NDN Firecracker for sale

When on evaluation at A&AEE the Firecracker was so unloved that the report is supposed to have reused an old recommendation.
“This aircraft is difficult to get in to, it should be made impossible.”

I believe thayt quote is originally attributable to ‘Winkle’ Brown.

Hi all, I worked on the first and second “Production ” aircraft back in 1983/4 making tailplanes and working on the fuselage. I remember we modified the main fireproof bulkhead and nose wheel retraction bay, I think this was to take a larger wheel and tyre because on the prototype the prop tips were to close to the ground and cut the daises on grass strips. I also remember mods done to the rails that the cockpit canopy closed on too !

Steve”P”

I wonder if this A Norman is anything to do with Desmond Norman.
2001 G-NACA NAC-2 srs 180 Freelance. Current Permit exp Dec 2015. Reg’d to P Caruth & A Norman

A comprehensive 8 page article on this aircraft appeared in the December 13 edition of Light Aircraft.

Planemike

I think UK designs failed due to politics but not necessarily in the political (Labour/Tory) sense. For example, the Trident was designed to fly the “right” number of passengers but BEA demanded that it be downsized which killed it’s sales potential. Similarly the VC-10 was killed off by the prevarication caused by BOAC who wouldn’t make their minds up whether they wanted it or if they did how many they needed. Neither design was a failure in itself but “politics” got involved to affect their potential. Beagle of course nearly made it but Wedgwood Benn withdrew the funding from Beagle to finance a Scottish shipyard, which subsequently went bust as well. The fact that although the Pup design was a winner.it couldn’t be built for it’s selling price. I suppose the real success is the Europa with over 1000 kits sold so at least that did well but I agree that not many other postwar GA aircraft other than the Islander made much impression.

Your last paragraph just about sums it up Fieldhawk. I guess the poor old Firecracker never stood a chance politically

Why is it when a UK design fails to sell it’s always blamed on politics?

Could it be it was n’t a very good aircraft to begin with or a least wasn’t as good as others on the market?

It does seem strange that after the continuing success of the Islander, that none of the 3 Norman designs prospered.

The UK hasn’t had much luck in GA or light aircraft since the war.

Black Grills:-
The engine air intake particle seperator system of 2x panels, was made by Centricep.

Your last paragraph just about sums it up Fieldhawk. I guess the poor old Firecracker never stood a chance politically

Fouga23
What are the black grills on the side of the engine cowling? You ask.

They are the air intakes / filters for the engine, a PT6 which has the prop / hot end at the front (see the jet pipes) and the air take at the back.

I can’t remember the correct name for the filter but the design was such that the air was made to swirl and thereby get rid of any moisture.

Ozplane -there was another aspect to the politics as well – who / where manufactured the Tucanos that the RAF had. Ooooops

What are the black grills on the side of the engine cowling?

Fieldhawk, I think you are spot-on in that the Firecracker was defeated by politics. As I understand it the Government of the day wanted to do something to thank the Brazilians for their “non-interference” in the Falklands War and so awarded the contract to the Tucano. According to the “high up” I spoke to, the Pilatus was what the RAF really wanted but it was too expensive.

Ah sweet memories of both Goodwood and Sandown. I was present for both first flights, in addition to being on the design team for both, especially the turbine version.

At the time that the turbine version was in contention for the RAF contract I was told that it was the aircraft that they wanted, although it had every chance of missing out due to politics. I seem to remember that the specification was for an ‘off the shelf’ aircraft. The Turbine Firecracker was still a prototype at the time, but those doing the evaluation knew that. At least it was a British design. So, in the end the Tucano was purchased, with a number of major modifications including a new engine. Hardly ‘off the shelf’.

Going back further still, indeed back to pre-turbine days, here’s G-NDNI at Goodwood in August 1978.

The way it was at Sandown in 1983, ‘TR back from a test flight. Very exciting to have such a ‘hot’ little machine around the place!
[ATTACH=CONFIG]234787[/ATTACH]

I wonder if this A Norman is anything to do with Desmond Norman.

2001 G-NACA NAC-2 srs 180 Freelance. Current Permit exp Dec 2015. Reg’d to P Caruth & A Norman

It does seem strange that after the continuing success of the Islander, that none of the 3 Norman designs prospered. I was in a group that tentatively were interested in a Freelance but it was difficult getting information out of the designers.

If it is all so good….

“This aircraft could then be manufactured relatively cheaply and offered on the market primarily as a military trainer that could undercut by a large margin all the current manufacture trainer aircraft. There is a huge demand for something that the poor nations can afford to purchase and operate. “

…why are Raptor not trying to set up a manufacturing deal themselves?

Aircraft are N50FK and N70878 , as of yesterday both still registered to Firecracker Inc, Eugene .OR
History below….
http://wight.hampshireairfields.co.uk/ndn.html#

When on evaluation at A&AEE the Firecracker was so unloved that the report is supposed to have reused an old recommendation.
“This aircraft is difficult to get in to, it should be made impossible.”

I once shared a taxi with a “high-up” in the RAF who was part of the evaluation team for this contract. Suffice to say he was NOT very complimentary about the handling of the Firecracker. Slightly ironic really as the modified Tucano they chose was a bit of mongrel as well. Apparently they were all virtually individual aircraft with poor spares interchangeability.

There was no market for them 30 years ago, I can’t see anyone being interested in restarting production again now. The ad is dated 2012, so I think it’s fair to assume that interest was limited…

When I was working at Atlantique one of those was complete, but non-flying in the hangar and from memory there was a fuselage hanging on the wall and a big pile of boxes.

I quite fancied the complete one as my company aircraft (those were the days), but I’m afraid the Maule was as good as it was going to get.

Moggy