Innholdsfortegnelse for March-April 2018 i Australian Flying

"You've got how many aircraft coming through?" "Oh, well, no more than seven. Sir." "Seven! And they're all student pilots?" "Oh no, goodness no. We wouldn't do that to you. Three of those are PPLs. It's just that they're pretty rusty with their CTA procedures. You know … it's been a while." "Okaaaay.” I’m hearing a chair slide out – he’s getting comfortable. Is that a pipe he’s lighting? “So, what can I help you with?" As I fire off my list of questions, I can tell my new friend, Drew, manning the control tower today at Sydney’s Richmond RAAF base, is warming to the topic. I relax as he assures me he doesn’t have anything huge and grey with an afterburner waiting for a landing clearance. So I explain…

There are some days in your life when you just know you look cool from the outside. This day was one of those for me. Expensive headset, stylish shades, branded cap, knifing through the sky in command of a high-speed tandem aircraft that looked like the only thing it had missing was stinger missiles mounted on hard points beneath the wing. Yes, if you ignored the grey beard and the paunch, I was never going to look more like Maverick than I did right then. But if pushed, I’d have to admit that it was the aeroplane that made the moment and not the pilot. Engineered in Germany, but polished in Italy, the mysterious-sounding Blackshape BK100 Prime is one of the sexiest recreational aircraft in the world, resembling as it…

In May 2016 Insitu Pacific won a Queensland Gas Company (QGC) contract to inspect gas wells, pipelines and processing facilities with its ScanEagle UAV. Launched from QGC property and flown by Insitu personnel, the Surat Basin operation saw the three-metre wingspan ScanEagle flying up to eight hours a day, providing visual inspection that had previously been conducted with manned aircraft or vehicle teams on the ground. The benefits to Queensland Gas were many, from reducing the need for company ground inspection teams to drive long distances, to reduced use of aircraft and cutting the number of access requests for inspection of QGS assets on private land. For Australian Association of Unmanned Systems chief executive officer Greg Tyrrell, the Queensland Gas operation is a case study in commercial use of UAVs.…

Greg Thom presents news and views from the Australian helicopter industry. The Fleet Air Arm marked the retirement of the navy’s remaining Sikorsky S-70B-2 and Aerospatiale AS350BA helicopters in a ceremony at HMAS Albatross in December. Both types have extensive naval histories; the Seahawk served for some 29 years with 816 squadron, and was operationally deployed in the Middle East throughout its service history. The Squirrel (Ecureuil) had an enviable 33 years in the training and general flying role, and was originally ordered as an Iroquois replacement, with delivery of 24 aircraft beginning in 1984. The aircraft were converted to AS350BA standard in 1994 by fitment of AS355 main rotor blades and tail rotor servos. At retirement, there were six Squirrels and three Seahawks airworthy. Two of each type has been…

The response from the aviation community to the reforms CASA is making to the aviation medical system has been very positive. Right across the board there have been statements of support for the changes. Our challenge is to bring in the new Basic Class Two medical certificate as quickly and smoothly as possible. We are aiming to have the Basic Class Two medical in place by the middle of this year, with significant work being done setting up processes and procedures, as well as providing general practitioners with the information and support they need to deliver the new certificates. CASA discussed the role of GPs in providing the Basic Class Two medical with the medical profession before we finalised the changes and we are confident it will be a success.…

Innovative Austrian aircraft manufacturer Diamond Aircraft Group announced in December that it had been bought by Chinese industrial powerhouse Wanfeng Aviation Co. Ltd. The move cames only 12 months after Wanfeng took a controlling 60% interest in Diamond's Canadian manufacturing operation. Wanfeng CEO Bin Chen will take control of Diamond as Chairman, whilst Diamond founder Christian Dries will step down to take up an advisory role. “Diamond is my life’s work," Dries said. "In the interest of a successful long term future, we needed to find the right partner to continue our good work. Wanfeng and specifically Mr Bin Chen share my vision of the future of general aviation and are investing for the right reasons, with a long term strategy and the resources to see their vision through. "I…

Twenty years ago the buying decision of an aviation headset was much easier that it is now: you either bought a David Clark or a cheaper set that did a similar job but was coupled with lower quality. Taking the fully-optioned package meant getting gel-filled ear seals. But technology marches lock-step with time, and today an aviation headset is a tool that integrates with the aircraft's systems to produce a total operating environment for pilots, and as a result, there are a lot more things to consider. Most of the new technology has manifested itself at the high-end of the headset market, where systems like Active Noise Reduction (ANR), Bluetooth and WiFi are becoming standard features, and materials development is making units lighter, stronger and more comfortable. That's not to…

One of the myriad ironies of flying is that handling the weather can be a private pilot’s greatest source of both frustration and satisfaction in a single flight. For weather-seasoned pilots there can be a sense of satisfaction when the wheels kiss the tarmac at a destination, having planned well to side-step that storm front, picked their way through annoying but manageable weather and even hitched a tailwind ride from weather that was going their way. There is also an appreciation that the only way to accomplish an intended journey from one part of the world to another today will depend on understanding of how that natural world works, of becoming part of that environment rather than a casual observer. For many this realisation is just part of the puzzle…

Of all the reforms demanded by general aviation, it is possible that the most frustrating has been the desired changes to the Class 2 medical system. Considered by most to be regulatory overkill, the Class 2 (private pilot) medical system was marked for reform by several CEOs of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) in the past, only to have nothing happen at all. The GA community’s ire was fuelled by the rise of recreational aviation, which requires no medical certification; a situation which GA activists and lobbyists claimed created an “unlevel playing field”, and a processing fee of $75 per Class 2 medical. All of this was in the absence of any published data that showed flying without a medical certificate was unsafe. But perhaps the most contentious bone…

As we move into 2018, many of us will have set goals or aspirations in our personal and professional lives. For me it is to continue to work hard to make RAAus the best we can be ... and to eat a little less chocolate. In making RAAus the best it can be we are finalising three major strategies this year that have been in the making for a couple of years now. Firstly, we will be finalising our Safety Management System (SMS). Since 2014 RAAus has progressively rolled out components of an SMS and this phased roll-out has aided in our much improve safety record. This year we shift the focus to our training schools and work with them on final implementation of an SMS. Secondly, and somewhat tied…

General Aviation Study: What it Said The BITRE GA Study report has left the federal government with plenty to think about. The Bureau of Infrastructure Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE) published its General Aviation Study report on 20 December last year, forming several conclusions that it says are opportunities for the Federal Government to act on. Commissioned under former Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester in October 2016, the GA study was to provide an overview of the GA industry, outline the challenges the industry faced and identify opportunities for action. “General aviation (GA) is a diverse sector playing an important role in Australian aviation including in serving regional communities,” the BITRE study notes. “The industry covers all flying activity, manned or unmanned, other than commercial transport operations. GA…

Textron Aviation has announced a new clean-sheet twin turbo-prop utility aircraft to be named the Cessna 408 SkyCourier. Already, launch customer FedEx Express has signed up for 100 of the new high-wing twins, with options for another 50. “With our depth of expertise and proven success in new product development, we were eager to work directly with a world-class company like FedEx Express to jointly develop the Cessna SkyCourier,” said Scott Ernest, president and CEO of Textron Aviation. “The aircraft will fulfill a gap in this market segment with its superior performance and low operating costs in combination with the cabin flexibility, payload capability and efficiency only a clean-sheet design can offer.” The Cessna SkyCourier 408 will be offered in cargo and passenger variants, with the cargo model featuring a…

Marion McCall OAM has a passion for theatrics and at one point wanted to pursue a life on stage. She has honed her natural acting ability and delivers a charismatic performance when speaking; however, rather than portraying a character, she speaks from the heart about her personal experience, the trials and tribulations of gaining a pilot’s licence at the healthy age of 50, her evolution from rookie pilot to becoming the first Australian pilot to win the prestigious Dawn to Dusk flying competition. But who is the real McCall? In the beginning Marion dedicated her life to her children and was a supportive force in her husband’s calling, which was as a representative of the Anglican Church. Married to the Bishop of Willochra, Marion and family made the move to…

Nearly a century after the concept of small autonomous aerial taxis whizzing occupants around cities entered science fiction, it appears we may soon see the real thing, with commuters summoning and directing an automated air vehicle through a mobile phone app. Advances in electric propulsion, miniaturisation of electronics and development of automation and sense and avoid systems, much of it developed for the unmanned vehicle market, have come together to make the aerial taxi a possibility, at least from an airframe manufacturer’s point of view. In September 2017, German company Volocopter demonstrated its autonomous two-seat electric air taxi in Dubai. The Volocopter is a 450 kg MTOW helicopter with a 160 kg payload, powered by 18 electric motors mounted on concentric rings above the cabin, driven by nine batteries. It…

Though he was on the wrong side of the recruitment bell curve to join Qantas, Dave blames the heady mix of Oshkosh and Qantas-pilot mates (Mad Max and JJ) for luring him into the home-builders’ world. At Oshkosh 15 years ago, the friends enthused "You’ve gotta build an aeroplane, Freddo." Of course he did! Given the reason he gave up commercial flying was due to engine problems, Dave has now become the fussiest engine guy going. And he’s thrilled with his building project, an Express S90, and his engine in particular. "The engine is the most radical part of the aeroplane," says Dave. "It is more powerful, more fuel-efficient and it takes less maintenance. It’s taken me five years to get it right. Do you want me to start it…

It is with profound regret that we have to announce the death of Peter Furlong in late December 2017 at the age of 70 years. Peter Furlong was a founding Director of Gippsland Aeronautics Pty Ltd, a company that became Australia’s leading general aviation aircraft manufacturer. Peter was an aircraft maintenance engineer (LAME) by profession, an accomplished pilot of both aeroplanes and gliders. Peter was an amateur aircraft builder of note and a leader in Australian general aviation aircraft design and manufacturing. As an amateur aircraft builder, Peter personally built four light aircraft including a Whitman Tailwind, a Cassutt Racer and two Pitts aerobatic biplanes. He also participated in the construction of a group-built Corby Starlet, an Australian designed aircraft for amateur building. Peter conducted many of the flight trials…