The prototype Nomad takes flight with the assistance of a crane for its relocation to the Aviation Support Group. Photo provided by WO2 Darren Moffit

Army nomad flies again

 

By WO2 Darren Moffitt
A COMPLEX recovery operation at the Army Aviation Centre recently worked through a string of contingency plans involving all possible options and tested the Army’s aircraft recovery capabilities.

The aircraft, a prototype of the N22 and N24 Nomad, once symbolic of Australian Army aviation, stood at the entrance to the Aviation Centre, but required to be moved to the Aviation Support Group Workshop (ASGW) to undergo restoration maintenance.

The 01-02/03 Subject Four Warrant Officer (Aircraft/Avionics) course was tasked to relocate the Nomad and under the guidance of WO2 David Noble. The course members planned and coordinated the recovery operation, which involved a number of external agencies and various elements of the Aviation Support Group.

The Nomad could not be towed directly to ASGW without removing it’s wings, but becuase of the age of the aircraft, this option was considered a last resort.

The preferred method of relocating the aircraft was via aerial recovery, which was to be achieved using a Blackhawk to lift the Nomad with specialist recovery equipment, but again the option was not implemented.

The Nomad was successfully lifted by crane over a number of obstacles, before finally being towed to ASGW in one piece and undamaged.

The process of performing an aerial recovery was implemented, however, with the aircraft assessed for structural integrity before being prepared and rigged by the Subject Four Warrant Officer course using an Aircraft Recovery Kit (ARK), under the guidance of a Projects Officer from AMTDU.

AMTDU is a RAAF unit based at Richmond NSW and manned by specialist Army and Airforce personnel.

One of the roles of the unit is to provide the ADF with the capability of conducting aerial recovery of downed military aircraft.

During aircraft recovery operations AMTDU personnel are tasked to assess the structural integrity of the downed aircraft and prepare it for external air transport using the ARK.