Newsdesk – General Aviation

 Calls for 172 Ad:

The US National Transportation Safety Borad (NTSB) has called for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to issue an Airworthiness Directive (AD) on the carburetors of some Cessna models.

The calls result from the crash of a Cessna 172P last year when the aircraft lost power after takeoff, the consequence of a mechan- ical failure in the carburetor, and similar inci- dents have occurred in nine other crashes. Specifically, the NTSB wants mandatory replacement of two piece venturis on older Marvel-Schebler MA-3 and MA-4 series carburetors with single piece venturis. The current manufacturer of the carburetors issued a service bulletin on the problem in October 1990 and last year called for the FAA to issue an AD in the interests of safety. The FAA has so far not responded to this or a 1985 NTSB request for a similar AD.

 Hazelton Lose a Chieftain:

Hazelton Airlines are now short one Chieftain due to damage sustained in flight.

Sources state that the aircraft was on a routine operation when it encountered severe turbulence. The pilot landed the aircraft and reported the incident. However, an inspection revealed that the wing spar was damaged beyond repair. The aircraft will eventually be dismantled for spares. (Peter Gamble)

 Malibu Cleared:

The US Federal Aviation Administration has removed the airworthiness directive applied in April 1991 against the Piper Malibu pressurised light aircraft and all operational restrictions have been lifted.

The AD was applied following seven crashes resulting from structural failure whilst in the cruise and particular aspects of the aircraft’s design and systems-especially its autopilot-were closely examined. No specific reasons for the accidents have yet been found and investigations are continuing. In removing the AD, the FAA has emphasised the need for increased pilot training on specific aircraft types and in certain operating environments.

In Australia, the Civil Aviation Authority has responded to the Bureau of Air Safety Investigation report on two Mitsubishi MÚ-2 tur- boprop crashes in Western Australia. BASI identified inadequate endorsement training and a lack of understanding of or recent experience in high performance, high altitude aircraft as contributors to the accidents. Training deficiencies have already been corrected by the CAA but it does not believe it is necessary to follow one of the BASI recommendations, to withdraw approval for the MU-2 to operate in known icing conditions pending further investigation. The CAA has, however, supported in principle suggestions to fit MU-28 with a trim running indicator and an ice detector.

Sir Charles Kingsford Smith – Can You Help?:

A New Zealand author and television documentary producer, lan Mackersey, has been commissioned by a London publisher to write a major new biography of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith.

The book has the full cooperation of Smithy’s widow, now Mrs Mary Noldin, and his son, Charles Kingsford Smith Jr. It is a major project involving research in Australia, New Zealand, Britain and North America. Ian would like to hear from anyone old enough to have known Smithy, or to have worked for him, or flown with him, before he was killed off the coast of Burma in November 1935.

He would also welcome hearing from anyone who knew Kingsford Smith’s celebrated colleague, Charles Ulm, who was killed in 1934.

lan Mackersey is at, 12 Kakariki Avenue, Mt Eden, Auckland, NZ. (09) 68 7585.

Oxley Fly Into Turbulence:

Oxley Airlines have had their share of misfortune of late with a hail damaged Bandeirante, and a King Air.

The Bandit was reported as incurring the damage during a flight along its coastal sectors when it encountered severe hail; this was during Eastern Australia’s recent bout of heavy weather. During the same period one of the company’s King Airs experienced several blown tyres while landing with a maximum crosswind component at Lord Howe Island. Both aircraft have long been returned to service. (Peter Gamble)

 Exams by Fax – Caa Streamlines Licencing:

As part of the Civil Aviation Authority’s dramatic restructuring, examination for private, commercial and helicopter licences will now occur by fax, allowing students to do their tests and receive their results on the same day.

Exams are requested by the Conducting Officer (CO) who calls a 008 number to request an exam. Once the CO’s identity has been verified a computer randomly generates a multiple choice exam by selecting test questions from an extensive database. The exam, along with the correct answers, is then faxed to the CO. Once the student has sat the exam the Conducting Officer faxes the candidate’s answer sheet. After this the CO receives the correct answers and can then mark the paper on the spot.

ExamFax is a part of the Licencing Branch’s general streamlining of all its operations. Other improvements include perpetuating all licences, which will now only rely on a valid medical to be current, and new licencing processes which will see the elimination of the Restricted Pilots Licence and administering only one exam for the Private Pilots Licence. From now on the actual licences will be issued on a plastic card similar to a credit card in size and will display the highest licence achieved on the front and all other licences on the back, while ratings and aircraft endorsements will now appear inside the pilot’s log book.

The aim of all these changes is to radically decrease costs and at the same time improve service. The improvements in service and efficiency are symptomatic of the dramatic increases in efficiency being achieved by the CAA as a result of the adoption of new, vastly improved, work practices and reductions in staff numbers. The Licencing Branch alone will see numbers fall from 63 to 34, nearly all of which are clerical and administration staff.

 Textron Buys Cessna

Following the offering for sale of Cessna by its owner, General Dynamics (refer p. 11 Dec 91 AA), it has been announced that Textron will purchase the general aviation manufacturer for $US600m.

The sale follows GD’s decision to concentrate on its core military business while Textron is looking to diversify away from military work. Textron is the owner of Bell Helicopter, Lycoming engines and other interests. The sale is expected to be completed by the end of March and included in the deal is Cessna’s 5,400 employees, its aircraft financing subsidiary and propeller manufacturing division McCauley.

Russ Meyer, Cessna’s chairman when GD bought the company in 1986 is expected to stay on. Bids were also received from Raytheon (the owner of Beechcraft), Dassault and Gulfstream Aerospace’s parent company, Forstmann Little.

British Aero-125 SALES TOP 800: space’s successful 125 series of corporate jets has reached another milestone, with orders topping the 800 mark.

The total is 815 examples of all series, excluding the 27 Series 800 aircraft required by the Japanese Air Self Defence Force between 1995 and 2003. The contract for the first batch of these is due to be signed this year.

The 125-800 has become the best selling of the 125 models with 220 on order. The previous best selling variant was the 125-700, of which 215 were delivered between 1977 and 1984. The latest model, the long range BAe 1000, has now entered service and is produced in parallel with the 125-800. Australia’s first 1000 will be delivered mid year to Santos, whose aircraft will be operated by National Jet. The ANZ banking group is also looking to acquire a 1000.

Gama Attacks Taxes:

Following its worst sales year since World War II in 1991, the US General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) is making an effort to change American tax laws which are damaging the industry.

Specifically, GAMA wants the reintroduction of the investment tax credit which encourages the purchase of new aircraft and the scrapping of the luxury tax as it applies to general aviation aircraft. As was the case with the similar tax put on luxury motor vehicles in Australia, it has been a total failure, raising only $US53,000 in 1991 instead of the expected $US6m. A side effect has been. greater unemployment in the industry. In addition, the industry still faces the spectre of crippling liability laws, which despite several attempts to remove or modify them, are still in place. The influential Association of Trial Lawyers of America has always opposed a change to these absurd laws as it represents enormous income for them.

US general aviation deliveries peaked in 1978 with 17,811 aircraft produced. The figure dropped to 9,457 in 1981, 4,266 in 1982 and continued declining until 1987 when just 1,085 were delivered. The 1991 figure was 1,021, comprising 613 piston engined aircraft, 222 turboprops and 186 business jets.

 Australia’s Safe Year:

1991 was a very safe year in which to fly, according to statistics released by the Civil Aviation Authority.

The year saw 54 people die in aircraft accidents (none of them with the major or commuter airlines) compared to 80 in 1990. Of the 1991 deaths, just 17 were recorded in commercial aviation compared with 42, 53 and 35 in 1990, 1989 and 1988, respectively. Australia’s major airlines continue their superb safety record which remains unblemished for more than two decades.

Tnt/FedEx Link:

TNT’s US subsidiary. TNT Express Worldwide, has signed a deal with Federal Express to share cargo space on the Atlantic air route.

The arrangement is now up and running and further similar deals with Fedex and others can be expected in the future. For its part, Fedex stands to gain from such arrangements because previous attempts to expand onto the international market have resulted in losses, while TNT has a need to fully utilise its assets, particularly its European air express network.

Citation VII Certificated:

Cessna’s latest corporate jet, the Citation VII, has been awarded FAA certification and the first customer aircraft for golfer Arnold will be delivered next month.

Powered by two 4,000b thrust Garrett TFE731-4 engines, the Citation VII is a more powerful version of the otherwise similar mid size Citation III first introduced in 1983. Also in the news is another Citation III variant, the mechanically identical (but with fixed avionics/interior/equipment packages and lower cost) Citation VI. two have been ordered by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) which will use them in the fight inspection role.

 All Nippon Buys Beech:

Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) has ordered 20 Beech Bonanza A368 and 12 Baron 58s for its newly established training centre at Bakersfield, California. The aircraft will be used for ANA’s new ab initio pilot training programme and will be delivered over the next two years.