What’s New In ’81

Lightweight Whelen strobes; plus a “starter engaged” annunciator.

There’s also something called a “Throttle Q Switch” which works off airspeed rather than throttle placement.

What’s new in the magnificent Baron lineup? The 55 Series has a new paint job, 50 amp alternators as standard equipment, improved fuel metering systems, a completely redesigned interior including recessed padded armrests giving an extra inch of cabin width per outboard armrest; new window frames and improved window latching mechanism, and regrouping of air conditioning, fresh air and oxygen outlets.

The 58 Series (both normally aspirated and TC) will have new prop synchrophasers as standard fitting, electronically positioning engine firing orders at a pre-set optimum phase relationship.

A knots-only ASI, “Starter energised” light, interior nose door cover to obviate latching mechanism damage on the TC 58, a full range of new avionics has been approved and certified for the 58 Series this year, including Primus colour radar.

The Bonanza line, the F33A and V35B models have new headliners and redesigned cabin sidewalls; the airspeed indicator is a much clearer instrument, with knots-only indication; the fuel flow gauge is now graduated in linear instead of log, scale and an electronic fuel sensor has taken over from the mechanical one.

All circuit breakers are now push-pull. Colour-coded knobs provide a visual reminder for the pilot that he’s selected the right control.

Options include an overhead vent blower.

The Super King Air for this year features a choice of specialised mission types – corporate; cargo or passenger-cargo; maritime patrol, photo missions, thunderstorm research and other sorties.

The King Air B lists, among innovations for ’81, flat-rated AiResearch TPE 331-6-252B engines to 715shp each; plus proven performance and range.

Cessna: The little 152 didn’t crack a mention in the literature supplied to AADR from Wichita – perhaps accidental, perhaps endorsing the allegation that bigger types are a more realistic buy in this decade. .

The triple-type ag-plane lineup – Ag Wagon, Ag Husky and the massive turbo-charged Ag Husky (the only turbocharged ag aircraft in the world, claims Cessna) – gets a good rating in the selling stakes. This year sees a derivetion of the computer-dating service as applied to Man and Machine, in Cessna “marrying” the client’s needs to the aircraft most likely by feeding in data to a computer and analysing the results.

As far as pilots are concerned, all three 1981 ag models feature dual latching cabin doors for more positive sealing; a new high-volume dispersal system allowing capacity for up to 25 per cent more chemical flow; a redesigned emergency dump control; a new 86in threadless prop.

The Skylane is now available as a Turbo Skylane in 1981-powered by the same donk as that found in the turbo 125hp Lycoming fitted to the Turbo Ski-lane RG.

Skylane and Turbo Skylane this year have a useful load of 1390lb and 1387lb -among the best of any four-place turbocharger in production.

Standard 81 mods on Skylanes include a new cabin door latch system, improved cooling vents and fuel selector linkage, and an anti-precipitation static nav, an antenna when factory-installed radios are ordered, an improved avionics cooling system and a new battery electrical contactor.

You can also get an optional two-station hot mike in the ’81 Skylanes, along with an optional eight-waypoint Collins RNAV and a three-inch Collins DME.

The RG Skylanes offer a number of standard improvements plus a long list of new options including a tri-bladed prop and 400B autopilot.

Other options include those offered in the Skylane/Turbo Skylane.

The same goes for the Cessna 180 and 185 Skywagons this year.

The big Stationairs are being offered with a new type of muffler for the normally- aspirated model, plus the mods listed earlier for other singles from Wichita.

Stationair 8s and Turbo Stationair 8s get the same treatment, as does the magnificent range of Centurion, Turbo Centurion and Pressurised Centurion.

The Cessna 310 for 1981 now has a year’s airframe warranty, new interior styling, a one-year avionics warranty and pro rata coverage on engines to TBO.

Turbo 310s now have threadless blade props, six pounds lighter than the older propellers and with the advantage that no special tools are needed for installation.

The Chancellor for ’81 has refinements intended for improved maintenance and operation, including a heated manifold, frost panes or cockpit side windows and threadless blade props.

Interior colour combinations have been enhanced, as is the case with the new Cessna 340 which has several items added as standard.

Main improvement for the Big- quest in 1981 is the increase of maximum certified altitude from 33,000ft to 35,000ft effective with serial number 173.

Other “news” for the Conquest includes redesigned lefthand seat tracks, a quick-donning oxygen mask system for pilot and co-pilot, dual battery switches for independent battery control, and a pneumatic lower main door extender.

Upcoming Conquest changes include new McCauley props in place of the Hartzells, from serial 195. Wichita’s justification for the swap is that McCauleys run smoother, are easier to balance and give weight savings of 23lb per aircraft.

TBOS on the new Cessna 402 have been extended to 1600 hours, and the 1981 version has new interior styling and a wide range of optional avionics.

Cessna’s 1981 Golden Eagle big 421 has many of the mods. listed for its smaller twin sisters, including heated fuel manifold, lower cabin door extender and frost panes, plus fuel injection system improvements.

And the giant Cessna Titan comes in three versions for this year – the Courier, a people-haulier QC-fitted for cargo; the Ambassador for executives, and the Freighter, a bona fide cargo aircraft.

TBO on the GTSIO-520-M motors has been stretched to 1600 hours.

Piper: Piper has entered the ’81 market with an array of twins and singles which may prove hard to beat.

The newest offer is the Cheyenne II XL, which boasts 16 per cent more cabin volume and increased payload over its older sister, the II. The big, fast and beautiful Cheyenne Ill remains the flagship of Lock Haven’s twin fleet, listed as the biggest, fastest, quietest and most luxurious aircraft of Piper’s fleet.

In fact, Piper lists the Big Ill as designed and engineered as the ultimate business turboprop for the 1980s.

So what else is new?

Piper’s Aerostar has received Federal Aviation Administration certification for flight into icing conditions – specifically the 1981 Aerostar 6018 and 601P.

In the Navajo family for 1981, new features include optional nacelle fuel tanks for the Chieftain and Navajo C/R giving up to 375 nm extended range, plus a number of interior and avionics options.

This year’s Saratoga and Saratoga variants feature a development called Dyna-Cushion engine mounts, designed to dramatically reduce fatigue-inducing vibrations while adding to the comfort and quietness of the Saratoga in flight.

Detailing more of the improvements for 1981:

Standard equipment changes on the Cheyenne I and II include the addition of a cabin temperature control for improved passenger comfort and a time delay circuit on the cabin entrance courtesy light.

An on-off windshield defroster control now allows the pilot to select windshield defroster air at his discretion, and a new split-bus electrical system both simplifies pilot management of the system and gives greater system reliability.

Cheyenne avionics options are highlighted by a new King KNS-81 integrated NAV/RNAV system able to cope with nine waypoints, certified for IFR. The system provides simultaneous display of frequency, radial and distance for RNAV use.

The remote DME indicator provides simultaneous distance, ground speed and time to waypoint display, or distance and radial from the waypoint.

Other options include ADFs, NAV receivers, an audio selector panel and a remote transponder indent button on the control wheel. There are also auto-pilot systems available.

RCA colour radar is optional for both Cheyenne I and 11, and an RCA remote data NAV Ill unit is also available, giving weather and RNAV data on the radar indicator at the same time.

The Piper Tomahawk for 1981 features a modified door seal and door latch, individual map pockets, seat adjustment grips forward of the glare shield for both instructor and student and a shimmy dampener incorporated into the nose wheel.

The Aztec: one can now get an option. al light grey instrument panel and a new exterior “bent ribbon” paint job.

Two additional inches of forward travel have been added to the pilot’s seat, giving better passenger ingress and egress.

Aztec F avionics options include the RCA Primus 200 colour system, plus many Cheyenne optional avionics.

The Super Cub stays as is apart from a new sales system. As Marketing and Sales senior VP Thomas Gillespie says, “Changing that aeroplane would be like altering the design of the egg. . . ”

There are no significant changes for ’81 in the Pawnee D, Brave 300 and Brave 375.

Other newies for ’81 as far as Piper is concerned include:

• A built-in optional oxygen system for the Turbo Arrow IV.

• Air-conditioning option for the Semi- role models.

• Heavy-duty brakes for the Dakota.

• Optional dual avionics for many sing-less models in the overall range.

Next Issue We Airtest the Excit- Ing Robinson R. 22 Light Helo in Addition to Cessna’s Newest Turboprop, the Corsair. Don’t Miss It!