nimrod mr4 first flight date
 

can anyone tell me the date of the first flight at woodoford of the new nimrod mr4. I have been waiting since april when they started engine testing. help!:O

Prob late July to early Sep. (Best case to most likely!)

Low speed taxy trials late this week or early next - braking from 70Kts.

BAES have a web cam at Woodford to show it all - will try to find the URL and post.

Just had a quick look at the bae website, and although I did not see any webcams, they (bae) are still saying

on the MRA4 page. Ever the optomists :O

Reading this thread gave me a flashback to the same location in the early eighties..
I was part of the Boscombe flight trials team at Woodford for the previous Nimrod incarnation (the Mk3).
The scene: In the non-air conditioned Flight Sheds conference room one warm summer's day, a large meeting was in progress between BAe, MAv and us...
At mid morning, the door opened and two guys came in (think 2 Ronnies). Both were wearing overalls and donkey jackets. One was carrying an industrial-sized aluminium teapot of around 5 gallons capacity with two handles... the other had 2 long tubes of paper cups - one stuck in each pocket (gunslinger mode) - and was carrying a pint of milk and a bag of sugar with a spoon stuck in it.
Not a word was spoken as the meeting stopped and a line of paper cups was laid out along the highly polished conference table. The teapot guy stepped forward and - starting at one end -in one continuous motion filled the entire line of cups with hot steaming tea. The tea went all over the table too. I caught the eye of a colleague sitting opposite and we both had to look away as we were both desperately trying not to laugh. Meanwhile, matey with the milk does the same continuous pouring action and, leaving the sugar and spoon on the table they left.
I can still recall the pain we all went through as we tried to retain our composure. The BAe management acted as though this was a perfectly normal occurence.
My other abiding memory of Woodford is that across the airfield is the large building where the Nimrods were built. It was known as 'New Assembly'.
I asked one of the BAe guys one day why it was called that.
He said it was because that's where the Lancasters were built...

Reminds me of a day at BAe Brough. PR bloke suggested we have lunch in the works' canteen "to save time" (cheapskate).
Still in hearty PR manager mode he asks one of the workforce what he'd recommend. "Bugger all, its all crap.":)

Surely a better title for this thread would be:


nimrod mr4 first and last flight date!!!

:p

:ok:

What's up Gorilla ?

“….and I predict will NEVER fly, the same prediction I made a year ago.” (15th October 2002)


“I have been saying for the past 2 years on this forum and I repeat.. It HASN'T flown
and It will NEVER fly!! “ (20th February 2003)


“I said it would never fly and I stand by that prediction!!” (14th December 2003)


“I still say and have said many times on this forum, the MRA4 will never fly” (2nd February 2004)



Now you reckon it will - getting nervous ?!

Heh heh heh:O

You're laughing, but tea boy's probably panel-beating the wings to fit the fuselage right now!

Can anyone tell me what the problem is with all these Nimrod bashers out there...

Alright the Mr4 may not have been the best choice with the other options both cheaper and proven p3 etc, but we have made the choice now lets see how capable it will be.

What I'm saying is give it a chance.

I think for people to gain pleasure from seeing this thing fail is wrong...

PS The biggest thing I can see with it is that it doesn't have an engineer.

Discuss....

Dimmer

Very good but you also missed one of my other quotes!

I predicted that Newcastle would win the premier League, but as of today my other predictions re the mra4 remain extant!!

IT STILL HASN'T FLOWN YET!!!!!

:confused:

:ok:

Gorilla,
I wish I could spell "cynical", "pessimistic" or "skeptical" instead of having to call you a gloomy old git ! (The age thing is just an assumption - if you are, in fact, an energetic youth, then you're REALLY in trouble !) :D

Dimmer

Actually all 3 words have appeared regularly in my annual reports, but not any more of course!!

I am but a youthful figure and no I DO NOT use grecian 2000!! (Or just for men either)!!

Anyone interested in seeing a picture of the first aircraft in primer at Woodford should get themselves over to airliners.net.

original message deleted

DS

I thought we were all Yoofs compared to yourself, but not all of us are energetic. :E

Dont worry about the old monkey I reckon he has been drying out his banana skins and smoking them. Wont be long before he is replaced by a black box is his new job as it works well on the DLR.

Charlie sends
from the land of the melting Mars Bar:ugh:

Dimmer old fella, how the hell are you? Hope the FLT SGT is still looking after you, and that rabbit catching superman suit still fits.

Now this Nimrod thinging....does seem to be taking a bit long don't you think. Perhaps a rebuild of the shack might be in order as an intrim ( and no that is not a fat joke!) measure!!!

Charlie......when are you heading over this way to say hello? Get it organised will ya!!!!!
Don

Don & Charlie,

Talking to you two takes all the fun out of fat jokes - it's just too easy !!!! :D

Me & the Gaffer are tickety-boo - don't either of you miss the constant drizzle and grey skies of a Brit summer?.

You're right about MRA4 taking much longer than originally promised, and PPRuNe has seen a lot of debate over the reasons for that. It seems to me that there's a bit of momentum behind it now, and it appear to have the potential to be the cat's ass when we get it.

Don

Should be in yer neck of the woods about this time next week, if I can get past the fun police. Will give you a PM once sausage side. I would bring some Coopers if allowed but I can manage some vegemite or any other fare you need.

Now then Dimmer
About the fat jokes I hope you realise that when in the land of Kylie one has to attend the beach and bare one's adonis body whilst not a six pack more of a watney's party keg the ladies seem to approve.

As for ladies Ill set Missus DS on ya :sad:
Hope the teenage years have made you grey - er :ok:

Looks like something form the MaxPower mag with those go faster bits!!

MR4 at Woodford

That has got to be the ugliest version of the Comet ever made....

The Nimrod has always looked like a parts bin special but the undisputed British Commonwealth All Comers title for the ugliest version of the Comet has to go to the Mk3 Nimrod... (the infamous AEW with schnozzles front and rear). Proof of the adage "If it looks right etc.."
When we (the Boscombe team) arrived at Woodford in '82 to start the flight trials phase, we had to pull our Sherpa off the peri-track as we were all literally crying with laughter at the sheer ugliness of the beast that we'd spotted lurking on the far side of the airfield.

Dimmer old chap,

I have just recieved a copy of Nimrod MRA4 'Maturity, Capability, Adaptability' video!!!! We are to show it to the Squadron on our Ground Training Day, where many of the students will not realise the 'leading man' (a true silver screen star if i've ever seen one) is in fact a leg-end! Nice one. ;)

Sad I know, but I miss working for the IPT. It made this job look easy!! :bored: Good to see the MRA4 project is going well and I'm sure this video footage will enlighten those sceptics we have here. Perhaps it will give confidence to those departing to the front line about the future.

Don & Charlie, I hope life is treating you both well. I also hope you leave enough 'Kylie' to go round (although Anastasia is looking more like a front runner now!) Take care chaps.

M7 :ok:

Dimmer Switch,
Pse check your PMs.
TVM
Judge Rembrandt
PS MC7 - I will be calling you tommorrow!!

Your Honour!

Got it - will call later today

Cheers

Was anyone else impressed by the number of little optimisic phrases in that video, such as:

"Aircraft 4 to 18, or however many it is" [after the order gets cut again...]

"The next time I speak to you on a video, or the company speaks to you" [if I've been sacked...]

not to mention the dig at bureaucracy; kept us amused for ten minutes :-)


Any word on the taxy trials?

Taxy trials should be tomorrow or Saturday.

JT

I live in hope that the Woodford TP who will fly the beast will comment on this thread.....

The Radio 4 program "File on Four" featured defence overspending in it's latest programme - much of which was commentary on Nimrod.
A transcript of the programme should be available shortly on the associated website, for those interested:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/news/fileon4/index.shtml

--
chris

Walkies
 

Last weekend, I didn't know BWoS worked weekends :E , PA1 commenced low speed taxy trials.

Yep, its finally able to move around under its own power and, more importantly, stop.

Doing so with 20 degree flaps was a bit ambitious though :hmm:

Any bets on first flight :cool:

Penguins can movearound under their own steam still doesn't mean they can fly ;)

Anyone have an update?

Quite a few people I am sure.

But as has been said many times the three things that are best done in private are first flights, sausage stuffing and political decision making.

Oh yes, the sausage stuffing thing......:hmm:

Anyone have an update? Taxy trials etc?

Yep

12 Jul 04 - cancellation date!!!!

:O

There is no chance of that beast getting airborne until after the cuts announcement. Would you risk a maiden flight on a project that could be cancelled two weeks later.

"Would you risk a maiden flight on a project that could be cancelled two weeks later."

With nothing to lose, yes I would.

Heard a rumour (and let's face it that is what pprune is all about) that from the contract the next large wodge of cash goes to BWoS when the beast flies - project milestone and all that.

If so, then in their position it woulde make sense to get it airborne soonest.

D4R

Since we are safe for 12 MR4's after the defence cuts.Is there any news on the first flight yet?

Gorilla, Well 12 July has come and gone, and no cancellation :D

Laser, it is my understanding that the initial high speed taxi trials have been carried out down the runway and first flight of PA1 is due some time next month. Fingers crossed ;)

Mad Mark!!! :mad: