Newsdesk – General Aviation

 1985 Another Disastrous Year for Us GA Manufacturers:

Those involved in the General Aviation manufacturing industry could well be forgiven for asking “when will it all end”. GA has now been in a state of apparently irreversible decline since 1980. From a peak of over 18,000 aircraft produced in 1978 the once great industry has declined to an appalling 2,032 deliveries made during 1985, a figure not even the most pessimistic analyst could have predicted during the early eighties.

The reason for the massive decline found its roots in the recession of the early eighties, this combined to erode the once strong sales base of the US Big Three (Cessna, Piper & Beech) at a time when they were not geared up for negative sales. Fuel price hikes, accelerating new aircraft prices and high interest rates, a vastly expensive US Dollar and finally the burden of a totally unrealistic and unjust public liability insurance system that might historically prove the death knell for light aircraft production as we know it.

The production figures declined remorselessly each year just when the General Aviation Manufacturers Association predicted an uptum, during early 1985 they decided that enough was enough and ceased their traditional market forecast service. Production for December was a mere 195 airframes as against 281 in a depressed December 1984. Year totals were 2,032 as against 2,432 for 1984 while billings totalled a mere $US1. 5bn.

Market leader remained as Cessna with a total of 890 aircraft delivered for a value of $US30. 5m. Top seller was the venerable 172 Skyhawk series followed by the now-extinct 152 while Cessna performed well in the turboprop arena with the sale of 95 aircraft thanks largely to the unique 208 Caravan I (Airtested in our last issue). The Citation jets performed well with deliveries of 61 S2s, 28 Citation 3s, 6 Citation 1s and 7 T47As for the US military.

Numerically. Piper came second with 540 aircraft shipped valued at $US7. 6m. Market leader was the excellent Malibu with 102 built followed by the Warrior with 101, the Archer 2 with 93 and the Saratoga family with 67. Needless to say all these aircraft, except the Malibu are now out of production. The Cheyenne family performed well with 31 examples built, led by 21 sales of the high-performing 400LS (Airtes- ted elsewhere in this issue). As an example of  how production numbers will further decline during 1986 consider that if Piper had produced during 1985 the types they intend to build this year then they would have been hard-pressed to move 130 aircraft! Beech were down on numbers but the yield remained strong thanks largely to the consistent King Air family which provided the Wichita manufacturer with some 119 sales. Overall Beech shipped 305 aircraft valued at $US35m. Other US manufacturers also performed poorly with Gates struggling for survival with 40 aircraft produced, Lake with 20, Mooney with 90 and Fairchild with 35.

The only bright spot was the effect the booming third-level commuter airline market had on sales of the new Beech 1900 (21) and the Fairchild Metro 3 (20), the latter aircraft comprising more than two-thirds of Fairchild’s commercial line during 1985.

Unfortunately, things are getting worse. The unfettered liability insurance monster remains as yet to be tamed on Capitol Hill, the US Dollar still remains an impediment to mass export and Cessna and Piper have virtually consolidated on a few strong-selling, higher value products to weather out the storm. On top of this the US tax incentives related to corporate aircraft investments ceased on December 31st last and even the most optimistic analyst foresees a decline as a result of the investment allowance terminating. In all it could be the first year that US manufacturers have produced less than 1000 airframes!

Victorian Police Purchase Addit- Ional Dauphin Helicopters:

The Victorian Police Force is to introduce a further two second-hand Aerospatiale Dauphin 6/9 passenger helicopters to its Essendon base. The Victorian Police Air Wing has operated a single Dauphin since the late seventies and have had good service from this machine despite the obvious tactical limitations and inbuilt high cost of operating a sole machine. The provision of three aircraft will enable one to be equipped as a dedicated ambulance aircraft while the remaining two will serve in the more general multi-purpose police role.

The two additions which are presently being refurbished by Aerospatiale in France will provide a considerable uplift in capability at a reported $3. 9m for the total package including spares and training.

 Robin and ATL Production Move Northwards:

Paxford Aviation, who are hoping to build the composite ATL light trainer and the established Robin R2160 trainer and light touring/aerobatic aircraft have moved their base of operations from Bankstown airport to Port Macquarie on the NSW north coast.

Paxford director, Jim Owens recently told Australian Aviation that he was getting priced out of the market at Bankstown, indeed as were many other long-established operators who have seen their DotA airport rents increase greatly with the imminent inauguration of the new Federal Airports Commission.

Meanwhile Paxford hope to have their first locally manufactured ATL airborne by this September and geared up for customer deliveries before the end of 1986. Production of the Robin may take a little longer to get underway due to the number of long lead items required.

 Continuing Uncertainty on Aircraft Sales Tax Issue:

The issue of sales tax on aircraft continues to cause great concern throughout the industry, reports the General Aviation Association. It appears that the Sales Tax Office in Canberra will not now issue its rulings on a number of questions asked by GADA and GAA until late in April, although even this date is far from firm.

Meanwhile, members are still reporting that regional sales tax offices are active and, apart from the obvious financial implications, the aviation industry is finding that the uncertainty is causing a lack of confidence and continues to affect aircraft sales.

Porsche Continuing Auto Engine Development for Light Aircraft Use:

Porsche has found a home for the PGM3200 flat-six in the new French Centrair touring aircraft that is scheduled to enter production in 1987. Centrair will be using a 240hp turbocharged version of the Porsche engine and have chosen this powerplant because of its strong image in quality terms, its relatively low cost of ownership and the fact that it is designed to operate on mogas as well as Avgas.

Meanwhile Porsche are stepping up the development of their existing engines and have acquired a second Monney 201 testbed aircraft to complement their existing Mooney and a Cessna 182.

 Liability Insurance Situation Kills off Most of Piper’s Production:

Piper Aircraft have blamed the cripp- ling liability insurance situation (refer p83, Jan AA) for the demise of all their piston-engined line. Piper has discontinued the Warrior, Archer, Dakota, Turbo Arrow, Saratoga, Seneca II and Chieftain and will now concentrate solely upon the Malibu, Cheyenne IIIA and 400LS.

The decision bodes ill for up to 800 of Piper’s already greatly decimated workforce who only last year relocated to a new single facility at Vero Beach, Florida. Piper spent more on insurance during 1984/85 than they did on payroll and claim that the burden on each individual airframe is now approaching $A60,000. While this can be amortised to some extent on a larger aircraft such as the Cheyenne it is impossible to build aircraft such as the Warrior and Archer competitively under such financial burdens.

Piper sold a total of only 540 aircraft during 1985, less than a tenth of what they were building as recently as 1978. Piper will however concentrate on the remaining models and will boost Malibu production to beyond 110 units for 1986 while at the same time increasing output of the 400mph cruise Cheyenne 400LS (Alrtested elsewhere in this edition) and further refining the established Cheyenne IIIA.

India to Get Westland Helos in ‘Claytons’ Sale:

The British government is to entirely finance the purchase by India of 21 Westland W30 medium-lift helicopters. India has bargained for more than three years with both France and Britain for what represented a very large offshore oil requirement of up to fifty machines. With the offshore market rapidly fading in the light of falling oil prices Britain was keen to get Westlands the order. In the end India settled for a split buy shared fairly equally in monetary terms between Aerospatiale’s Dauphin and Westland’s W30. Ironically much of the French order is also being directly financed by the French government! The W30 order is the first viable quantity order for the type and may well keep it in production long enough for it to be further developed in both its uprated military and civil variants to produce additional sales later this decade.

Pratt & Whitney Developing New Corporate Turbofan Engine:

Pratt & Whitney Canada has initiated the development of the PW300, a new 5,000-pound class turbofan engine for executive aircraft in the 1990s. Detailed design of the engine is under way with testing scheduled to start in 1987 and full production by 1990.

Studies of potential customer applications conducted during the last two years have defined a takeoff thrust of 4,750 pounds to power transcontinental-range aircraft in the 25,000 to 30,000-pound gross weight class. The PW300 is being designed for optimum performance at cruise altitudes over 41,000 feet in terms of delivered net thrust, specific weight and fuel economy.

The PW300 engine will have a twin-spool configuration. Its wide-chord fan-designed for high efficiency and bird ingestion resistance is direct driven by a fan turbine optimized for altitude cruise efficiency. The fan provides the majority of output thrust and supercharges the compact high spool.

 Hawker Pacific Open New Mascot Jetbase:

Hawker Pacific have opened their new million-dollar corporate jet facility at Sydney’s Mascot airport.

The new facility features excellent VIP areas as well as a comprehensive avionics and workshop facility capable of servicing a wide range of jet and propjet aircraft. Pilots have a separate briefing room and rest area while the hangar area is large enough to accommodate several aircraft in the Falcon or Gulfstream class. With the opening of the Mascot Flight Centre, Hawker Pacific now offers corporate aircraft operators a national coast-to-coast network of passenger handling and servicing facilities.

 Socata Has Big Year:

Socata, the French manufacturer of light aircraft, had an excellent 1985 with sales up by almost 25% on 1984. Socata manufactures a variety of aircraft including the Tampico light tourer and trainer, the well-known Tobago and the turbocharged and normally aspirated versions of the retractable gear Trinidad. In all, 112 aircraft were delivered during 1985 with the USA taking the lion’s share with 51 aircraft, Europe with 43 and 18 elsewhere, many of which were destined for Australia.

Voyager to ‘Warm up With 13,000 Mile Test Flight:

The revolutionary Bert Rutan-designed Voyager ultra long range aircraft is to attempt a 13,000nm, seven day, test flight this July over the western USA as a prelude to its late-1986 25,000nm around the world flight. Voyager has flown at altitudes of up to 18,000ft and stayed aloft for over 12 hours in development test flying to date.

The around-the-world non-stop flight will get underway late this year and will fly in a westerly direction at low altitudes (12,500 to 15,000ft) to take advantage of prevailing trade winds found at that time of year in the equatorial regions. The route will be from California, south to Mexico, west to Hawaii then down in a curve for a possible overflight of northern Australia before overflying the Indian Ocean. Voyager will then cross Southern Africa before heading over the South Atlantic to overfly the Brazilian coast prior to heading north-west to the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico arriving back at Edwards AFB, California where the flight began.

Voyager will be flown by Bert Rutan’s brother, Dick and Jeanna Yeager, who is no relation to the famous USAF test pilot Chuck Yeager. Voyager will have a range of some 28,000nm and is powered by two Teledyne piston engines, the front unit being of 130hp while the rear is a new 110hp unit. Both use liquid cooling (refer p48, Nov 85 AA) and carry substantial reserves of oil. Expected speeds will range from 70kts through to 130kts depending upon environmental conditions while the journey is expected to take at least 11 days. On-board navigation and communication will be supplied with King Radio equipment and will comprise a KHF 990 long-range communication transceiver, a KNS 660 VLF Omega and a modified KAP 150 autopilot.

Falcon 900 Certification by Us and European Authorities:

The US Federal Aviation Administration and French Direction Generale de l’Aviation Civile (DGAC) have both issued transport category-type certificates to the Falcon 900 intercontinental trijet. The aircraft’s performance meets or exceeds the originally announced objectives.

The Falcon 900 is certified to FAR 25 Transport Category Aircraft standards through Amendment 55 of the current regulations and is the first large cabin business jet certified to these demanding criteria. Castlemaine Tooheys plan to introduce the first Falcon 900 to Australian operations during 1987.

Why Not Library Binders:

We often get asked by readers why we don’t sell library binders in which their back copies of the magazine can be stored. The answer is simple – they are just too expensive nowadays to market at a price that would be conducive to mass purchase.

Primary problem is that plastics, as a by-product of oil, have soared in costs this past decade while postage has not been far behind in addition to labour rates and inflation. All in all no small magazine can produce quality library binders in relatively small numbers, hold them in stock for a considerable time and then mail them at a cost that we are sure our readers would want to pay.

However, all is not lost, do what we do and check out the range of alternative binders that are now readily available at most larger news agencies and art shops. They cost about a third the typical cost of a magazine supplied binder and offer a better range, etc. And re-member, with the $32 you save by taking out, for instance, a three year subscription to this magazine you can afford enough binders to house the magazine for the rest of this century!

Books

Enter the Age of the Video:

It had to happen of course, writing ‘book’ reviews on video, but that is the price of progress and in this case a price that provides a positive return. Aviation videos seem to be booming which is logical considering the success of their movie counterparts these past four years.

Advertised in our March edition were a number of extremely interesting videos from Beyond Video and Auska Video Books. During the past month we had the pleasure of reviewing three on offer from Auska that are well worth their investment Auska is marketing the official Flight International-produced documentaries on Farnborough 82 and 84 and will have their 86 tape ready in time for Christmas. The Fam- borough tapes are both entertaining and informative. The 1982 one takes you right back into the days of airliner recession – a far cry from today’s constant frenzy of megadollar fleet upgrades. Very entertaining indeed and something that in years to come will be a real conversation starter.

Their other offering is Smoke on Go, a 55-minute documentary on the Red Arrows. This tape is excellently produced and far better value that a rival Red Arrows tape that is presently available on the video rental shelves. The story takes us through the training and general operations routine of the team as they tour the world. It also delves into the background of each pilot and unearths what he actually gets out of being a member of one of the world’s foremost aerobatic teams Of immense pleasure though are the excellent in-flight shots which will stir the heart, let alone he blood, of pilot and non-pilot alike. Both are good value at $24. 95 RRP.

Pilot – The Human Factors:

DotA Produced by the team that puts together our popular Air Safety series, this 50 minute video is the first in a series designed to positively encourage pilots to consider the all important human factors side of aviation safety. BASI figures reveal that roughly three-quarters of all accidents, fatal and non fatal, are as a direct result of human factors. A rushed preflight, inadequate time spent in preparing for a cross- country, failure to heed met warnings as to deteriorating weather conditions en route, etc. are all examples of the human factors element of aviation safety that are sooner or later bound to result in an incident or at worst an accident. The video for instance promotes the importance of taking the time to adequately preflight your aircraft, to prepare your flight plan carefully taking note of where you will be entering controlled airspace, etc. so as to ensure that your flight is made to be as enjoyable as possible. Flying is fun and a sloppy cross-country will only end in a case of nervous anxiety, or worse, as an inexperienced or unprofessional pilot strays into control zones or over unfamiliar landmarks that don’t show on his hurriedly drawn chart. Lack of currency was rightly decided upon as a major cause of human factors accidents. Certainly a pilot who flies only every few months is bound to take more risks than one who flies regularly and has a healthy respect for circuit discipline, weather and flight planning.

The tape is available to all Aero Clubs and flying training organisations and is available from the Flight Standards Safety Officer in your region. Copying of the tape is actively encouraged in the name of safety and the DotA hope that these tapes will become standard viewing at Club pilots’ nights, etc.

Our view – excellent viewing and the message conveyed could one day save your life.

Jane’s All the Worlds Aircraft 1985-86:

John W R Taylor. Jane’s All The World’s Aircraft is for very good reason the pinnacle of aeronautical research material, it is simply the best.

The latest edition of Jane’s comprehensively documents every facet of aerospace endeavour, from the well-established civil and military programmes of the major trading blocs to the wide variety of sport, homebuilt and recreational aircraft. The edition, as always, also has a comprehensive and very useful section on engines which contains information difficult to acquire from other sources. Basically speaking, if it has anything to do with aviation then you will find it accurately referenced in nearly 1000 pages of Jane’s.

The 1985-86 edition is available from major bookstores or direct from Jane’s Publishing Company, 238 City Road, London EC1V 2PU. England. RRP is £64.

Camera Above the Clouds:

The aviation photographs of Charles E. Brown.

Charles Brown was one of the most famous of aviation photographers. His first encounters with aviation photography date back to World War I and this excellent book ably documents his photographic career right up to the sixties.

Needless to say, the book contains some of the best examples of high-quality Second World War aircraft photos that we have ever seen. Most are air to airs and quite a number are in colour while the good thing about the book is that the photos themselves are now available from the RAF Museum following the donation of the Brown collection to the Museum prior to his passing in 1982.

Indeed an excellent book, a true photo history of an era of aviation that is now merely a distant memory to most of us. RRP is $49. 95 and the 160p book is available from Princeton Books, Cnr Mills & Herald Sts, Cheltenham 3192.

Aerial Espionage:

Dick van der Aart. Probably the most complete book on aerial espionage that we have ever seen, Aerial Espionage deals with the history of the ‘trade’ and is as up-to-date as the Lockheed TR-1.

The book naturally focuses primarily on the on-going activities of the US vs the USSR and even has a chapter on the role played by Aeroflot in gaining intelligence during their frequent and unsanctioned overflights of key US military facilities while on approach to western airports. The book also deals to some extent with the role of photo-reconnaissance and ELINT in a number of crisis, ranging from Cuba to the Middle East, that have occurred over the past four decades.

For those with an interest in this fascinating subject, this 166p book is good reference value of $46. 50 RRP. Available from Princeton Books, Cnr Mills & Herald Sts, Cheltenham 3192