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News
Paraglider survival a miracle (18 Feb)
 From the Age newspaper: A Polish-born German paraglider survived after a storm system sucked her to an altitude higher than Mount Everest. Ewa Wisnierska, 35, passed out due to a lack of oxygen and flew unconscious for up to an hour covered in ice after reaching an altitude of 9947 metres (32,600ft) -- near the cruising height of a jumbo jet. (Pic: SkyFly)
Full report at the Age; Wisnierska bio at SkyFly online
Ease up on private maintenance – AOPA (18 Feb)
From The Australian newspaper: Private pilots are lobbying the aviation regulator to relax the maintenance requirements for the nation's fleet of ageing light aircraft. The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association is worried that the proliferation of fees and the introduction of the GST has harmed the industry's ability to buy parts.
Full story; AOPA website
Ailines accused of killing off local jobs (18 Feb)
New Zealand and Australian airlines are being accused of doing everything in their power to kill off local maintenance jobs in their home countries and moving them to cheaper bases overseas.
Air New Zealand has warned it will outsource as many as 1675 engineer jobs unless the local unions are willing to make concessions on conditions. The airline claims it can outsource the work to Spanish company Swissport at a saving of NZ$20 million.
Meanwhile Qantas is being accused of shipping jobs overseas by stealth, in letting a new fleet of A330s get their maintenance at Philippines site. Though in theory a temporary measure, local engineers fear the arrangement will become permanent.
China will need 3000 more big planes (18 Feb)
From Airbus: Airbus forecasts that the Chinese Mainland will need more than 3000 passenger aircraft and freighters from 2006 to 2025, including some 2050 single aisle aircraft, nearly 600 small twin-aisle aircraft, over 200 intermediate twin-aisle aircraft and 180 very large aircraft. Some 2650 passenger aircraft will be required on the Chinese Mainland with a total value of US$ 289 billion. The Chinese mainland passenger fleet will triple in the next 20 years, from 760 at the end of 2005, to 2700 in 2025.
Freighter traffic in China is expected to grow six-fold and will need close to 400 freighter aircraft over the next 20 years. China's freighter traffic demand will remain at a high level with an average domestic market growth rate of 10.9 per cent p.a. and an average international market growth rate of 8.9 per cent p.a.
"In terms of in-service aircraft, Airbus' market share on the Chinese Mainland has already increased from seven per cent in 1995 to the current 35 per cent. Our aim is to reach 50 per cent in 2011," said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer Customers. "In next 20 years, the greatest demand for passenger aircraft will come from the Chinese Mainland just after the United States," he added.
Full release
The year of the Falcon (16 Feb)
Dassault has celebrated a good year in 2006. The company says consolidated orders amount to 5.29 billion euros owing particularly to the sales of 158 Falcon, which sets an historical record.
Dassault home
Raptors on the loose (15 Feb)
 From Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii: The first overseas operational deployment of the Air Force's newest fighter is underway as 12 F-22 Raptors landed here en route to Kadena Air Base, Japan.
Ed’s note: The F-22 Raptor is the US military’s cutting edge warbird and is now deploying in substantial numbers. Another 35 aircraft have been sent to Alaska.
US Air Force site; Try this electronic DIY Raptor kit (WIndows only)
Light sport engines –- a US point of view (15 Feb)
“Looking around at the recent US Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, FL, it was hard not to conclude that it's a great time to be Rotax. While homebuilders on tight budgets like to grouse about the company's pricing, the engines -- both two- and four-stroke -- have earned their status…” Ed's note: The piece goes on to talk about Aussie maker Jabiru and where it sits in the market. It’s worth a read…
See this link
Fighters to cost a bomb (15 Feb)
Australia’s financial commitment to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter project has doubled. Meanwhile, there’s concern that Oz is not allowed to buy into the leading edge F-22 Raptor project which the US says it will not sell to any foreign force.
The ABC reports: “The Australian Strategic Policy Institute says the project to buy the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) planes is now expected to cost more than $20 billion, almost double the initial estimates. The Institute also warns that because of expected lengthy delays in their delivery, the Federal Cabinet will need to spend $4 billion on other aircraft to cover the gap.”
ABC report on F-35; Australian newspaper report on F-22
What’s that word? (15 Feb)
 New product release: Aviation is an industry full of terms, acronyms and technical language. This book helps users understand all the words, abbreviations, phrases, and disciplines of aviation. The most complete collection of aviation terminology available, this fourth edition by industry-expert Dale Crane explains as well as defines more than 10,000 terms and includes nearly 500 illustrations to further define and aid visual recognition. Appendices include useful lists and tables, such as the periodic table of elements, phonetic alphabet, Morse code, and an expanded list of aviation acronyms.
See this link
100 years of roatary wings (15 Feb)
From Eurocopter: After the flights of a few small and extremely light working models, the development of low-weight internal combustion engines with enough power paved the way in the early 20th century for the first flight of a piloted helicopter. History has retained one date, 1907, and a few names, to mention but Bréguet-Richet, Cornu, Pescara, and Oehmichen.
The machine of Paul Cornu - a mechanic and a clever inventor - is often recognized today as one of the first helicopters to have achieved piloted free vertical flight for a few brief instants. Although the achievement was modest, it has left a lasting testimony of this man's passion and determination in his unequal struggle against the complexities of vertical flight, the sputtering engines, and the ill-suited materials of the time.
Eurocopter site
Big year for Eurocopter (15 Feb)
In 2006, Eurocopter successfully secured its position as the world's No. 1 helicopter manufacturer with a total of 381 new helicopter deliveries for new military and civil helicopters and strengthened its position as a major branded business division within EADS, counting for a consolidated turnover of 3.8 billion Euros. Compared to 2005, Eurocopter turnover increase amounts to 18 per cent.
Order bookings, showing a high demand for new helicopter models, counted up to 615 new aircraft equalling 4.89 billion Euros (rising from 3.52 billion euros in 2005). The company’s order backlog by the end of December 2006 was on a historical high, reaching 11 billion Euros.
Tyre cages, anyone? (15 Feb)
From Martin Hone – ever thought of caging those tyres?
See this link
Gatton Airpark Brekkie Fly-In (14 Feb)
29 April 2007
-- Everyone welcome from 7.00am. Check out the premier airpark development and
enjoy our breakfast and tea/coffee for just $5
. Contact Martin on 0419 368 696 or Beven (07) 5462-4174 for more info.
Or email av8@bigpond.com
(Ed’s note: Got an event coming up? Send us the details and we’ll give it a run.)
Seasprite to be junked? (13 Feb)
The Australian Defence Force Seasprite helicopter project may be junked, ten years and $1 billion down the track. UPI reports: “A number of the refurbished Seasprite helicopters from manufacturer Kaman Aerospace Corp were grounded last year by the navy over concerns about airworthiness and flight control systems. And the acquisition project, signed in 1997, is already six-years behind schedule because of software glitches and other problems.”
UPI report; Australian newspaper report (project could be sold for spares)
Cessna turns 80 (8 Feb)
 From Cessna: Cessna Aircraft Company is celebrating its 80th anniversary. Since Clyde Cessna founded the company in 1927, it has delivered nearly 190,000 airplanes, more than any other manufacturer in the world.
Cessna currently produces thirteen different types of aircraft. There are nine Citation jets designed for business operations, a turbo-prop powered Caravan, and three single engine aircraft. With the exception of the Citation Mustang, all Cessna’s Citation jets and the Caravan are manufactured at the Wichita plant. The Mustang and all single engine aircraft are produced at the Independence, Kansas facility. The company employs over 13,500 people globally and has an extensive network of factory direct and authorized service centers.
Based on unit sales, Cessna Aircraft Company is the world's largest manufacturer of general aviation airplanes. In 2006, Cessna delivered 1239 aircraft, including 307 Citation business jets, and reported revenues of about $4.2 billion and a backlog of $8.5 billion. Since the company was originally established in 1927, more than 189,000 Cessna airplanes have been delivered to nearly every country in the world. The global fleet of almost 5,000 Citations is the largest fleet of business jets in the world. See www.cessna.com.
Embraer thrives by thinking small (8 Feb)
From Forbes: Maybe it pays to think small. As Airbus finds itself mired in problems delivering its massive A380 super jumbo jet, its nearest competitor and the world's third-largest commercial aircraft maker, Embraer Empresa Brasileira De Aeronáutica, is having its best time ever by focusing in the other direction.
Full story
Airport contractors security risk – MP (8 Feb)
From The Age newspaper: Contractors and casuals working at airports and ports should be fired and replaced with public servants to improve security, an opposition MP says.
Full story
Bees to the Indian honeypot (8 Feb)
Aviation companies from around the world have flocked to the India air show, hoping for a piece of the billions of dollars in defense contracts the fast-growing South Asian country plans to spend in modernizing its military. India's defense minister told the gathering on Wednesday that India will soon invite bids from combat aircraft makers for up to US$10 billion worth of fighter jets.
Auto take-off & land tested (8 Feb)
 (Media release) Proxy Aviation Systems, Inc., a company that develops fully autonomous, optionally piloted unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), announced that it has successfully completed testing of its automatic take-off and landing (ATOL) capabilities of SkyWatcher, an optionally piloted, unmanned air vehicle (UAV) designed for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. The United States Air Force (USAF) sponsored and cooperated in the demonstration, which took place at Yuma Proving Ground, Yuma, Arizona on December 13, 2006.
Full release
Quote of the week (8 Feb)
“In 1946, BD and June Maule purchased a farm near Napoleon, Michigan. With the help of their two oldest children, they converted it to an airport. In the process, they had the dubious honor of leveling a dog race track which had been operated by Al Capone. The airport flourished, being used for flight training during the initial post-war aviation boom.”
From a USA media release honouring the founders of Maule Air. See this link.
Rotary wing UAV for Everest rescue (7 Feb)
 New Zealand UAV manufacturer TGR Helicorp has embarked on an ambitious project to develop an unmanned diesel-powered full-size helicopter capable of flying at altitudes of over 30,000ft and capable of lifting two people. It’s hoped the first example will be handed over to the Mount Everest Rescue Trust after testing in the Mount Cook (NZ) region during this year.
Project site
Airbus to build in Iceland (7 Feb)
Icelandic aviation company Avion Aircraft Trading (AAT) reached an agreement with European company Airbus in Toulouse, France, yesterday on the construction of six new airplanes. It is the first company to work with Airbus in the history of aviation in Iceland.
Full story at Iceland Review
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The unique aircraft cleaner that prevents corrosion
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Safe on all metals, plastic, rubber.
Will not streak on painted surfaces.
Visit our website for a full data sheet
www.ECO2000.com.au
Tel 1800-60-2000
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