Newsdesk – General Aviation

Gulfstream Win DOA Order:

Civil Flying Services of Moorabbin has won a $9 m contract to supply the Department of Aviation with five new Gulfstream Commander jet-prop 1000 Series aircraft. The aircraft will be delivered between May and December next year. They will be used for aerodrome Inspection and aerial survey, search and rescue and for ‘retention of flying skills’ flying by Departmental pilots.

As part of the deal, CFS is accepting the Department’s present mixed-bag fleet of four Merlin 11Bs, two Aero Commander 680Es and a Piper Aztec as a trade-in. Each of the new Commanders has a base price in 1982 dollars of approximately $2 m. They will be equipped with a number of options including the Collins electronic flight instrument system. After evaluating fourteen different aircraft types, the Department reduced the final field to four aircraft. The unlucky three were the Beechcraft Kingair, the Swearingen Merlin Ill and Cessna’s Conquest.

New Training Syllabus:

The Department of Aviation plans to start examinations based on the new private pilot training syllabus from January 1. A new syllabus for commercial pilot training will be published shortly and the Department hopes to use it as the basis of exams from January 1984.

Piper Tomahawk and Warriors to Use Mogas:

UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has approved the use by Oxford Air Training School of mogas in its fleet of 35 Piper Tomahawk and Warrior trainer aircraft, subject to quality control and special filtering. In Australia, this is illegal but is currently a matter for consideration by a sub-committee of AVAIC.

15 G for Learfan:

Recent testing has simulated the Lear/a 2100 wing to 15 G at which point the six primary titan bolts fractured though the composite structure surrounding them remained intact. This equates to a shock loading of 27,700 lb (or 12,600 kg) on each individual bolt. The airframe has successfully completed gust loading tests out to 1O G while the Ciba-Geigy driveshafts have operated satisfactorily for long periods at up to 12,000 rpm, twice that of the operational requirement. An interesting sidelight to composite production is that the cost of the raw materials for composite production has dropped in recent months while the cost of aerospace alloys has risen. The second prototype, with production-standard extended fuselage, is flying and will be joined before year’s end by two additional test aircraft.

1000th Aircraft Delivered:

Pilatus Britten-Norman has delivered its 1000th aircraft. One thousand Islanders are in operation in over 100 countries throughout six continents. One operator, Malaysian Airline System, reports that two of its four Islanders have each flown over 20,000 hours and made over 39,000 landings. The airline’s monthly engineering statistics consistently show the despatch reliability of all its four Islanders at around 99.4 per cent, the highest In a fleet of 37 aircraft.

T-1040 to Be Backed by Local Distributors:

Piper’s versatile T-1040 turboprop commuter is to be sold and serviced by Ansett General Aviation.

Boasting the highest useful load-to-gross weight ratio of any aeroplane in its class, the T-1040 offers unequalled economy, whether transporting nine passengers and a crew of two or carrying a load of cargo.

The T-1040, announced at the 1981 Paris Air Show and certified on schedule in February 1982, incorporates the best features of Piper’s proven Navajo, Chieftain, Cheyenne I and Cheyenne II aircraft, which have a combined accumulative service history of nearly 11 million hours. The T-1040 is supplied by a pair of Pratt & Whitney of Canada PT6A-11 turboprops, 500 shp versions of an engine that has proven itself to over 2300 operators flying 6400 aircraft worldwide.

An all-cargo version of the T-1040 would be capable of carrying a payload of nearly 2900 pounds. The all-cargo variant offers 246 cubic feet of cargo area. An additional 30 cubic feet of space is available with the addition of a new cargo pod The pod is available on the standard T-1040, boosting baggage cargo area from 43 to 73 cubic feet

Pilot Numbers:

Australians held a total of 56,503 flight crew licences at December 31 last. Statistics released by the Department of Aviation in June show that there were 55,265 aeroplane licences current at December 31 and 1238 helicopter pilot licences.

Despite the growth in the numbers of licences held (the comparable figure in 1976 was 36,607), the figures show a less encouraging picture on the number of first issue licences. during 1981, the number of flight crew licences issued totalled 9291, only a tiny increase on the comparable figure of 9259 for 1976. It seems that the industry has been more or less standing still for the past six years.

Thunder vs Aircraft Engine Progressing Well:

RPM Development Company expects US FAA certification of its car-based V8 aero engine by the end of this year. The development engine has completed around 90 hours of flight time on a Rockwell 680 Aero Commander. The aluminium twin-turbocharged V8 is mounted in place of the standard Garrett turboprop on the left wing of the 680, the right-wing retains the original Garrett engine. The Thunder V8 produces 700 bhp at 4400 rpm and 48 in manifold boost and complete with accessories weighs in at 712 lb. The primary benefit, claims RPM, is that a new Thunder V8 can be supplied for around $65,000 as against several times that cost for a new turboprop in the 500 shp to 900 shp range. A VB-powered 680 is expected to have a considerable increase in performance over the standard aircraft, claim Thunder. The maximum speed for the Aero Commander is booked at 290 mph compared with a top speed of over 350 mph with the conversion. Similarly, the rate of climb from sea level on a standard day is improved from 2030 fpm to 3080 fpm At 25,000 ft the VB-powered Rock-well outclimbs the turboprop-powered model by a factor of four while from 16,000 ft the VB-powered aircraft will outclimb the turboprop on one engine. The company is also developing a turbocharged diesel engine for use in aircraft.

Citation III Receives FAA Certification; Deliveries of the All-New Business Jet Will Begin in December:

Cessna has received FAA certification for its Citation III business jet.

The Citation III incorporates the latest state-of-the-art in supercritical aerodynamics, composite material and metal bonding, using proven techniques and establishing manufacturing quality. It is powered by the Garrett TFE-731-38-100S engine, specifically designed for the Citation III to provide better high-altitude performance and fuel efficiency.

The executive interior of the Citation III will accommodate up to 10 passengers and a crew of two. The aircraft will be capable of flying more than 2500 nautical miles nonstop at altitudes up to 51,000 feet and cruise speeds to 540 mph.

Production of the Citation III  is sold out well into 1985, representing more than 140 orders. The aircraft’s current price is $5.196 million in 1981 dollars.

Piper Builds 125,000th Plane:

Piper has manufactured their 125,000th aircraft, a twin-engined Seneca Ill. Piper Aircraft was established in 1930- not a good year to enter any business endeavour – as a one-plane one shed enterprise, and grew to become the world’s second-largest general aviation manufacturer. Appropriately the Seneca is also the world’s most popular light piston twin.

Jet Corp Buys Into Flight Facilities:

Moorabbin-based Jet Corp, distributors for IAI Westwind and CASA, have purchased a 50% share from Stillwell Aviation in the Sydney commuter and executive flight operations of Flight Facilities. This will now enable once competing aircraft types, such as the Westwind and Lear to now be serviced and maintained at one facility allowing a higher standard of overall service to operators of this class of aircraft. The Flight Facilities terminal provides for commuter operators which service some fifteen country airports within NSW and handle around 400 scheduled flights per week. In excess of 300,000 passengers pass through the terminal each year.

Falcon 200 Gets FAA Certification:

The new Falcon 200 long-range, medium sized business jet has received full certification from the US Federal Aviation Administration.

The move also follows recent announcements of substantial improvements in the Falcon 200’s performance which will appeal to potential Australian customers.

‘The prime requirement for the business jet operator in a country of Australia’s dimensions is an aircraft which features long-range capability and a realistically-sized cabin,’ said Martin Sims, of Falcon distributor, Hawker Pacific.

‘We can now report that the Falcon 200’s range has been increased from 2450 to 2600 nautical miles with National Business Aircraft Association VFR reserves. ‘The cabin of the new Falcon 200 continues the proven success of the earlier Falcon 20 with comfortable seating for eight to ten passengers. A new feature is the addition of an external baggage compartment, he said.

‘A further improvement in performance is that the Falcon’s take-off performance has actually improved from 1600 metres (5250 ft) to 1420 metres (4650 ft) – a decrease of 11.5 per cent. ‘These figures apply in standard conditions and at the maximum gross take-off weight for the aircraft of 13,900 kg (30,650 lb). ‘These increases in performance have been made possible because of more thrust being available from the new ATF3-6 engines as well as some aerodynamic refinements to the aircraft,’ he said.

Hawker Pacific, which operates throughout Australia, Asia and the Pacific, represents more than 80 manufacturers of aviation and advanced technology products.

Satellite Will Improve VHF Communications:

The Federal Government’s decision to go ahead with a domestic satellite system will produce enormous benefits in aviation communications for general aviation operators as well as the airlines. The major benefit will be a big improvement in the quality and coverage of VHF communications throughout Australia However, don’t rush out and toss away your HF equipment You’re going to need it for some time yet!

The Department of Aviation plans to instal 200 ground stations throughout Australia to use the new satellite which is due to be launched in mid-1985 (Each station will be doubled up to maintain high reliability) Many of the stations will be located at the country and remote airports as these are regarded as optimum locations for various reasons such as coverage, availability etc. This will provide high-quality VHF communications down to ground level at these sites and mean that, at such airports, general aviation pilots will be able to get clearance from the nearest ATC or Flight Service Unit by VHF rather than via the present system of a telephone call. The new satellite system also will provide better links between ATC flight service units and FSU centres throughout Australia.

The Department of Aviation plans to install the stations over a five-year period with first installations going in during 1984185 so that some will be ready for use when the satellite is launched. DoA estimates the cost of buying and installing the equipment at $45 million at 1982 prices. However, it estimates that it will save$90 million in operating and maintenance costs over the next 20 years. Department of Aviation experts say that the improved VHF network also will mean fewer delays in major airport terminal areas – another benefit that will be appreciated by both the airlines and general aviation operators

Hawker Pacific Announces Longest Business Jet Warranty on Falcons:

Hawker Pacific, the Sydney-based distributor of Falcon jets and the biggest General Aviation sales and support organisation in Australia says it will replace or repair any primary structural parts on any Falcon business Jet sold in Australia for a period of 10 years. ‘The 10 years, or 10,000-hour warranty covers all major structures – fuselage, empennage, wings, engine pylons and mounts,’ he said. For all other parts and accessories designed or manufactured by Dassault-Breguet, a similar warranty exists for the first four years or 4000 hours. Since acquiring the distributorship last year for the family of three Falcon business jets manufactured by Dassault-Breguet, Hawker Pacific has sold one Falcon 10 and one medium-sized Falcon 20.

Hawker Pacific recently announced that the Falcon 10 would be the first business jet to be fitted with the Collins EFIS 85 (Electronic Flight Instrument System). This system, based on advanced digital technology, replaces conventional flight instruments with a series of cathode ray tubes capable of displaying a wide range of interchangeable flight instrument readouts. The new medium-sized, long range Falcon 200 is fitted with the new Garrett AiResearch ATF 3-6 engines which are so quiet the aircraft will be able to operate from major Australian airports after curfew hours. Their added fuel economy and efficiency means the Falcon 200 will have sufficient range to fly across Australia non-stop, or to Asia with only one stop.

New Marketing Team for Gulfstream American Business Aircraft:

Mr Rob Hart, General Manager of Civil Flying Services Ply Ltd, has recently announced a complete re-organisation of the marketing team for the Gulfstream American range of Business Aircraft. This team which has been together for many years under the control and management of well-known Aviation Executive Steve Padgett, has effectively marketed and sold a variety of Business Aircraft including the introduction of the Brazilian made Bandeirante commuter airplane into Australia. Steve Padgett was formerly Australian Marketing Manager for Beechcraft prior to setting up his own Aviation Company.

Other members of the group include Captains Finn Sode and John Poate