GAF Nomad
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| Nomad | |
|---|---|
 Nomad N22C in RFDS colours |
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| Type | STOL aircraft |
| Manufacturer | GAF |
| Maiden flight | 23 July 1971 |
| Retired | 1993 |
| Primary users | RAAF Australian Army United States Customs Service |
| Produced | 1978 - 1985 |
| Number built | 170 |
The GAF Nomad is a twin-engine turboprop, high-winged, "short take off and landing" (STOL) aircraft . It was designed and built by the Australian Government Aircraft Factory (GAF) at Fishermens Bend, Melbourne. The aircraft was featured in the television series The Flying Doctors,[1] a fictionalised account of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia. The other main users of the design have included the Australian Army and the Australian Customs Service.
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[edit] History
Development of the Nomad began in 1965 at the Government Aircraft Factories as Project N. The Australian government funded two prototypes in January 1970 for the twin engined, multi-purpose transport. The government was keen to build an aircraft in order to maintain aircraft production at GAF after the end of Mirage production.[citation needed] The prototype first flew in 1971. The aircraft was now known as the N2 and was aimed at the military and civilian markets. The designation N22 was to be used for military aircraft (becoming N22B in production) and N24 was to be used for the lengthened civilian version. The first prototype (VH-SUP) flew on 23 July 1971.
The Nomad design was considered problematic and early RAAF evaluations were critical of the design. An early, stretched-body variant crashed, killing the GAF chief test pilot and assistant head designer. The Nomad has been involved in a total of 24 total hull-loss accidents, and 76 fatalities.[2]
Only 170 Nomads were manufactured, due to the limited foreign sales achieved by GAF. In 1986, GAF was incorporated into Aerospace Technologies of Australia.[3]
[edit] Variants
- N.2 Nomad
- Prototype, two built.
- N.22
- Initial production version for 12 passengers for the Australian Army.
- N.22B
- 13 passenger civil version.
- N.22F Floatmaster
- Twin floatplane version.
- N.24
- Utility transport aircraft with a fuselage lengthened by 3ft 9in (1.14m).
- N.24A
- Improved version for 17 passengers, 40 built.
- N.24B
- Nomad Missionmaster
- Military transport and utility aircraft.
- Nomad Searchmaster
- Maritime patrol and surveillance aircraft.
- Nomad N.22 Searchmaster B
- Coastal patrol aircraft, seven built.
- Nomad N.22 Searchmaster L
- Improved version of the Searchmaster B, 11 built.
- Nomad N.22 Searchmaster LI
- Improved version of the Searchmaster B, fitted with the APS-104(N) 2 radar.
- Nomad N.22 Searchmaster LII
- Improved version of the Searchmaster B, fitted with the APS-104(V) 5 radar.
[edit] Military operators
Australia
Indonesia - Indonesian Navy
Papua New Guinea - Papua New Guinea Defence Force
Philippines - Philippine Air Force
Thailand
- Royal Thai Air Force(N.22B)
- Royal Thai Navy(N.24A)
[edit] Specifications (N22B)
This aircraft article is missing some (or all) of its specifications. If you have a source, you can help Wikipedia by adding them.Data from [3]
General characteristics
- Crew: One or two
- Capacity: 12-13 passengers
- Length: 12.56 m (41 ft 2 in)
- Wingspan: 16.52 m (54 ft 2 in)
- Height: 5.52 m (18 ft 1 in)
- Empty weight: 2,150 kg (4,730 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 3,855 kg (8,480 lb)
- Powerplant: 2× Allison 250-B17B turboprop engines, 298 kW (400 shp) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 311 km/h (168 knots, 193 mph)
- Range: 1,074 km (580 nm, 668 miles)
- Service ceiling 6,400 m (21,000 ft)
- Rate of climb: 7.4 m/s (1,460 ft/min)
[edit] See also
Related lists
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Tun Fuad Stephens died in the crash of a Nomad in Sabah, Malaysia. He was the first Chief Minister of Sabah. The accident is known locally as the Double Six Tragedy.
- Nomad at the RAAF Museum
- A photo of Nomad N24A at Airliners.net
- Aviation photos at Airliners.net
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