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Aviation History
1985
1985 - 0083.PDF
RNZAF reshuffles WELLINGTON The introduction into the Royal New Zealand Air Force of ten ex-Royal Australian Navy McDonnell Douglas A-4 Skyhawks has had a knock-on effect within the RNZAF. The ex-Australian Sky- hawks have formed as 2 Squad ron, which will operate eight of the A-4s from Ohakea. Also at Ohakea is 75 Sqn, which has received the other two A-4s, bringing its Skyhawk complement to 14 aircraft. Because of the additional Ohakea Squadron, 42 Sqn's Andovers have moved from there to Auckland. At Auckland 1 Sqn, which oper ated Andovers, has been deactivated and its aircraft placed in storage. The three Cessna 421s operated by 42 Sqn have been moved to Woodburne as the RNZAF Cessna Flight. Chief of Air Staff Air Vice Marshal David Crooks says that 2 Sqn is responsible for A-4 Skyhawk conversion training, development of oper ational procedures and tactics, evaluation of weapons and systems, and has a tactical- reconnaissance operational role. A rationalisation of the RNZAF transport fleet both in money and manpower, plus the need to fund the A-4s, led to the deactivation of 1 Sqn. Number 42 Sqn, which was primarily a VIP transport unit, will now take on 1 Sqn's responsibilities in cargo transport, para- trooping, and Andover conversion training, says Crooks. Brazil checks out Pillan SANTIAGO A Brazilian Air Force team has visited Chile to evaluate Enaer's T-35 Pillan basic trainer. The team, commanded by Col Fransisco Haneman, con sisted of ten officers and civil ians from the Brazilian Air Force Academy, the Air Force General Staff, the Aerospace Studies Centre (CTA), and from Brazilian manufacturer Embraer, and included five Academy and CTA pilots. Enaer is already contracted to build 80 T-35s for the Chilean Air Force and 40 for the Spanish Air Force. The first Spanish aircraft were delivered to Spain's Escuadron de Experimenta- cion en Vuelo 406 at Torrejon for compilation of pilots' notes, maintenance manuals, and operating procedures. Brazil's interest in Pillan is as a lead-in to the T-27 Tucano. Nasa tests decoupler pylon EDWARDS AFB ~ Nasa's Dryden Flight Research Facility at Edwards AFB is testing an improved weapons pylon for lightweight fighters. The decoupler pylon allows higher speeds to be achieved by delaying the onset of flutter. Flutter, caused by wing bending and twisting harmonics, can cause a wing store, or in extreme cases the wing, to be ripped off. Nasa has developed a decoupler pylon on which the bomb is supported by a spring which prevents vibrations of the bomb from being trans mitted to the wing or vice versa. The decoupler pylon was specifically designed to carry a 2,2501b (840kg) bomb on the wing stations of a General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon. Flight-tests at Edwards compared a standard F-16 pylon with a decoupler pylon, both in level flight and in high g manoeuvring. With the standard pylon, flutter started at M0 • 7, but with the decoupler pylon it was offset to M0-95. Bill Cazier of Nasa's Loads and Aeroelasticity Division says: "When carrying stores with the standard pylon Pilots from the Brazilian Air Force Academy and the Brazilian Aerospace Studies Centre look over the Enaer t Pillan in Santiago DEFENCE the aircraft experiences continual, strong pounding vibrations and, the pilot can't read his instruments because the dials are a blur. But there were no objectionable vibrations when using the decoupler pylon." The F-16 displays some flutter onset when a particular load combi nation is used, with wingtip AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, a 2,2501b bomb on the outboard pylons, and half-full drop tanks on the inner stations of each wing. In addition to delaying the onset of flutter, the flexible decoupler pylon has an auto matic low-power control system that keeps the store aligned with the wing during hard manoeuvring. TRACER Zimbabwe is close to announcing an order for ten new military helicopters. Competitors for the contract are the Aerospatiale Dauphin, the Agusta-Bell 412, the Aerospatiale Puma built under licence in Romania, and the Westland Lynx. Serv-Air, an E-Systems subsidiary, has won a $25-7 million contract to support US Navy and US Air Force McDonnell Douglas C-9 transport and aeromedical aircraft. Serv-Air will provide logistics support for 49 aircraft in the USA, Germany, and the Philip pines. The contract includes a $100 million four-year renewal option. Northrop has won a $48-7 million contract to build seven guidance units for the US Air Force's small missile programme. The units are a modified version of Peace keeper (MX) missile's advanced intertial guidance spheres, known as Mod Airs. Five of the units will be used in development flight- testing on Minuteman III missiles in 1987, while the remaining two will be used in prototype flights-tests in 1988. Hellenic Aerospace (HAI) has signed a contract to over haul Nigerian Air Force Lock heed C-130 Hercules. HAI currently handles overhaul of Jordanian and Egyptian Air Force aircraft. FLIGHT International, 12 January 1985 11
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