing-heaviness" by increasing the angle of-
Incidence of the wing.
CAUTION
Be sure to rotate the eccentnc bushmgs simultaneously.
Rotating them separately will destroy the alignment
between the on-center bolt holes in the bushings. thus
exerting a shearing force on the bolt. with possible damage
to the hole in the wing spar fitting.
are poslhoned with the thick sides of the eccentrics up. This will lower the trailing
edge of the wing. and decrease "wing-heaviness" by increasing the angle of-
Incidence of the wing.
CAUTION
Be sure to rotate the eccentnc bushmgs simultaneously.
Rotating them separately will destroy the alignment
between the on-center bolt holes in the bushings. thus
exerting a shearing force on the bolt. with possible damage
to the hole in the wing spar fitting.
Last edited by NutLoose; 15th Oct 2015 at 16:16.
There was also a Mk2 Shack that was extremely sensitive in pitch - it had been damaged (IIRC) when someone drove a vehicle into the tail and virtually knocked it off, and the ac was rebuilt. It was only when they were all lined up for a royal visit that the groundcrew found they couldn't line up both front and back of the aircraft - it was some 2 or 3 feet shorter. On the rebuild they had missed out a couple of formers!!
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Apart from 'strange' handling problems there was the matter of weights where no two aircraft in the squadron of the same type, equipment fit or mod state, weighed the same. I can understand redundant electrical wiring and the like being left in situ in large aircraft but it was equally true for a unit of Bell Sioux which had no room to hide anything! Luckily they all flew much the same, cruising at a breathtaking 70 kts.
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Try pretty much any Shorts Tucano! Different fuselage lengths (discovered in similar circumstances to the Shack a couple of posts ago), aircraft untrimmable in roll because the wings were different lengths, ejector seats physically jammed into the airframe that wouldn't come back out for servicing.... And they came out of the factory like that!
One of the Dambusters, Micky Martin, used to complain about his Lancaster being heavy on the elevators. They had to take the elevators off for some reason and that was when they found out that they had been put on upside down.
One of our Canberras on the OCU (early 70's) came back from a major service and during air test she ran out of nose down down trim at 110 kts (should have been 450ish) - we filed as much as we could off the elevator t/e 'spoilers' but to no avail - after a lengthy investigation it transpired that there were no ballast weights fitted under the cockpit floor 
The CofG must have been just a little aft !!
The CofG must have been just a little aft !!
Gentlemen all, so far we have dealt with designs, hand built usually which will always be subject to "how the fitter" feels that day, often a trait in the Britush aircraft industry from the 40s to the late 60s. I had experience of the RAFs C130 fleet for most of my career a type noted for its factory, mass produced, heritage. Anyone who took XV222 (trembling 2) down route, from Captain to GE will remember how some aircraft just did not conform with design spec.
As an aside, whilst a very enthusiastic RAFGSA member many years ago, I had a problem with an ASK7 which would never fly in a straight, though descending, line for me. It was only after mentioning it a few times that our QFI decided he would do a check ride with me in the beast. Once happily off the winch, I set myself for a stable attitude with all controls centred in the front office. We were obviously yawing rapidly left, and my QFI checker confirmed a huge displacement of the rudder pedals in the rear seating area. Well, once on the ground it was clear that the rigging on the rudder system was not correct, and we remedied it. I wonder how many "studes" fell foul of QFI taunts of incompetence as a result of that simple, technical incompetence.
Smudge
As an aside, whilst a very enthusiastic RAFGSA member many years ago, I had a problem with an ASK7 which would never fly in a straight, though descending, line for me. It was only after mentioning it a few times that our QFI decided he would do a check ride with me in the beast. Once happily off the winch, I set myself for a stable attitude with all controls centred in the front office. We were obviously yawing rapidly left, and my QFI checker confirmed a huge displacement of the rudder pedals in the rear seating area. Well, once on the ground it was clear that the rigging on the rudder system was not correct, and we remedied it. I wonder how many "studes" fell foul of QFI taunts of incompetence as a result of that simple, technical incompetence.
Smudge
"Mildly" Eccentric Stardriver
Many years ago I had the pleasure of a ferry flight of an F27 from Manchester to Norwich. This aircraft had suffered a gear retraction whilst on roll-out (another story). It was certified for one flight, on a permit to fly only. After T/O on Manchester's westerly runway, I made a very gentle turn onto track for NWI, followed by a very gentle turn to land on the westerly at Norwich. The F.O commented that I seemed a bit reluctant to bank. Yes, the thing was dynamically unstable in roll. I don't know what they had to do to correct it, but among other things it involved re-skinning a section of the lower fuselage and replacement of all the lower aerials. I had a letter of thanks from the engineering director for the flight. I should have smelled a rat when all the more senior pilots suddenly found they were too busy.
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Pontius Navigator (your #11),
Gremlins have always been with us. The Gremlinus Prangiferous was well known for suddenly moving the runway sideways just as you were about to touch down on it.
When I retired, mine came out with me and now divides his time between my car and laptop. Fortunately, he does not seem to be able to be in two places at once !
Danny.
Gremlins have always been with us. The Gremlinus Prangiferous was well known for suddenly moving the runway sideways just as you were about to touch down on it.
When I retired, mine came out with me and now divides his time between my car and laptop. Fortunately, he does not seem to be able to be in two places at once !
Danny.
(Studio Portrait of Danny's Gremlin on a good day).
Looks like you have tamed your Gremlin young sir! I wonder if you experimented in taking the laptop with you on your next road trip, and turning the heating up ? Who knows what the result might be.
Best regards
Smudge
Best regards
Smudge
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Danny, I used to have a Triumph 1300 and saw a superb Toledo in Leeds not that long ago. No road tax now?