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Hi, All,

I'm a retired employee of Lockheed Martin, the prime contractor on the A-10. Before I retired in January 2006, I worked the A-10 Precision Engagement program for 5 years.

Lockheed Martin has asked me to return to the facility to present some training classes on the A-10 for new employees. These are seminars which offer the students a good overview about the plane and its weapons, and I'm trying to include as much technical information as possible without "snowing" them. I've got a couple of questions about the Hog, and this seems like the place to ask them. Can someone help me with the following info:

1) I assume that the Hog uses disc brakes on the main landing gear only, i.e., none on the nose gear. Is this correct? Also, I assume that the Hog uses differential braking with the right and left wheels braking independently. Is this correct? Are the brakes activated with the rudder pedals?

2) I've been told that nose wheel steering is disconnected above speeds over 80 knots, and that the pilot must then steer with the rudders. Is this correct?

3) A Warthog information page on the internet stated that in the case of an engine fire that cannot be put out in flight, the Hog's engines are designed to separate from the aircraft, to prevent the fire from spreading to the rest of the plane. What mechanism is used to do this? Is it automatic, or initiated by the pilot?

Thanks in advance.

Bob Balsie

Welcome to the forum, Bob. Questions 1 &2 I'll leave for the drivers/maintainers. But #3 I can answer...about the only things that initiate engine separation are a maintainer's wrench or bullets/missles. The only separation the pilot can initiate are the ordnance or his/her own butt in a last resort situation.<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

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Oh no, not the explosively ejecting engine pods myth again!

Gotta love Jane's defense. <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

Oh fellas...

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<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>1) I assume that the Hog uses disc brakes on the main landing gear only, i.e., none on the nose gear. Is this correct? Also, I assume that the Hog uses differential braking with the right and left wheels braking independently. Is this correct? Are the brakes activated with the rudder pedals? <hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 id=quote>
correct, correct, yes.

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>2) I've been told that nose wheel steering is disconnected above speeds over 80 knots, and that the pilot must then steer with the rudders. Is this correct? <hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 id=quote>
80 knots or something like that. I can check at work tonight if noone's posted a definite answer by then.


<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>3) A Warthog information page on the internet stated that in the case of an engine fire that cannot be put out in flight, the Hog's engines are designed to separate from the aircraft, to prevent the fire from spreading to the rest of the plane. What mechanism is used to do this? Is it automatic, or initiated by the pilot? <hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 id=quote>
Even a direct hit with a missle won't really take off the engine. Two examples come to mind: 81-0967 (74th jet in Operation ALLIED FORCE) and 80-0258 (Battle Creek in OIF).

There's an image floating talking about the A-10s capabilites, engine jettison being one of them and the other being terrain-following autopilot. Can't believe everything you read. Unless it's read here on WT<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

Liberalism is a mental disorder.

Gentlemen,

Thanks for the timely responses. I'll likely have more questions, but these help a lot.

Regards,

Bob Balsie

Bob

OK, about the NWS disengaging, this is getting me mad.
I have been reading the 2-1-1 for a while now (I'm at work right this minute), and can't seem to understand it quite as clear as I thought I did.
It seem to me like the NWS system will not disengage automatically. The way I am reading the TO, the only ways it will disengage is if any one of the following conditions happen:
1- The LDG handle is raised,
2- there is an electrical interuption to the NWS system,
3- the WOW switch is disengaged or
4- the NWS on/off switch is pressed.
So... basically the way I read it, the NWS will only turn off when turned off. Never automatically at any pseed. When the jet is taking off, the pilot still has NWS capability until the moment the wheels lift off the ground. When the jet lands, the NWS is automatically off regardless of what position it was in on T/O until the button is depressed.
I am going to ask the first pilot I see about this because it's really bugging me. Hopefully Coach or one of the other pilots here can answer first.


Liberalism is a mental disorder.

Sooo, if you lose rudder control inflight, you could always drop the nose gear and stear like that, right?<img src=icon_smile_clown.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=newicons/anim_lol.gif border=0 align=middle>

The Second Amendment: America's original homeland security.
Ya just can’t take life too seriously, because you aren’t going to get out of it alive anyway.

_________________
\"Those who hammer their guns into plows
will plow for those who do not.\"
- Thomas Jefferson

Jackb, as I remember, and it's been a while, the NWS is only controled by the NWS switch and the MLG WOW switches,there is no link to the air speed what-so-ever.

Visit my A-10 website at
http://www.warthogpen.com

Jack is correct on the NWS. It does not disengage automatically based on airspeed. The pilot is taught to disengage it passing 70 KIAS on take off.

We only use differential braking when required, otherwise we use the NWS system.

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote> The pilot is taught to disengage it passing 70 KIAS on take off.<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 id=quote>
Aaaaaaaaahhhhhh, OK. This makes sense now. I literally spent over an hour last going through the TO's on this. I was talking about it last night to another Crew Chief, and I said it didnt make sense, say you are going 120, 130, whatever, really fast mph down the runway, do you really even <i>want</i> NWS? I wouldnt. So final answer, it is <i>manually</i> disengaged about 70knots. Thank you very much Coach.

I really like questions like that- When its relatively simple, but you don't know the answer for sure and have to get into the books for it. Me and Lil Hitler had a discussion a month or two ago about the APU autoshutdown, and it turned out I was right, but I had to go to the books to get the answer. Keep these questions coming Bob.

Liberalism is a mental disorder.

Gentlemen,

Thanks for all of your efforts in getting this information.

Bob

I could have answered that but I was at Fort Drumm. I hate it when I actually have something to contribute and miss out. I suck. <img src=icon_smile_sad.gif border=0 align=middle>

"By this time tomorrow I shall have gained either a peerage or Westminster Abbey !" Nelson the Immortal Memory

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