Nose Heavy Vikings!!!
Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 391
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From: UK
Nose Heavy Vikings!!!
Can anyone help me on this one, I read on the internet and in another publication..cant recall..the one.
Vickers Viking aircraft they were taildraggers, had a tendency to be nose heavy, now it was stated that in some circumstances pax were boarded before the flight crew so as not to cause the aircraft to tip onto her nose?
I wonder if anyone has any info on this
cheers
Vickers Viking aircraft they were taildraggers, had a tendency to be nose heavy, now it was stated that in some circumstances pax were boarded before the flight crew so as not to cause the aircraft to tip onto her nose?
I wonder if anyone has any info on this
cheers
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 14
Likes: 0
From: United Kingdom
My first ever flight was in a Viking - Channel Airways Southend to Basle. I was 11 years old and the crew allowed us to go up on the flight deck. To my knowledge she didn't tip forward. I do remember having to climb across the main spa to get to the front of the aircraft. It was like a small set of steps. Also I remember there was a fairly healthy ribbon of oil from the starboard engine throughout the flight. Long time ago but happy memories.
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 545
Likes: 1
From: Dunstable, Beds UK
In Autair we operated several Vikings for many years and YES they were most definitelty nose heavy. 
Our procedure was that we ALWAYS carried 300 kg of ballast in the rear hold on empty aircraft.
On turnarounds, ballst was loaded as bags came off and ballast came off as bags went on..
Plus the Viking had air bag brakes which could be a little "pro active " and landing was a battle between stopping before the end and tipping up !!
We sold one of the Vikings to a company in Southend who had not operated Vikings before. The crew arrived to take the aircraft home and we ask the crew to sign for the 300kg ballast so that if we didn't get it back they would pay for it. The crew decided there was no point in going to all this hassle so told us to take the ballast off and be done with it - which we did.
1 hour later we were asked to get some engineers over to Southend to get the aircraft tail back on the ground !
The aircraft would stay with the tail up after its performance and trick was that to not let it drop back down as it generally drove the tail wheel up into the fuselage !
Our procedure was that we ALWAYS carried 300 kg of ballast in the rear hold on empty aircraft.
On turnarounds, ballst was loaded as bags came off and ballast came off as bags went on..
Plus the Viking had air bag brakes which could be a little "pro active " and landing was a battle between stopping before the end and tipping up !!
We sold one of the Vikings to a company in Southend who had not operated Vikings before. The crew arrived to take the aircraft home and we ask the crew to sign for the 300kg ballast so that if we didn't get it back they would pay for it. The crew decided there was no point in going to all this hassle so told us to take the ballast off and be done with it - which we did.
1 hour later we were asked to get some engineers over to Southend to get the aircraft tail back on the ground !
The aircraft would stay with the tail up after its performance and trick was that to not let it drop back down as it generally drove the tail wheel up into the fuselage !
Joined: Oct 1998
Posts: 451
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From: Kalgoorlie, W.A. , Australia
I suspect the main wheels were very close to the centre of balance because we nearly did the opposite in a Varsity. P*ssing down with rain, nobody wants to get out, Captain crosses the main spar and the nose starts to come up,
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 155
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From: UK
The Viking is a bit before my time, but the quality manager of a maintenance company, once told me of his personal experience on this very subject.
He worked for a Southend based Viking operator as a licenced engineer & was taxiing one of the company's Vikings back to the hangar. As he passed the ATEL hangar he applied the brakes a little too hard, the aircraft tipped onto its nose, but then righted itself. If I remember correctly the nose & props were damaged. The engineer, shut down & went into the ATEL hangar to enquire about getting a job, following a successful conversation he returned to the Viking, fired it up & continued to his employers hangar. After reporting the incident he was promptly sacked. This marked the start of a long & successful career at ATEL!
He worked for a Southend based Viking operator as a licenced engineer & was taxiing one of the company's Vikings back to the hangar. As he passed the ATEL hangar he applied the brakes a little too hard, the aircraft tipped onto its nose, but then righted itself. If I remember correctly the nose & props were damaged. The engineer, shut down & went into the ATEL hangar to enquire about getting a job, following a successful conversation he returned to the Viking, fired it up & continued to his employers hangar. After reporting the incident he was promptly sacked. This marked the start of a long & successful career at ATEL!
