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XR537 (G-NATY)

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August 12, 2007 at 11:09 am in reply to: XR537 G-NATY – Permit to Fly (merged) #1304823

XR537 (G-NATY)
Participant

The other four flying Gnats in the UK, including G-MOUR at Kemble use the rear fuel tanks for diesel to generate smoke. This is the same as the Reds, minus the colour dye tanks for red/blue. By using the slipper tanks for extra fuel, it isnt a big problem operating in UK so long as the slippers are empty before you display.

Thanks for info, will take this advice on board along with all the alternatives. At the end of the day, I think we’ll have to weigh up complexity, cost, et al, of fitting anything before deciding on the final solution.

August 11, 2007 at 11:10 am in reply to: XR537 G-NATY – Permit to Fly (merged) #1305843

XR537 (G-NATY)
Participant

Pix

Haven’t got mine off the camera so far, but here’s a couple from Julian’s camera and one from Nick Dardani…

which is a considerably better position to be in than this, sat lonely in the corner collecting dust!…

August 11, 2007 at 10:41 am in reply to: XR537 G-NATY – Permit to Fly (merged) #1305856

XR537 (G-NATY)
Participant

Fantastic news and well done too all the team involved, Be great having a Gnat over Dorset skies. I be on hoilday in Dorset next friday for two weeks and I hope I can pop in to see the Gnat when me brother goes to the nearby ski slope:) Hope too see it flying over me nan and grandads house. Do you park it at the Museum? and when your doing airshows will she have smoke?

All the best

James

It’s parked in our hangar at De Havilland Aviation or it’ll be out the back being prepped for flight… it’s not in the museum at the moment, nor does it belong to the museum. Contrary to popular belief, the museum doesn’t actually own any of the operational aircraft… they simply put a roof over them in return for having them on display. Both the Gnat and Sea Vixen are maintained and operated by De Havilland Aviation.

We are looking at smokebox options.
Most of the old RAFAT Gnats used part of the fuel compartment to store the diesel which used up a lot of fuel room. With the decommissioning of most of the old comms, there’s plenty of room in the body behind seat 2 to put a smoke generation system which will probably be the easier option and more effective option. Just a case of looking at who offers what.

August 11, 2007 at 10:34 am in reply to: XR537 G-NATY – Permit to Fly (merged) #1305866

XR537 (G-NATY)
Participant

I have to ask… Is the sig a self-composition in honour of a nasty moment, or is it something you found?

Adrian

No it wasn’t found… it’s just something I made up… just a bit of a joke variation on ‘High Flight’ in honour of all those airports who ask jets to start up on tarmac (and then moan when it gets a bit toasty) … :rolleyes:

But there are a few birdie strikes at Bournemouth and around the Purbecks… ducks don’t matter – just get the panckaes and Hoi Sin sauce ready (and don’t forget the cucumber and spring onions a la julienne) … but lapwings had a tendency to punch through aiframes if they hit you right. It’s almost that they know they’re going to die, so they might as well take out the comms panel when they go…

August 9, 2007 at 10:10 pm in reply to: XR537 G-NATY – Permit to Fly (merged) #1307511

XR537 (G-NATY)
Participant

G-NATY airborne and looking good

This afternoon, Brian lifted XR537 on her first test flight and she looking very good. No reported problems, and the large gathering of onlookers at the airfield were treated to her first flight over Bmth, since 1976, when she was then part of the Reds display.

Will post up the pictures when I get them off the camera.

More testing tomorrow and the weekend, but looking good so far.

Well done Brian, and all the hard-working engineers who have busted their bits getting her ready for what has been an historic day for all of us at De Havs. 🙂

Also, well done to Julian for having the balls to see the project through financially, and I think I’ll also give myself a pat on the back too. 😉

August 6, 2007 at 3:28 pm in reply to: Aerobatic Teams #1311912

XR537 (G-NATY)
Participant

– Has anyone got details of the dates/venues of all the displays for the Red Arrows entries, and the other teams with them missing?

I have all the Arrows on a database if it helps.

I have to say I find it astonishing that they reduced the team to eight rather than have a stand-in pilot for such emergencies. All of our display teams have an extra man who’d trained up to slot in at the last minute, and during the season they act as the commentator as well. I guess because our teams are all operational units who happen to have a team within it, rather than dedicated display teams where the extra man would sit on his butt all year in the Red Arrows?

It would be impossible to train one pilot to fill all nine positions in case of stand-ins – (s)he’d have to be Superman and learn all the moves for each position (for 25 main moves muliplied by three different flight configurations) and for three display types, Full, Rolling or Flat = 675 different manoeuvres off by heart!!!
Each position is unique in it’s positioning, complexity, and also consider if the pilot wasn’t needed (as in a number of years now, except recently)… having to stand-by all season and not get to fly.

There is also no stand in Leader – if Red 1 doesn’t fly, the whole team doesn’t fly – which also makes a great deal of sense.

June 15, 2007 at 8:43 pm in reply to: XR537 G-NATY – Permit to Fly (merged) #1273185

XR537 (G-NATY)
Participant

Were there particular difficulties involved in this work as the Gnat is a current flying machine?

😮 Where do I start….???

Parts… Airframes… Engine bits… Ejectors… Brake shutes… seat shutes… knobs… buttons… seals… tyres… paintwork… … … ad infinitum

June 15, 2007 at 8:38 pm in reply to: XR537 G-NATY – Permit to Fly (merged) #1273189

XR537 (G-NATY)
Participant

How about coming along to Kemble on Sunday????

A little late in the day, I’m afraid… firstly we have to get our test pilot scheduled, but would have loved to have come. Certainly next year… I’m sure we can do something.

June 14, 2007 at 7:35 pm in reply to: XR537 G-NATY – Permit to Fly (merged) #1274576

XR537 (G-NATY)
Participant

Congratulations!

(Though any Gnat I spy these days I view as a potential parts store for the Bluebird restoration! :p )

Happy Landings! 😉

Hands off! [slapping hands] 😀

This one’s staying red, not blue… :p

January 16, 2007 at 10:42 am in reply to: Gnat XR537 #1333062

XR537 (G-NATY)
Participant

Still ongoing

I thought there might be problems, as I have been in constant touch with G-NATY’s owners awaiting an official launch date. Suddenly it’s all gone very quiet!:( I don’t understand why this one is having problems when G-MOUR, G-RORI and others don’t? Can anyone explain?:confused:

The can burners may have to be replaced, so it had to be stripped back down again. A pity, but we have to follow the party line on what the CAA want.

Not nice to see it sawn in half, but there again, all planes have to have it down at one time or another.

August 19, 2006 at 11:00 am in reply to: Gnat XR537 #1334732

XR537 (G-NATY)
Participant

Complete rumour

Yes, RAFAT excelled themselves once more along the seafront – a very good tight display and some very well-received returns to EGHH for the onlookers, following both Bournemouth and Eastbourne sorties.

As the 537, sounds like more of the silly rumour mill in action… was this rumour from along the beachfront (I doubt it) or at the BIC event, or at FRA’s Families Day event???

We are simply working with the CAA to make sure that we fulfil their requirements on all aspects of the plane, but, we believe that she is now ready to go.

The engine only has 86 hours on it, do I doubt very much if it will be a ‘replace’ instruction!

However, the rules state that she can’t fly until the governing authority stamps her permit, so we are happy to work to the requirements of our colleagues in the CAA until they are satisfied – which we believe will be very soon.

July 27, 2006 at 9:19 am in reply to: Gnat XR537 #1276592

XR537 (G-NATY)
Participant

Flying exhibit

The plan is to have her in the Aviation Museum hangar at Hurn, but as a flying exhibit, like the majority of aircraft there. She will (hopefullly) be flying fairly regularly.

That way, museum visitors can see her on the ground, and get to see her taxi out for her flights on a regular basis.

We are also looking at putting together an exhibition room about her history (and that of the Gnat generally), the Arrows and formation aerobatics in general, and the restoration project in words and pictures.

It will make Bournemouth Aviation Museum pretty unique to have such an exhibit and info centre. 🙂

But, most importantly, her exhibit stand will not say “This plane used to fly with the RAF…”, but rather “XR537 now flies as a display aircraft, following a restoration project, after many years of service in the RAF…” 😀

…and we won’t need the Airfix sachet of hangar dust to sprinkle on her newly-painted wings…

July 26, 2006 at 8:29 pm in reply to: Gnat XR537 #1276982

XR537 (G-NATY)
Participant

Waiting for the man

She’s all nut-and-bolted together… just awaiting her permit from the chaps at the CAA.

Slipper tanks went on and were tested fine, weight’s all balanced, RAF approval for her decals, etc… so all’s well in the hangar.

Will post her photo the day her wheels leave 26 @ EGHH. 😀

June 20, 2006 at 12:50 pm in reply to: PM to get two 'Blair Force Ones' #587338

XR537 (G-NATY)
Participant

Two Jags Jabba, and now Two Fares Blair

I made a post a few months back, that B-liar would be up to this.

And so, it has come to pass…

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/5098126.stm?ls

Not content with just one Blair Force One, he just had to keep up with ‘Two Jags’ Jabba, and spend just over £1,025,000 per month (or £236,538 PER WEEK) of our taxpayers money having TWO private jets to fly around in. 😡

No doubt, he would like a couple of GR5s on each wing as an escort whilst he hob-knobs around the country. And will there be a uniformed marine, to stand at the bootm of the steps and salute him and Cruella as they step off the plane….next it will be the biggest damn fling-wing pennies can buy to fly his Royal Presidentness and First Lady Cruella to Chequers each weekend… unless, of course, about £38million is spent building a runway at the bottom of the pad. But, of course, that wouldn’t happen, as it would mean having to tarmac over part of the croquet lawn… 😮

President Blair we salute your honesty, integrity and for living up to your ’97 election promise…
“Remember, you are not here to enjoy the trappings of power but to do a job and to uphold the highest standards in public life.”, Tony Blair, May 1997.

As stated before, The other Mr Blair (Eric – AKA G. Orwell)), had it dead right…

June 20, 2006 at 12:36 pm in reply to: Zombie thread 2004 – Red Bull Vixen how do you feel now ? #1329189

XR537 (G-NATY)
Participant

[QUOTE=XR537 (G-NATY)]

I might sound like the last boy scout, but this Govt. came in on the holier-than-thou, whiter-than-white anti-corruption/sleaze ticket “Remember, you are not here to enjoy the trappings of power but to do a job and to uphold the highest standards in public life.”, Tony Blair, May 1997.

The only thing that Tony B-liar, The Deputy Prime Hutt, The Scottish Dick Turpin Chancellor and the rest of his corrupt cabinet care about aviation in this country is:
1) How many flights can he blag off the Royal Flight ….Hmmm Tony, “trappings of power”

2) How he can wangle his own Air Force One through the books…and yes, it has already been proposed
….

And so, it came to pass…

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/5098126.stm?ls

Not content with just one Blair Force One, he just had to keep up with ‘Two Jags’ Jabba, and spend just over £1,025,000 per month (or £236,538 PER WEEK) of our taxpayers money having TWO private jets to fly around in.

President Blair we salute your honesty, integrity and for living up to your ’97 election promise…
“Remember, you are not here to enjoy the trappings of power but to do a job and to uphold the highest standards in public life.”, Tony Blair, May 1997.

As stated before, The other Mr Blair (Eric – AKA G. Orwell)), had it dead right…
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