Innholdsfortegnelse for July-August 2018 i Australian Flying

The Australian Airports Association (AAA) CEO Caroline Wilkie has welcomed the allocation of $28.3 million over the next four years for remote airports, but said that the Federal Budget handed down in May contained nothing for the majority of Australia's regional airports. A 2016 study found that 61% of regional airports had budget deficits in 2014-15, with costs exceeding revenues by an average of 45% for airports without RPT services. Nearly 40% of regional airports anticipated persistent budget deficits over the next decade. Wilkie said the Remote Airports Upgrade Program (RAUP) announcement in May this year was vital for keeping remote communities connected to the major population centres, but noted that nearly all regional airports needed injections of capital. “This funding will help ensure remote airports can keep their infrastructure…

Helicopter manufacturers are facing challenges in the future that their fixed-wing counterparts will avoid. Aeroplanes are likely to change in subtle ways–new materials, new shapes, new fuels–but the vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) industry is facing a revolution that will change aircraft shapes, types, propulsion systems, fuels and most of all, customer demands. The traditional helicopter will always be there when its needed, but meteoric rise of the air taxi concept and the involvement of disruptive companies like Uber and Google is driving development to meet visionary demands. The result is a VTOL future that is doubled-sided: for short urban missions we’ll be using small, mostly electric-powered machines that may even be autonomous, and for long, inter-city transport, we’ll be flying on helicopters that are fast in the cruise, whisper-quiet…

General aviation in intertwined in the fabric of the Northern Territory more than it is in any other state. The reason is simple: there is often no other practical way to connect the remote communities to the major populations centres of Darwin and Alice Springs. The planes and pilots that crisscross the likes of Arnhem Land, Bathurst Island and the Gulf of Carpentaria region sustain the communities in those areas. Without GA, it is unlikely they could continue to exist. So it was not surprising to me to see the GA tarmac at Darwin loaded to capacity with Cessna 210s, C402s, 404s, 414s, Piper Saratogas, Metroliners and C208 Grand Caravans. The tie-downs looked like a parade of some of GA charter's most loyal soldiers. It was, however, very surprising to…

In the foyer of the University of Nottingham’s Aerospace Technology Centre, there is a very large and very special aircraft wheel on a pedestal. This is the building where Richard Glassock works. He’s an Australian aeronautical engineer who works in the UK, because that’s where the money is, and the aircraft wheel on the pedestal is an example of the kind of research that goes on in inside the building. Glassock is interested in all kinds of flying. His passion began early with remote-controlled aeroplanes, before he became a pilot himself, enjoying the relative freedom of open Queensland skies. But the industrial design part of his brain led him to academia, rather than commercial aviation, and that research is what led him from Brisbane to Nottingham. Before we go up…

The concept behind virtual pilot communities is quite sound: pilots entering information about airports into a database that is then distributed by an application for everyone to share. Photos, tips, accommodation, taxi numbers … everything you need to know. The app itself then sources other data like weather forecasts and is combined with the airport information and handed to users with just the touch of a finger. The latest pilot community to launch in Australia is RunwayMap. Designed by a Swiss company, RunwayMap covers 20,000 airports around the world, and the Australian database is very comprehensive. You can find what you're looking for by simply scrolling the map to the airport, or by keying in the ICAO designator at the top of the screen. That opens a pop-up box, which…

There were the usual reasons to go for it, but what I remember most was the many reasons not to. Money, skills, time, commitment and the questionable financial return on investment. I thought I could just buy a fun aeroplane and get on with the business of flying. There were so (so!) many reasons to say "nah" and move on to something else. It was a very big decision to build. But after a few months of stalling there was a recurring thought. I didn’t want to turn around in five years and realise I was still alive, healthy and flying and that I’d missed the opportunity to built an aeroplane. When colleagues and friends asked the usual questions about why I wanted to do it, I told them I…

It began with an almost imperceptible change to the AIP in 2013: pilots should now use the Area VHF frequency at airports not marked on charts instead of the Multicom 126.7. The amendment sparked a five-year wrangle that peaked with a complex proposal that impacted nearly all uncontrolled airports and even en route frequencies. It added 40-nm radius dimensions to CTAFs and made the Multicom a blanket low-level frequency for all Class G operations below 5000 feet. The molehill became a mountain. Last May, after CASA's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on the matter proved unpopular and unworkable, the regulator released a new proposal that effectively restored the status quo to where it was before the AIP amendment, but restricted the use of 126.7 to within 3 nm of the…

AirVenture Australia announced last month that their annual general aviation fly-in will relocate to Cessnock Airport in the Hunter Valley Region of NSW on 20-22 September this year. Since its inception as Ausfly in 2012, the national fly-in has been held at Narromine near Dubbo. The move to Cessnock is believed to solve issues of accommodation and activities for non-flying partners that existed at Narromine. AirVenture Australia organiser David Young said: “The team is very much excited about this year’s event. We have a new venue and new look event that is designed to please everyone, from the keen aviator to the person in the street. "We are ecstatic that Cessnock City Council and the local community have got behind this year’s event. It’s onward and upward from here as…

Everybody knows that the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral on Florida’s Atlantic coast is famous for rocket ships, but south of "The Cape" is Piper’s factory at Vero Beach where their latest rocket ship–the M600–is being produced. The latest in the PA-46 line of aircraft that includes the -310P Malibu, -350P Malibu Mirage and -500TP Malibu Meridian, the M600 continues Piper's success with high performance singles. During the recent demonstration tour of the M600 in Australia, Australian Flying magazine was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to fly the demonstration aircraft, N858SG, when it visited Archerfield. The demonstration f light included a f light to the Darling Downs and back at 10,000 feet while truing out at a respectable 240KTAS. This f light ably exhibited the M600’s ability to…

At this stage, my logbook has a photo of a leggy young lady, who Zingi rather unnecessarily described as having considerable frontal talent and a somewhat minimalist approach to clothing, reclining on the wing of a Cherokee. In fact I remember the occasion well. The aircraft, ZSDVC had spent some days in Obie’s workshop having a glass panel put in the floor. That was long before we put glass on the panel. The owner, an excitable and demanding Pole named Max Kolb, had wanted this done so that his new aeroplane would be suitable for aerial photography. He was, in fact, a hugely respected fashion photographer from Durban. I am not really sure how the glass floor would benefit his career, but who am I to question such things? I…

When it took to the skies in France on 12 April 1968, the second prototype Sud Aviation SA314 Gazelle was the first helicopter in the world to be fitted with a unique anti-torque tail rotor design which was dubbed the Fenestrou by Sud Aviation. By the time it was certified on the Gazelle in 1972, the original name Fenestrou, ("little window"), had become the more familiar Fenestron, and while the design has since become synonymous with French helicopters, the original concept was patented by a British company in 1943. Following on from its success on the Gazelle, the Fenestron was then fitted to the prototype SA 365 Dauphin. In the late 1970s an all-composite version was released, and the unique design was also successfully tested on an AS350 Ecureuil (Squirrel)…

It’s now well accepted that remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS or better known as drones) are a part of the aviation system and that the role they play will grow and expand as technology continues to press forward. Drones are already regularly used in a wide range of areas including industry, agriculture, advertising, film and television, mining, policing and firefighting. This means the pilots of manned aircraft are already sharing the sky with drones and can expect this sharing will only grow. CASA has Civil Aviation Safety Regulations (Part 101) covering RPAS, and as the drone industry develops we will ensure the rules keep pace to protect the safety of other airspace users and the general public. Last year we published a discussion paper on drone regulation which fed into…

Once again I am back in the USA to work on another flight test project at Mojave in California. Here in the Antelope Valley, the place names of Palmdale, Mojave or Edwards immediately are connected with aviation and especially flight test, whenever mentioned in ordinary conversation. The aviation connection is assumed, accepted and respected. I notice that the same is not true when places or persons associated with Australia’s rich aviation heritage are mentioned, except of course for the Smiths: Charles Kingsford and Dick. Our pioneers such as Duigan and Hargrave create barely a ripple of recognition whearas the mere mention of the Wright Brothers or Charles Lindberg are lauded loud and long for their achievements … and also for many achievements that actually belong to others. Australia is a…

Well, this is a bit of a moment. I’m sitting here at my keyboard, penning my final story for Australian Flying. After 19 years writing for this wonderful magazine, it’s time to pull up stumps. I reckon you’ve all been subjected to the rants, the raves, the tears and the beers for long enough. Lord knows you get less time for murder. So, let’s finish on a high. A couple of issues ago, I brought you the story of our three-day training trip with WardAir and Curtis Aviation. Four instructors took 15 students and private pilots in seven aircraft through eight controlled airspace zones between Sydney and Brisbane. We were pretty blown away with the feedback, so WardAir CFI, Catherine Fitzsimons and I decided to offer another one, this time…

“low-level engine failure procedures should be well drilled” The real beauty of aviation is the fact that, once airborne, we are not bound by those physical boundaries such as mountains, rivers, sand dunes, lakes and oceans that present a logistical nightmare to parties in land-based vehicles wishing to explore the content of our vast expanse of land. From an aircraft, you can explore a massive tract of land or water, the size of which is limited only by that aircraft’s fuel endurance and the location of the next fuel pump. One of Australia’s greatest assets is, and has always been, the variety and wealth of mineral deposits which exist across the entire length and breadth of our nation. The greatest problem that our mining companies have ever faced is identifying…

All pilots make mistakes, and good pilots learn not only from their own mistakes, but those of others. Student pilots, particularly ab-initio, will inescapably make more mistakes because they have more to learn. By understanding these errors, flying instructors can help student pilots avoid making mistakes, or can prepare them to cope better when inevitable mistakes are made. It’s important to start by emphasising that flight training is not particularly dangerous. The US Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association put it well: “Pilots learning to fly are placed in a system that provides checks and balances to ensure that they aren’t exposed to dangerous situations before they have been given the necessary knowledge to cope.” A Bureau of Air Safety Investigation (later ASTB) report in 1996 made the observation that: “There…

Aeroplanes are not easy things to get pristine photos of: the wings are an awkward shape to fit in a standard photo frame, they don't look the same from the front as they do from the side and inevitably they are sitting on backgrounds that contain old tyres, other aeroplanes, ladders and all the other detritus that call airports home. The other issue is that most aeroplanes in this world are predominantly white, so cameras have exposure problems straight away. And that's just if the thing is sitting on the ground! If you want to capture the bird in flight then you just multiplied your woes many-fold. Now the subject is going to move, the propeller is going to spin and the light will change as the aircraft turns. The…

It seems that no time has passed since I stood at Narromine airfield on a cool Sunday morning last October. AirVenture had just concluded and by a number of measures had proved successful, despite the challenges of organising an event of this calibre. The team at RAAus put our part of AirVenture to bed and got on with the business of running our busy and large organisation. Since that time we’ve had our AGM, progressed our proposals with CASA for increased weighted aircraft and more access into controlled airspace. RAAus has 8% more members than we did last October and we recently declared a half-year surplus. We’ve recently launched our Aviation Safety Management System at an organisational level and are now rolling it out to schools to help lower their…

He opens the throttle, but nothing happens, so he throws it in a field. Jim’s Analysis Cessna singles have slightly iffy fuel systems. No, there is nothing really wrong with them, but they do need a bit of understanding. This is particularly important when you want to know exactly where the fuel is, and how to get it to the engine. This guy may have had more than an hour’s fuel in the tanks when the engine died of thirst, but either didn’t really understand the fuel system, or didn’t have his mind on fuel management. Yes, I have been down this road before, but Cessna fuel accidents keep happening, so I will keep nagging about it. We will look at this accident first, and then think about some other…

some expect they can learn safely by trial-and-error The tragic death of an aspiring commercial pilot in a Cessna 172S in 2015 was the subject of a detailed report, recently released by the Australian Transport Safety Board (ATSB), which is too serious to ignore. The ATSB found that it was likely that the pilot manipulated the flight controls while the autopilot was engaged, causing a significant pitch mis-trim, and was unable to recover from the subsequent rapid dive before the aircraft struck the ground. Perhaps the most worrying aspect of this accident is that it occurred in an aeroplane that’s generally considered easy to fly, and which was equipped with the latest and most sophisticated avionics available in aircraft of its class. The ATSB has done a very thorough job…