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News
Eclipse wins Collier (May 31)
 Eclipse Aviation is understandably over the moon after last week being awarded the Collier Trophy in the USA, described by some in the industry as aviation’s Oscar.
The trophy is named for publisher Robert J Collier, the first person to purchase a private airplane from the Wright Brothers. Collier believed that the “flying machine” should be developed for “America’s economic advancement and preservation”. It is awarded to the organisation which is judged to have contributed the most to advancement the US aeronautic industry.
Click here for the Eclipse announcement
Coroner calls for NZ review (May 30)
From Struff.co.nz: A Christchurch coroner is urging a ministerial review of civil aviation regulations in the wake of a 2003 air crash that killed eight people. Coroner Richard McElrea today found the deaths of eight people in the crash of an Air Adventures Piper Navajo Chieftain aircraft on June 6 2003 were preventable.
Pilot Michael Bannerman, 52, was flying a plane carrying nine Crop and Food employees home from a Palmerston North conference when it went down in farmland, 2km short of Christchurch Airport.
Full report
China’s GA takes off (May 29)
China's air cargo transport industry is taking off. The industry is expected to see its flight time rise to 140 thousand hours by the year 2010. That's according to Yang Guoqing, the Vice Minister of General Administration of the Civil Aviation of China.
Speaking at the International General Aviation Industry Exhibition in Shandong Province on Sunday, Yang said that China's general aviation sector will grow at an average annual rate of about 10 percent over the next five years. The flying time of China's general aviation airplanes reached 84,900 hours in 2005, that's triple the figure in 1978. According to the official figures, China is estimated to require 12 thousand general aviation aircraft by 2012.
Source: CCTV
New maintenance regime on way (May 23)
 The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) is in the throes of reworking Australia’s aircraft maintenance regime to come into line with current European practice.
CASA is currently conducting meetings with maintenance industry reps across the country and says: A nine member joint aviation industry-CASA team has been working since last year on adapting the European Aviation Safety Agency maintenance suite of regulations to suit the Australian aviation industry.
This followed a review of the European rules which showed they were safety-focused, pragmatic, flexible and outcome-based and offered a sound starting point for developing the new Australian maintenance rules.
The joint industry-CASA team is currently drafting Notices of Proposed Rule Making for the maintenance regulations based on the European regulations, with changes made to keep existing Australian rules that are more advanced or to cover Australian-unique conditions.
In particular, the European rules will be modified to take into account the needs of Australia’s general aviation industry.
The aim is to have new regulations completed around the end of 2006, to come into effect in 2007. (Pic: Lockheed Martin)
CASA link
Long Beach closes (May 22)
Boeing’s Long Beach manufacturing centre officially delivers its last two aircraft, a pair of 717s, tomorrow morning.
It marks the end of an era for the once bustling manufacturing hub which was home to Douglas and then McDonnell Douglas aircraft. It reached its heyday during the second world war when it employed 40,000 people and produced over 29,000 aircraft, including the DC3 and B-17 Flying Fortress.
See this link for a timeline on the facility.
RANS goes rational (May 18)
 RANS aircraft in the USA, which specialises in light sport aircraft and recumbent bicycles, has decided to rationalise its aircraft range and introduce a new model.
After delivering some 4000 aircraft in kit and turnkey forms over the years, it is cutting back on some models, removing some options and dropping its two-stroke-powered models altogether. The company however hastens to point out that it will continue to support owners with parts backup.
As for the new S-19 model (pictured), it’s a low-wing aluminium-covered two-seater using the ubiquitous Rotax 912 ULS engine.
RANS website
Adelaide whodunnit (May 17)
From CASA: Adelaide's pilots are being given special new training in how to prevent aircraft accidents caused by bad weather.
Every ten days a pilot declares an emergency due to deteriorating weather conditions - and many of these emergencies are fatal.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority is tackling this high risk to aviation safety by staging a special Crash Scene Investigation (CSI) workshop for private and commercial pilots in Adelaide this weekend.
The day-long workshop will teach pilots how to avoid weather emergencies, what to do if caught out in worsening weather and how to maximise chances of survival if a crash occurs.
Aviation experts will stage a CSI-style investigation of a real life accident which was caused by deteriorating weather conditions.
In this way Adelaide's pilots will learn practical and powerful lessons from the crash of a Piper Warrior in NSW in 1999, which killed three people.
CASA is hosting the CSI workshop, with experts from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, the Bureau of Meteorology, Australian Search and Rescue and a prominent aviation medical specialist taking part.
CASA's head of safety promotion, David Pattie, says the unique format of the CSI pilot workshop will drive home powerful lessons.
“The whole day is one long whodunit and why,” Mr Pattie says. “Pilots will be unravelling what went wrong and how the fatal accident could have been avoided.”
The workshop is being held at the Glenelg Stamford Grand Hotel, Moseley Square, on Saturday 20 May, starting at 10am. There is no charge for attending.
Go to this link to register.
Seasprite project to be axed? (May 15)
 The Australian newspaper today reports that the Navy’s $1 billion Super Seasprite helicopter project may be scrapped, thanks to ongoing problems with onboard safety which has resulted in the grounding of the aircraft delivered so far.
Dr Brendan Nelson, the Minister for Defence, has ordered a review of the project, which is said to face cost blow-outs which may make scrapping it in favour of alternative aircraft the most viable option.
This comes on the back of a story we published May 4 which said the Defence Force Tiger helicopter project was also facing problems. (Pic: Australian Navy)
The Australian home; Story; Allflying Tiger story (see May 4)
Euro air safety to be centralized (May 15)
From the ERA: The European Regions Airline Association (ERA) has recommended the creation of a centralised and independent European Transportation Safety Board (ETSB) to replace state investigation bodies in an effort to harmonise European accident investigation procedures. The recommendation was made at last week’s European Aviation Summit in Salzburg, by Antonis Simigdalas, President of ERA and COO of Aegean Airlines and Mike Ambrose, Director General, ERA.
“The ETSB should start with aviation as the most safety-advanced mode of transport, and should be based on the use of best practice, skills and experience rather than the normal EU principles of a job for every state,” declared Ambrose.
In a speech which highlighted increased European harmonization as the key to improved efficiency, ERA also proposed the establishment of an EU Aircraft Register, replacing current national registers. Simigdalas explained: “If I want to purchase an aircraft currently registered in another European country, I have to pay to re-register the aircraft in my own country. I am effectively paying to have the same checks made twice!”
Ambrose comments: “Air transport is a global industry but so many of its procedures are nationalised. This creates inefficiencies at all levels: operational, environmental and of course, financial. European harmonization should be at the heart of all regulatory thinking with regard to industries such as intra-European air transport.”
Wireless internet for USA airline travelers (May 15)
From the New York Times via the Benton media news service: Fliers look forward to boarding planes so they can get away from
their phones and e-mail. That sanctuary inched one step closer to
oblivion last week when the Federal Communications Commission began to
auction off frequencies for in-flight Internet service. Nine
companies, including Verizon Airfone, which pioneered pay phones in
the air, are expected to enter bids for the two licenses available.
The companies have developed a variety of technologies that
effectively create wireless networks on planes so fliers can use
their laptops to surf the Web or to make calls with
voice-over-Internet technology. The auction will not advance the
on-board use of conventional cellphones, which use other frequencies
and are still prohibited in the air. The winners of the auction,
which could take several days to complete, would still have to
persuade financially pressed American carriers to install their
equipment. They would also have to figure out whether and how to
divide the revenue that the technology may generate.
New York Times home; Story; Benton news service
Virgin Galactic announces spaceport (May 14)
 Infant space travel company Virgin Galactic has announced that it and the state of New Mexico in the USA have “reached an historic agreement which will see the building of a $200m spaceport in the southern part of the state on a 27 square mile area of state land.
“Virgin Galactic has agreed to locate its world's headquarters and Mission Control in New Mexico and strongly believes that the new spaceport will offer fledgling astronauts an experience that will be truly out of this world.”
Virgin is promoting flights just out of the atmosphere using Burt Rutan’s air-launched technology that one the X Prize in 2004.
There are a number of proposals for space ports in the USA at the moment, which some observers describe as risky because of how undeveloped the industry is but having considerable long-term benefits.
There was a similar rush of spaceport speculation in the 1990s, on the back of the stalled NASA/Lockheed VentureStar project.
The Mercury News in the USA reports, “To avoid another bust, commercial space hubs must find creative ways to supplement tourists' weightless experience by adding attractions such as theme parks, hotels and restaurants, said Derek Webber, director of Spaceport Associates, a Maryland-based consulting firm.”
Virgin Galactic; Rutan Aircraft; Mercury News story
India aviation to grow 40 per cent (May 14)
From Sify.com: The Minister for Civil Aviation, Praful Patel, recently said the domestic aviation traffic was expected to record a growth of 40 per cent during the current year. Addressing the Consultative Committee meeting of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Minister said while growth during 2005 was 26 per cent it was 20 per cent during the previous year. "With this significant growth rate the Ministry is focussing on redistributing air traffic across the country," said Patel.
Source
Air NZ to get first 787-9 (May 14)
 Air New Zealand will be the first airline in the world to take delivery of Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner, collecting the first of its four 787-9s in 2010. According to Boeing: The 787-9 is capable of carrying 250-290 passengers on routes of 8600
to 8800 nautical miles (15,900-16,300 kilometers). Air NZ selected the
Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine to power its 787-9s.
Taiwan to enter world LSA market (May 14)
A consortium of six Taiwanese businesses and a research institute have put together a program to develop a light sport aircraft aimed at the growing domestic and North American market.
Spearheaded by the Chung-Shan Institute, the group enjoys strong government backing. According to a recent media statement, “The Aeronautical Industry Development Promotion Panel, under the Ministry of Economic Affairs, estimates that in the next 10 years, domestic demand for super-light aircraft will top 5000 units.”
New 777 flight sim scores well (May 14)
 Pheonix Simulation Software has released a fully-functional flight sim for the Boeing 777 which a reviewer at FlightSim.com says is a long way ahead of the offering in FS2004.
Nigel Martin says, “The excitement comes here in the realism. Now let's face it, few of us involved in this hobby do it for real. But we all secretly think, 'Yeah, I could land this' when we take the shuttle to Gatwick or the holiday jet to the sun.
“Well this excellent 777 is in that territory. And it is exciting. Exciting if, like me, you like a chunky detailed handbook, and an avionics suite that beeps, buzzes and flashes at you when you have not selected the appropriate flap setting etc.
“This is one aircraft you need to train yourself on. It has a flight management computer that, if you program it correctly, behaves like the real thing. Misuse the engines on the ground and this bird will shout at you and tell you off.”
See the review at this link.
Vegetable-seller has wings clipped (May 11)
An enterprising vegetable seller living in a village in northern India had his aviation ambitions cut short recently when police prevented him from test-flying a home-made helicopter.
The 24-year-old, identified as Mustkeem, says he built the machine from two motorscooter engines plus tractor and autorickshaw parts. It apparently weighs around 250 kilos, has two seats and is about 3.5 metres long.
The would-be aviator was hauled before a local magistrate, who told him he could not fly without the permission of the local aviation authority. Mustkeem is reported to have said his creation may have some shortcomings, but they will only be discovered through a test flight.
New toys for Virgin Blue (May 11)
Discount carrier Virgin Blue announced that it has ordered nine new Boeing 737s, to be delivered from 2008. The order is in addition to four new 737-800 series being added to the fleet this year.
Russia to boost aviation (May 11)
Russian Pesident Vladimir Putin has identified the aviation industry as one that is in urgent need of investment, if it is to regain some competitiveness, during a recent address on the state of the nation.
"The restructuring of such crucial industries like aircraft- and shipbuilding has been under consideration for an unjustifiably long time," Putin said. "The government must intensify work and at last accomplish the objective of establishing the holdings."
Need some help? (May 11)
AllFlying reader Dave Henty-Wilson, who is a LAME, RAA Amateur-Build Inspector and Factory Built Inspector, plus RAA maintenance level 4, is offering building-assist services.
Dave is a flyer and builder, with two awards achieved to date at RAA Natfly, held each year at Narromine NSW.
He says kit projects often 'stall' and this is a possible answer to the problem. Contact dhentywilson@yahoo.com
Cessna develops 3-D brochures (May 10)
 Cessna is developing a proprietary, interactive, 3-D aircraft specification software system that combines engineering data with customer configuration options and provides lifelike real-time visualisation to the customer, as well as cost and weight changes to the aircraft.
“Digital, 3-D systems for basic product specification applications are not new, but most of the current systems on the Internet – particularly the auto spec tools – are really just digital brochures that are fairly static in what they can do for the customer,” said Cynthia Halsey, vice president of Interior Design, Engineering and Development. “The Cessna system will be 100 percent real time and will provide all the information a customer needs to make an informed decision about outfitting an aircraft.”
Working in cooperation with Anark Corporation, a leading 3-D application solution provider, Cessna plans to launch the new system by the end of the year. It will be available first at Cessna’s customer spec centers in Wichita and in its new Farnborough office, and then have portable applications soon after.
“It is a very large project, and it is a major task to integrate all the things we believe need to be there, but we think the investment is worth it in the long run in terms of real value to the people who buy our aircraft,” Halsey said. “Cessna has taken a leadership position in this market by maintaining a ‘customer first’ attitude about everything we do, and development of this system is no different.”
Digital brochures have been used for some time by car makers and other companies with products that offer a relatively small number of configurations or options. Aircraft configurations can take hours to complete due to the complexity of the system choices and options available.
Source: Cessna
1 million watch air race (May 8)
Around 1 million spectators descended on Barcelona’s Bogatell Beach to see Peter Besenyei beat ten other world class pilots in the second leg of the Red Bull Air Race World Series. Hungarian Besenyei edged out American favourites Kirby Chambliss and Mike Mangold to win the race with a total time of 2:33.82.
The pilots reached speeds of over 400kph as they raced through a specially constructed obstacle course positioned over the water. The crowds tied up traffic for miles as the southern coastal roads came to a standstill. Avoiding the streets, scores of spectators arrived in sailboats and yachts to watch the event from the sea. It was a phenomenal turnout considering that rival Barcelona teams FC Barcelona and Espanyol were playing in nearby Camp Nou Stadium in front of 65,000 fans. More than 10 times that number lined the shores to watch the Air Race.
Spaniard Alejandro Maclean received huge support from his home country but unfortunately only made it to 7th position. It’s currently a close competition between Besenyei, Mangold and Chambliss who are leading the World Series standings with an even score of 10 points each.
Besenyei suffered problems with his plane in the first race of the season in Abu Dhabi and was forced to fly a heavier two-seater in that competition. He was ecstatic about his win attributing it to his new plane, the Edge 540. “I’m really happy with my new plane”, he said. “It’s so much faster than the previous one and really gave me the edge! But more than anything it was a great feeling to beat Mike Mangold by six seconds”.
The series visits Perth on November 19.
Next event: Berlin, May 27.
Source: Red Bull
Joint Strike Fighter gets closer (May 8)
 The joint strike fighter F35 project, in which Australia is involved, is making progress wwith the website now revealing pics of the aircraft set up for vibration testing. The project now has a large collection of photos and videos available at this link.
Randon testing condemned (May 8)
The Australian Federation of Air Pilots (AFAP) is reported to have slammed the federal government proposal to introduce mandatory drug and alcohol testing for aircrew, saying the announcement lacked substance. The Australian newspaper also reported: AFAP industrial relations manager Lawrie Cox called on the Government to address "the more serious issue" of pilot fatigue.
AFAP; Australian newspaper
Pip Borrman for Temora AGM (May 8)
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association has announced that Castrol-backed aerobatic flyer Pip Borrman will be a guest speaker at the organisation’s AGM on May 12-14.
Assuming the group can get approval from the local council, it’s also hoping for a display flight at 12.30 on Saturday. See this AOPA link.
Flying car rides again (May 8)
The popular and long-held ambition of a flying car is being tackled by a company called Terrafugia, based in Massachusetts in the USA.
The company says, “Terrafugia, which is derived from the Latin for ‘escape from land’, was founded by graduates of the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and incorporated in 2006. Currently based in Cambridge, Massachusetts , Terrafugia combines solid aircraft design fundamentals with a focus on creativity and customer service.”
The plan is to develop the aircraft, called the Transition, using a 100hp engine – based on the performance of a Rotax 912 ULS or similar.
Basic stats for the ambitious project include a cruise speed of 104 knots, 600 kilo gross take-off weight and payload of 195 kilos.
About the aircraft, the company says: “The Transition is a Personal Air Vehicle (PAV) designed to make general aviation more practical for personal transportation. This increased practicality is accomplished by enabling the promise of a true integrated roadable aircraft at an economically compelling price. The Transition will be capable of driving at normal highway speeds, flying at speeds that approach the light sport aircraft limit, and parking in a standard garage. The freedom enabled by this aircraft will fundamentally increase the personal mobility of its owners while simultaneously improving the safety and practicality of GA travel.”
The deisngers currently suggest a price of $198,000 (Australian) for the two-seater, but no production time has been nominated.
Terrafugia website; Roadable Times flying car site
Tiger project exposed as deficient (May 4)
 The acquisition by the Australian Defence Force of Tiger armed reconnaissance helicopters has been exposed as being over budget and producing aircraft which do not meet the ADF’s requirements. Those conclusions were reached in a report by the national Auditor General.
The report says: “Defence had intended that the ARH aircraft was to have been an ‘off-the-shelf’ delivery of proven, operational technology, lowering the risk of schedule, cost and performance shortfalls. The ARH acquisition transitioned to become a more developmental program for the ADF, which has resulted in heightened exposure to schedule, cost and capability risks, both for acquisition of the capability, and delivery of through-life support services.
“The ADF has not had an effective Tiger ARH capability and has had a limited ability to train aircrews, 12 months after accepting the first two production aircraft (ARH 1 and 2) in December 2004. At the time of acceptance of ARH 5 in June 2005, the aircraft was not fit for purpose against all the Contracted requirements…
“The first three aircraft accepted by the DMO carried configuration deficiencies that did not meet contractual specifications. These included capabilities associated with: maximum all-up weight; weapons operability; navigation system operability for instrument rated flight conditions; software integration; an emergency locator beacon; a compliant voice flight data recorder operable in high ‘G’ environments; proven crash resistance; an ability to undertake protracted flight over water (for the first two aircraft); an operable ground management system to task and communicate with the aircraft; and the required spares and support and test equipment.” (Pic: ADF)
Auditor General’s report
GPS tracking a terrorist’s dream – Smith (May 4)
According to aviator and businessman Dick Smith, a decision by Airservices Australia to be the first in the world to replace radar tracking of aircraft with a low cost GPS-type system will seriously jeopardise aviation security and allow terrorists and criminals to track every aircraft in the sky, including police, customs and defence aircraft and even the Prime Minister’s plane.
Smith says a small electronic device, which is available by mail order, can give anyone access to information on the exact location of any ADS-B equipped aircraft. (ADS-B -- Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast – is an aircraft mounted ‘black box’ that transmits GPS position information).
“Airservices Australia is currently reversing the Federal Government’s policy on using the US radar-based National Airspace System (NAS),” Dick Smith said.
However the office of the Federal Minister, Warren Truss, has said no decision has been made.
Dick Smith release
Brisbane woman wins Anderson Trophy (May 4)
A 23-year-old Brisbane woman has been recognised as Australia's highest performing female trainee professional pilot.
Jacqueline Holmes has won a special award from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and the Australian Women Pilots Association for outstanding academic achievement in professional aviation studies over the past year.
Jacqueline, who is close to gaining her Air Transport Pilots Licence, is studying at Flight Training Australia at Archerfield in Brisbane.
She says winning the Sir Donald Anderson Trophy for academic performance in aviation studies is a real thrill.
“I've always wanted to be a pilot but never believed I'd be able to get this far, let alone win an award like this,” Jacqueline says.
CASA and the Australian Women Pilots Association chose Jacqueline as this year's winner of the Sir Donald Anderson Trophy because of her remarkable progress in aviation study and training during the last year.
CASA's head of safety promotion, David Pattie, says Jacqueline passed all three levels of pilot examinations in a little over 12 months.
The Sir Donald Anderson Trophy is awarded each year to the woman pilot who is judged to have made the best progress towards professional aviation qualifications.
It commemorates a man who made a distinguished contribution to Australian aviation after World War II, holding the position of Director-General of Civil Aviation for almost 17 years.
Australian Women Pilots Association
Dreamliner parts mule takes shape (May 4)
 From Boeing: Modifications continue on the 747-400s that will transport major components of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The distinctive look of the aircraft crystallized recently with the installation of the ‘brow’, the section just behind the cockpit. The brow, joined to the other enlarged upper fuselage sections, is what makes the freighters ideal for shipping the large composite sections and wings of the Dreamliner. The volume of the Large Cargo Freighter's main deck will be 65,000 cubic feet (1845m3), three times the cargo by volume as the 747-400 freighter.
Two of the three airplanes that will be converted are undergoing modification at Evergreen Aviation Technologies Corp. in Taiwan. The third will follow later. The freighter will make its first flight this summer and be certified by the end of the year. The first two airplanes begin supporting 787 final assembly in 2007.
Mandatory alcohol & drug testing soon (May 2)
From the Truss bunker: The Australian Government Minister for Transport and Regional Services, Warren Truss, said pilots, flight crew, cabin crew, ground refuellers, baggage handlers, security screeners, air traffic controllers and other personnel with airside access at airports will become subject to drug and alcohol testing.
"The road transport industry and other sectors such as mining and forestry have already moved to address the safety risks posed by drug and alcohol use. It is appropriate for the aviation sector to do likewise."
Mr Truss said a broad approach to testing in various forms would be adopted.
"Testing could involve screening applicants prior to them taking on safety-sensitive roles, random on-the-job testing and monitoring the effectiveness of rehabilitation as an employee prepares to return to work."
Mr Truss said various drug and alcohol tests had been successfully introduced in a number of overseas nations.
"Testing, particularly in the United States and Europe, has been shown to reduce aviation safety risks arising from drug and alcohol use."
"The testing will be supported by educational initiatives to warn of the dangers posed by drug and alcohol use, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, and the additional risks they can pose in a safety-sensitive, aviation environment."
Mr Truss said civil aviation regulations will be developed to facilitate a range of testing, to be implemented by industry, with a reporting requirement to the aviation safety regulator CASA. A similar system has existed in the United States for many years.
"I encourage the aviation industry to make full use of the consultative processes in place to ensure that the most appropriate form of regulation, in an Australian context, is achieved," he said.
The Australian Transport and Safety Bureau, which investigates aviation accidents, will also have its powers expanded to enable testing to occur after accidents and incidents.
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