GAF Nomad
Government Aircraft Factories, GAF in short, is responsible for the design of this twin turboprop utility aircraft in the same class as the DHC-6 Twin Otter and Harbin Y-12. The Nomad has a box-like fuselage that tapers at the rear. The top of the fuselage remains nearly straight until the tail cone. Above is a big cruciform, unswept tail with a rather high, short dorsal fin. The aircraft has a retractable tricycle landing gear, of which the two wheel main gears retract forward in sponsons, but it can also be fitted with floats. Most typical are the large and high cockpit windows, much like often seen on helicopters. The high placed wings have single struts to the sponsons.
Different versions
The different versions of the GAF Nomad can be distinguished by looking at
- the shape and length of the nose
- the length of the fuselage
- whether the aircraft has floats
- whether the aircraft has a radar bulge under the nose
Details will follow later.
Confusion possible with
Harbin Y-12
The biggest look-a-like of the Nomad is the Harbin Y-12, which has the same basic configuration. Different on the Harbin are amongst others the longer and lower dorsal fin and ventral fin, fixed all single wheel gear, smaller cockpit windows and larger cabin windows. (photo Shahram Sharifi - Iranian Spotters/WikiMedia)
DeHavilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter
The DHC-6 also shares many characteristics with the GAF Nomad, including a cruciform tail. The vertical fin of the Twin Otter is slightly swept though and has no dorsal fin. The landing gear is fixed and all legs have single wheels. Finally, the DHC-6 lacks the large cockit windows that are so typical for the Nomad.
IPTN N219
The N219 has a cruciform tail like the Nomad but with a lower, longer dorsal fin, and some kind of sponsons. However, the N219 has a fixed landing gear with single wheels, smaller streamlined cockpit windows, and no wing struts. (photo LAPAN/WikiMedia)
Let L-410
The L-410 has a tall cruciform tail and a retractable landing like on the Nomad, but similarities end there. The L-410 has single wheel main gears, smaller cockpit windows, a swept vertical fin and the wings are not braced.