Do the typhoons have a problem with the undercarriage?

globemaster · Post by **globemaster** » 19 Jul 2007, 18:56

Hi all, I was at Coningsby viewing park today and heard two old boys talking about when the Typhoon is on the approach for runway 08, there are certain areas where they can't lower the wheels (presumably because of the high concentration of villages).
Have there been instances of bits falling off, or is this nonsense

Comments please.
Sven

sprocky · Post by **sprocky** » 19 Jul 2007, 20:15

Undercarriage problems did occur in the past. Especially with the nose gear. There are some pics out there of a Typhoon landed without nose wheel (I forgot which nation but I am pretty sure it was a british one). I have heard that there is a claw holding this gear in its bay and sometimes it does not release. That is not the only problem with that aircraft. There are a lot more but some have been solved already. The canopy for example has a bad shape as it could happen that the sunbeams can come into a kind of focus and set the pilots seat up on fire (did happen already but was noticed on time). Received a list from an insider where he listed some more but I am not sure if they are secret so it will not be named here. Search the web and you may find more about the technical problems with that bird.

See here for images of that landing:
http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=54062

nickblack423 · Post by **nickblack423** » 20 Jul 2007, 08:53

I've heard people talking about the fact that the Typhoon undercarriage can only go through one cycle. So once they've lowered it for TNGs they have to leave it down. I'll see if I can find out.

Nick

Savage · Post by **Savage** » 20 Jul 2007, 16:30

Certainly when I've observed Typhoons on circuits they have kept the gear down all the way.

Chris Ken · Post by **Chris Ken** » 21 Jul 2007, 09:28

nickblack423 wrote:So once they've lowered it for TNGs they have to leave it down.

C'mon Nick, rolls and overshoots.

Savage · Post by **Savage** » 21 Jul 2007, 09:54

Chris Ken wrote:
nickblack423 wrote:So once they've lowered it for TNGs they have to leave it down.
C'mon Nick, rolls and overshoots.

Overshoots are a different matter, they tend to raise the gear at the threshold in that case. I'm always fascinated by the Typhoon style of rolls, they touch down at a high AoA, hold the nose up and then just lift off again, such is their power!

jaguar1 · Post by **jaguar1** » 21 Jul 2007, 16:56

Each time the Typhoon undercarriage is "cycled", fatigue counts are sent to the onboard computers and then downloaded with the aircraft lifing details. To keep the fatigue to a minimum, and to prolong the fatigue life of the Aircraft, the undercarriage is lowered and left down for landing although several TnG's are quite normal.

garysted · Post by **garysted** » 24 Jul 2007, 16:46

Hi all,

I've never heard that about the undercarriage before. I've been to Coningsby a number of times for photography in the last year and have not noticed them fail to retract the undercart during rollers and overshoots - although I might just have been unlucky and missed the times that they may have done it. They regularly overshoot at Marham and even my local sometimes - the AAC base at Wattisham - and then go enroute afterwards with the gear obviously retracted.

Just out of interest the failed nose wheel landing was T.1 ZJ810/BI of 29 Sqn at Coningsby in January of last year. The jet has STILL not been returned to service and last I heard was sitting in the 29 hangar at Coningsby although it was still due back at Warton for upgrade early this year according to BAe. There seems to be several hangar queens that never or rarely fly in the Typhoon fleet.

Gary

nickblack423 · Post by **nickblack423** » 24 Jul 2007, 17:06

Well that is the modern military. In order to keep ultimate amounts of flying it makes sense to have donor aircraft for spares, instead of waiting for new parts.

Nick

garysted · Post by **garysted** » 30 Jul 2007, 20:43

Hi,

I went upto Coningsby today to shoot the expected Italian's and suddenly remembered this topic so kept my eyes open after they overshot/rolled.

In most cases the Typhoons did appear to keep the undercart down when working the visual circuit although at least a couple went back to the instrument pattern or went up into the overhead and so raised their undercart. That seems to suggest something along the lines of fatigue reduction as suggested before rather than not being able to raise the undercart at all.

Nick, would I be right in thinking that 3 Sqn have a US or Canadian on the unit as I thought I'd heard him before and the accent of 'Chaos' lead this afternoon seemed quite clear.

A few pics,

Gary

nickblack423 · Post by **nickblack423** » 30 Jul 2007, 21:44

I know there is an American Major, I think he's on 11. Ive seen him in the feeder on the south side. Chaos is 3 Sqn though. Not sure. I was sure he was with 11, he had 11 patches on.

Nick

garysted · Post by **garysted** » 30 Jul 2007, 22:31

Ok, that's interesting. I got upto Coningsby in early June, one friday and he took out 'QO-E' as a singleton (may have been it's first flight since delivery last year as it appears to have been a hangar queen for nearly a year), was seen to overshoot Lakenheath and then promptly burst two main gear tyres on recovery at Coningsby! Maybe 3 & 11 are still mixing flights? 3 were out as 'Rampage' this morning (typical callsign), followed by 11 and the 17 two-seater as 'Havoc'. Then this afternoon, 2x3 Sqn jets with the 17 two-seater again (US voice calling 'Chaos') which ground aborted - first time I've seen that with Typhoons, must think they're Tornado's at Marham where it's a common as rain!! Probably coming back up tomorrow, hoping the Italian's fly.

Gary