Anyone familiar or have jumped an N22 Nomad?

[IMGR2 0]

I'm in the aviation industry and I ran across this airplane a few weeks back and was curious if anyone here has ever jumped from one.
The plane was made in Australia back in the 70's and supposedly there are dropzones there and in New Zealand who are or have used them.

I would love to hear anyones take on it.

[Andy_Copland 0]

I've jumped a couple here in the UK.

Chatteris had two when i started jumping, not sure of the model though. I just know its a Nomad

http://www.ukskydiving.com/gallery.htm
Also my home DZ has one through the summer, UK Parachuting in Old Buckenham.

I heard it referred to as the Slowmad which is a pretty fair description but as jumpships go its fine. Its got a nice big door and the ones i jumped had a bar to float on on etc.

Also known to some as the widowmaker which is a bit morbid



http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2004/s1163290.htm

1338

People aint made of nothin' but water and shit.

Until morale improves, the beatings will continue.

[cpoxon 0]

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I've jumped a couple here in the UK.

Chatteris had two when i started jumping, not sure of the model though. I just know its a Nomad

The two at Chatteris are N22Bs

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Also my home DZ has one through the summer, UK Parachuting in Old Buckenham.

I heard it referred to as the Slowmad which is a pretty fair description but as jumpships go its fine.

The one at Old Buckenham is an N24A i.e. a stretched one. Don't know if that accounts for it being slower than the N22Bs I've jumped or whether it is down to the engines.

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Its got a nice big door and the ones i jumped had a bar to float on on etc.

I like the Nomad (N22B). I've done a lot of tandems out of it. It find it preferable to a Caravan because it is faster, roomier (I can do standing exits with smaller passengers - I'm 6 foot tall), and it has a nicer slipstream.

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Also known to some as the widowmaker which is a bit morbid

I think it has slightly odd C of G issues, which was certainly the reason for the (non-fatal) crash of an N24A at Weston-on-the-Green five years ago.

Skydiving Fatalities - Cease not to learn 'til thou cease to live

[lekstrom10k 0]

That was the jump plane used in the last Teen-aged Mutant Turtles. If you know how to axcess it . Seemed like a nice onough but slow by super otter standards. Dale Maddox from Skydive Tecumseh said he got to jump one while over there.Again OK but not fast.

[IMGR2 0]

So you say slow but faster than a caravan.

How long did it take to get to what altitude and with how many jumpers?

[skydog 2]

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So you say slow but faster than a caravan.

How long did it take to get to what altitude and with how many jumpers?

The ones we have do 12k in just under 15mins with 14pax.

I think that Taupo Tandems NZ have a nomad as well, just don't know how often they use it.

Of all the jumpships I have done tandems out of the Nomad is top.

Journey not destination.....

[Kiakambala 0]

I made a tandem out of 1 at UK Parachuting, nice plane lots of room inside and huuge door.

[councilman24 36]

What did Roger Nelson have at the old Skydive Sandwich? Seems like it was a Nomad. It looked like that.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[riggerrob 558]

I vaguely remember Skydive Sandwich operating a Britten-Norman Islander for a little while.

Islanders are smaller than Nomads, with only 275 or 300 horsepower per side. There is also a turbine version of the Islander, but I think only the British Army skydives out of Turbine Islanders.

Islander cabins get cramped with a dozen inside, so the normal load is more like nine. The door is also smaller, more like a Beaver, with cropped upper corners. That door looks easy for doing seated exits with tandems, but looks like the devil for AFF Instructors doing floater exits.

In conclusion, BN Islanders are like double-sized Cessna 206s.

[councilman24 36]

Right, islander. my mistake

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[jakee 1,257]

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Islanders are smaller than Nomads, with only 275 or 300 horsepower per side. There is also a turbine version of the Islander, but I think only the British Army skydives out of Turbine Islanders.

Nope, there are civvy turbine islander jumphips around.

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[jimp 1]

The Pakenham dropzone near Melbourne has a Nomad (VH-ATO), which is not surprising since the aircraft was made in that area.

Here's some info. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GAF_Nomad

It gets you to altitude!

[woodpecker 0]

I've jumped both the one at Old Bucky and chatteris.

Slowmad, yes indeed. Takes forever to get to alti though the model from chatteris is faster. Nice big door, holds lots of people, fun plane.....just slow.

SONIC WOODY #146

There is a fine line between cockiness and confidence -- which side of the line are you on?

[IMGR2 0]

Everyone keeps saying slow but no one is giving me times.

I jump a Cessna 206, now thats slow and we only go to 10k feet in about 20 minutes.

How long is it taking for the Nomad to get to altitude.

I was told it could go wheels up to 14.5k and then back down in 20 minutes. Sounds like about a 15 to 17 minute climb to altitude? Yes? No?

[woodpecker 0]

around 25 minutes for 12.5K....a little longer with a full load.

SONIC WOODY #146

There is a fine line between cockiness and confidence -- which side of the line are you on?

[shropshire 0]

I love the Nomad.... it has a special place in my heart. As Andy and Billy said, they are the backbone of the 2 DZ's that we jump at, Yes it's slow (no Dornier or King Air, that's for sure) but it's comfy and has a great door. I love 'em.

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[skymick 0]

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The Pakenham dropzone near Melbourne has a Nomad (VH-ATO), which is not surprising since the aircraft was made in that area.

Here's some info. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GAF_Nomad

It gets you to altitude!

Not any more, it was sold off a while ago due to lack of use

It was a good plane but I believe it did have structural issues with the tailplane (we had a newspaper article taped to the back of the fuselage of a Nomad that had it's tailplane ripped off in flight)