Newsdesk – General Aviation

With the extra power, take-off weight has been increased from 1500 lb to 14,000 lb while economical cruise speed will rise by an estimated 20 kt.

The Metro 3 will have a cruising range of 600 statute miles and will cost an additional $400,000 above a Metro 2.

While passenger accommodation will remain unchanged at 19, the wingspan will be increased by 10ft. The first of the new model Metro will be delivered to Crossair of Switzerland in April, 1981.

Enstrom Makes a Comeback:

Written off for dead in 1979, Enstrom Helicopters bounced back in 1980 with the production of 90 aircraft.

The demand for light helicopters has been instrumental in re-launching the capable F28F Falcon while the 280L Hawk is expected to attain FAA certification by mid-1981. Despite the high relative costs of Avgas, Enstrom executives point out that the initial acquisition costs and reliability of the piston engine in adverse conditions more than makeup for the difference between Avgas and Avtur prices. Enstrom plans to build 150 aircraft in 1981, most of which will be destined for the US domestic market.

Robinson Arrives:

Heliflite, distributors of the R. 22 two-seat helicopter, took delivery of their first example of the type in October. The aircraft was air freighted out from the States and will be followed by six to eight further examples of the type which will be in Australia by Christmas. The R. 22 is powered by a single four-cylinder Lycoming 0320 engine, de-rated from 150 hp to 124 hp, which provides a maximum speed of 118 mph and a cruise fuel burn of around seven gallons per hour. TBO is listed at a very economical 2000 hrs and Heliflite claims around three dozen firm orders to date.

Duchess Goes Radar:

The Beechcraft Duchess light piston-engined twin has been equipped with radar, Hawker Pacific has announced, and the option will be available on models for delivery in Australia later this year.

Beech had certified the RCA Weatherscout II as optional equipment, greatly expanding the capability of this light twin of which 19 have been sold in Australia since its introduction in 1978. The nose-mounted unit is available with either a colour or monochrome display mounted on the right-hand side of the instrument panel. The installed weight of the entire assembly is only 6. 5 kg (14. 8 lb).

The unit features an azimuth scan of 90 degrees and can be set to range from 12 to 120 nautical miles.

GA Lighties Down but Corporates Still Boom:

Sales of light GA aircraft are still depressed following a year of avgas and interest rate traumas, though the turbine and The turbofan market has never looked better. Though troubled by minor production problems, Cessna’s Citation III, which will commence customer delivery in about one year, already has 142 aircraft on firm order with a backlog that stretches to mid-1985. Monthly production rate for Citation I and II stands at 16 with a backlog for both types of stretching through mid-82.

Mitsubishi, who is represented in Australia by Forrester, has recorded 110 firm orders for the Citation challenger, the Diamond.

First customer delivery of the Diamond will take place in March 1981, and production is slated at eight units a month by 1982.

Canadair are also on a winner with their Challenger. Firm orders at time of writing stood at 128 for the standard fuselage model and 48 for the Challenger E, or Extended fuselage model. Learavia, who are producing their all-composite structures turboprop in Northern Ireland and Reno, Nevada, also have noted 142 orders for what might in time turn out to be a turning point in corporate aircraft design.

Cessna Notches First $1 Billion Sales Year:

Sales and earnings in Cessna Aircraft Company’s fourth quarter ended September 30, were higher than a year ago, pushing sales for the year past the $1 billion mark for the first time.

Earnings for fiscal 1980 on $1 billion in sales were $28 million, versus sales of $939 million, and income of $46 million a year ago.

The sale of 527 aircraft in September brought Cessna’s fiscal year unit total to 6927 and aircraft sales to $869 million, versus 8234 units and a dollar volume of $818 million in fiscal 1979.

Cessna also accounted for 50 per cent of the industry’s export business, shipping 1782 aircraft worth $233 million, versus 1921 units and $196 million in export revenue last year.

For the second consecutive year, Cessna produced and delivered more business jet aircraft than any other company in the world. Cessna delivered 140 Citation I and II business jets during fiscal 1980, up from 134 during the same period a year ago.

 Commuters to Get Supplementary Airline Licence:

GA operators are affected by several of the domestic aviation policy changes announced by the Transport Minister, Ralph Hunt, in Federal Parliament on September 18. The most significant is the introduction of a new supplementary airline licence for commuter operators. This will replace the present system of authorising commuter services under an ANA 203 exemption.

Mr Hunt said there had been a dramatic growth in commuter operations over recent years and commuters now operated over a number of routes serviced by airlines. Under these circumstances, the Government had decided that this segment of the industry should be formally recognised by the introduction of the new supplementary airline licence.

The dividing line between an airline licence and a supplementary airline licence will be based on aircraft capacity. An operator who flies an aircraft that has a certificated passenger-carrying capacity of more than 30, or a maximum payload greater than 3500 kg, will need an airline licence.

Operators using smaller aircraft will be able to get a supplementary airline licence. Mr Hunt said that each type of licence would specify the type of service, the routes to be flown and the aircraft types to be used. An operating certificate would also be issued certifying that the operator had complied with DoT operational and technical requirements.

Mr Hunt added that the licences would not be effective without an appropriate operating certificate, but could be issued in advance of starting operations to permit preliminary arrangements for the establishment of the a,r service to proceed on a firm basis.

Plane v Car:

Many people think that aeroplanes are expensive to operate and use too much fuel. To quell this argument, Beech have come up with some interesting figures.

About 80 per cent of all GA aircraft are 4 6 sealers, either single-engined or light twins. On most trips these planes will use a comparable amount of fuel as a new medium-sized car making the same trip. For example, a single-engined Bonanza A. 36 (as tested in this edition of AADR) flying direct from Sydney to Armidale, NSW will burn 16 gallons of fuel. The medium-sized car (Falcon, Commodore, Volvo, etc), will burn 21 gallons. The Bonanza will make the trip in 1 hour 15 minutes. It will take the car upwards of seven hours to complete the journey.

Of course, fuel is only one cost of operating an aeroplane or any form of transportation. Direct Operating Costs (DOC) also include maintenance, inspections and a reserve for engine exchange. Indirect costs also include insurance, air navigation charges and major inspection provisions. Cost per mile of aeroplane operation (normally considered of a cost per hour basis) decreases as utilisation increases. That’s because the indirect costs which remain static regardless of utilisation, are amortised over a greater number of flight hours.

As an example, let’s use a Beechcraft Bonanza A. 36, the 4 to 6-seat 190 mph aircraft we used earlier to illustrate fuel consumption in the Sydney to Armidale trip. If Bonanza flies 400 hours (72,000 mis} a year the operating costs per mile would be 32c. The total operation cost for the trip would be $72. If the operating costs are 28c – the total operating cost for the trip will be $63. This then compares more than favourably with regularly scheduled airline services, even on a single passenger basis and on a time and efficiency basis more than comparable with the car.

New F. 90 for Australia:

Beech’s latest King Air, the F. 90 model, is due in Australia as we go to press. The latest addition to the top-selling King Air family is powered by twin Pratt & Whitney PT6 turboprops of 750shp, can accommodate between 7 and ten passengers while cruising at upwards of 267kts. The King Air family has been a consistent seller in Australia with local distributors Hawker Pacific, having sold 21 of the Super King Air 200 version alone since its introduction back in 1974. International sales of the marque now exceed 2600 units, of which more than 600 are of the Super 200 model.

Dispirited:

Sikorsky are to drop the name Spirit for their popular S-76 commercial helicopter. Apparently, the name is associated with unfavourable images in many countries which have a deep religious background. It is known that since the international marketing programme got underway in the midseventies, Sikorsky have referred to the twin· turbo helo purely as the S-76 in such countries as Mexico, Spain, Portugal and much of South America. Now, the complete designation of Spirit is to be dropped and replaced with a sober Sikorsky 76.

Long-Legged Long Ranger:

A Bell Longranger II has made what is thought to be the first civil single-engined crossing of the North Atlantic. The aircraft flew 5100 nautical miles from Dallas, Texas, to Berne, Switzer land, via Greenland, Iceland and the Scotland Islands in just 49 hours flying time.

Collins Fpa-80 Approved for Use In Lieu of GWPS Under Part 135:

The Collins FPA-80 Flight Profile Advisory System, manufactured by the Collins General Aviation Division of Rockwell International Corporation, has received Federal Aviation Administration approval for use under Part 135. 153 (b).

This approval means the FPA-80 can be used as an alternative to a Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS), a type of system that is far more expensive than the FPA-80.

The Collins FPA-80 is the only unit if its type being sold which employs solid-state digital technology. It gives altitude calls and a number of warning or advisory messages using an actual voice which has been digitised, unlike synthesised “computer” voices which sound artificial.

The FAA’s director of flight operations, and the director of air-worthiness in Washington, DC, granted approval for the FPA-80. The FAA has determined that the Collins FPA-80 satisfies the requirements of Section 135. 153 (b} and offers a viable alternative to a ground proximity warning system for air earners hold ing certificates under Part 135.

The FPA-80 is designed for use in aircraft equipped with radio altimeters capable of operating at or below either 2500 or 2000 feet. The system calls out arrival at either 2500 or 2000 feet above the terrain. Other calls are made in 1oo foot intervals below 1000 feet and at the selected decision height or MDA.

Advisory calls are made to warn of deviation from the glideslope. localiser or barometric altitude pre-selected on the air data system. There are also warning calls to notify the pilot of the trim failure and gear-up configuration within 500 feet of the ground.

If several call-outs are triggered simultaneously, the FPA-80 priority system annunciates them in relative order of importance.

All advisories and warnings are repeated three times and reset by correcting the condition which is activating the call-out.

For example, if the aircraft deviates from glideslope and localiser at the same time, the FPA-80 would call out, “glideslope, localiser,” three times. By repeating messages three times, the pilot is given sufficient warning, without annoyance. If the pilot corrects, the FPA-80 resets for those messages.

 One in Six Flies GA:

General Aviation aircraft carry one in every six persons who travel by air in Australia. Additionally, GA aircraft carry 44 per cent of all domestic air freight. These figures, which clearly show the national importance of the GA industry, are revealed in a study recently completed by the Bureau of Transport Economics and which forms part of the still unreleased Department of Transport report on the GA industry. Highlights of the BTE report include:

• On an hours-flown basis, GA flying grew by 55 per cent over the 10-year period from for1969-70 to 1978-79; commuters grew faster than any other type of flying with a 245 per cent increase; charter flying showed unstable activity levels with no overall growth; business flying more than doubled; flying training, private flying and other aerial work also grew considerably but unevenly over the period while aerial agriculture varied considerably, year to year, displaying a cyclical pattern related to changes in rural prosperity.
• GA aircraft carried 2042 million persons during 1978-79 and 96,000 tonnes of freight. (In comparison, the domestic airlines carried 10.8 million passengers and about 123,000 tonnes of freight. ) The break-up between the various GA sectors was: Commuters – 590,000 persons and over 7000 tonnes of freight; charter – 608,000 persons and 40,000 tonnes of freight; business flying – 480,000 persons and 85,000 tonnes of freight: private flying – 284. 000 persons and aerial ambulance – 80,000 persons.
• The 4215 GA operators on June 30, 1979. together owned 5849 fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.

Learfan Flies:

What may prove to be one of the most innovative GA aircraft yet designed, Learavia’s Learfan, made its first flight recently. The revolutionary all-composite aircraft weighs a mere 1250 lb, and supports 1875 lb of fuel, two engines, eight people and luggage, all for an all-up weight of 7250 lb. Research and Development is taking place at Reno, Nevada, while final assembly will be undertaken at the new Northern Ireland Leara via facility, which was formerly an RAF air station. The Learfan was the brainchild of the late Bill Lear and just as his unique design for a small jet spurred the critics 20 years back, his latest and, sadly, last design effort, has caused a similar degree of scepticism despite the fact that many senior design people from Cessna, Grumman and Learjet are working on the project. Specifications call for the twin-PT6 powered Learfan to cruise at over 300 kts at 40,000 ft over a range of 2000 nms while burning a frugal 35 gph avtur. Asking price is in the region of $1. 5m while the first customer delivery is expected in 1983..

Learjet Leap Ahead:

Gates’ Learjet, creators of the executive jet forged ahead with a record trading year for FY 1980. Total sales amounted to $US351m, a healthy 16 per cent up on the ’79 figure. For this, Learjet netted $US13m and went into 1981 with an order book totalling one billion dollars. To cope with the surge in corporate aircraft, Learjet is in the process of increasing monthly production from nine to 15 aircraft. An example of the solidarity of the company as a whole is mirrored in the fact that despite the massive R&D and start-up costs associated with the Series 50 Longhorn aircraft, the company still managed to turn a healthy net profit.

Dollars Up, Units Down:

The US General Aviation Manufacturers Association reports that for the January to June period of 1980 US GA sales amounted to $US1,152m as against $US1,068m for the same period in 1979. So much for the good news. The bad news is that the number of aircraft delivered in that period for 1980 was 6286, down from 8863 for the same period in 1979. The trend shows clearly the market strength of the high-value corporate propjet and pure jet transport at the expense of Avgas burning aircraft. The latter market will pick up as interest rates drop and the overall US economy improves.

 Turboprop Islander:

During the years when Avgas was not only cheap but readily available, the twin-engined Britten Norman Islander was a raging success, particularly in remote areas where its rugged construction and simplicity of maintenance made it’s a winner. More recently, however, the fact that the Islander was powered by a piston engines have weighed heavily against it in competition with avtur-burning turboprops.

The new Pilatus Britten Norman organisation has overcome this with the release of a turbine-powered Islander. Power for the revised Islander is supplied by two Allison 250-817Cs flat rated at 320 hp. Flat rating the engine increases component life, extends TBOs and reduces overall levels of maintenance and fuel consumption.

Going turbine increases useful payload to 1609 lb and allows a service ceiling of 20,000 ft. High-speed cruise at sea level is 180 mph and 198 mph at 10,000 ft. Range with full IFR reserves is 385 miles and the rate of climb at sea level is 1100 ft per minute with two engines and 225 ft per minute with one.

First flight was achieved on August 2, and production deliveries are expected to commence around April, 1981.

The original Britten Norman firm had investigated the possibility of using turbine power for the Islander back in 1975 when Lycoming LTP101s of 400 shp were planned but without the impetus of a real avgas supply crisis, the project never got off the ground.

 Cessna Delivers 750th Citation:

Minister Machine Company of Minster, Ohio, has taken delivery of the 750th Citation business jet. a Citation II model. The first Citation delivery was in 1972.

Cessna led the industry in the delivery of business jets in 1979 with 140, an all-time industry record, and plans to set another delivery record this year.

Delivery positions for Citation I and Citation II is sold for the next two years. A third model, the Citation 111, is undergoing flight testing, and orders for the first three years of production have been received. Cessna recently reported a firm order backlog for Citation models in excess of $1. 2 billion.

 New Cheyenne:

Piper has unveiled a new stretched version of the Cheyenne II designated IIXL. The new aircraft, the fourth member of the Cheyenne family, features a 24-inch stretch in the forward fuselage area as compared with the basic model I and II aircraft. This provides 16 per cent greater cabin volume and a useful load increase of 330 lb. Powerplants are standard Cheyenne II While overall performance is only marginally diminished by the fuselage stretch. Both the all-new Cheyenne Ill and the IIXL are expected to be available in Australia in 1981.

Turbine Navajo:

In a photo caption in our September edition, Commuter Operator Directory, we made the suggestion that it was about time Piper investigated the possibility of providing turbine power for its best-selling Navajo Chieftain line. Little did we know that an American firm, Schafer Aircraft Modifications, was offering a Navajo conversion using de-rated PT6-135s of 620shp. The rejuvenated Navajo features a cruise speed of over 270kts at 29,000 ft, and a range in excess of 1300 nautical miles. The aircraft also uses three blade Q-tip propellers and sells for $US385,000, which to us seems very good value in this after-burning age.

Gulfstream Takes Off:

Gulfstream Americans are certainly doing well these days. The recent announcement that they had acquired the entire Rockwell International GA division complete with the strong-selling Commander line adds new fire to this company which, so far, has recorded firm orders for 70 of its new Gulfstream Ill corporate jets. Meanwhile, the twin-turbine single-prop Hustler has made its first flight after considerable delays though the major portion of the Company’s resources are being funnelled over to the GIii programme in recent years. The single-engined Hustler 400 has been retired while project definition of the military Peregrine the trainer is progressing.