News:
3 Apr 2009 - The Fouga story
Hello Aviation patients ,
Phil Gale and I just returned from doing 4 days of hard time at the Gateway airport. We arrived last Sun. evening in Mesa, Az. with a van load of tools and supplies. The objective was to evaluate the French Fouga Magister to determine if it could fly or would have to be trucked to San.. On Mon. morning we went to the nearby airport and started inflating the tires which had been flat for many years. It was essential that they at least hold air so that we could tow the airplane to a hangar and have the benefit of proper facilities and a little shade from the merciless sun. The temps were already hitting the mid 80's during the heat of the day. The tank I brought inflated both mains sufficiently to roll the airplane, but held insufficient air to inflate the nose wheel tire. However very little weight rests on the nose. We hooked up a heavy rope to the van and wondered if the disk brakes which had been accumulating AZ sand would allow the airplane to roll. After a little tugging and a few words of encouragement the Fouga rolled forward for the first time in many years. Phil manned the nose and would physically push or pull the nose left or right to steer it and I had the really tough job of driving the van.
Mesa airlines had graciously offered their maintenance hangar while they had room. So we took it down the large ramps to their facility. Williams-Gateway affectionally known as "Willie" used to be a large USAF T-38 training base and there are still a few of them around. We immediately started working with maniacal intensity because we only had 4 days before Phil had to get back for some stupid "Missionary" trip to save souls or something and I wanted the important answer to our questions before he had to leave. The plane had an accumulation of much sand especially in the wheel wells. I had prebuilt a state of the art battery pack and after we installed it... behold the miracle of miracles: The lights in the cockpit came on!! Then, after we carefully cleaned the engine inlets and exhausts, I selected "Gauche" (that is "Left" for the uneducated) on the starter and lo and behold the left engine started to make that goose bump inducing turbine noise. The right engine followed suit. These were just low RPM dry motorings. We both felt like archeologists who had just brought a dinosaur back to life!! Obviously, this story has much more to it than that. For the rest of the story visit us at Brown Field this Sat. .
On Thursday at 1:30 PM, just before we had to leave Willie. We started the left engine and ran it up to 10,000 RPM, as the procedure calls for, then we started the right engine, but as soon as I released the ignition button, during the engine wind up, it flamed out . We were out of time and sadly put the airplane back in it's old resting place. We'll return soon and finish the revival of this magnificent little jet and possibly fly it home.
26 Mar 2009
Hello Mig fans,
I may be jumping to conclusions, because not everyone is a fan. Our pilots in Viet Nam had a lot of respect for this aircraft that held the altitude record for a while (125,000"!!). The Mig-21 is a serious jet that has earned it's wings. I am forwarding a U tube video to give you some idea of what it is like to fly in it. Take the youthful enthusiasm with a pinch of salt! For a civilian organization to be allowed to operate an airplane such as this is is nothing short of amazing and may not last forever. If this is on your "Bucket list" give us a call.
26 Jan 2009
Hello Museum Friends,
I was able to stop all the perverse hydraulic leaks at the now famous, fully calibrated and installed Q gearing valve. "Q" is universal nomenclature for dynamic pressure. As "Q" increases in flight we must have a corresponding change in the control response from the horizontal stabilizer. Ailerons and rudder are less critical and do not normally need any change in response , but pitch control is necessarily very sensitive . As we reach the critical Mach number of .84 for the Gnat, the pitch control authority, which had been decreasing with increasing speed (or better: "Q") must now increase again. We took the plane outside and cranked up the engine. NOTHING! I shut down and tore out my remaining 3 strands of hair. While deciding whether to strangle Steve Miller, my loyal support crew and bearer of the bad news (he had been underneath the airplane soaking in the jet fuel watching that Q mother), the brain kicked in momentarily. What if there was still some unauthorized air in the perverse system? A quick bleed and start and behold the miracle of Brownfield. It worked!!! We did our cartwheels and back flips and enjoyed the satisfaction of victory over the knuckle headed, wrong threaded, malicious objects only mechanics and engineers get to enjoy!
Enjoy the great pics I may have sent before of the 2007 Zhukovsky airshow. It is named after the Russian aerodymacist that all Aerospace engineering students get to encounter in their studies. Ciao.
25 Jan 2009
Gentlemen,
As promised, and in spite of popular protest, I am forwarding an email from a Squadron mate that I had not heard from in 46 years. That was 433 All Seasons fighter squadron of Air Defense Command, RCAF. I just want to show you what a nicely finished aircraft can look like. So, get back to sanding!! Reg. PS.: Pardon any tedious Canadian propaganda . Thanks.
Subject: Beautiful!
I consider this to be the most beautiful aircraft ever built. It is complimented by the striking livery of the Golden Hawks. It was flown by the best Fighter Pilots (next to the CF-100 Pilots) in the world. (Gigolo 12 / Halfback 18)
http://www.vintagewings.ca/page?a=529&lang=en-CA
16 Jan 2009
Hello Museum Friends,
Here is a short video of a Russian airshow performance. Under the old communist system aircraft were disposable and we never knew if those displays, (and there have been a few of them), were planned or not!!! I may be kidding.
Anyway, for your aviation experience and enjoyment we'll have normal ops. this weekend at Brownfield.
The "Q gearing" valve has been restored and works! It now needs calibration and re-installation. Then we can start flying this magnificent poor man's F-16 in earnest. Please say a thank you prayer to the "Project God".
We'll start preparing the Fouga Magister posse very shortly. Stay tuned.
On a more mundane note: The 2009 dues are due unless you have just joined and paid.
8 Jan 2009
Dear Certified Toy Freaks,
I hope you like boats enough to look at these pics of a state of the art, stealth, ugly boatling that only the mother of the designer could love. The concept is for the enemy to see this thing and to die laughing! If you have to build something this ugly to win , why bother ? Let the people with taste win the war!!
Anyway, somebody must like it. We'll be at the hangar Fri and Sun at 1pm and on Sat at 10am. You are always welcome and we encourage you to come and let your spirits soar! Blue Skies!
Subject: The new USS Independence
We've been hearing rumblings about the U.S. Navy's triple-hulled ships,but here's one that was launched last month, the U.S.S. Independence. Built by General Dynamics, its called a littoral combat ship (LCS), and the trimaran can move huge weapons around faster than any ship in the Navy. Ironic that with all that high tech built in, the ship reminds us of the Merrimac ironclad from Civil War days.
Littoral means close to shore, and that's where these fleet-hulled babies will operate, tailor-made for launching helicopters and armored vehicles, sweeping mines and firing all manner of torpedoes, missiles and machine guns.
These ships were designed to be relatively inexpensive this ones a bargain at $208 million and the navy plans to build 55 of them. This trimaran is the first of the new fire-breathing breed, ready to scoot out of dry dock at a rumored 60 knots. It's like a speedy and heavily-armed aircraft carrier for helicopters.
