Roll in the Hay

[202]

I have a vague memory of hearing that a Fouga landed in a meadow somewhere in Co. Cork, possibly in the mid 1980s. Does anybody remember the detail of this and did it take off from the field or was it recovered otherwise?

[Lurk]

Took off from Bal, and was supposed to land at Bal. It was a precision landing by the pilot, and the only damage to the aircraft was an antenna broken by a cow after the plane landed.

[GoneToTheCanner]

Hi all
Lurk, there was more damage than that. The aircraft, F217, ran out of fuel (or rather, Lt. ---- ran it out of fuel) and force-landed in a large field near Trabolgan Holiday centre.The tail bumper was torn off (it was replaced by an item sourced from the warbird community in the USA, since Aerospatiale wanted stupid money to provide one).The lads arrived down to take the wings off, never having had to do so before and had a rare ol' time learning on the job.The aircraft was eventually returned to Baldonnel. It was alleged that he had mis-set his gyro-compass (unusual model on the Fouga, in that it could be set to allow the compass card to rotate, like a standard gyro-compass, or be locked, to act like an ADF's fixed card) and had flown a reciprocal heading, by mistake, realising too late what he'd done.
Silly mistake but redeemed by a very good landing.
regards
GttC

[sealion]

I have a photo of said aircraft in the Field near Trabolgan, I make it about 1990 or thereabouts. Official line was that pilot also lost radio before his landing in the only big flat field in the area. He wouldnt have been that far from Cork Airport(as the Fouga flies at least) apart from being on the wrong side of the Harbour.

[Fouga]

Anything happen to the Pilot? Im amazed he didnt try and head for Cork Airport then again if your lost your lost and on Bingo Fuel.

[GoneToTheCanner]

Hi Fouga
The pilot was unhurt but deeply mortified. The radio failed because the engines had shut down and were no longer driving the generators.Even the Fouga couldn't glide that far,from Trabolgan to Cork Airport.He was lucky!
regards
GttC  

[Fouga23]

Sealion, Any chance of posting that photo?

[sealion]

Have to find it. Bear in mind first it was taken with a 110 camera, at long distance.

[202]

So the aircraft was dismantled, recovered by road and reassembled to flying condition? Is this the only example of a Fouga to have landed in a grass field?

[GoneToTheCanner]

Hi 202
I've never heard of an Air Corps Fouga landing on grass runways(doesn't mean it never happened) but other air forces have operated them off hard-packed dirt runways, grass runways,etc. Remember that they were designed when WW II was still a recent memory and the emphasis was on an aircraft being able to rough it.The Fouga was designed, like many of it's contemporaries, to be operated under battlefield conditions, with no hangarage and very little in the way of support services.After all, it was operated by so many Third-World countries, who appreciated it's toughness, ease of maintenance and ability to be handled by modestly trained pilots and mechanics.
regards
GttC

[202]

All true GttC, the only thing I imagine its low ground clearance would have created limitations especially as regards ingestion of foreign matter so close to soil.