Nomad
N22C Nomad VH-ATO, the only Nomad flying in Australia in 2009
Role	STOL aircraft
Manufacturer	Government Aircraft Factories
First flight	23 July 1971
Status	Still in civil and military service
Primary users	Philippine Air Force Australian Army Indonesian National Navy
Produced	1975–1985
Number built	172

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 Factories (GAF) at Fishermens Bend, Melbourne. Major users of the design have included the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, the Australian Army and the Australian Customs Service. The Nomad is to be re-engineered and put back into production as the Gippsland GA18.

Design and development [link]

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 III production.^[1] The first prototype (VH-SUP) flew for the first time on 23 July 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 original design intention was that the entire empennage would be hinged, such that it could be swung open providing rear loading access (the target payload was a small vehicle). This necessitated the raised cruciform tail.

The Australian Army Aviation Association has a comprehensive article on the Nomad's development and demise at https://www.fourays.org/features_2005/nomad/nomad_1.htm

The Nomad design was considered problematic and early Royal Australian Air Force evaluations were critical of the design. An early, stretched-fuselage variant crashed, killing GAF's chief test pilot Stuart Pearce (father of actor Guy Pearce),^[2] and the assistant head designer. The Nomad has been involved in a total of 32 total hull-loss accidents, which have resulted in 76 fatalities.^[3]

Only 172 Nomads (including the two prototypes) were manufactured, due to the limited foreign sales achieved by GAF. In 1986, GAF was incorporated into Aerospace Technologies of Australia.^[1][4]

On 18 June 2008, Gippsland Aeronautics announced they had won bidding to take over the Nomad's type certificate and would probably be restarting production.^[5] Some of the GippsAero design and testing engineers, including co-founder George Morgan, worked on the Nomad development at the Government Aircraft Factories.^[6] The N24-based GA18 will be re-engineered with new engines, propellers, glass cockpit and weight-saving measures.^[7] It is planned to bring it into service after the development and certification of the new 10-seat GA10, due to be complete in March 2013.

As of December 2009 only one Nomad is still flying in Australia, with another four in New Zealand.^[8][9][10]

Variants [link]

GAF Nomad N22C displayed at the Royal Flying Doctor Service base at Broken Hill

GAF Nomad N22B A18-307 displayed at the Army Aviation Museum, Oakey, in 2007

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.22C

N.22B with Maximum Takeoff Weight increased to 4,050 kilograms (8,900 lb).

N.22F Floatmaster

Twin floatplane version.

N.24

Utility transport aircraft with a fuselage lengthened by 3 ft 9 in (1.14 m).

N.24A

Improved version for 17 passengers, 40 built.

N.24B

GA18

Re-engineered 18-seat N24 in development by GippsAero.

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.

Operators [link]

Civil Operator [link]

 Australia

• Air Pioneer - Currently owns the last remaining Australian Registered Nomad VH-ATO
• Airlines of Tasmania
• Australian Customs Service
• National Safety Council of Australia
• Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia
• Sunstate Airlines
• Sydney Skydiving Centre

 Chile

• Transportes Aéreos Isla Robinson Crusoe^[11]

 Italy

• Alimediterranea

 Malaysia

• Layang-Layang Aerospace, Sabah Air

 New Zealand

• Air Safaris
• Great Barrier Airlines
• Taupo Tandem Skydiving

 Paraguay

• Paraguay Air Service

 Samoa

• Polynesian Airlines

 Suriname

• Gum Air

 Switzerland

• Rhine Air

 United Kingdom

• North London Skydiving Centre

 United States

• United States Customs Service

Military operators [link]

 Australia

• Australian Army Aviation
  • 173rd Surveillance Squadron (Australia)
  • School of Army Aviation
• Royal Australian Air Force - Four Nomads (RAAF serial A18-316, -401 to -403) were in service with the RAAF.
  • No. 75 Squadron RAAF
  • Aircraft Research and Development Unit

 Indonesia

• Indonesian Navy - 42 Nomad N22/N24 - 23 in storage: status AOG, 19 airworthy and 6 in service.^[12]

 Papua New Guinea

• Papua New Guinea Defence Force

 Philippines

• Philippine Air Force - 20 Nomads (3 in service)
• Philippine Navy - 15 Nomads (N.24A)

 Thailand

• Royal Thai Air Force (N.22B)
• Royal Thai Navy (N.24A)

Notable incidents [link]

• On 28 January 2010, a Nomad aircraft of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) crashed shortly after take-off into a residential area in Cotabato City, killing Maj. Gen. Butch Lacson, commander of the PAF 3rd Air Division, and seven other officers on the plane.^[13]
• On 7 September 2009, a Nomad aircraft P-837 of the Indonesian Naval Aviation Unit, PENERBAL, crashed in the area of Bulungan, East Borneo. The aircraft was on a routine patrol near Ambalat Oil Block. The accident caused the fatality of one Naval officer, as well as three civilians on board. The pilot and copilot received serious injuries.
• On 30 December 2007, a Nomad aircraft P-833 of the Indonesian Naval Aviation Unit, PENERBAL, crashed in the area We island, Nangroe Aceh Darussalam Province.
• on 4 May 1987, a Nomad aircraft P-817, Indonesian Naval Aviation Unit, PUSPENERBAL crashed at the Mapur Island, Bintan Area, Riau Province. The aircraft was a total loss on the hull and airframe.
• Tun Fuad Stephens, the first chief minister of Sabah, Malaysia, along with 10 others died in the crash of a Nomad in the state capital, Kota Kinabalu, on 6 June 1976.
• On the 9 of September 1991 an Australian Army N-22B Nomad crashed near Drake in northern NSW with the loss of 4 people including the pilot.

Specifications (N22B) [link]

Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1982–83^[14]

General characteristics

• Crew: One or two pilots
• Capacity: 12 passengers
• Length: 12.56 m (41 ft 2⅜ in)
• Wingspan: 16.52 m (54 ft 2¼ in)
• Height: 5.52 m (18 ft 1½ in)
• Wing area: 31.10 m² (324.0 sq ft)
• Airfoil: NACA 23018 (modified)
• Empty weight: 2,150 kg (4,730 lb)
• Max. takeoff weight: 3,855 kg (8,480 lb)
• Powerplant: 2 × Allison 250-B17C turboprop engines, 313 kW (420 shp) each

Performance

• Cruise speed: 311 km/h (168 knots, 193 mph)
• Stall speed: 88 km/h (47 knots, 55 mph) (power off, flaps down)
• 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)

References [link]

• Taylor, John W. R. (1982). Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1982–83. London: Jane's Yearbooks. ISBN 0-7106-0748-2. 

External links [link]

• Nomad at the RAAF Museum