Country of origin:

Australia

Description:

Light twin-engine utility transport

Power Plant:

Two 298 kw (400 shp) Allison 250-B17B turboprops

Specifications:

History:

In January 1976 the N-24 variant of the Nomad, with a 61 cm (24 in) increased length in the nose, and a 1.14 m (45 in) increase in cabin length, flew for the first time. The larger N-24 was able to carry up to 18 passengers, the first production aircraft being VH-DHU (c/n N24-10), but this aircraft crashed at Avalon during test flying on 17 December 1975 when it suffered severe tail flutter.

The first production aircraft was flown in July 1977. Due to the lengthened fuselage the Nomad N-24A basically lost its short take-off and landing (STOL) capability. A later N-24A development had the maximum take-off weight increased from 3,855 kg (8,500 lb) to 4,264 kg (9,400 lb), and subsequently earlier variants were upgraded to N-24A configuration.

A total of 37 N-24s was built, the last being completed in 1983. Hughes Aviation Services was the United States distributor. It ordered 20 but there were problems with delivery. This resulted in the company only receiving 12 N-24As which brought about a court case.

Six N-24 Nomads were used by the Northern Territory Aerial Medical Services: VH-DHF (c/n N24-30), VH-DHO (c/n N24-32), VH-DHP (c/n N24-34), VH-DHQ (c/n N24A-36), VH-DHR (c/n N24-38) and VH-DHU (c/n N24-60). This was known as the Nomad Medicmaster and was described as a ‘flying hospital’ or ‘flying ambulance’ to extend medical welfare to people in remote areas. It was built in a range of configurations, ranging from four stretchers, more in medical evacuation form, and could be utilised to carry a wide range of medical equipment.

Skywest Airlines operated N-24 Nomads, one N-24 and one N-24A Commuterliner, this company at one stage being the largest general aviation operator in Australia. Aircraft included VH-FHS (c/n N24A-62), this aircraft later going to Japan as JA8834.

In New Zealand a number of tourist operators have operated the Nomad, including Air Safaris & Services with N-24As ZK-NMC (c/n N24-34 – ex-VH-DHP); ZK-NMD (c/n N24-60 – ex VH-DHU); ZK-NME (c/n N24A-122); and ZK-NMG (c/n N24A-73).

Further operators have included Southern Air with ZK-SAL (c/n N22B-35); Venture Aviation Ltd at Taupo with ZK-OUT (c/n N24-32); Waterwings Airways at Te Anau with ZK-NOL (c/n N22B-70); and Hibiscus Air Services of Auckland with ZK-NOM (c/n N22-4).

Other operators of the N-24 Commuterliner, including Alaska Central Air; Rhine Air of Switzerland; Commuter Airlines; Princeton Airways; Government of the Marshall Islands; Pegas Airlines; C Itoh Aviation, etc.

The Nomad suffered a number of problems, the main being the lack of interest by the Commonwealth Government in the program, using it as a fill-in to keep the production facility at Avalon, VIC, open and working between building of the GAMD Dassault Mirage and McDonnell Douglas FA-18 Hornet fighters. Further, the Australian defence forces were never really interested in the Nomad series, and only really used the type due to it being forced on them by the Federal Government. Yet in a number of roles it was a very successful aircraft and in mid 2004 79 examples were still in military service, with 39 in Indonesia, 4 in Papua New guinea, 12 in The Philippines, and 24 in Thailand.

A number have been operated overseas by civil operators. At one stage the Portugese Government sought to buy 100 aircraft for operation in Mozambique and Angola and the Australian Government rejected the approach because of Portugal’s colonial policies. Discussion also took place with regard to licence production in India, and discussions took place with South Africa for 100, but none of these came to fruition.

Nomad N-24As were also supplied to the Royal Thai Navy in 1984, the first of five being converted into coastal surveillance configuration at Bankstown, NSW. They were fitted with commuter seating, had tactical officers seated behind the cockpit, and had two observer stations each with bubble windows for enhanced visibility. Thai Navy officials stated they would have a side-ways fired weapon fitted in the rear door, this having previously been fitted to N-22Bs. They were operated from Songkla Air Base.

The N-24A was supplied to the RAAF, one being operated by Australian Research and Development Unit (ARDU) (serial A18-401) and two by the RAAF (A18-402 and A18-403) for support service with No 75 Squadron at Tindal, NT, and two were supplied to the Australian Army (A18-404 and A18-408). However, Australian defence force operations of the type were suspended in November 1994 after the Civil Aviation Authority (CASA) issued an airworthiness directive which restricted operations.

On 12 March 1990 A18-401 crashed during a flight from RAAF Edinburgh, SA, the accident revealing the tail had detached from the aircraft due to extensive cracking. Later it was stated the Nomad was suitable and airworthy for civil tasks but not capable of satisfying the military tasks of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) due to limitations and restriction on operations. This is fascinating due to the fact that the Nomad in both N-22 and N-24 models has operated overseas with a number of military operators for a further ten years or more with no problems and continued in service in Thailand and Indonesia.

In 2008 Gippsland Aeronautics, builders of the GA-8 Airvan, announced it had obtained the Type Certificate for the N-24 Nomad from Boeing Australia and was placing the type back into production in upgraded form with a glass cockpit, powered by two Rolls Royce 250-B17F turboprops driving Hartzell lightweight propellers to compete with the Dornier DO-228 and the DHC-6-400 Twin Otter. An independent market research indicated there would be a need for up to 400 examples required over a period of ten years of the New Generation Nomad. First orders for the new model were from Curry Kenny Aviation on the Queensland Sunshine Coast and Airfreight Solutions of Bathurst, NSW. The first new-build aircraft was expected to be completed in 2010.

In December 2009 Mahindra Aerospace Pty Ltd, part of the Mahindra Group in India, acquired a 75 per cent stake in Gippsland and in early 2010 it was announced production of the up-dated Nomad would begin in 2011. By that stage, through attrition, a lot of Nomads had been retired but in late 2011 GippsAero, as the company had become, obtained ZK-NMC from Lake Tekapo based Air Safaris to use for conversion to the new GippsAero GA-18, this aircraft becoming VH-XGZ.