Rare Grob G-520 Egrett Start & Departure From VNY
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- Опубліковано 1 кві 2016
- Grob G-520 Egrett
N520EG (cn 10003)
I believe that this aircraft has been stored at VNY since the mid-90's, a true fixture here, so when I found out that she found a new home out of state, I had to be there to witness her final departure from Van Nuys.
Thanks to the great, Gary Richardson (owner of Richardson Aviation), for the gracious invitation onto the field to witness history, so I could document this and share it with you. The aircraft departed VNY & made a fuel stop in Albuquerque, NM, before continuing to her final destination in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, where she'll be refurbished & hopefully, operational in a year or two. You can subscribe to his channel here: / garyleer2u
The Grob G 520 ‘EGRETT’ (former Grob/E-Systems/AlliedSignal Egrett - its name is derived from the three companies involved in its design: E-Systems, Grob Aircraft, and Garrett, the latter firm later changing its name to AlliedSignal) is a surveillance aircraft developed in Germany in the 1980s by an international partnership. It was intended to fill a joint German Air Force - US Air Force requirement for a high-altitude, long-duration surveillance platform for treaty verification and environmental monitoring. Known as "LAPAS" (Luftgestütztes, abstandsfähiges Primär-Aufklärungssystem, engl: airborne, long distance primary reconnaissance system) in Germany and "Senior Guardian" in the US, the program initially attempted to acquire the Lockheed TR-1 (U-2) for this role, but when this did not succeed, a new aircraft was sought.
More information here:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grob_G_520
General characteristics:
Crew: one
Length: 13.82 m (45 ft 4 in)
Wingspan: 33.0 m (108 ft 3 in)
Height: 5.66 m (18 ft 7 in)
Wing area: 39.67 m2 (427.0 sq ft)
Empty weight: 3,300 kg (7,275 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 4,700 kg (10,362 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Honeywell TPE331-14F Turboprop aircraft engine, 560 kW (750 hp)
Propellers: 4-bladed Hartzell, 3.04 m (10 ft 0 in) diameter
Performance:
Maximum speed: 283 km/h; 176 mph (153 kn) (max. operating, MSL)
Cruise speed: 469 km/h; 291 mph (253 kn) (at 35,000 ft, ISA, MTOW)
Stall speed: 107 km/h; 67 mph (58 kn) (MLW, landing configuration)
Range: 3,670 km (2,280 mi; 1,982 nmi) (at 50,000 ft, ISA, MTOW, 45 min reserve fuel, 500 kg payload)
Service ceiling: 15,240 m (50,000 ft) (max. certified operating altitude)
Time to altitude: 50 min (from MSL to 45,000 ft, ISA, MTOW)
Thanks, Ryan, great video! I was the pilot and thought people might want some details on the flight. I flew at 17,500 ft MSL and 190 KTAS. Fuel burn at this altitude is about 320 lbs/hr. After so long, the airplane performed flawlessly! It was a joy to get it in the air again. As you saw, on takeoff, she leapt into the air. The plane flies a bit heavy on the stick down low but needs very little rudder. Taxiing is done with differential braking, and you have to be aware of those long wings (wing span is 108 feet). The wings flex up a lot when she's in the air, as well as in turbulence. All in all, it was a great flight and a privilege to fly a VNY icon. I think it's been on the field since 1998.
BTW, she had one last thing to say to all of her fans: "Bye, bye, VNY. It's been nice, but it's time to fly!!"
Awesome post. Can you give us a little bit more about her history. Like what was her original purpose for being built? How high, fast and far can she actually go? etc etc. Thank you and to Ryan for such a great video!
Thanks! This is copied and pasted from the description right under the video:
The Grob G 520 ‘EGRETT’ (former Grob/E-Systems/AlliedSignal Egrett - its name is derived from the three companies involved in its design: E-Systems, Grob Aircraft, and Garrett, the latter firm later changing its name to AlliedSignal) is a surveillance aircraft developed in Germany in the 1980s by an international partnership. It was intended to fill a joint German Air Force - US Air Force requirement for a high-altitude, long-duration surveillance platform for treaty verification and environmental monitoring. Known as "LAPAS" (Luftgestütztes, abstandsfähiges Primär-Aufklärungssystem, engl: airborne, long distance primary reconnaissance system) in Germany and "Senior Guardian" in the US, the program initially attempted to acquire the Lockheed TR-1 (U-2) for this role, but when this did not succeed, a new aircraft was sought.
More information here:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grob_G_520
General characteristics:
Crew: one
Length: 13.82 m (45 ft 4 in)
Wingspan: 33.0 m (108 ft 3 in)
Height: 5.66 m (18 ft 7 in)
Wing area: 39.67 m2 (427.0 sq ft)
Empty weight: 3,300 kg (7,275 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 4,700 kg (10,362 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Honeywell TPE331-14F Turboprop aircraft engine, 560 kW (750 hp)
Propellers: 4-bladed Hartzell, 3.04 m (10 ft 0 in) diameter
Performance:
Maximum speed: 283 km/h; 176 mph (153 kn) (max. operating, MSL)
Cruise speed: 469 km/h; 291 mph (253 kn) (at 35,000 ft, ISA, MTOW)
Stall speed: 107 km/h; 67 mph (58 kn) (MLW, landing configuration)
Range: 3,670 km (2,280 mi; 1,982 nmi) (at 50,000 ft, ISA, MTOW, 45 min reserve fuel, 500 kg payload)
Service ceiling: 15,240 m (50,000 ft) (max. certified operating altitude)
Time to altitude: 50 min (from MSL to 45,000 ft, ISA, MTOW)
Well thats embarrassing I usually notice the "Show More" tab on videos..................sorry about that. Thanks for reposting anyways......
So your Max speed is lower then your cruise speed?
Ake Bono, Cruise speed is calculated at altitude where the air air significantly thinner (so the aircraft experiences less drag) and so can travel faster over the ground. “Max” speed on the other hand is at MSL (mean sea level) where the air is at its most dense so maximum drag on the airframe.
However, just to confuse matters the pilots Air Speed Indicator (A.S.I) would be reading approximately the same in both cases 👍
Great video. 60 FPS makes it feel like you are there, the propeller motion looks amazing! Keep up the great work Ryan.
Thanks again so much for watching, Zach! Truly appreciated.
I would always see this plane out on the ramp as a kid and I always asked my dad if he knew what it was and he had no clue! One day I'll get to tell him, although I'm sure hes figured it out by now haha. Such a beauty in the air. Glad to see it flying after all those years!
With those wings I'd be too tempted to turn off the engine and see what kind of thermalling she could do..
I remember seeing that airplane at VNY several times, neat to see it fly. Great video.
Fantastic video and sound, never seen this aircraft before. Thank you for sharing
Just saw this at the EAA Adventure on UA-cam, can't believe it's still around. I lived close to VNY airport, I did not know it was based there. I saw it once coming in for a landing but I thought it was for the airshow they used to have there.
SN 0002 was at Oskosh in 2022. This is SN 0003
@@garyrichardson6893 Thank You
@@SPak-rt2gb Your welcome. I worked on both 10003 and 10002 back in the day.
Wonderful plane. Fantastic photos. Congratulations and Keep going !!!!!
Holy Cow!! The wingspan😎
Fantastic video Ryan, thanks for making it!
+gary richardson, it was an absolute honor to be there and to witness history! Thanks again for everything, and for letting me showcase this fine aircraft.
Your very welcome!
Watching that thing take off was kind of bittersweet. I got so used to seeing it in the shadow of that old 727.
+Mike Powers, my thoughts exactly! Thanks for watching.
Hope they Will rebuild it and with the new Fadec equipe TPE331-14 GR then they Will have fantastik performances ( Now with old TPE331-14 801F old type TPE331 -14 AB )
Not gonna lie, I skipped a bit to 2:53 and the perspective of the prop and that person really made me take a second look.
I was standing in front of the right main gear to communicate with pilot and disconnect power cart, secure access door before releasing aircraft to taxi. I was a good 15 feet away from prop. does look cool.
This video is so wonderful. This is such a unique craft
Thanks, Ryan
Jiminie Cricket!!! Look at that wingspan...blows my mind seeing this video. Once again Ryan throws down aces, thank for posting. What a majestic bird!
+AIRCRANE43, you rock, thanks so much!
Yeah, the wingspan is about the same as a 737NG. This aircraft type was offered to agencies as a cheap alternative to the U-2, for extended high altitude surveillance.
+RyanBomar Just a groupie sir... as soon as I witnessed her on departure I thought poor mans U-2.. your the man Ryan, thank you sir!!!
Nice video, just stumbled upon it. This brings back a lot of old memories. I have been a flight test engineer on the EGRETT Programm back in the early nineties and attended the maiden flight of this airplane. Nice shots of the cockpit. Thanks a lot
Ryan, thank you for publishing this video. The first time in my life I have seen the Grob Egrett taking off and the very first time I have been able to get a feeling of its sound. This plane has been a piece of my life since the Senior Guardian program started. The plane and the video reminds me of my father who was involved into the program. Yes ... he created the short cut LAPAS and we laughed together about the comment in the german news one evening while my father was sitting in his rocking chair and smoking his pipe. This chair now is located in my living room. Interestingly, some details about the program are documented in German Language at www.manfred-bischoff.de/index1.htm.
The people behind this project were electronical wafare specialists. They strove for high tech in radar detection and decoding or all kinds of listening to opposing radio communication and they looked for jamming and radar deception. The LAPAS / Senior Guardian program was simnilar to the U2 from the 60th. Objective was tactical reconnaissance - "spying" from wide distance resp. height with a plane that is difficult to detect with radar due to the composite / plastic materials. This justifies the selection of the manufacturer Grob. The plane should act as "sensor plattform" to capture and to access electromagnetic fields from transmissions (e.g. radio communications) and to transmit the obtained information to the receiving earth station. Later in the program, after the fall of the iron curtains SAR-radar (Synthetic Aperture Radar) and other active electonic imaging systems (Infrared imaging) were integrated.
The German federal parliament canceled the program in 1993. The collapse of the Eastern bloc, the reunification of Germany and the Open Skies contracts (March 1992) and perhaps the emerging Satellite Technology caused the political decision process. In addition, the discord of German Air Force, Navy and Armed Forces about the need of a tactical long distance reconnaissance system supported program cancelation.
Such an interesting aircraft!
I believe the same pilot Arne Vasenden used the same plane to tow the Perlan II glider up to 42,000 feet on Aug. 26 before releasing the glider to allow Payne and Sandercock to ride the stratospheric mountain wave to a new world record soaring to a pressure altitude of 65,605 feet. www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2018/august/29/perlan-soars-to-new-record
This one is SN 10003, Arne's is 10002. But you are right, same design, only 5 made in the single seat config. and 1 with two seats.
Good video
+William B161, I really appreciate that!
always liked a parachute. like having an extra plane on your back.
Cruise control makes it go crazy check out the write up.
Now that's what i called Military
Kinda reminds me of a U2 with propeller the wing's were about as long so I'm thinking it's a high flying research or recon plane ? cool plane .. it seem's to have some kind of Ray Dome under it's belly
Look at that Wingspan!!!
Impressive!
Can't have much of a Re-number at max. altitude!
cool
+Cyril Uebbing, it is a unique aircraft.
We have this extra C-130 tail.. what should we do with it?
That's a LOT of wing for a "smalish" turbo-prop...? With that pod at the 5 o'clock undermeath position it strikes me as a "civilian" U-2 type mission...? Nice Vid..! Where? THANKS, Gordon
I actually live near where these are constructed
520DM is at my airport now (pompano airpark)
Was it the same plane in 24 series 5 at the very end of episode 18?
Will check that out.
I would have fitted the airplane with dual larger wheels for the main landing gear, like King Air or so, have looked much better, now it looks like a baby carriage! It had overheating problems on the main gear because of that, I think?
Cet avion (rare) a des ailes à grand allongement, il me semble. Est-il à usage militaire ou civil ? Merci pour la vidéo...
pour le reconnaitre electronique et le guerre electronique
Hello, is it possible this aircraft was once owned by the late Wes McKinney ? Thank You.
I believe Ratheon owned it when at VNY, was acquired by Gentran in the early 00's
Too much beautiful than tucano A29
Kind of a mind boggler with a wingspan that would lift an airliner.
CIA plane on a domestic mission carrying a SLAR pod
WTF IS THIS THING!!