What's
new
Stuff
we've added recently
Features
A
good read
In the cockpit
Meet
some flyers
Employment
Get
a job
New products
Gadgets
and toys
Archives &
downloads
Try our library
Coming
events
Get out there!
Links
Clubs
& contacts
The trade
Where
to buy stuff
Health
& safety
Editorial
About us
Airfield codes
Airservices
Weather
Streetmap
Weather
For
learners
Key clubs
Aircraft Owners & Pilots
Helicopter Association
Recreational Aviation
Sport Aircraft
Women Pilots Assn
Pacific Flyer covers all the latest in amateur-built & ultralight aviation. Look for it at your newsagent.
Our
other mags
Main
index
|
News
Big Brit order starts bidding war (19 Jan)
A 1 million pound order by British Airways, said to be announced in a few months and involving 135 aircraft, has sparked an intense bidding war from arch rivals Airbus and Boeing.
The European manufacturer is bleeding money thanks to a string of problems and delays with the two-decker A380 and Boeing will no doubt be keen to ensure its rival remains on the back foot.
The Australian newspaper today reports: Analysts said that Boeing remained the likely winner, but a competitive bid from Airbus would force Boeing to offer a more attractive price. Delivery of the new fleet will begin in 2009, with BA buying or leasing an interim order of 777s to boost capacity and allow it to open new routes. The airline is hoping that these new aircraft will enable it to increase passenger numbers by between 3 per cent and 4 per cent a year.
Australian home; Story
LSA Cessna on track (18 Jan)
 From Cessna: Engineers at Cessna continue to be impressed with the performance of the proof-of-concept (POC) model of a light sport aircraft as the company continues its evaluation of the aircraft, the business case and the overall LSA market.
Cessna’s LSA POC will be on display during the US Sport Aviation Expo this week in Sebring, Fla., and will be taking part in flying demonstrations during the show.
“Our proof-of-concept model has proven to be impressive in terms of performance and handling qualities,” said Cessna’s project engineer Neal Willford.
To date, the POC aircraft has logged some 50 flight hours conducting a range of tests evaluating a variety of aircraft characteristics while gathering critical data to be used by the company in its decision to proceed with the program. Cessna plans to make a go/no-go announcement after the evaluation is completed.
Cessna revealed its intention to study the feasibility of developing and producing an LSA June 2006. The POC aircraft made its first flight Oct. 13, 2006, only nine months after the project was initiated.
Cessna’s LSA POC features a high wing spanning 30 feet, side-by-side seating for two in a cabin with a maximum width of 48 inches (a half-foot more than the ubiquitous Cessna 152), tricycle gear, and a 100-hp Rotax 912 engine.
Cessna’s light sport aircraft POC incorporates dual control sticks, upward opening doors, toe brakes, and a castering nose wheel. Construction is primarily of aluminum, with selective use of composite parts in the cowl, wing and dorsal fin.
The newly-emerging LSA category is the highest-growth sector of general aviation. Light Sport Aircraft are defined as having a maximum gross weight of 1320 pounds, maximum level-flight speed of 120 knots, and no more than two seats.
Cessna web (Pic: Cessna)
Personal Light Jets the future? (18 Jan)
From Aviation Week: The production life expectancy of most high-performance piston singles and twins, plus some entry-level turboprops, may be even shorter than predicted by twin-turbofan VLJ proponents. That's because the price of admission to the jet set is being further reduced with the introduction of the single-engine personal light jet, or PLJ. Even the most ardent VLJ promoters see a market for less expensive entry-level single turbofan aircraft.
Aviation Week home; Story
New models abound at Sport Expo (17 Jan)
From AVweb: New airplanes were everywhere at the US Sport Aviation Expo. The undisputed star of the show was the proof-of-concept Cessna LSA. Expect some changes if it goes into production -- the wing is slated to move down and rearward and engine cooling will be refined (there were a new cowl outlet and NACA inlet duct in evidence at Sebring). Cessna will announce whether it will join the LSA market before Sun 'n Fun. Avia brought its A-16 Sport Falcon tandem-seat trainer and said an amphibious version is in the works. LSA America was there showing its Czech-built Mystique, which is now available in 80- or 100-hp 912 versions. Jim Stewart (S-51 Mustang) showed his new metal twin-boom S-LSA pusher design dubbed The Horizon.
AVweb story
AWPA Flying Scholarships (17 Jan)
The Australian Women Pilot's Association (AWPA) currently is running a number of flying scholarships to the value of $50,000, mainly to members of the AWPA but some are also available to non-members including males.
Scholarships are available for training up to CPL, air safety course,
aerobatics endorsement, night rating, documents and charts,
instructor/CIR, ATPL theory, twin endorsement, PIFR rating and more.
Applications close on the 31st January 2007.
Full details of the scholarships can be found on the AWPA website
Boeing Dreamlifter delivers first 787 bits (17 Jan)
 From Boeing: Boeing yesterday delivered
the first major assemblies for the all-new 787 Dreamliner to its partner
Global Aeronautica in Charleston, SC, completing the first-ever
delivery cycle using the Dreamlifter, a specially modified 747-400.
"The Dreamlifter proved beyond a doubt that it is the right
transportation solution for the lean, global production system we are
using to build the 787," said Scott Strode, vice president of Airplane
Development and Production for the 787 program. "We can now do in hours
what used to take weeks. This is good news for us, our partners and
ultimately, our airline customers.
"
The load consisted of section 43, a forward fuselage section made by
Kawasaki Heavy Industries, and section 11/45, the center wheel well and
center wing tank made by KHI and Fuji Heavy Industries and joined at
FHI. The Dreamlifter left Nagoya, Japan, on Friday. It successfully
performed some required flight testing in Seattle over the weekend, and
headed to Charleston late Sunday. The parts were unloaded yesterday.
"The arrival of our first 787 shipment from Japan is an important
milestone," said Randy Smith, chief operating officer of Global
Aeronautica, LLC. "Our employees are ready to start work on the first
Dreamliner and are honored to be a part of Boeing's worldwide team
that's delivering on its promise to bring the most technologically
advanced aircraft to customers in 2008."
(Pic: Global Aeronautica)
Pilots told: watch out for wires (16 Jan)
From CASA: Aerial agriculture pilots are being warned to be extra vigilant about the risks of striking powerlines while crop spraying.
Over a ten year period Australian aviation recorded 119 wire strike accidents and 98 incidents.
In this time 45 people died as a result of wire strikes, with 33 people suffering serious injuries and 42 minor injuries.
Sixty two per cent of wire strike accidents occur in aerial agriculture operations.
Pilots are being told that pre-flight planning has to extremely thorough to identify wire strike risks, while wire awareness must be maintained at all times during low-level flight.
The warnings are contained in a story in the latest edition of CASA’s flagship publication, Flight Safety Australia magazine.
Phil Hurst, the chief executive officer of the Aerial Agriculture Association of Australia, says nearly three quarters of wire strike accidents and incidents involve aircraft hitting wires that pilots had already identified.
He says another 30 per cent of wire strikes occur when a pilot has failed to identify the wires.
“Planning and risk management are the foundation stones of any successful ag operation,” Mr Hurst writes in Flight Safety Australia.
“Most ag operators use a simple but comprehensive form that they ask clients to fill in before any ag job goes ahead.
“This generally includes a hazard checklist identifying wires as well as environmentally sensitive areas, waterways, school bus routes and times, dwellings and a range of other potential threats to the operation.
“But even with good planning an ag pilot does not accept a map as accurate.
“Every operation should have an aerial survey flown at a safe height before descending on the initial run to check for anything that has been missed.”
Read the story “Watch out for wires” at this link
Rotax shelves V6 (15 Jan)
 Austrian-based Rotax has announced it will not go forward with the commercialization of its V6 aircraft engines but will continue to focus on its existing range of recreational aircraft engines, the 912 and 914 models (914 pictured). However, the company completed the certification tests of the V6 aircraft engine by December 2006.
"We have come a long way with the V6 engine and we are proud of what we have accomplished," said Gerd Ohrnberger, vice-president and general manager, BRP-Rotax. "However, when BRP was sold three years ago, management decided to concentrate the company's core activities on powersports products. Today's announcement will ensure that BRP-Rotax's human and financial resources continue to contribute to our company's mainstream activities and to its growth," he concluded.
Completing the certification suggests the design might be up for sale.
See www.rotax.com
 Return
to top
See
our archives for earlier news
Use this tool to search our
site or the web.
|
Job
watch
Have your job ad highlighted here and on its own page -- email us via this link for details.
See our jobs
page
Free
Newsletter
AllFlying is sending out a weekly email newsletter with all the latest gossip. It is free. See our subscription page.
Got
news, an event or product?
Let us know about it & we'll give it a
run on this site. It's a free service. Email us via this link.
We are happy to host club & airpark pages FOC: See this example from Gatton Airpark. Email us at this link & we'll get yours up & running.
|
