For the aviation fans

[The Guy in Pink]

We had some fun a few years ago extracting  a Hawker Siddeley HS 745 from the Namoya bush at the end of a wet and slippery clay runway after a rainstorm. 

The pilot decided that he had no use for the first 280m of the 900m runway (I paced out his touchdown spot)  and had to do a handbrake turn at the end to slide into the bush. 

His cargo was 5.2 tonnes of mining explosives.

  

[SwissVan]

Interesting story about the SR71 spying on SA atomic bomb test site

 

“August 1977 – East and West Work together to stop South Africa’s Nuclear testing”

 

https://www.aviationcentral.co.za/sr-71-blackbird-over-south-african-skys/

[mazambaan]

My old man used to work for a company flying in Basutoland/ Lesotho in the 60’s and early 70’s

Those guys were real pilots.... flying little Cessna 180’s and some sort of Lockheed... all single engine piston aircraft....a good few of them perished in those mountains, no margin for error.

I can still remember flying into a few of them when there was an open seat....Leribe, Mokhotling, Semonkong and Qachas Nek.

 

I sure as hell would not do that now.... to chicken

 

Amazing SV, I flew with a few charters into Swaziland with a pilot who had run a service into Lesotho from Matatiele back in the day. Very interesting guy as the other pilots said he'd lied about this age to keep flying. Was flying for Gino Steffanutti at that time. Great stories, also some slightly scary spots in Swaziland, farm strips and the one with a dip at the Big Bend Spar.

[mazambaan]

I experienced this a few years ago flying into Raleigh, NC on a regional shuttle plane (puddle-jumper - may have been a turboprop Embraer.

It was before 9/11 and the cockpit door was open so I had a clear view of the runway (obscured as it was by the storm) through the windscreen. However most of the time the runway was more visible through my passenger window as the plane side-slipped and lifted/dropped on approach.

It was pretty hairy, and somehow at the last moment the stars (plane and runway) aligned for touchdown.

Hectic, and very quiet passengers that deplaned from that one.

 

One flight like this on a single engine charter stands out as we came back to Pmb into a cold front over Kokstad, no instruments. Much creeping around the hills and finally flew down the Umkomaas valley. I understood why the Pope kisses the ground; several of us pretty much did.

[SwissVan]

Amazing SV, I flew with a few charters into Swaziland with a pilot who had run a service into Lesotho from Matatiele back in the day. Very interesting guy as the other pilots said he'd lied about this age to keep flying. Was flying for Gino Steffanutti at that time. Great stories, also some slightly scary spots in Swaziland, farm strips and the one with a dip at the Big Bend Spar.

Matatiele interesting

Been there a few times as a laatjie with my dad, he would go there to service a friend of his planes... this was in the 60’s and 70’s when an AME could sign out aircraft on his license without being on an AMO (approved maintenance organisation).

 

The guys name was Ralph Davies, unfortunately he passed away quite awhile ago... but it sounds like the kind of thing he would do to keep his license

[Bateleur1]

One flight like this on a single engine charter stands out as we came back to Pmb into a cold front over Kokstad, no instruments. Much creeping around the hills and finally flew down the Umkomaas valley. I understood why the Pope kisses the ground; several of us pretty much did.

 

You reminded of these pictures I took. During the WC 2010 I went to Lanseria to look at among others John Travoltas weekend toy.  When we got there a twin prop had to make a emergency landing with landing gear up.  I pictured the whole landing but later saw this one guy (to the right of the pic) kissing the ground after getting out of the plane

 

[Ed-Zulu]

Interesting story about the SR71 spying on SA atomic bomb test site

 

“August 1977 – East and West Work together to stop South Africa’s Nuclear testing”

 

https://www.aviationcentral.co.za/sr-71-blackbird-over-south-african-skys/

The SR71 was detected by NIA and Airforce during its pass over South Africa.

 

It was again detected a few times more (probably about 3) during the early 80's  edit: or aircraft with similar capabilities operated by the US.

Edited February 12, 2020 by Ed-Zulu

[SwissVan]

Singapore Airshow 11 - 13 February

 

US Marines F35

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[The Guy in Pink]

More from my DRC pictures. 

Hubber the George Mungrel managed to put this new (<300hrs total time) chopper  down without injury to himself or his 5 pax. when the tail rotor control failed. 

A Joint in the tail rotor control cable was supposed to be secured by a bolt, with a nut and split-pin, but the $0.10 split pin was missing. Airbus eventually replace the chopper.  

[Long Wheel Base]

More from my DRC pictures. 

Hubber the George Mungrel managed to put this new (<300hrs total time) chopper  down without injury to himself or his 5 pax. when the tail rotor control failed. 

A Joint in the tail rotor control cable was supposed to be secured by a bolt, with a nut and split-pin, but the $0.10 split pin was missing. Airbus eventually replace the chopper.  

You would think after years of technology advances, something better than a split pin would have been designed. I must have done thousands of split pin applications in my life and every time I think, surely there is a better way. Don't get me started on tab washers, I hate those things!

[eddy]

You would think after years of technology advances, something better than a split pin would have been designed. I must have done thousands of split pin applications in my life and every time I think, surely there is a better way.

 

Far from it being my right to criticise a pro, but they work, are easy to spot when doing a pre-flight (when visible) and I presume when workshop work is being checked.

 

Also, If a nut is properly torqued and fixed with a split pin, you know it is still tight.

 

I suppose, like shoe laces, there are few higher-tech solutions that do the job as well...

Edited February 12, 2020 by eddy

[SwissVan]

You would think after years of technology advances, something better than a split pin would have been designed. I must have done thousands of split pin applications in my life and every time I think, surely there is a better way. Don't get me started on tab washers, I hate those things!

And bladdy wire lockings....

[The Guy in Pink]

Far from it being my right to criticise a pro, but they work, are easy to spot when doing a pre-flight (when visible) and I presume when workshop work is being checked.

 

Also, If a nut is properly torqued and fixed with a split pin, you know it is still tight.

 

I suppose, like shoe laces, there are few higher-tech solutions that do the job as well...

Unfortunately this joint in deep in the narrow confines of the tail so it not visible. I was shown where the joint is on the replacement chopper during a service, but it cannot be checked without a complete strip down. . The 250 hour service missed it. 

[SwissVan]

Singapore airshow news

 

Rolls-Royce Begins Building Giant Fans

 

UK aero-engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce (Chalet AC05, Booth N23) has said that it has started building the fan blades for its UltraFan demonstrator engine at its Bristol technology hub. At 140 inches (3.56 meters) diameter, the fan set will be the largest ever made.

 

The blades are created through the build-up of hundreds of layers of carbon-fiber materials pre-filled with resin, which are then heat- and pressure-treated. A thin titanium leading edge is fitted for protection against foreign object damage, erosion, and bird strikes. This technology has already been tested on the Advanced Low-Pressure System development engine—a partnership with Clean Sky, Innovate UK, BEIS, ATI, ITP Aero, and GKN—and inflight on Rolls-Royce's Boeing 747 flying testbed.

 

UltraFan is a project to demonstrate a range of technologies and new materials that can significantly improve efficiency by reducing fuel-burn of jetliner engines, which also has a beneficial effect on emissions. The new composite fan blades and fan case would reduce weight on a typical twin-engined airliner by 1,540 pounds (700 kg), and the project aims to deliver a 25 percent reduction in fuel-burn compared to first-generation Rolls-Royce Trent engines.

 

The UltraFan program is ultimately intended to produce a family of scalable engines with thrust ratings between 25,000 and 100,000 pounds. Ground tests of the technology demonstrator are due to begin in 2021, and Rolls-Royce hopes to have production engines available towards the end of the 2020s.

 

https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2020-02-11/rolls-royce-begins-building-giant-fans

 

[Long Wheel Base]

Far from it being my right to criticise a pro, but they work, are easy to spot when doing a pre-flight (when visible) and I presume when workshop work is being checked.

 

Also, If a nut is properly torqued and fixed with a split pin, you know it is still tight.

 

I suppose, like shoe laces, there are few higher-tech solutions that do the job as well...

Nothing you say is wrong. The workshops jobs are easy to check, as you said, but it often then gets installed and becomes hard to see or possible not at all. The thing with a split pin is, on a lot of applications it is a loosened torque. So the nut isn't actually tight. You have an initial torque and then back it off and re- torque at a lower value. Then install the split pin. You also need to line the holes up so it often means loosening even more or tightening again.

Majority of the split pins I have ever installed and after wheel changes. The wheel nut often gets a split pin. On one particular wheel(can't recall but think it may be the B737), They did a mod where they dumped the split pin, Made the holes bigger and installed 2 small bolts with lock nuts where the split pins used to go. Look, I know that the designers think about it and most of the time the design on the final product is the best but sometimes it is just a mission to work on.

[SwissVan]

Unfortunately this joint in deep in the narrow confines of the tail so it not visible. I was shown where the joint is on the replacement chopper during a service, but it cannot be checked without a complete strip down. . The 250 hour service missed it. 

 

It sounds like the split pin was left off at at the factory during manufacture at Airbus or possibly at assembly when the chopper was delivered in DRC?

 

Normally aviation maintenance procedures have double check inspection procedures specifically for these kind of situations and often each critical split pin, nut / bolt will have some inspectors seal on it to indicate it has been checked... 

 

Unfortunately even these checks fail sometimes.... human factors