Innholdsfortegnelse for September - October 2017 i Australian Flying

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Last issue saw our little fleet from Curtis Aviation and WardAir set off from Sydney and Bathurst on an eight-day air adventure, centred on a circumnavigation of Tasmania. We had student pilots, two instructors and qualified pilots of various experience scattered through our five aircraft, all keen to add a logbook entry that included a few of those legendary pirate haunts below the 40th parallel. Let’s pick up the story on our circumnavigation day. To be honest, our highly optimistic route to follow the coast all the way around Tassie to the west coast was never guaranteed. The south-west corner in particular is famous for its wild weather. We’d already crossed Bass Strait in a whole lot more comfort than the Sydney-Hobart fleet usually does, but to wake up that…

Parachute pilots, like ag pilots, have always been regarded by the general aviation community as a breed unto themselves. Photos throughout history will show sneakered pilots flying weather-beaten old Cessnas jammed to the main spar with sport parachutists. It could even be that the pilot was a PPL moonlighting on weekends for minimal pay, or even just for the flying hours. But somewhere along the line, all that changed. Now, a parachute pilot is likely to be a fully-trained commercial pilot flying paying tandem customers in a Pratt & Whitney-powered turbo-prop. It marks a change not only in the average jump pilot, but also in focus for the parachute community. Whereas sport jumpers once reigned supreme, most operations now are commercial companies flying adventurous customers on one-off tandem skydives. Accordingly,…

One of the tenets of aviation is that the education never stops. Regardless of whether they’re flying a Cirrus or an Airbus A380, pilots with a reputation as “a safe pair of hands” are invariably those who have studied the book, explored the FMS menus on the ground, learned every tip and trick they can from the old hands, and know their aircraft’s systems and operating environment inside out. And it all begins with the Basic Aeronautical Knowledge (BAK) exam. Forming the theory component of the General Flying Progress Test in Private Pilot’s Licence training, the BAK comes after students have flown their first solo, usually with around 30 to 40 flying hours of experience, although some schools want their students to have their BAK before being let loose on…

Airbus Helicopters has celebrated the 50th anniversary of the maiden flight of its iconic Gazelle. Fifty years after its first flight on 7 April 1967, the SA340 Gazelle is still operational in 34 countries around the world. Originally a Sud Aviation design, it was developed and manufactured in co-operation with Westland in the United Kingdom at the end of the 1960s, and more than 1250 were delivered. The Gazelle was the first helicopter to be equipped with the Fenestron tail rotor, and fibre-glass resin main rotor blades, which were developed in co-operation with Germany’s Bölkow. It was also the first helicopter in the world to be certified for single pilot IFR by the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA). Helicopter Precinct proposed for Cairns Expressions of interest for a Helicopter Enterprise…

When people think about the Civil Aviation Safety Authority the first concept that comes to mind is unlikely to be service delivery. Quite naturally, people think about safety, regulation and education. The Civil Aviation Act says: “in exercising its powers and performing its functions, CASA must regard the safety of air navigation as the most important consideration”. So our role is very clear – we must enhance and promote the safety of civil aviation, in particular to prevent accidents and incidents. The Act goes on to set out the functions CASA will perform to meet these objectives. These include the requirement to develop clear and concise aviation safety standards, conduct surveillance and enforcement, provide education and training and engage in consultation. In addition, the Act says CASA will issue certificates,…

AD/GEN/87, like the Cessna SID mandate for non-commercial operators, raised a lot of criticism from aircraft owners and maintenance organisations when, and since, it was made. Replacing primary flight control cables at 15 years, irrespective of condition, adds unnecessary costs, or does it? Did the inspection criteria standards fail to identify the stress corrosion attributed to chloride stress corrosion cracking? Was the inspection criteria used correctly or was the industry inspection criteria deficient so this corrosion would be missed? Did CASA take the right action when confronted with defective cables and ATSB, NTSB and CAA(NZ) reports of defective cable terminals? Chloride stress corrosion is a form of intergranular corrosion which can originate from within the end fittings. When a small pit appears on the surface of an end fitting, the…

Recreational Aviation Australia will no longer issue Aviation Security Identification Cards (ASIC) after the board made a decision in June to withdraw from the program. RAAus was an Issuing Body for ASICs, but according to the organisation, the cost of complying with new regulations would be prohibitive. New ASIC regulations include in-person verification, which means the applicant must present identity documents to the Issuing Body in person. The documents cannot be posted to the Issuing Body any more. In addition, documents can no longer be verified by Justices of the Peace or other authorised witnesses. Verification can be done only by the Issuing Body or an agent trained to act on their behalf. A new system of proof-of-identity has also been introduced, which requires applicants to provide at least three…

At the end of this year Civil Aviation Safety Authority stakeholder engagement group manager Rob Walker will survey the aviation industry to ask how well the authority is communicating. It will be the first major industry-wide formal research since the Colmar Brunton satisfaction survey was released in August last year, in which around half of the more than 1200 respondents indicated they were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with CASA’s relationship and its dialogue with industry. This survey will be a litmus test for the new more client-orientated three-division structure and strategy created in 2016 by former CEO Mark Skidmore in response to Recommendation 21 of the Aviation Safety Regulation Review. The new structure folded stakeholder communications into an engagement team, recruiting 35-year communications veteran Walker from Airservices to take the…

If you’re familiar with the Schneider name you would know it’s synonymous with unique sailplane design, with the pinnacle of production taking place from 1954 through to 1968. The Schneider’s didn’t just build incredible designs, they built Australian pilots with many early Australian records being achieved in Schneider aircraft. In a time before marketing spin and the value of a name, Schneider designs paid homage to Australiana with names reflecting natives such as the Kangaroo, Kookaburra, Kingfisher, and the Platypus. Unsettling times When Harry was young, his Father Edmund began forging a reputation for his Sailplanes, establishing the E. Schneider Ltd Glider Factory situated in Grunau, a small town near Hirshberg in east Germany. One of Edmund’s earliest designs became popular in 1930, the Grunau Baby, with thousands being sold…

It’s something pilots and planners dream about: a general aviation airport just five nautical miles from the central business district, with a control tower, instrument approaches, runway lighting, spare land and two long sealed runways that can handle aircraft of up to 45,000 kg. Melbourne has one: Essendon Airport. Something not widely known, even in the aviation community, is that under the direction of Essendon Fields (EF) CEO Chris Cowan, Melbourne’s city airport is burgeoning after an upsurge in investment and development. The number of jobs on site has increased from about 500 in 2001 to more than 7000, with that figure expected to double soon. The significance of this for pilots is that Essendon is now cemented in. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews recently emphasised that it’s a key part…

Garmin now has a G5 electronic flight instrument to replace directional gyros (DG) or horizontal situation indicators (HSI) in type-certificated fixed-wing general aviation aircraft. When paired with select VHF NAV/COMMs or GPS navigators, the G5 can be considered primary for displaying magnetic heading, VOR/LOC guidance and/or GPS course guidance, as well as distance and groundspeed. The installation of dual G5 electronic flight instruments can also eliminate the dependency on a failure-prone vacuum system. Installation approval is via supplemental type certificate (STC) containing over 650 individual aircraft models Comprising of a bright, 89 mm LCD display, the G5 DG/HSI displays magnetic heading information using new cost-effective magnetometer. A dedicated rotary knob enables pilots to easily select and adjust course and make heading bug selections. Suitable for installation in place of a…

Recreational aviation in Australia reached an historic and remarkable milestone in July. CASA issued an invitation to RAAus to become one of its chief advisors, as a member of the newly formed Aviation Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP). The new panel will be asked to "provide objective, high-level advice to CASA on current, emerging and potential issues with significant implications for aviation safety and the way CASA performs its functions". The other members of the panel will include government departments, the big airlines and airport operators. RAAus Chairman, Michael Monck, said CASA’s invitation to RAAus is a big pat on the back for the organisation, which has made big strides in its professionalism and development in the past five years. “The invitation to be on this high level committee recognises the…

Brad Mulcahy has what you’d call runs on the board. In the highly skilled and demanding sport of aerobatic flying in Australia, he’s the best of the best. Brad is the Australian Aerobatic Champion Unlimited. He earned his place at the top of the podium at last year’s Nationals at Tocumwal, pitted against six other gun aerobatic pilots, all with their eyes equally focused on winning that title. Brad now has an even bigger prize in his sights. Representing Australia, he and his Zivko Edge 540 are heading to South Africa to compete on the international stage against the world’s most revered aerobatic pilots. The Unlimited World Aerobatic Championships will be held from 9-17 September 2017 at Malelane Airport, in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa, about 350 km east…

AOPA Australia CEO Ben Morgan has described his organisation's exclusion from the Aviation Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) as counter-productive to aviation safety. In a letter dated 7 July 2017 and addressed to CASA CEO Shane Carmody and Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester, Morgan says not including AOPA Australia, the Aviation Maintenance Repair and Overhaul Business Association (AMROBA) and the Aerial Application Association of Australia (AAAA) means that general aviation has not been given fair representation. “Whilst the AOPA Australia can appreciate and understand CASA’s desire to streamline its industry consultative panels, we do not support the exclusion of the general aviation (GA) industry associations,” Morgan states. “Excluding the GA industry associations from the ASAP is viewed as counterproductive to the overall safety objectives that guide CASA, further damaging…

Riddells Creek is one of a collection of towns in Victoria’s Macedon region that act as the keepers of history and heritage. Known especially for its bluestone rail bridge and period architecture, Riddells Creek is a favourite stop for day trippers and those seeking an overnight escape from the clamour of Melbourne. But what is lost on most tourists is that it is also home to an airfield with a 880-metre sealed runway. One tiny arrowed sign in the middle of the town pointing to the outskirts is the only clue, and once the route turns to drifting dirt it sets you to wondering if you’re still on the right path. In June this year, I followed the little arrowed sign for my first visit to Riddell Airfield after being…

Aircraft towing company Speedhawk has added the Supertow Striker to its range of aircraft tows. The Supertow Striker is capable of ground manoeuvring aircraft weighing up to 7000 kg, making it suitable for mid-range twins such as AeroCommanders, Aerostars, Navajos and Cessna 400 series, as well as single-engined turbo-props and entry-level jets. The Striker is powered by a 36v electric motor supplied from three heavy-duty batteries and has a low profile compared with most aircraft tows to make sure it clears nose-gear doors. It also has dynamic braking and an electro-magnetic parking brake, which means the aircraft can be left on the tow without the need for wheel chocks. All controls are contained on the handle, so there is no need for bending. The Supertow Striker is priced at $10,800…

In 1971 Graham Davis had to dream up an excuse for getting a pilot’s licence. As his wife’s parents lived on the Eyre Peninsula and his own parents lived in the southeast of the same state, it made sense to fly between the two – didn’t it? Of course it did, and his wife thought so too. How lucky can a bloke be? Well, a fair bit luckier, as it turns out. In his role as District Superintendent of Schools between the Barrier Highway and the Eyre Peninsula, the South Australian Department of Education provided him with a Cessna 210 to scuttle around in. It was a perfect job and one that Graham held to firmly for 15 years, flying around 200 hours annually. When he retired though, he started…