Flighttester, Flying Serpent...

also on the METEO ATR-42

http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x...n/scan08-5.jpg

think these are the probes they're refering to...

http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/RT/RT199...0miller-f2.jpg

"No, these are not the probes you are looking for..."

(An old 'Jedi' trick I learnt! :})

MOA...yes, actually, but it was very austere...Cyprus and elsewhere. Then Boeing and Loral.

I guess I wrote it too late at night, 'cos sarcasm was hopelessly done by me. The rain in Lajes falls mostly on the plane...

It missed me too RRAAMJET but apologies nonetheless. Too many people are quick to jump down MRA4's throat. The programme has its problems, but this trial was not one of them.

Apologies again.

MOA

Give the poor thing a chance, I'd say...
(ps I know absolutely zero about it...waaay past my era...but at least it's something keeping people busy; I read with horror the military budget thread elsewhere:eek: Careful what you bash, folks, 'cos it sounds like Gordon's sharpening the big axe...no need to let him bust jobs prematurely).

Come to Dallas today for freezing precip trials:ooh: 6-9" of the wettest claggiest gloop I've ever seen fell in 2 hours; grounded everything. It's normally sunny 70`F this time of year. Chaos. It's headed Nashville way:D

Ah, so many skeptics. BAE does actually have quite a few very competent people working very hard to make the a/c the best it can be for the funds available today. Not everyone is a 'bean counter' as you describe!

Via Lajes and Bermuda for three reasons (and no 'a jolly' is not one of them):

1. Woodford runway not long enough to take a large fuel uplift, therefore you have to stop somewhere to fill up, so why not the Azores which is at least in the right direction to where you want to go!

2. RVSM clearance not yet obtained, therefore have to take lower altitudes with resultant increase in fuel burn and lower TAS - double whammy.

3. Unable to take the usual TA northern route due winter weather. The whole purpose of the trial in Nashville was to complete the certification of flight in icing incrementally (as per normal Flight Test practice). Therefore deliberately planning to fly into 'unknown' icing conditions without completing the trial first is daft at best!

Overall the trial was a roaring success with all the tests completed in under the programmed time. If you've ever been involved in icing cert work before then you will know just how hit and miss they can be.

Oh, and you are right. In the UK it would be the wrong sort of rain - it's not ice!