Newsdesk – General Aviation

Super 2 Lives On:

The ARV Super 2 two seat light aircraft – the brainchild of world land speed record holder Richard Noble-has been saved by a joint UK-Swedish venture.

Aviation (Scotland) took over the financially troubled project in 1990 and has now joined forces with Swedish company Uvan Invest to produce the Super 2. Scottish built kits will be assembled by the Swedish firm and European certification is planned for next year. The companies want the aircraft to meet the new Very Light Aircraft (VLA) certification regulations and say that a production rate of 100 aircraft per year could be achieved.

The new Super 2 will be powered by an 80hp Rotax 912A engine in place of the original and troublesome Hewland unit. It will also feature greater fuel capacity and other changes which will also allow it to comply with US FAR Part 23 regulations. The originalSuper 2 first flew in 1985 and 30 were built by ARV at its Isle of Wight facility.

Safety Tax Saga Drags On:

The Safety Tax dilemma has still not been resolved by the Federal Government even though an interim partial offset measure was introduced in the August budget.

In the budget, the Government introduced a. 264c per litre levy on both avgas and avtur to recoup around $5m this financial year. However, as the annual shortfall is closer to $25 m per annum it is obvious that from July 1 next year a range of other options will have to be introduced.

Favoured is an increase in the levy to le a litre which theoretically brings in around $20mper annum which with savings via the CAA might mean no additional tax is necessary. A general $1 per passenger RPT ticket tax would also bring in around $20m in the 94/95 year though would be cumbersome and bureaucratically complex to operate in comparison with a simple to implement and recover fuel levy.

A number of options are presently being investigated by the Minister and it is hoped that a declaration of which plan is being implemented will be known by early next year.

 China Looks to Australia Training:

China Southern Airlines is reportedly planning to establish its own cadet training scheme and is looking to buy into an Australian flying school.

Among others, it has been talking to the Australian International Flying College in Perth. China Southern needs more than 50 new pilots a year and cannot wait the four years needed to train new pilots at the CAAC school in China. By comparison, training takes about 18 months in Australia.

The airline has already contracted with Adelaide’s Australian Aviation College to take 16 students from this November. (Refer p5 Sept 93 AA)

Second GA Airport for Perth?

If Federal Airports Corporation (FAC) plans come to fruition, Perth will have á second general aviation airport by the turn of the century.

The FAC has found that Jandakot will soon run out of capacity if current and anticipated growth is maintained. Jandakot currently handles 355,000 aircraft movements per annum and this is expected to increase to 380,000 by 2010 and 450,000 by 2020. Four sites from the 27 possible for a new airport have been chosen for further examination and a draft report is expected to be released shortly.

The new airport will most likely be situated in Perth’s northern districts.

Israeli-Russian Bizjet:

Aircraft Industries (IAI) has joined forces with Russian company Yakovlev to launch its Astra 4 corporate jet programme, The Astra 4 has been designed by IAI but Yakovlev will build complete fuselages which will then be shipped to Israel where final assembly will take place. Although it uses the same wing as the current Astra SP, the Astra 4 is a larger aircraft which would normally seat eight passengers but will also be available in an airline configuration for up to 19.

N210CJ Cessna recently completed the Australian leg of a worldwide sales tour demonstrating the newest and smallest member of its bizjet family, the CitationJet. Marketed as an entry level corporate aircraft, the baby CitationJet is pitched primarily against Beech’s King Air turboprop. More than 100 CitationJets have already been ordered, with the first delivery to an Australian customer due during 1995. (Jim Thom)

New london Regional Airport:

velop Redhill as a new regional airport for Proposals have been put forward to de- London.

The 60-year-old aerodrome at the moment has two short grass runways and is used mainly for training flights by light aircraft and helicopters. The plan is to develop the site into a modern airport capable of handling 2. 5 million passengers each year.

Itis only 8km from Gatwick and could act as a feeder for the larger airport as well as relieving it of many of its smaller aircraft. Gatwick has only a single runway and by using it for increased numbers of larger aircraft, its capacity could be increased from 20 to 28 million passengers per year.

The intention is to replace Redhill’s two grass strips with a single 1600m all weather runway as well as building a new passenger terminal with 13 aircraft gates, along witha 220 room hotel/conference centre. An express coach shuttle service linking the two airports would feed passengers from Redhill to Gatwick and vice versa. It would be able to handle all regional and corporate aircraft up to BAe 146 size and would provide modern approach lighting and navigational aids including Category III ILS capability.

 Aviation Industry Employment Consultants:

A new company has been established in Sydney to provide a service to both potential employers and employees in all facets of the aerospace industry.

Global Aerospace and Airline Placement Service (GAAPS) will provide employment consultancy services to all sectors of the industry and produce a regular newsletter (called ‘Workflow’) for those registered in its database. The newsletter will list positions available and wanted in the industry and GAAPS will also be able to arrange direct contact between employer and potential employee. For more information contact (02) 258 6572.

 Us Registration Tax Blocked:

After fierce lobbying by the US Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), US Congressional budget negotiators have blocked the Clinton Administration’s pro- posal to levy an aircraft registration fee.

The negotiators were also successful in overturning an already implemented luxury tax fee on new aircraft sales, with the result that the US Federal budget no longer contains taxes and charges specific to General Aviation. The Administration was successful though in having a watered down version of its energy tax as it affects aviation passed, which will see a US4. 3c a gallon (US1. 13c a litre) tax on fuel, although US carriers and other commercial operators have been given a two year reprieve on paying the tax.

Teledyne Liability Damages Cut:

AUS judge has dramatically cut the damages payout ordered against Teledyne Continental in the largest product liability case of its kind.

Teledyne was originally ordered to pay a record $US107m following the 1986 crash of a Beechcraft Debonair, which killed all occupants (a family of four). Following Teledyne’s appeal against the original dam- ages award, the payout has been reduced to just $US1. 1m.

Although in favour of the new finding, Teledyne is convinced that it should bear no liability. The National Transportation Safety Board found that the crash was the result of pilot error, not an in-flight engine fire during an ILS approach as told to the court.

 Grants for Women Pilots:

The Victorian branch of the Australian Women Pilots Association invites female pilots to apply for the 1974MemorialGrant. ” The grant provides $700 on a dollar for dollar basis towards obtaining a Night VFR endorsement,and is in memory of five AWPA pilots who lost their lives in 1974.

Through the grant, the AWPA aims to increase the successful applicant’s skills and knowledge, rather than to obtain a commercial pilots licence. To qualify, applicants must be permanent residents of Australia, hold a current unrestricted PPL, have a minimum of 100 hours flying experience, submit a reference from a Flying Instructor with the application form and not be currently training for a night VFR endorsement. Membership of the AWPA is recommended, but not essential.

Applications close on Nov 1, for more information contact Vicki Key, 4 Wills St, Sunbury 3429.

Thai O-2/337 Single Conversion:

A joint Basler Flight Services and Thai government venture looks set to remanufacture the push pull Cessna 337 twin, involving the installation of a single engine.

Formation of a new joint venture company is imminent, which will allow the conversion of 40 Thai military 0-2s to the new configuration. The extensively reworked Basler Turbo 34 will be powered by a single rearmounted P&WC PT6 turboprop in place of the original piston engines. The fuselage will be stretched by 2. 1m and the wing centre section strengthened, allowing a 50% increase in gross weight.

Conversions of civil 337s is also being studied, as is US certification for the ‘new’ Cessna .

Raytheon Concludes Bae Bizjet Deal

The Raytheon company -owners of Beechcraft, completed its acquisition of British Aerospace’s Corporate jets business for $US372m.

A new company has been established (Raytheon Corporate Jets) to manufacture the BAe 125-800 and 125-1000 corporate jets under the names Hawker 800 and Hawker 1000, the titles by which these aircraft are popularly known in the USA. This goes back to the days when the original 125 was manufactured by Hawker Siddeley.

As reported previously (refer p6 July 93 AA), BAe will supply 125 airframe kits for three years before full manufacture in the USA is undertaken. Beechcraft has previously marketed the 125 in the USA, between 1969 and 1975.

 Vietnam Contract for Tamworth:

The British Aerospace/Ansett Flying College at Tamworth NSW assigned a contract with Vietnam Airlines for the training of cadet pilots.

The college will train 64 ab initio cadets from February next year, covering the complete Air Transport Licence course, concluding with line-oriented flight training on the college’s Boeing 737 generic simulator. At the completion of their training the cadets will undertake specific aircraft type conversion courses with Ansett Airlines before returning to Vietnam.

The courses mark the first time Vietnam has sent cadet pilots overseas apart from to the former Soviet Union.

Do It in Style:

Going to the Melbourne Cup in November? Fancy doing it in style and travelling in a classic aircraft at the same time? If so, try the Great Gatsby day tour organised by Harrington Green Travel Services. You will leave Sydney’s Bankstown airport on the morning of the race, fly to Essendon by DC-3 and then take a vintage London double decker bus to Flemington racecourse. A chicken and champagne lunch will be served at the track (along withbreak-fastand dinner on the aircraft) and the DC-3 returns to Sydney the same evening. The cost is $499 all up and if you’re interested, contact HG on (02) 233 2511.