Innholdsfortegnelse for May - June 2023 i Australian Flying

Rotax launched their new 160-hp lightweight aero engine at Sun 'n' Fun in Florida in March. Weighing only 86 kg, the turbo-charged Rotax 916iS/c is designed for four-seat aircraft and produces 160-hp at 5800 RPM and 137 hp at maximum continuous power of 5500 RPM. For comparison, a 160-hp Lycoming O-320 weighs in around 125 kg, leading Rotax to describe the 916 as "the impossible engine". "The launch of the 916iS/c is yet another testament to our commitment to developing ground-breaking technologies and creating the most advanced propulsion systems for our customers," said Peter Ölsinger, General Manager, BRP-Rotax, and Vice-President, Sales, Marketing & Communications, Rotax Propulsion Systems. "For us, it was crystal clear that we had to build on the success of the 915 engine. We can now seize new…

AMDA Foundation announced at Avalon 2023 that it has taken over Wings Over Illawarra (WOI) and would re-brand the event as Airshows Downunder Shellharbour. WOI has been run for several years at Albion Park under the guidance of organiser Mark Bright, who has built the show up from a simple fly-in to a major event. The annual event will now be run every two years, with the next one now scheduled for 1-3 March 2024, and will continue to be held in non-Avalon years. AMDA Foundation CEO Justin Giddings said the move was inline with his organisation’s mission to promote the Australian aviation industry. "Wings Over Illawarra has built an excellent reputation as an event for the general aviation and light sport community in Australia," he said. "It has an…

Europe and the USA have for several years now had the jump on Australia and New Zealand in terms of GNSS navigation accuracy. Our northern colleagues have the luxury of augmented signals that can pin-point a receiver more precisely and with greater integrity than the GNSS that is currently in place in Australasia. The generic term is Space-based Augmentation System – SBAS. In Europe, they call it the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS); in the USA, it’s Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS). The existence of this technology has meant that IFR pilots can fly with greater navigation capability both lateral and vertical than is available in countries with no SBAS. But now we're getting into the game, with the planned introduction of SouthPAN. Announced in September last year, the…

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Airbus Helicopters announced at the Australian International Airshow that it had completed the first flight in Australia of a helicopter fueled with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The flight, a joint operation with Moorabbin operator Microflite and engine manufacturer Safran, was done with an Airbus H130 fueled with 200 litres of jet fuel, a blend of 40% SAF and Jet-A1 powering the Arriel 2D engine. The fuel was supplied into Australia by Neste, marking the first shipment of its kind into this country. “The use of SAF is one of Airbus’ levers to reduce carbon emissions, and we are proud to have achieved this milestone SAF flight with long-standing partners Safran and Microflite,” said Stephen Forshaw, Airbus Chief Representative for Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific. “This demonstration flight underscores Airbus’…

A successful and sold-out Avalon air show served to remined the Australian business aviation community of the importance of these events for our industry. Several international business jet OEMs made the trip with their newest aircraft, ensuring business jets were well-represented on static display and within the exhibition halls. Avalon reported a record attendance for the trade days of the show, with numbers up by 24% from 2019. According to Justin Giddings, CEO of show organiser AMDA Foundation, "From the first minute of this Avalon there was a dynamism in the exhibition halls and the sense that a lot of people were having some very productive conversations.” « the show also provided an opportunity for business aviation attendees to explore recent developments » A number of business aviation organisations successfully…

The economic, social and environmental benefits of general aviation, particularly for rural, regional and remote Australia, cannot be understated. You keep communities connected to each other and to essential goods and services. You support regional jobs and industries like agriculture, resources and tourism. You provide lifesaving services, like fire and flood relief and medical evacuation, and you promote environmental and cultural protection through aerial survey and land management. General aviation is a key part of our aviation ecosystem and its contribution, just like the breadth of stakeholders, is vast. We know there are at least 11,000 fixed and rotary wing aircraft capable of being used for general aviation. It is critical that we capture these perspectives in the new Aviation White Paper. It has been more than a decade since…

It was the election promise that not everyone wanted. The Australian Labor Party made a new aviation white paper a part of its platform for the 2022 election, but for many advocates in Australia’s aviation community it simply brought back the trauma of the last white paper published in 2009. That document is held in the highest esteem by the current ALP government, but the aviation community still derides it as one of the worst papers on aviation ever published. For some, it amounted to nothing more than a statement of the status quo, presented no new initiatives and ignored most of the feedback upon which the preceding green paper was based. Current Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, in his role of Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, was the major proponent…

Bose introduced the A30 aviation headset in March, the first new model to come from the US manufacturer since the top-of-the-line A20 nearly 13 years ago. The A30 is a completely new noise-canceling headset that the company says is the result of research and gathering pilot input. “When we asked pilots what improvement was most important to them, their overwhelming response was comfort,” said Matt Ruwe, senior product manager for Bose. “We took that seriously and developed a new balance in the A30 with noticeably more comfort while maintaining and enhancing headset performance. "The changes amplify the experience for our core A20 users while appealing to a broader range of pilots.” Whilst admitting superceding the A20 was "no mean feat" Bose has made several changes that set the A30 apart…

There remains not a skerrick of doubt that there is a huge appetite for major airshows in Australia. After being postponed for two years, Avalon International Airshow 2023 was a sold out event, although that popularity exposed a few holes in the logistics of bringing the huge crowds in and getting them home again. A seemingly endless caravan of families, prams, trolleys and individuals streamed in through the gates from the moment they opened until the day’s show was three quarters over. Long queues formed not only for food and drink, but for the experience of walking through a USAF C-5 Galaxy, or going through a vendor’s exhibit, or collecting a RAAF aircraft pin. Airshow organisers AMDA recorded 248,000 trade and public attendances across the entire six days of the…

When I handed Tecnam Bravo 24-5300 over to the MRO for its periodic inspection, I thought it would be back in a couple of days after a quick health check. The aircraft was in great condition and flew magnificently even hands-off. This was the first time in my flying career that I was sending my own aircraft in for a periodic. The exercise would prove to be one of the largest and most complex lessons I would learn in my aviation career, a lesson which wiped out the last vestige of naivety I had left. Also known as the 100-hourly or the annual inspection, a periodic must be done for the maintenance release to be renewed, and as the common names suggest, has to be done every 100 hours or…

When you think of an aero club, what comes to mind? An old porta-cabin, dead flies on a windowsill, yellowing copies of the crash comic? Or perhaps you think of sausage sizzles, fund raisers and cheap booze at the bar? Do you imagine an ageing fleet? Aircraft so old they still have ashtrays and peeling patterned carpet sitting out on the grass in the open elements? Or are you thinking of the swankier aero clubs, the ones with their own cafes, glass-cockpit equipped aircraft and lounges for lazing in whilst telling flying yarns. And some have virtually nothing, existing as a loose group of enthusiasts without their own buildings, aeroplanes or indeed shared bank accounts. To form an aero club, all you really need is a passion for flight and…

When you're the fourth product to enter a saturated market, you need your stuff to pack a bigger wallop that the other three to get your share. ForeFlight is the fourth electronic flight bag (EFB) to enter the Australian market behind OzRunways, AvPlan and Garmin Pilot, but it just may have the goods to make an impact here. Foreflight is the most popular EFB in the world, but until now has not bothered with the Australian and NZ market. We are small, but they are large. Now the Boeing-owned company has CASA approval as a supplier of aviation documents, Foreflight is knocking on doors looking for converts. Their arguments are compelling. Foreflight is the most graphically-slick and feature-packed EFB of the lot. Like other EFBs, ForeFlight presents you with a…

I’m writing this article on the day after I arrived home from Avalon. With sore legs, a hoarse voice and a spike in optimism for, not only Recreational Aviation Australia (RAAus), but our industry more broadly, our team has had a terrific week at the Australian International Airshow. With four years since the last air show, there really seems to be renewed enthusiasm. RAAus had a large presence at Avalon 23, as we’ve done in previous years. This year we also had more members fly their aircraft in than ever before. The aircraft were on show to the thousands of attendees, sowing the seed for many conversations around recreational aviation, building aircraft and "how do I get into this?" It was terrific to see the diversity of aircraft, from amateur…

1 Vale David Bell 2 Tecnam commemorates 75 Years 3 CASA issues Recommendations on Unleaded Avgas 4 Aviation flying high on Avalon Results 5 AOPA appoints new Director as Secretary 6 ATSB recommends Crash-resistant Fuel Systems after Air Tractor Crash 7 Turn-back Stall led to Dynaero Crash: ATSB 8 Demand rises for Diamond’s Big Twin 9 Avia takes Delivery of Australia’s first P-Mentor 10 Federal Government hosts Sustainable Aviation Forum 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…

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) said in March that it would introduce modular LAME licences based on exclusions after industry feedback to a discussion paper showed significant support for the concept. Modular licencing would permit engineers to be licenced under CASR Part 66 without having to study a wide range of aircraft systems that may not be required for their intended careers. It is thought that modular licences would get more engineers qualified to work on basic aircraft sooner, helping relieve ongoing engineer shortages in the industry. Of the 60 submissions to the discussion paper (DP), 90% supported the idea either wholly or with some changes. "Consistent with the feedback from industry and the [Technical Working Group], CASA will seek to expedite the delivery of the core beneficial outcomes…

Many a pilot aspires to own an aircraft with more power, speed, and room; one that sports a pressurised cabin, enabling above the weather, flight-level travel. The Piper PA-46 M350 promises all that. Nick Jones, from Airflite, the Piper authorised dealer in Australia, offered me an M350 flight. It would be a 748-nm, non-stop, IFR trip from Moorabbin to Archerfield. The immaculate red and white 2016 example (registration withheld at the request of the owner), was one I’d admired from afar for years. Having previously flown the more expensive M600 turbine version of the same design, the performance of the six-cylinder, fuel injected, turbo-charged Lycoming TIO-540 version would be interesting. My guide was international ferry pilot, Stuart Caling, who was to fly the aircraft onwards to the USA. Background The…

The year 2023 marks the 100th anniversary of the rotorcraft … or does it? On 13 November 1907, a helicopter designed and constructed by French inventor Paul Cornu took to the air. Well, it lifted the 260 kg of the machine and its pilot to the dizzy altitude of one foot for around 20 seconds. Cornu soon realised that the 27-hp engine wasn’t powerful enough to drive the big rotors, and the project didn’t go much further than a few test flights. But a few months earlier, some other French inventors, the brothers Bregeut, had managed to get a tethered gyroplane-type machine off the ground. Inventors were experimenting with different configurations and control methods. In 1912, a Danish pioneer, Jacob Ellehammer, built a helicopter with contra-rotating rotors and a cyclic…

It’s not quite a decade since CASA responded to criticism about its relationship with industry by introducing a new regulatory philosophy. The philosophy was designed to underpin the way we performed our functions, exercised our power and engaged with the aviation community. It laid out 10 principles aimed at improving the way we worked with industry and forming a basis for mutual understanding and respect. The CASA senior leadership team, with the support of the Aviation Safety Advisory Panel, has recently been revisiting that regulatory philosophy and discussing whether it still does the job and, more importantly, whether we are adhering to it. This kind of review is something any government agency or business should do on a regular basis and our conclusion was the principles embodied in the regulatory…