Flying a warbird Nanchang CJ-6

Whoo Hoo!

A colleague is also a pilot with a part share in a Nanchang CJ-6. Today I got to go flying!

With the weather forecast for rain today it was somewhat surprising to wake to clear sunny skies. At 10am I received a call that Sean was offering to take Gary and I up. What an opportunity. And I knew James would be keen to see the aircraft.

So off we went to the White Waltham airfield just to the west of Maidenhead - about 20 minutes drive away. This is the home of the West London Aero Club but was established in 1928 when the de Havilland family bought 196 acres of grassland to house the de Havilland Flying School. During World War II the field was used by the Air Transport Auxiliary, established to transfer new, repaired and damaged warplanes between factories, delivery points from the United States, maintenance depots and active service airfields.

As we arrived we saw the warbird on the grass field beside the car park. Sean had brought it over so the kids could get a good look. Unfortunately it rained overnight and the ground was still wet - causing the aircraft to get bogged! The nosewheel doesn't turn so to steer you have to apply asymmetrical braking to one or other of the wheels. Sean was able to get moving but found that the plane slid towards the fence. Applying braking to steer only resulted in the dragging wheel digging into the soft earth. Result - the ignominy of having to get a club vehicle to tow it out.

A little history for those who, like me, have an interest in warbirds. The CJ-6 was a primary trainer for the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). It is based on the Russian Yak-18A. About 10,000 were produced and the one we flew today was circa 1965 vintage. As a trainer it has duplicated controls and instruments in the rear seat.

Gary went up first and returned after about 30 minutes - legs shaking. Sean had performed some basic aerobatics that left poor Gary a little motion sick. Great - I'm next!

Sean helped me in the rear seat, over the parachute that doubled as a seat cushion. He strapped me firmly in the four point harness making sure that the lap sash was tight. We'd be doing some short inverted flying so need to make sure you don't move about. Sean gave me a run through of the instruments: airspeed indicator, electronic compass, vertical speed indicator, artificial horizon, engine rpm and temp. Between my legs was the stick which, Sean explained, would be moving about a bit during taxiing and manoeuvring. I donned the headset which allowed us to talk. Sean pointed out that beside my left thigh was the throttle which has the radio push-to-talk button. "Don't hit that when we're flying or we'll broadcast to the world". I'll keep it in mind.

The aircraft uses pneumatics for brakes, flaps, and to start the engine. So the prop needs a few turns to get pressure in the lines. After that, Sean joined me and started the engines. I had my canopy open slightly so could hear the engines and smell the fumes. Great! After idling for a minute or so to bring the engine temp up we set off on a fast taxi to avoid getting bogged again. As we approached the grass strip Sean broadcast his intent to takeoff and then we accelerated away.

As we climbed I could see a few rain clouds approaching. Sean explained that these were easily avoided and we made a right hand turn and headed towards the Thames and Marlow. As we were on visual flight rules, and with no radar, etc on the aircraft, Sean asked me to keep a lookout for other planes. We climbed to an initial 1500 feet and proceeded down a valley. Its an amazing sensation flying in an aircraft such as this. You are surrounded by the canopy so have a panoramic view. The cloud deck was at about 3000 feet so the ride got a little bumpy at this point as the air was sucked up the valley into the clouds. I looked out at the stubby wings and held on to the instrument shroud.

Sean found a clear patch of sky and advised that he was about to climb to 3000 feet. Why? To get some distance from the ground for our manoeuvres and because flying around the clouds was "fun".

Once at our target altitude we had to do some clearing turns. These allow us to get a full view of any aircraft around and below us. Its also a chance to feel a few g's in prep for the aerobatics. Sean brought the airspeed up to about 280 km/h and then pulled in to a tight right hand turn; dropping the right wing down about 45 degrees. I experienced about 2gs and I have to admit that the sweat started to prickle. After checking I was OK we did the same for a left hand turn. Neither of us saw any aircraft so it was on to the fun part.

First manoeuvre was a wing over. Getting some more speed Sean pulled the CJ-6 in to a 45 degree climb at which point you again experience about 2g. He then executed a tight left hand turn dropping the wing what felt like almost 90 degrees. This way the aircraft essentially pivots on the dropped wing and descends. I alternated between looking down the wing to the ground below and craning my head to get a fix on the horizon. It was fun but at the same time a little scary and I felt a little queasy.

Recovering from the wing over Sean asked whether we should go again. You bet! This time is was a left hand wing over with a little more g. Ok - heart going now!

It was time for the aileron roll. In this manoeuvre we'd be briefly inverted. Sean gained airspeed - about 300 km/h, and pulled the nose up to about 30 degrees of climb. The aileron is then fully deflected to commence the roll. A little forward stick is required to keep the right attitude but there is a momentary very small negative g. As the horizon spun I tried to keep my eyes steady. I definitely felt the harness work as we went inverted. Probably not more than 10 seconds later and we were level again. What an experience!

With a few rain clouds approaching Sean called the field to get the local conditions. We turned back and flew past Henley on Thames. As we approached the field I spotted a light aircraft approaching at out 11 o'clock on an opposite heading but with perhaps a 1000 feet vertical separation. It is a completely difference experience when you can see this through way amounts to an uninterrupted canopy. We lined up on finals just as the rain clouds approached the field. A few small bumps of turbulence and we were on the ground.

Thanks Sean! Can't wait for the next flight.

Photos here. Short 3min video below (although not of the flight. Sean made me empty my pockets let alone have a camera on board during the manoeuvres!)