California Police Notar ditches at night
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California Police Notar ditches at night
The video showed it spinning down to the water, the tailboom shows a large lateral force from the water impact.
Sadly the pilot was not a survivor, though the observer was rescued.
Sadly the pilot was not a survivor, though the observer was rescued.
Spinning in a Notar must be an unusual failure - either the gearbox driven fan or the movable bucket on the tail?
Tightgit
When flying the 902, because the drive shaft to the NOTAR fan was so short, I always felt quite confident that it was less likely to produce a tail rotor (or antitorque if you prefer), drive failure than any other single main rotor helicopter. (However it was the aircraft I would least like to have a tail rotor drive failure in). However picking up the NOTAR driveshaft was a shock. It felt as if it was made out of the same stuff as coke tins! In addition, the cables and pulleys that operated the thruster looked like they had utilised some old washing line, the drive pulley wheel from the back of a washing machine and some meccano.
Despite all that I really loved flying it.
Despite all that I really loved flying it.
Same opinion - and reaction to the construction 'quality' - as Handy. Paddy may have been able to get one down safely with a yaw problem in a pinch, but I think the rest of us would have struggled, esp at night. Lots of limitations with the NOTAR, but the 902 made a lovely Air Ambo and an OK police aircraft. Best cockpit layout/ ergonomics/ display 'philosophy' I ever encountered, despite the limitations of the IIDS. There was definitely some pilot input to the design - unlike the eventual industry 'winner', the 135.
