GAF Nomad

The GAF Nomad is a twin-engined turboprop, high-wing, short takeoff 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 reengineered and put back into production as the GippsAero GA18.

Design and development
Development of the Nomad began in 1965 at GAF 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. The first prototype (registered 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 intention was that the entire empennage would be hinged so that it could be swung open, providing rear-loading access, which necessitated the raised cruciform tail. The target payload was a small vehicle.

The Nomad design was considered problematic and early Royal Australian Air Force evaluations were critical of it. An early, stretched-fuselage variant crashed in August 1976, killing GAF's chief test pilot Stuart Pearce (father of actor Guy Pearce), and David Hooper chief structures designer. The Nomad has been involved in a total of 32 total hull-loss accidents, which have resulted in 76 fatalities.

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, now Boeing Australia.

In June 2008, Gippsland Aeronautics (now GippsAero) announced it had won bidding to take over the Nomad's type certificate and would probably be restarting production. Some of the GippsAero design and testing engineers, including co-founder George Morgan, had worked on Nomad development at GAF. The N24-based GA18 was to be re-engineered with new powerplants and propellers, a glass cockpit, and weight-saving measures. It was planned to bring it into service after the development and certification of the new ten-seat GA10, due to be completed in March 2013.

, only one Nomad was still flying in Australia, with another four in New Zealand.

Variants

 * 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
 * Cargo variant modified from N.22B with Maximum Takeoff Weight increased to 4050 kg.


 * N.22F Floatmaster
 * Twin floatplane version, two built.


 * N.24
 * Utility transport aircraft with a fuselage lengthened by 1.14 m.


 * N.24A
 * Improved version for 17 passengers, 40 built.


 * N.24B
 * GA18
 * Re-engineered 18-seat N24 in development by GippsAero.
 * 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.

Australia
The Australian Army leased the second prototype N22 in 1973. It acquired 11 N22B between 1975 and 1977 for the 173rd Aviation Squadron. It subsequently acquired a 12th N22B from the Royal Australian Air Force in 1987. In 1993 the Army acquired eight more N22B and four N24A to replace its Pilatus PC-6 Porters. These 12 aircraft had been stored unsold when production ceased. All were withdrawn in 1995. Most were sold to the Indonesian Navy but two unflyable airframes are retained as training aids.

The Royal Australian Air Force acquired an N22B in 1977. Although owned by the RAAF it was operated as part of the Army's 173rd Aviation Squadron. It was transferred to the Army in 1987. The RAAF subsequently acquired a former Coastwatch Nomad Searchmaster and three N24As in 1989, one which had been a GAF/ASTA test frame and two from a cancelled order for United States Customs Service. They were withdrawn in 1993.

Indonesia
The Indonesian Navy Aviation Service acquired 12 Nomad Searchmaster B and six Searchmaster L in 1975–77. It subsequently acquired two N24A from the Royal Australian Air Force in 1993 then 14 N22B and four N24A from the Australian Army in 1995.

Civil operators
This list includes former Nomad operators. 🇲🇾 Malaysia
 * Air Queensland (Previously Bush Pilots Airways)
 * Barrier Reef Airways (Float plane version)
 * Clubair
 * National Safety Council of Australia
 * Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia
 * Sunstate Airlines
 * Transportes Aéreos Isla Robinson Crusoe
 * Alimediterranea
 * Transportes Aéreos Isla Robinson Crusoe
 * Alimediterranea
 * Alimediterranea
 * Layang Layang Aerospace
 * Sabah Air
 * Holland Aero Lines
 * Air Safaris
 * Great Barrier Airlines
 * Independent Air Transport
 * Paraguay Air Service
 * 🇼🇸 Samoa
 * Polynesian Airlines
 * 🇸🇷 Suriname
 * Gum Air
 * Rhine Air
 * Air Marshall Islands
 * Air New Orleans
 * Century Airlines (commuter air carrier in California)
 * Coral Air
 * Princeton Airways
 * Skybus Express Airlines
 * Southeastern Commuter Airlines
 * Air New Orleans
 * Century Airlines (commuter air carrier in California)
 * Coral Air
 * Princeton Airways
 * Skybus Express Airlines
 * Southeastern Commuter Airlines

Military operators

 * Australian Army Aviation – former operator.
 * 173rd Aviation Squadron – one N22 (prototype, leased), 20 N22B, four N24A
 * School of Army Aviation (two N22B seconded from 173rd Aviation Squadron specifically to train Papua New Guinea Defence Force student pilots)
 * Royal Australian Air Force – one N22B, one Nomad Searchmaster, three N24A, former operator.
 * No. 75 Squadron RAAF
 * Aircraft Research and Development Unit
 * Indonesian Navy – 42 N22B and N24A Nomad – 23 in storage: status AOG, 19 airworthy and six in service.
 * Philippine Air Force – 20 Nomads (three in service)
 * Philippine Navy – 15 N24A Nomad, former operator.
 * Papua New Guinea Defence Force – former operator.
 * Royal Thai Air Force (N22B) 22 aircraft delivered from 1982, retired in December 2015
 * Royal Thai Navy (N24A) – former operator.
 * Papua New Guinea Defence Force – former operator.
 * Royal Thai Air Force (N22B) 22 aircraft delivered from 1982, retired in December 2015
 * Royal Thai Navy (N24A) – former operator.
 * Royal Thai Air Force (N22B) 22 aircraft delivered from 1982, retired in December 2015
 * Royal Thai Navy (N24A) – former operator.



Other government operators

 * Australian Customs Service (Coastwatch)
 * United States Customs Service
 * United States Customs Service
 * United States Customs Service

Aircraft on display

 * Thailand
 * N22 46122 – in the Royal Thai Air Force Museum at Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok


 * United States
 * N22C ex-N6328 of the United States Customs Service – on outdoor display at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona

Notable incidents

 * On 6 June 1976, Tun Fuad Stephens, the first chief minister of Sabah, Malaysia, plus ten others, died in the crash of a Nomad in the state capital, Kota Kinabalu.
 * On 6 August 1976, a prototype model N24 operated by the aircraft manufacturer crashed immediately after take-off for a flight to test a new modification of the horizontal stabiliser. The test pilot and chief structures designer were killed, and the flight test engineer was seriously injured.
 * On 23 December 1979, a Nomad operated by Douglas Airways (P2-DNL) crashed on the airstrip (MRM) at Manari, a village on the Kokoda Track in the Central Province of Papua New Guinea, killing all 16 passengers and crew. The presence of at least one baby on board, Maia Sori aged six months, accounts for the high number of fatalities and may make this the worst crash in the history of this aircraft type.
 * On 4 May 1987, a Nomad of the Indonesian Naval Aviation Unit, PUSPENERBAL crashed at the Mapur Island, Bintan area, Riau Province. The aircraft was a total loss.
 * On 12 Mar 1990, a Nomad (A18-401) of the Australian Air Force (RAAF) crashed due to a structural failure of the tail in flight killing the sole pilot. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19900312-0 and http://www.adf-gallery.com.au/3a18.htm. The aircraft had previously done 177 hours of single engine ground runs by the OEM.
 * On 9 September 1991, an Australian Army N22B Nomad crashed near Drake in northern NSW with the loss of four people, including the pilot.
 * On 10 February 2001, Gum Air’s N24A Nomad (PZ-TBP) crashed on a flight from Paramaribo – Zanderij (Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport PBM/SMJP) to Njoeng Jacob Kondre Airstrip SMJK. The aircraft had fallen out of radio contact, and personnel at the airstrip in Jacob Kondre said it was flying low, and crashed into a mountain. All nine passengers plus the pilot perished.
 * On 30 December 2007, a PENERBAL Nomad crashed in the area of We island, Nangroe Aceh Darussalam Province.
 * On 7 September 2009, a Nomad 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, plus three civilians on board. The pilot and copilot received serious injuries.
 * On 28 January 2010, a Nomad of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) crashed shortly after takeoff into a residential area in Cotabato City, killing Maj. Gen. Butch Lacson, commander of the PAF 3rd Air Division, plus seven other officers on board.