Innholdsfortegnelse for May/June 2021 i Australian Flying

Airservices Australia revised their proposal for Class E airspace on the eastern seaboard in March after consultation revealed significant objection to the original concept. Previously, Airservices proposed lowering the base of Class E from Cairns to Melbourne to 1500 AGL, but the revision would now see the base of the Class E lowered to either 4500, 6500 or 8500 feet AMSL depending on the terrain below. According to Airservices, the new levels will: improve safety of IFR operations by providing greater control services minimise adverse impact on the needs of airspace users, particularly those without transponder or radio equipment and preserve greater volumes of Class G provide greater safety of operations outside proposed Class E airspace to avoid terrain, including a minimum of 1360 feet of Class G airspace between…

Red-Bull-style air racing is scheduled to return next year after the fledgling World Championship Air Racing (WCAR) announced in February that it had entered a partnership with the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI), which governs air sport world-wide. The sport has not been run since Red Bull shut-down their series at the end of 2019, leaving Australia’s Matt Hall as the reigning champion. The FAI has agreed to sanction the sport for 15 years, providing governance and safety oversight whilst granting WCAR exclusive rights on a range of different aircraft flown on air-gate courses. Willie Cruickshank, WCAR Race Series Director, said “We are delighted to announce this exciting new agreement between the FAI and World Championship Air Race to bring city-centre air-racing back to the public. “In addition to creating a…

On most occasions I would counsel any pilot to beware of the “old shoe” feeling when they step into the cockpit of a plane for the first time; there is a fine-line between comfort and complacency. Plonking yourself into a cockpit into which you’d never plonked before and thinking “yeah, I can fly this” is often the starting point for disaster or at least embarrassment. On only two occasions have I ever found first-meeting comfort to be justified. The first was several years ago in Italy when I tested a Tecnam P2010. The aircraft was tailored beautifully in handling and operation to the average pilot and preyed not one iota on the habits of the inexperienced. The second time was at Barwon Heads, Victoria, in February this year, when I…

Technology has changed general aviation to the point where pilots and owners now have capability considered impossible only 30 years ago. We can navigate with accuracy and confidence, communicate with clarity and reliability, separate with assurance and speed. All this is down to advances in electronics, sensors and displays. And there is one other thing GA pilots can now do: manage engines to get the absolute best performance possible with regularity and ease, thanks to sophisticated technology called Engine Management Systems (EMS). An EMS is a window into the soul of an aircraft engine, displaying measurements that, when read correctly, enable a pilot to not only gauge the health of the motor at any time, but also set the engine controls to hit the optimum performance. The result can transform…

To flourish in good times, and survive downturns, flight schools must get the most important things right. None get everything right, and the best continuously strive for improvement and perfection. However, most successful schools agree that there are five ingredients that can be the making of a flight training organisation. 1. Focus on the person Like “location, location, location” for property, this first tip is as important as all the other tips put together. Successful schools know that flying is a people business. They make sure everyone who enters their premises feels warmly welcomed. “I don’t mind sharing this as one of our secrets of success, for two reasons,” says Chris Wakefield, HOO at Melbourne Helicopters. “First, it’s not really a secret; and second, I do wish our not-so-well performing…

Even though business aviation is a very small contributor to world wide CO? emissions, our sector of the aviation industry has been consciously reducing emissions as new aircraft enter service. A major breakthrough was achieved with all new business jets manufactured from 2006 onwards, being required to meet ICAO Chapter IV noise certification requirements, regardless of Maximum Take-off Weight (MTOW). Also, these aircraft are powered by more fuel efficient engines. In September 2019, ICAO Member States requested the ICAO Council prioritise work on the feasibility of a long-term global aspirational goal (LTAG) for international civil aviation CO? emission reductions and present options, including a roadmap for implementation. This would then be considered during the 41st Session of the ICAO General Assembly in 2022. Work on the LTAG commenced late 2019…

In responding to the Airservices Australia proposal to lower Class E airspace, I was driven by both personal reactions and my need to responsibly defend the interests of glider pilots all around Australia. Freedom to fly is a sacrosanct issue for us glider pilots. I fly gliders for the sense of escape and freedom, for the connection with the atmosphere and our wonderful environment, and occasionally for the excitement of competing with my gliding peers. That’s what unites us; any incursion into those freedoms hits us hard. In gliding circles, we have many great men and women whose careers and interests cross all forms of aviation. Military, airline and professional pilots fly gliders; we also have many non-professional GA pilots, others who love aerobatic machines, balloons, ultralights, paragliders and warbirds.…

Hi, Steve. CASA has grounded every Lancair with a forward-hinging canopy in Australia through an AD issued on 2 March and effective 12 March 2021 “unless accomplished previously”. Under this AD, because the aircraft now cannot be flown, a LAME will have to attend applicable Lancairs in-hangar to carry out an inspection of the canopy internal latching system. This is contrary to CASA amateur-built requirements which specify that inspection processes can be carried out by “authorised persons to act on behalf of CASA”, not necessarily a CASA LAME. “Before further flight” seems over-cautionary. In 1997, the FAA issued an airworthiness directive that required checking the inside cabin and utility door handles on virtually all Raytheon Beech Bonanzas, Twin Bonanzas, Travel Airs and Barons for proper locking of the handle. The…

1 SkyCourier begins Certification Testing 2 CQU teams-up with Flight Standards 3 FAA certifies King Air 260 4 Flying Supercar progresses towards Certification 5 Garmin Autoland chosen as Collier Finalist 6 ATSB point to Disorientation in Tailwind Crash 7 Skyhawk stands out amid the COVID Carnage 8 Piaggio shortlists Five Potential Buyers 9 Pipistrel details Zero-emissions Regional Airliner 10 RFDS Queensland adds Four New King Airs SIGN UP TO KEEP UP! The Australian Flying website is updated daily with the latest GA news stories. Visit us online now at www.australianflying.com.au to also check out our free classifieds section, photo and video galleries, blogs, flying tips articles and comprehensive Warbird coverage. And be sure to register for our FREE weekly electronic newsletter, which delivers the latest news FREE to your inbox…

Pacific Aerospace (PAL) went into administration in February this year owing millions of dollars and generating uncertainty around the fate of the type certificates. Hamilton-based PAL is the manufacturer of the P-750 turbo-prop utility and the E350 Expedition, but holds the type certificates (TC) for several legacy aircraft such as the Cresco and CT4 Airtrainer. Parts supplier International Aviation Support applied to the courts to have a liquidator appointed to PAL over unpaid debts totaling $NZ1.38 million, and an outstanding tax bill of $NZ770,839. NZ’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) were informed that PAL was insolvent and unable to comply with the obligations of its approvals, but the CAA permitted PAC-built aircraft to continue to operate unless an airworthiness issue that impacted the whole fleet arose. The court noted that it…

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Some two years after the Australian Defence Force (ADF) gifted two army Black Hawk helicopters to the New South Wales Rural Fire Service (NSWRFS) a trail of emails between RFS commissioner Rob Rogers and CASA regulators has revealed potential barriers to the use of the helicopters that were intended to augment the agency's operational capability. The NSW Rural Fire Service faces an uphill battle to get official approval for the two Black Hawk helicopters to fly firefighters to remote areas because the machines are deemed an “unacceptable risk to safety”. The helicopters were designed and certified for military use only and there are restrictions under federal law preventing them being used to transport state firefighters, who are considered civilian passengers. The first Black Hawk was originally due to be transferred…

When David Watkins was not doing much flying, mainly due to the cost of aircraft hire and because it was a long trek to the airport, he took a trip to Langley Park in Perth to visit the Sport Aircraft Association Australia’s 1999 fly-in. Confronted with scores of amateur-built aircraft, he was quickly drawn to the Vans RV 6. He couldn’t go past its economy and $60,000 price tag. The only snag is that was for the kit. He had to build the aeroplane himself, or preferably with a partner. Enter, Bruce Watson, a neighbouring farmer who had also just come across his first RV6 locally. Equally enamoured with the idea, the two introduced themselves and quickly placed an order for an RV6 kit. Before the box arrived, they had…

An air armada of 46 civilian aeroplanes celebrated the centenary of the Royal Australian Air Force in Melbourne on 28 March with a mass flyover of the home of the RAAF: Point Cook. Known as the RAAF Centenary Air Armada, the event was organised by Lilydale Flying Club, Peninsula Aero Club at Tyabb and Moorabbin’s Royal Victorian Aero Club, but drew formation-endorsed pilots from as far away as Toowoomba and Cape Tribulation in QLD. Various elements departed from either Lilydale, Tyabb or Moorabbin and formed up together over Westernport Bay and the Mornington Peninsula into two formations called “balbos” depending on aircraft speed. The two balbos then circumnavigated Port Phillip Bay, highlighted by a co-ordinated run over RAAF Williams at Point Cook and a fly-over of Moorabbin Airport. Air armada…

Aircraft manufacturer BRM Aero has enlisted a German certification firm as the latest weapon in its battle with CASA over operational limitations placed on the Bristell LSA. The company–Aircraft Design Certification GmbH (ADC)–was asked by BRM Aero to assess the existing spin test reports for four variants of the Bristell NG5, after which it furnished BRM with a letter stating that they considered the aircraft complied. BRM Aero forwarded that letter to CASA on 9 March this year, accompanied by a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration saying the FAA also considered the Bristell to be compliant. CASA issued a ban on stall training in Bristells in July last year, stating that they had not received sufficient assurance from BRM Aero that the aircraft complied with the standard for light…

I recently had a story related to me by someone who has been intimately involved in aviation for quite a while. He had flown with a newly-minted commercial pilot in search of work in the Top End. Trained on modern trainers with Garmin glass and a lone Power Control Lever (PCL), the young aspirant was struggling to manage the six dials and three levers of an older generation aircraft – the very type of aircraft that are thick on the ground in the remote regions of Australia. Ultimately, the question was raised regarding the suitability of airline-academy-style integrated training in preparing a pilot for other forms of commercial operations. It was a valid question and it got me thinking. Old school In the interests of full transparency, I was raised…

With so many air shows and exhibitions canceled in 2020, the general aviation community is eager to get back together in one place. One of those events postponed–twice–was the national helicopter and rotary aviation conference and exhibition, RotorTech. Now ready as ever for a big showing in Brisbane 15-17 June, RotorTech has become the industry’s star event, patronised and supported by major players both here and overseas. It’s success mirrors the growth and development of the rotary aviation community itself, and with remotely piloted aerial systems (RPAS) being bought into the fold, RotorTech showcases the latest technology as well as the systems of the future. Nearly 1000 people and 80 exhibitors went to the last RotorTech in 2018, but success can sometimes grow its own problems, and it became clear…

In the early days of aviation, when wheels started to replace skids, the conventional configuration of large main wheels and a tail skid became de rigueur for undercarriage. When sealed runways appeared, wheel brakes became necessary and the tail skid was replaced with a tailwheel. And to this day, this is technically known as “conventional undercarriage”. The conventional undercarriage remained the dominant configuration until the 1940s when tricycle undercarriage won favour. When the jet engine was introduced, apart from the earliest prototypes and some re-engined piston designs, tricycle became universal for jet-powered aircraft of all types. But the tailwheel configuration has many advantages over tricycle, and has therefore persisted in the GA world. For short field operation it’s hard to beat a taildragger. For competition aerobatics, taildraggers have always dominated.…

With Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 showing the world exactly what technology can do for home sims, many sim pilots were encouraged to upgrade their control systems to match; there's not a lot of point flying a system with such fidelity if the controls aren't capable of delivering that fidelity into your hands. A new system that is beginning to show its worth to the sim community is the Honeycomb Aeronautical Alpha yoke and Bravo throttle. These are well-crafted units that put a lot of dedicated functionality close at hand for the operator, alleviating much of the need to remember what function has been assigned to what switch. Robust and satisfying to use, the Alpha and Bravo give the operator a feeling of connectivity to the aircraft that is absent in…