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F-18 carrier brake problems

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SpazSinbad:
subs17, OK thanks - I'll follow the portable arrestor gear for the RNZAF trail. All I know is what people tell me or write about the A4K. Do you happen to know where the portable arrestor gear was trialled and when? Because the aircraft were in service for such a long time people have different knowledge of it, according to different times (before / after KAHU for example). Thanks for the headsup. All the RNZAF Skyhawk info from the beginning to the end especially is in the 4.4GB PDF available online. There is more information about their time in Australia because that was most interesting to me. What I will do in a weeks time is make a small version of just this RNZAF info in the PDF available. If you like Skyhawks the 4.4GB should keep you entertained.  ;D

SUBS17:
The portable arrester gear was tested about the late 80s sometime around 88 or 89 and at the same time the aircraft were going through their upgrade. I recall reading a newspaper that had a photo of an A4 without the hump testing it in Woodbourne. I think the only A4 thats probably better than the Kahu is the Singapore version:
A-4SU = General Electric F404-100D / 10,800lbs.
I also like the Topgun version.

SpazSinbad:
subs17, thanks for info. As more is collected I'll just add it here. Below is first response from a Kiwi forum:

"They were using the portable arrestor gear at Woodbourne in 1989 when i was there, probably about April-Julyish, not certain exactly but that's when I was at No. 4TTS. That was pre-Kahu however I'd guess as we also watched the first ever Kahu being handed over at Woodbourne in a special ceremony during the same period. As there was only one Kahu flying then (a T-bird) and I seem to recall several aircrfat using the arrestor, I'd say most if not all were pre-Kahu.

I have a feeling i saw that arrestor used at Wigram once too. It used to be on the back of a green truck from memory and could be deployed around the place."

SUBS17:
Back then there was also just one pilot trainned as a test pilot and he was on a documentary about pilots doing a test pilot course in the UK. I'm quite sure that pilot would've been doing that course especially to test the Kahu.

SpazSinbad:
subs17, that may well have been the case to have a dedicated RNZAF test pilot trained for initial KAHU testing. However most airforces/air arms have at least one current test pilot trained in a good US or UK TP school. I would imagine that the RNZAF has at least one test pilot all the time, similarly in the fixed wing era the RAN FAA had a test pilot for all the odd testing jobs required, along with the usual jobs a test pilot will carry out from time to time.

From another message about the 'Portable Arrestor Gear' we can see how the WB runway needed it:

"The PAG was predominantly used at Woodbourne whenever Skyhawk test flights were programmed.

The PAG is still stored at Woodbourne I think (as part of the Skyhawk sale package). From
memory when we bought it in the mid 80s it was second hand. It was bought primarily for use
at Woodbourne when a Skyhawk was doing its post servicing test flights, due to WB's shortish
runway. However it was also deployed away from Woodbourne occassionally (only within NZ tho)."
&
"Portable Arrestor Gear (PAG) at WB at the time - 1988-89...it was purchased as part of the KAHU work...idea being to always have it at the 'long' end of the runway for all KAHU flights- should there be a problem. First 'traps' were done pre-NZ6254 (KAHU T-Bird prototype)..."

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