Innholdsfortegnelse for March - April 2022 i Australian Flying

New Zealand’s Pacific Aerospace plans to release an upgraded version of the P-750 single-engine turbo-prop (SETP) as it faces a revitalised future under new ownership. Branded the Super-PAC and aimed primarily at the skydiving market, the new aircraft will boast a Pratt & Whitney PT6A-140 turbine in place of the -34 engine in the current P-750. The new engine is expected to provide a 27% increase in climb rate and a 23% reduction in fuel usage to 13,000 feet. The aircraft was in the pipeline before Pacific Aerospace Limited (PAL) went into liquidation in February last year. NZSkydive Limited took over the assets of the company in April and has continued with the company trading as Pacific Aerospace. “The aircraft is much anticipated by skydive operators throughout the world,” PAC…

In the first three quarters of 2021, Robinson Helicopter sold 61 R66s, bringing sales to over 1000 machines. In Australia there are 35 R66s, with 70% operated privately, and the remainder working commercially. Certified in 2010 as the biggest sibling in a lookalike family, the R66 is a five-seat, four-door, twin-rotor, Rolls Royce turbine powered light helicopter with a gross weight of 1225 kg. Empty weight is 585 kg, giving a useful load of 640 kg. It cruises at 110 kt and can climb at over 1000 fpm. The maximum operating altitude is 14,000 feet, and range is 350 nm without reserves, thanks to a 279-litre fuel tank. An optional auxiliary tank installed in the baggage compartment will hold a further 163 litres, making the R66 a five-hour plus reserves…

At the ripe old age of 19 I was being told by my first DAME that I had left it a bit late to start learning to fly if I wanted to get into an airline. This scared the crap out of me and it set off in motion a mindset that I think still permeates within me. It’s the “what do I need to do next” mentality. This was initially based on my laser focus on becoming an airline pilot, something I had wanted to do since childhood. So here I am today, some 30 years later, just after returning to the skies in a "lightie" to feed that passion for aviation I know is embedded in me. It has been a time of reflection on my aviation journey,…

Renew or subscribe to Australian Flying with auto-renewal for just $6.30 PER ISSUE (print + digital copies) TO SUBSCRIBE VISIT WWW.GREATMAGAZINES.COM.AU & SELECT AUSTRALIAN FLYING OR CALL 1800 807 760 AND QUOTE AUTO-RENEWAL Conditions: This offer is only available to readers with an Australian postal address. By subscribing via auto-renewal you give Yaffa Media authorisation to charge your nominated credit/debit card account or direct debit bank account regular amounts, in regular instalments, as set out in the terms of the subscription you are purchasing, until you request it to be stopped, or your card or account expires. You may voluntarily stop your subscription at any time by providing Yaffa Media’s customer service department (subscriptions@yaffa.com.au) with written notice. For full terms & conditions, visit www.greatmagazines.com.au.…

Lightspeed Aviation has added to its already impressive range of leather adventure pilot bags. The Duke is a purpose-built black leather backpack that sits well alongside the popular Gann and Markham models. Continuing the tradition of naming flight bags after noted aviation authors, the newest addition is named after Neville Frederick Duke, the World War II British test pilot, fighter ace and writer, author of the well-known autobiography Test Pilot. This functional backpack was created with the same aviation focus Lightspeed brings to most of their products, incorporating essential features desired by today’s pilots with attention to detail and very high quality materials. The Duke is handmade from full grain, oiled South American black cowhide and has its own distinctive grain and markings. It features gusseted pockets on both sides:…

We’re well into 2022 and I hope everybody is now familiar with the new suite of flight operations regulations that marked a significant milestone in our regulatory journey when they came into effect on 2 December last year. As we continue that voyage, we know there is more to do. We are now focusing on our comprehensive General Aviation Workplan with the aim of reducing unnecessary impediments to the safe operation of the sector. Of course, we need to get the balance right between the safety standards expected by the Australian public and the need to reduce burdens on the day-to-day operations of the GA industry. But we believe we can achieve that balance. I’ve previously mentioned that our plan for general aviation is grouped into three significant themes: flight…

The Australian Flight Training Industry Association (AFTIA) late last year proposed a government-supported apprenticeship scheme for new CPLs to work in general aviation. The proposal was aired during a December hearing of the senate inquiry into the general aviation industry. AFTIA Chair Maddy Johnson said that Australia’s reluctance to fully re-open airline travel was causing a pilot crisis as other nations opened sooner, drawing Australian pilots overseas. AFTIA says the airlines were taking pilots from the GA pool with less experience, likening GA to “an estuary that has been over-fished.” According to AFTIA, the issue could be tackled by an apprenticeship scheme that would see CPL students spend the last year of their tertiary training working with an operator with the wage subsidised by the government. AFTIA believes this would…

Recreational Aviation Australia (RAAus) and AMDA Foundation, organisers of the Australian International Airshow, have formed a partnership to hold a national GA fly-in in April. Known as Fly'n for Fun, the three-day event is scheduled for Parkes NSW, 1-3 April 2022, and will feature static displays, entertainment and seminars with on-airport camping, as well as promoting visits to the Parkes radio telescope and the HARS Parkes facility. RAAus CEO Matt Bouttell said the aim of the event was to encourage private aviation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. “The pandemic hasn’t just affected commercial aviation,” Boutell said. “The private aviation sector has seen significant decline in activity over the past two years, affecting our ability to come together. “Regional Australia has also been hit hard during the pandemic so…

Some endorsements are expensive, have a mean exam, and require much study. The Gas Turbine Endorsement (GTE) isn’t like that. Pilots say the GTE is perhaps the most enjoyable and fun of all. The fun comes from the aircraft GTEs are completed in: turbines. In Australia, the most popular aircraft is the Cessna Caravan or C208 series. They have a reputation of being a gentle step-up from any piston-powered Cessna. With multiple upcoming test flights of turbine aircraft in the US, I sought a GTE. My instructor and testing officer was Toby Dorn, chief pilot for Blue Sky Airways at Cessnock. Blue Sky is CASA-approved to conduct training and flight reviews. They offer initial and refresher training. The C208 is not designated as requiring a type rating, but it’s stipulated…

Aircraft piston engines come in many forms, and one of those is the radial. Radial refers to the cylinders radiating out in a circle around the crankshaft. Radial engines have an odd number of cylinders, which fire in a pattern to turn a central crankshaft to which the propeller is attached. During the early days of aviation, the rotary engine was popular. Rotary engines were technically a type of radial engine, but in a rotary, the entire engine and propeller assembly rotated around a fixed crankshaft. The rotary was short-lived as a design, and immediately after World War I the dominant engine types were radials and in-lines. As radial engines got bigger, a second row of cylinders were added, thus a nine cylinder engine could be developed into a 14-cylinder.…

Since assuming the presidency of the RFACA one issue regularly raised is airport tenure. It is serious as it is at the very core of aviation survival. What an airport offers is optional to all businesses except aviation. Economic range/payload delivery requires wings. Runway and taxiway access interconnected to hangars, engineering support and flight offices are at the core of GA existence and development. The GA owner and operator can’t move to an alternative when there isn’t one. The issues spring from the monopoly nature of airport control after what appeared to be a casual privatisation process, made worse by Commonwealth avarice and ignorance of aviation needs. Aircraft owners, operators and maintainers, regardless of location, are uniform in their belief the airport has monopoly power and they have no power.…

Last December the Federal Government released a plan for the recovery of the aviation industry that included several measures long thought to be critical to the revitalisation of general aviation. The Aviation Recovery Framework, announced by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Barnaby Joyce, is aimed primarily at recovery from the pandemic, but also acknowledges the condition of the general aviation industry and contains initiatives that have the potential to stimulate growth. «These measures will yield financial and safety benefits for many years to come» The framework has drawn accolades from several sectors of GA. Among the measures are a review of the Civil Aviation Act 1988 and the regulations surrounding privatised airports, and subsidies to encourage owners to fit ADS-B to VFR aircraft. The…

Testron Aviation put the prototype Beechcraft Denali single-engined turbo-prop into the air for the first time late last year. The Denali prototype took off from Eisenhower National Airport in Wichita, Kansas, and flew for two hours and 50 minutes, allowing the development team to test the aircraft’s performance, stability and control, as well as its propulsion, environmental, flight controls and avionics systems. The aircraft reached an altitude of 15,600 feet and attained speeds of 180 knots. “Today’s landmark flight is not only a significant occasion for the Denali, it’s a truly great moment for our employees, our suppliers and the customers who will be flying this aircraft,” said Ron Draper, president and CEO, Textron Aviation. “With its more environmentally friendly engine and largest cabin in its class, this is an…

Col Pay Award for a Lifetime of Service to General Aviation Borg Sorensen Pilot, engineer, restorer, warbird owner. Over a career spanning 60 years, Borg Sorensen has contributed significantly to general aviation in a number of ways. Borg was one of the early financial supporters during the establishment of the Tyabb airport and the Peninsula Aero Club in the 1960s, and was also a foundation member of the Antique Aeroplane Association of Australia. A man with a strong reputation for integrity and honesty, Borg has garnered the respect of all who have worked with him over a long career, displaying at all times superior knowledge of, and broad experience in, aircraft engine overhaul, which results in him being sought after for guidance and advice. His name, by virtue of his…

It’s not until you fly a new Archer TX that you understand how old Australia’s legacy Archer fleet really is. That much was obvious to me as I strolled out to VH-XHE parked under humid skies at Bankstown in early January. The aeroplane was gleaming-new on the outside, crisp and unscuffed on the inside and had that warming, delightful smell that comes only with new-born upholstery. When I thought about the time-worn and weary Archers still plying Australian skies after anything up to 50 years and then seeing XHE close-up, it was like finding a sepia photograph of a grandparent that shows them young, energetic and way cooler than you thought they could ever have been. With only eight Archer TXs in Australia, the type is in the embryonic stage…

The wind was annoyingly calm. On most days the pilot in me would be reveling in the stillness of the air, but as I approached Moruya southbound on the Princes Highway, I was cursing my luck. I was scheduled to do some crosswind training, but the tree tops were so still you could count the leaves. However, my lack of local knowledge was not taking into account the sea breeze that swept the coastal plain and, by default, Moruya Airport. By the time I reached Merit Aviation, the windsock was dancing happily in a north-easterly. Dealing with crosswinds is one of my great weaknesses, developed after years of flying at an airport where they don't exist to any challenging extent. On the occasions where I have tackled one at an…

Australia’s fire season is generally getting longer, more intense and less predictable. According to Ray Cronin, president of the Australian Helicopter Industry Association and managing director of Kestrel Aviation, each state’s fire season used to be three months, but these days, it is around 130 days to as much as 160 days. Cronin says this year’s fire season has been less severe, because Australia had above average spring rainfall. But he warns the respite will not last forever. “We have a couple of years of adjustment before we get back into normal fire activity levels," he told Singapore-based Pratt &Whitney agent Francis and Low. The forest fires in Australia, from late 2019 to early 2020, were so catastrophic the Australian government called a Royal Commission to study the impact of…