Newsdesk – General Aviation

GD may also use much of Cessna’s production facilities for additional work related to GD’s numerous military projects. On the other hand GD may opt to plan an entirely new family of light aircraft for introduction by 1990 using new. Simplified production techniques and the latest in engine technology (refer to p48 November AA) to ensure its place as number one in the GA community.

During 1984 General Dynamics grossed $US7,840m logging a net profit of $US382m and employing 100,000 people. For the same year Cessna grossed $US693m and presently employs 7,800 people. With the vast level of R&D finance and expertise now available to Cessna the merger is seen throughout the industry as being of great value to GA’s largest manufacturer in the decades ahead.

 Hawker Pacific Rebuilds Its 1000th Engine:

During November, Bankstown-based Hawker Pacific rebuilt its 1000th light piston engine. Hawker Pacific currently overhauls roughly half of the entire light piston market in Australia and routinely rebuilds more than 200 engines each year.

The company also handles all major rebuilds on the RFDS Queen Airs, the DotA’s flying unit Commanders and the RAAF’s CT-4 basic trainers. Hawkers have major overhaul facilities in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney and also now overhaul many engines from the Pacific Basin and South East Asia.

New From Beech and Piper:

Beech hope to fly their Duke successor this year in a composite proof of concept version. Designed in conjunction with Bert Rutan, the aircraft closely resembles the radical Starship and will be powered by two 350hp class engines. Piston units will be used initially though these will later give way to stratified charge rotaries or new generation turboprops later in the decade. Piper meanwhile are working on a twin-engined version of the popular Malibu and hope to test-fly this aircraft during 1987.

Don’t Forget Airborne Harvest:

Our apologies to Airborne Harvest for omitting them from our recent Helicopter Operators Directory. Airborne Harvest were not listed in the vital training and charter functions which of course is amongst their many specialities. Also of note is that the Kembla Grange-based rotary wing operator is now the sole source of major overhaul on the hot-selling Robinson R22. Normally the R22 would have to be shipped back to the Robinson overhaul centre near Los Angeles for its 2000hr major but with this now being available locally operators can look forward to saving much time and money when this service is due by using the locally approved overhaul facility.

GA Misses Out When New Bill Is Enacted:

The Federal Government has introduced legislation which will have serious consequences for many charter operators. The Bills are the Cheques Bill 1985 and the Bills of Exchange Amendment Act 1985.

In an endeavour to simplify transactions involving cheques, the new law, when proclaimed, will make it no longer necessary for cheques to be physically returned to the branch of the bank of issue for clearance, the Bill merely requiring that “The demand may be made by exhibiting the cheque to the drawee bank or by any other means. ” Speaking in the House of Representatives, Mr Tim Fischer (the Member for Farrer) drew attention to the problems this will ultimately create for many charter operators who rely on “bank runs” for a substantial part of their business, as these will largely no longer be required, or at best the demand for such air services will be substantially reduced.

Mr Fischer also pointed out that the loss of this business could also threaten the viability of many passenger services to country areas that otherwise would not enjoy such a service.

Canadair Delivers First Aircraft in Large Water Bomber Order:

Canadair has delivered the first of 29 CL-215 water bombers to Transport Canada. The aircraft are being purchased jointly by the Canadian Government and the various provinces and will be based throughout Canada in the fire containment role. The CL-215 can pick up 1,200gl of water in 10 seconds and has a maximum water uplift of six tonnes. A total of 107 CL-215s have been ordered to date, with 80 already in service in Canada, France, Spain, Greece, and Italy. Thailand, Yugoslavia and Venezuela.

Australian Aviation College Gains Government Tertiary Backing:

The Parafield-based Australian Aviation College has successfully gained Government approval for the launching of its Associate Diploma course in Civil Aviation. This is the first time that a CPL-type course has been accredited such an acknowledgement with the financial backing of a tertiary institution.

To be operated in conjunction with the South Australian Institute of Technology, the course provides a full CPL plus an Associate Diploma in Civil Aviation. First course is scheduled to get underway on February 3rd and covers a CPL with Class 1 Instrument Rating plus a standard of aviation theory corresponding to SCPL and ATPL standards. Additionally, passes are made in Basic Gas Turbine Principles, Introductory Digital Electronics and Microprocessing. Programming (Basic), Mathematics AS, Introductory Physics 1CA, Atmospheric Physics and Aviation Medicine.

The duration of a course is 17 months and full details are available from Professor G Goodwin, SAIT, PO Box 1, Ingle Farm S. A. , 5098.

Air Show Spectacular for Sydney in 1988:

The biggest air show ever held in the Southern Hemisphere will take place at the RAAF Base at Richmond near Sydney as part of the Bicentennial celebrations.

The air show is the centrepiece of an extensive aviation program being developed by The Australian Bicentennial Authority as part of its National Program.

The nine-day program from 8-16 October 1988 will be coordinated on behalf of the Authority by Aviation ’88, a subsidiary of the Schofields Flying Club, in cooperation with the RAAF. Aerial highlights will include spectacular aerobatic displays, nostalgic performances by vintage and veteran aircraft, dramatic sky diving demonstrations and hot air ballooning. The latest in agricultural and business aircraft will be put through their paces, and an aerial tattoo will see military aircraft from around the world engage in friendly competition.

On the ground, static displays will range from the newest in military and commercial aircraft to business jets, helicopters, and recreational aircraft including gliders, gyrocopters, ultralights and hang gliders.

Aviation conferences and symposiums will also be held in conjunction with the Bicentennial Air Show. The world conferences of the prestigious Federation Aeronautique Internationale and the International Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association will coincide with the show, and among the special meetings, there will be seminars on agricultural aviation, aviation medicine and aviation law.

 National Safety Council to Evaluate Mbb B0105 Helicopter:

The National Safety Council of Australia is to evaluate the twin-engined MBB Bo105 helicopter. The Bo105 is a twin-engined helicopter in the Aerospatiale AS355 and Agusta A109 class and will be used by the NSCA primarily in the search and rescue and liaison roles. To be based primarily at the NSCA Illawarra base, south of Wollongong, the aircraft will be trialled for several months with a decision to proceed with the acquisition of a number of the type hoped for by this Easter.

 Aeromil Wraps up a Good Year:

Bankstown-based GA dealer, Aeromil, capped off a vibrant 1985 with the announcement of their appointment as “agents for the specialist aeromedical conversion firm of Business Aviation of the USA. Aeromil can now offer specially refurbished, zero-timed, Beech C90 King Air aeromedical aircraft for around one million dollars each. With the large number of replacement aircraft required in this category by the various branches of the RFDS over the next few years this agency could well prove to be a winner.

Aeromil, as regional agents for Embraer also confirmed the sale of two 30-seat Brasilia commuter aircraft to South Australia’s Lloyd Aviation in addition to a yet to be confirmed sale of two to New Guinea operator, Talair. The first Lloyd Brasilia will be delivered this September and will be powered by 1800shp PW118s for a gross weight of 11,500kg, up somewhat on the initial Brasilia specs.

Aeromil have also been busy improving the Bandeirante and as a result of a test programme through 1985 have now been able to reduce the type’s landing run by 18% which would allow the ‘Bandit’ to operate into tight fields such as Lord Howe Island. The company has also been busy in the used corporate field and in the past year has sold two Citation jets, a Merlin IIIC, two 690 Commanders and has sold four used Bandeirantes which were refurbished by Pacific Aviation.

Canberra Aviation Firm Booms:

Since Corporate Air Services acquired Vee H Aviation in October 1984 business has boomed for the Canberra based GA training and charter operator. Vee H has in recent months purchased two Cessna 421 Golden Eagles and is hoping to be operating propjet and turbofan charter aircraft before the end of this year. To further enhance the desirability of their charter operation Vee H has just spent more than $200,000 on refurbishing their extensive facilities at Canberra airport.

Flying training is also very big in the ACT with 7 instructors alone employed by Vee H teaching via the Cessna CPC method. The firm presently employs 15 people and operates a wide variety of aircraft ranging from 152s through to the 4218 and is pushing the value of using Canberra as a base for IFR training. In Sydney it is often hard to “shoot the ILS’ more than once or twice a day whereas at Canberra, at the right time you can easily accommodate five or six simulations in an hour. Canberra also, being in primary airspace, also has a wide range of aids and offers itself as an ideal CPL training base, something that Vee H is hoping to build upon in the year ahead.

Cessna to Place Citation 2 Back Into Production:

Cessna are to place the popular Citation 2 back into production. The marque was replaced by the more advanced S2 version during early 1985 though the higher unit cost of the latter has led Cessna to believe that a market still exists for the more basic model. In US funds Cessna quote 1986 flyaway price of the S2 at $3m while the standard 2 would be only $2. 2m, less than most competing propjets.

Cessna, which is now a wholly owned subsidiary of the giant General Dynamics Corporation, also is selling a number of zero-timed refurbished Citation 1s at $US1. 5m. The upgrade includes a new avionics package, airframe refurbishment, new JT150-1s with 3,000hr TBOs, new paint scheme and a revised interior. Production of the Citation 1 was stopped early in 1985.

Drage Airworld Looking Good:

The new Drage Airworld at Wangaratta is settling in nicely. Since its official opening in June 1985 almost 200,000 people have visited the impressive complex that is home to some of the finest historic aircraft in the Southern Hemisphere. Aircraft from the Malcolm Long collection were progressively moved into their new Wangaratta base during October and November and the local shire council has accelerated plans for completion of the local aerodrome to allow the operation of larger aircraft.

Ideally situated on the busy Hume Highway in northeast Victoria, Drage Airworld has now also set aside the fourth Sunday of each month as a special flying day. In this way the collection can be shown to the public in their true environment. Additionally, the facility will host the 1986 Antique Aeroplane Fly-in and Vintage Airshow to be held on Easter Saturday.

FedEx Signs for Massive Caravan Order:

Newly taken over Cessna have scored a sales coup with Federal Express signing for an additional 79 Caravan I aircraft with options on a further 90. This massive buy tops up their existing order of 30 Caravans which effectively launched the type in 1982.

Some 60 Caravan Is had entered service by December 1 with the fleet having logged more than 9,000 hours. The high time aircraft has topped 850hrs in the hands of an operator in Alaska while regionally the type is in the process of commencing a service across Cooks Strait between Picton and Wellington in the commuter and freight role. Cessna have also gained FAA Certification for a floatplane version using Whipline floats which should open up a whole new range of operating possibilities for the unique Caravan.

Canadair Now Offering Upgraded Challenger:

Canadair’s Challenger corporate jet has recently undergone several design changes to further improve its performance. Using a new combustor in the General Electric CF-34-3A turbofans the Challenger 601-3A can now climb direct to 39,000ft at MTOW with no degradation of fuel economy.

Additionally, all 601-3As will be supplied from Canadair with a comprehensive avionic suite comprising an Integrated Digital Flight Guidance System, Dual Laser Inertial Reference Systems, Dual Flight Management Systems and a full navigation and communications system.

The 1986 ‘green’ Challenger 601-3A comes a US price tag of $13. 3m. There are 120 Challengers in operation throughout the world and production is presently two aircraft a month.

 Falcon 900 Proves Its Mettle in Nonstop Flight From Paris to Little Rock, U. S. A. :

En route to the 1985 meeting of the National Business Aircraft Association (NBAA), the new Falcon 900 intercontinental trijet made its longest flight to date.

Departing Le Bourget Airport in Paris, France, with a payload equivalent to six passengers and a full fuel load of 19,000 pounds, the big Falcon touched down at Adams Field, Little Rock, Arkansas after a flight of 10 hours and 31 minutes. Cruising at . 75 Mach against headwinds averaging 28 knots, the Falcon 900 covered an equivalent still-air distance of 4305 nautical miles according to the onboard flight management systems.

Though it stopped at Little Rock for a planned visit to Falcon Jet’s production/ completion facility en route to NBAA, the Falcon 900 landed with over an hour’s fuel on board and could have continued on to New Orleans Lakefront Airport, the crew said. Local Falcon agents, Hawker Pacific, are optimistic of the sale of a 900 in Australia during the first half of this year.

 Caveat Emptor and Flying Training:

We often receive letters and telephone calls from readers who have paid out a not inconsiderable sum of money for a Commercial Pilot Licence only for them to discover that often this does not guarantee their future employment in the aviation industry. While we symphasise with these young men and women we would like to take this opportunity to suggest to any person wishing to do likewise to fully evaluate the industry before investing twenty thousand or more dollars in a commercial rating. This philosophy also applies to entering any highly trained profession as nowadays it is not difficult to have employment prospects change relatively quickly due to a variety of external pressures.

Primary problem we find is that once a student graduates with the necessary CPL he or she still realistically requires up to 500 additional twin hours experience before being able to be classified as a viable employment prospect. Obviously the cost of attaining these extra hours is well beyond the means of the average pupil. There are many ways around this of course, and few of them in the short term represent a viable living, though we feel that pupils should be made aware of their true prospects in an industry which leaps from boom to bust at all too frequent intervals.

Of greater note was the incidence of unemployment in the rotary wing sector where there are presently nearly five pilots for each machine on the Australian register. In fact, recent figures released by DotA show that the number of helicopter students is barely less than the 850 odd commercial helicopter pilots. Furthermore, as most rotary wing experience is gained in the cattle mustering environment we believe that even being married is a potential hindrance to gaining employment in some areas of Australia On the other hand, hundreds of budding pilots have gained their CPLs and through good timing and initiative have gained their entry into the relatively stable world of airline and RPT operator employment. The main thing is though, as it is in everything, check out the facts and professionally evaluate your prospects as you would in any career decision these days.

Keeping up With Business:

To keep on top of the strong demand for its products Parachutes Australia is expanding its manufacturing facilities. This year the staff of 22 will increase to 25. Additionally, new equipment being installed will help to control costs and improve quality control procedures.

To control costs accurately a new Alpha Micra Computer with proven Australian Manufacturing Software will give faster more accurate tracking of orders and stock costing.

On the quality control side PA have for the past 3 years strength tested all Canopy Fabric, they are now installing a porosity testing machine to test all canopy fabric before it goes into a canopy. Parachutes Australia firmly believes that unless proven quality materials are used in the beginning you cannot produce top quality parachutes. In other words quality in quality out No other sport parachute manufacturer has invested so much money in this area before Currently, PA produces 22 canopies, 7 systems and 20 associated products. This is one of the largest selections available from any manufacturer. Exports of PA products increased 180% from last year and the aim is to ultimately sell 25% of production overseas.

Bae 125 Sold to Lang Hancock:

Lang Hancock has acquired the Pacific Aviation BAe 125-700, VH-JCC, which was used by that company for nearly two years as a demonstrator and charter aircraft. The 125 will replace VH-LJH, a Lear 35A which now joins the Falcon 10 and 20 of Sydney-based Australian Jet Charter who also have a registration reserved against a second Falcon 20.

Meanwhile Pacific Aviation, in conjunction with British Aerospace are soon to make a decision on whether or not to import a new 125- 800 demonstrator to replace their -700 in the charter role. If Pacific do acquire a replacement aircraft it will bring the 125 fleet in Australia to seven of type.

Latest  Robinson  Wins FAA Approval:

The latest version of the lightweight Robinson R22, the Beta, has won its FAA-type approval. The diminutive Beta will sell for around $A120,000 and features an improved instrument panel, better takeoff performance and new ventilation system. The Beta also has a high-capacity oil cooler and a long life muffler.

One for the Air Show Calendar:

The Phillips Skyfest will again be run in conjunction with the Canberra Festival this year. The big day is Monday 17th March and if the weather is kinder than last year it will be an extremely exciting air show.

Participating aircraft that have already indicated their intention to participate will be a TAA Airbus, Ansett F28 and perhaps a 767 from Qantas in addition to a wide variety of warbirds including Mustangs, Harvards and the Mitchell. The RAAF will participate with the display Sabre and the Roulettes aerobatic team in addition to demonstrations by Fairbairn-based No5 Squadron Iroquois and Squirrels. Last year in abysmal weather (the first day of rain for several months, sounds familiar!) the Philips Skyfest attracted over 25,000 people, if conditions are good then organisers expect this to double for 1986.

BOOKS

Fifty Glorious Years:

A pictorial tribute to the Douglas DC-3, 1935-1985, by Arthur Pearcy. Most people involved in this great industry of aviation have a soft spot for the Douglas DC-3. That this attractive-looking aircraft has soldiered on for so long is a fitting tribute to the integrity of the original design – half a century later there are still many hundreds of ‘Daks’ in revenue service.

To celebrate the DC-3’s first half century, Air- life Publishing Ltd of the UK has produced an excellent 168p book titled Fifty Glorious Years. The book depicts the history of the DC-3 and records its achievements through peace and war on every continent. Thoroughly recommended.

RRP is $34. 95 and the book is available from Mainly Motor Books, Cnr Mills & Herald Sts, Cheltenham, 3192.

Great Planes of the Century:

Keith Moseley. Donald Lopez, William Phillips.

This is an unusual book in that it comprises solely pop-up aircraft which depict the various ages of aviation from a pop-up Wright Flyer through to a pop-up Concorde which discretely carries both BA and Air France livery on either side of the fuselage – you can’t do that in a regular book! The book would be an ideal gift for any youngster though I can see a few airline Captain dads also having fun with the myriad of pop-up aircraft.

RRP is $19. 95, published by Viking Kestrel and available at popular bookshops.

Watch It Work! The Plane:

Ray Marshall & John Bradley.

Another of the pop-up series, this intriguing book briefly explains in simplified form what is in most BAK courses. In many ways I wonder if the use of pop-up graphics could not be an improvement over what can at times be fairly droll and non-descriptive illustrations found in the usual BAK books. Ideal for the younger generation I strongly suggest that any aviator parent who secretly desires his offspring to follow in ‘dad’s footsteps’ could do a lot worse than buying their son (or daughter) this most fascinating book.

RRP is $14. 95, published by Viking Kestrel and available at popular bookshops.

1985 Observer’s Book of Aircraft:

William Green What more can you say about the annual Observer’s than that it’s fantastic as a day to day reference source on all current production world military and civil aircraft. This little book has served every aviation enthusiast and professional alike for more than a third of a century. Used almost daily by ourselves, the Observer’s is unique in that it provides reference data, both visual and written, that is available elsewhere only in the pricey but superb Jane’s books.

RRP is $5. 95, published by Penguin and available at popular bookshops or direct from Penguin at PO Box 257, Ringwood, 3134.