Innholdsfortegnelse for July/August 2021 i Australian Flying

The Federal Government in late May announced a program to develop a strategic airspace policy to account for the changing nature of aviation and the advent of new users such as remotely-piloted aerial systems (RPAS) and urban mobility vehicles. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack announced the program and released an issues paper on a national airspace policy, calling for the aviation community to provide feedback. “It is becoming more evident that future airspace operations will involve a mix of significantly different aircraft types and performance characteristics, this includes traditional aviation such as jet and piston aircraft and new aviation technology like drones and electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft,” McCormack said. “The existing framework that underpins our safe and efficient airspace system…

A Preliminary Draft Master Plan (PDMP) published for comment in April has flagged further loss of main apron space at Moorabbin Airport. Tenants were shocked last year as Moorabbin Airport Corporation (MAC) issued six-month eviction notices ahead of the western part of the apron and taxiway being redeveloped for commercial use, resulting in loss of businesses, hangars and aircraft parking spaces. The 2021 PDMP heralds further loss of the main apron as MAC expands its industrial precinct on the airport's western boundary, threatening several well-established aviation businesses. "Consistent with prior Master Plans, land use in Master Plan 2021 is framed around aviation objectives and activities. Precincts are planned in response to safety, airspace, our flight training role and aviation infrastructure," MAC says in the PDMP. "Airport land identified for non-aviation…

At first, it’s a strange notion to grasp. Take the world’s bestselling helicopter, every year since 1999, the four-seat Robinson R44, and remove the rear seats. De-rate the engine, reduce the maximum take-off weight. Oh, and one more important point: make it cheaper than a regular R44. The Robinson R44 Cadet has the same airframe, rotor system, and Lycoming O-540 engine, as the four-place R44 Raven I. The area behind the front seats has been reconfigured just for baggage or cargo, both on top of, and inside the rear flat panels. This baggage space is in addition to the storage compartments already available under the front seats. The Cadet cannot have the rear seats retrospectively installed. The Cadet’s maximum gross weight is reduced from 1089 kg (for the Raven I)…

It was starting to sound like something straight out of James Hilton's Lost Horizon. Here was my flying instructor calmly telling me about a pass through the Great Dividing Range that linked Mansfield in Victoria to the Latrobe Valley in the east of the state. It was used, he said, by pilots transiting between the two; a swathe cut through tiger country. I have been flying around Victoria since 1985, and to my mind no such mountain pass existed. Surely I would have found it myself years ago if it was really there? I checked the VNC, and according to the hypsometric tinting, I was right: there is no pass. To double-check myself I went to Google Earth and the terrain depiction agreed with me. And yet, Murray insisted it…

In the immediate aftermath of the First World War, 1919-20, several privately owned and operated aerodromes were established in and around Melbourne. They were at Fisherman’s Bend, under what is now the Westgate Bridge, and at Glenhuntly, Glenroy and Tullamarine. Aviation was conducted in an environment of unrestricted free enterprise until the Air Navigation Act was passed in late 1920 and, consequently, the Civil Aviation Branch (CAB) of the Department of Defence commenced operation on 28 March 1921. One of the branch’s first tasks was to establish government aerodromes in Melbourne and Sydney, and emergency landing grounds along the route between the two cities for use in the event of forced landings. Sites in Melbourne at Albion, Glenroy, Broadmeadows and North Essendon were evaluated. Most were eliminated due to distance…

It's been said enough: iPads and EFIS have changed GA cockpits forever. Their versatility and capability means the information and tools we need to navigate safely are now presented in a more compact manner. For those that have totally embraced the digital era and are not looking back, bulky flight bags are giving way to smaller, more manageable bags that are designed specifically for the clutter-free digital cockpit. ASA's AirClassics Tablet Bag is a good example. This unit is made from tough 600D polyester and is large enough in the main compartment to accommodate a 330 mm laptop and a full-size iPad. It can also hold a headset, back-up charts, plotters, logbook, hand-held radio, portable GPS unit and a swag of other little bits and pieces. It's capacity really makes…

In late 2011, I drove from Sydney to Melbourne to pick up an RV-8 kit. I loaded the car with the empennage kit and tools and arranged for the wing kit to be freighted. Thus began my journey to build an RV-8 from scratch. Over the next nine years, I progressed slowly but did very little flying – 10 hours, in fact. I knew this would be a problem. By mid-2020, I had moved the project to the Wedderburn NSW hangar, but progress was slow. My SAAA Technical Counsellor Chad Boot pushed me along and suddenly it was time to sort paperwork for the Special Certificate of Airworthiness (CofA). My attention again turned to my flight currency. I had recently renewed my licence at Curtis Aviation in a Citabria, but…

Liquidators Khov Jones announced in April that they have sold Pacific Aerospace Limited to a local company, meaning the aircraft manufacturer will once again be 100% New Zealand owned. The new owners are Neil Young and Dee Bond, operators of Mercer airfield. PAL went into administration in February when the CEO said the company was unable to meet its financial obligations, threatening the type certificates of several aircraft including the P-750 single-engined turbo-prop and the E350 Expedition. Liquidators Steven Khov and Kieran Jones conducted a sale process that attracted expressions of interest from 30 parties. "Several formalised offers were received for various aspects of the business and/or assets," Khov Jones said. "Ultimately, the sale to the purchaser meant the Pacific Aerospace business will remain in New Zealand and local staff…

I Avgas may be in the twilight of its career. The fuel that most GA aircraft burn is under pressure from environmental lobbies and dwindling interest from producers. In some regions of the world avgas is so hard to find it is labeled with the epithet "unobtainium". Jet fuel, however, is on the rise. With economies of scale provided by thirsty commercial jets and the flourishing turbo-prop sector, aircraft manufacturers are tapping the Jet-A1 well, feeding diesel engine options in to a market that has been traditionally avgas. The latest aircraft builder to hitch their wagon to diesel is Tecnam, which has turned out a version of its four-seat P2010 with a Continental CD170 motor under the cowling. This composite GA platform now has a selection of three powerplants, with…

Oxygen deficiency (hypoxia) is an insidious condition that stalks pilots at high altitudes. Despite the availability of pressurisation and oxygen systems, they can fail, or pilots simply neglect to use them properly. As the consequence of hypoxia can be disastrous, pilots need a way of detecting the potential onset, and a tool such as the Design 4 Pilots Finger Pulse Oximeter can provide valuable forewarning. Pulse oximeters work by the pilot placing their finger in the oximeter and small beams of light pass through the finger, measuring the amount of oxygen in the blood. The read-out then provides the saturation level and heart beat. This unit has an anti-scratch OLED colour display that is bright and easy to read. The display gives the user the saturation level as a percentage…

Results from the latest CASA survey of the aviation community were recently released. This survey is conducted regularly to assess satisfaction within the aviation community to CASA’s activities. The latest survey, conducted in late 2020, found a small increase in overall stakeholder satisfaction, with a rating of 6.3 out of 10. The overall rating in the 2018 survey was 6.2. Analysis of the data showed 54% of respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with CASA’s performance – 17% were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied. CASA’s acting CEO and Director of Aviation Safety, Graeme Crawford, said the survey results highlighted the need to continue to improve. “While it is pleasing to see the overall rating has remained largely steady, the results show to gain more support from the aviation community we have…

Moorabbin Airport is the second busiest airport in Australia, covering approximately 294 hectares within Kingston City Council’s Green Wedge. The land is owned by the Commonwealth Government. Like all airports within Australia, it was leased to a private entity through the national privatised airport regime which netted the Federal Government at the time, billions of dollars. The lessee of Moorabbin Airport has developed the site so that it now includes airport, retail and business park functions. As the site is owned by the Commonwealth government, the site in its entirety (spanning from the DFO right though to the Costco and BP on Boundary Road), is not subject to State or Local Planning Provisions. This means the Commonwealth has ultimate control of any (major) airport development. Moorabbin Airport has had an…

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority will abandon the regional oversight model and move to a national structure in an attempt to combat inconsistencies within the regulator. The changes, which are expected to be implemented on 1 July this year, will result in staff being deployed on a national level and the Certificate Management Team (CMT) concept also abandoned. CASA is making the changes after constant and regular feedback from the aviation community that regional offices would provide advice and interpretation that was inconsistent with other regions. Briefing the FlySafe forum in Adelaide in May, CASA Branch Manager – Regulatory Service and Surveillance Transformation Chris De Luis said that the regional office model had its shortcomings. "The regional model was based on an office in a particular location and the approach…

French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation in May launched a program to develop a wide-body executive jet: the Falcon 10X. Designed with a cabin wider than some regional jets, the Falcon 10X will have a range of 7500 nm and a top speed over Mach 0.9, giving non-stop legs the equivalent of LA-Sydney or New York-Shanghai. “Today we are introducing a new benchmark in business aviation,” said Dassault Chairman and CEO Eric Trappier. “The Falcon 10X will offer an unrivalled passenger experience over both short- and longduration flights, along with breakthrough safety features from Dassault’s frontline fighter technology. We have optimised every aspect of the aircraft with the passenger in mind and established a new level of capability for ultra-longrange aircraft.” Among the new technologies to be developed are the two…

There are many aeronautical canard variations, meaning it is thoroughly difficult to proffer an exact definition. The term canard can be used to describe both a smaller wing placed forward of the main wing that usually replaces the empennage (tail assembly), or an aircraft that utilises a canard design component; hence a canard aircraft. It is generally accepted that canard design reduces the parasitic drag of the tailplane and produces additional lift, delivering better efficiencies, but the science and design trade-offs of lift, drag, control and stability are far more complex than that. "Canard" is French for "duck", and in early aviation design the name was subsequently bestowed upon the control surface element perched well before the fuselage – the foreplane. The configuration was aesthetically reminiscent of the bird in…

Landing gear failure and consequent gear-up landings still happen despite system reliability. When the wheels are hung-up, there are several things a pilot can do to encourage them to extend, and one of them is to go for the emergency gear extension (EGE) system. But do you know how to operate it properly? Although some modern general aviation aircraft, like the Cirrus SR22, Tecnam P2010, Diamond DA40, and Cessna 172 all have fixed gear, many others, like the brand-new design Diamond DA50, most light twins and the Bonanza, have retractable gear. It is a trade-off. Retractable gear means less drag, with higher climb rates and cruise speeds. But that comes at the expense of higher purchase cost and potential issues if the gear does not come down. With a few…

Mangalore-based Kestrel Aviation has added a 1979 model UH-60 Blackhawk converted to Firehawk status to their air attack fleet. The aircraft, N125FH– originally operated by the US Army as 79-23307–arrived by sea from the USA earlier this year. With the introduction of N125FH (Firehawk 1), the company will employ a second helicopter, (Firehawk 2) later in the year for deployment within Australia. Kestrel has also invested in an Airbus Super Puma which recently arrived by road at Mangalore. Currently in Australia, civilian operated UH-60 Blackhawks are USA FAA-registered and operated in the Restricted or Experimental category. This prevents them from carrying any passengers, restricting them to essential crew only. Negotiations between the industry and the regulator are ongoing with a view to easing these restrictions. For the 2019-20 fire season…