Newsdesk — General Aviation

Faa Attempts To Boost Ga:

The Us Federal Aviation Administration is attempting to give a boost to the general aviation industry by reviewing some burdensome regulations and making certification of new light aircraft easier. The move comes as deliveries of new light aircraft are at record low levels and the number of active and student pilots is declining. Among the items being investigated: increasing the validity of third class medical certificates (for light aircraft pilots) from two to four years; standardising criteria for instructors conducting biennial flight reviews; extending the current annual airframe and engine inspection to two years; and simplifying the certification of small aircraft. The latter process is already well underway after several years of cooperation between the Faa and the European Joint Airworthiness Authorities.

New Australian Utility Aircraft:

Victorian aviation firm Gippsland Aeronautics has been awarded a $998,000 Federal Government funding package to help develop its planned Gas single engined, eight seat utility aircraft. The funding comes through the Department of Industry, Science and Technology and it is claimed the multirole aircraft will find a ready market in Australia, China and throughout the developing nations. Gippsland Aerospace claims that the Ga8 is planned to be priced below $250,000. The Ga8 (tentatively dubbed ‘Minivan’) is a high wing strut braced design resembling a small Cessna Caravan. It will be powered by a 300hp (225kW) Lycoming or Continental piston engine and features a large cabin and double loading doors. Maximum takeoff weight is set at 1722kg (3796lb) and basic empty weight exactly half that. The Ga8 will be certificated to Far Part 23 standards and the total development costs (including certification) are estimated at around $2m. A wooden mockup has been built and Gippsland Aerospace hopes to have the first aircraft flying within the next six months.

Albury Airport Threatened?

The future of Albury airport could be threatened following council support of a $25m, 170 home housing estate near the airport. One of the problems facing the airport if the estate goes ahead is that the developer is proposing a curfew, which according to local businesses, would mark the end of the airport’s growth and threaten the council’s large financial investment in it. Perhaps a better approach would be to forget all talk of curfews and make potential land buyers fully aware of the fact they will be building a house in the proximity of an airport and then enact legislation to ensure they can’t take any further action – in other words, let the buyer beware. The Raaf is also vigorously pursuing this course of action at many of its once rural bases which nowadays are being increasingly surrounded by housing developments.

Creditors Will Own Piper:

Piper Aircraft’s creditors have decided to abandon plans to sell the bankrupt manufacturer’s assets and will take over ownership of the company themselves. Since entering Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1991, Piper’s future has been subject to many possibilities, among them an investigation to purchase by Aerospatiale and a firm offer last year by Pilatus which was ultimately rejected by the creditors. The latest move comes after a recent proposal to sell Piper to an investment group for $Us35m was also rejected by creditors. Signs of an upturn in the general aviation market (including the long awaited introduction of Us product liability reform) have encouraged the creditors to keep Piper. Since 1991, Piper has repaid $Us12m of its $Us38m debt, increased its cash reserves from just $Us1000 to $Us10m and increased its workforce from 45 to 390 people. It delivered 65 new aircraft in the first half of 1994, worth $Us50m and presently produces the Warrior, Dakota, Arrow, Saratoga, Seminole, Seneca, Malibu Mirage and the ever faithful Super Cub. Piper in Australia is now represented by Bankstown based Allan Bligh Aircraft Sales.

Cessna Will Build Pistonsif..:

Cessna has confirmed earlier announcements that it will return to the piston single light aircraft market when Us product liability reforms are approved. Cessna has said that once the go-ahead is given it will build 2000 Model 172s, 182s and 206s in the first full year of production. Cessna, which is owned by Textron, estimates that it will take between 18 months and two years from final approval to first deliveries. New production aircraft will feature updated avionics, flight control systems, engines and interiors and a detailed plan for their reintroduction has already been worked out.

Aviation Safety Awards:

Pioneer Australian aviatrix Nancy Bird Walton has accepted patronage of the new Australian Aviation Safety Awards, an idea which has been established through the General Aviation Industry Groups with support from organisations such as the Australian Aviation Underwriting Pool. A recent meeting of the Ga Industry Groups announced the awards which appropriately has as its logo the first aircraft designed and constructed in Australia by John Duigan in 1910. According to those behind the awards: “In response to recent indirect public criticism of the general aviation industry through the release of two high profile accident investigation reports by Basi, the meeting believed the establishment of the awards provides a positive and pro-active safety initiative by the industry. The awards will recognise and identify those professionals and committed organisations and individuals who represent the majority of the industry”. Nancy Bird Walton was one of Charles Kingsford Smith’s first pupils and undertook barnstorming tours of Australia which were combined with pioneering outback aerial medical services. She was the founding president of the Australian Women Pilots’ Association (of which she is patron) responsible for much of the fundraising effort which led to the formation of the Nsw Air Ambulance Service in the 1960s.

Avalon Update:

The 1995 Australian International Air Show and Aviation Expo, to be held at Avalon on March 21- 26 next year is again shaping up to be a large and successful event. More than 50 leading aircraft manufacturers, technology suppliers and service providers have already signed up for the event, including Lockheed, Aermacchi, Saab, British Aerospace, Iptn and Hawker de Havilland. On the military side, indications of participation have been received from the Usa, Canada, New Zealand and Malaysia, while invitations have been extended to Britain, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand and numerous other countries. Russia has also indicated it hopes to display a team of Sukhoi Su-27 fighters and the Ilyushin Il-78 tanker. Part of the show will be the International Aerospace Congress, which will act as an umbrella for the facilitation and promotion of a series of aviation and aerospace seminars, forums and conventions during the week of the show. The keynote conference will be the Pacific International Aerospace Science and Technology Conference, jointly organised by the Royal Aeronautical Society and the Australian Institute of Engineers. This conference is expected to attract up to 800 delegates from Australia and overseas.

Awpa Scholarships:

The Australian Women Pilots’ Association may not have a very high profile but it does make a considerable and often unsung contribution to the industry. Among its activities are the very successful Fear of Flying Clinics (in conjunction with Qantas) and the awarding of national flying scholarships to help young women further their aviation careers. The Awpa has paid out more than $75,000 in scholarships since 1988, which are available to members and non members alike, although the larger ones are for the benefit of members. A range of scholarships and financial incentives is available to members, ranging from $700 for a night Vfr endorsement to $2000 for an Ifr Single rating and $3000 for an Ifr Twin or Instructor rating. Applications for the scholarships currently on offer close on December 31 this year. For information contact Awpa Flying Scholarships, PO Box 11, Drummoyne, 2047 or fax (02) 712 5134.

Aerospace Industry Training Centre Opened:

The Aerospace Industries Training Centre at the Broadmeadows (Victoria) College of Tafe was officially opened by the Prime Minister in August. This important $14m project provides ‘hands on’ training courses in aircraft manufacture and maintenance in the fields of avionics, mechanics and structures. On the job training for apprentices is offered as well as courses which will prepare students for entry level as apprentices or employment in selected aerospace fields. There are 650 students currently studying at the centre, which has been paid for partly by the federal government ($10m) and 25 corporate sponsors. It offers courses ranging from the Basic Certificate in Engineering, through to an Associate Diploma of Engineering (Aerospace Systems) — Mechanical or — Avionics, Communications, with other courses in between.

Skyrace ’95 Is Go!

The Country Club Casino Skyrace Tasmania is all set to fly again, and it will be held at the former Ww2 airstrip at Valleyfield between February 11 and 19 next year. As before, several classes will be contested with prizemoney offered for all of them. The classes (and first place prizemoney) are: Unlimited ($30,000), Radial Under 1500hp /1120kW ($15,000), Radial Under 600hp/450kW ($10,000), Cabin Twin ($5000), Cabin Single ($3000) and Formula A ($3000). Entry fees of between $250 and $500 apply (depending on the class) and entrants need to have a minimum 20 hours on type, a formation endorsement, aerobatic endorsement and will need to complete a check flight with an approved test officer. As was the case in 1994, an around Tasmania race will also be held in conjunction with the main pylon racing events.

Mjb Sale Essendon’S Saviour?

The recent $10m sale of the Melbourne Jet Base (Mjb) at Tullamarine might indirectly lead to Essendon Airport surviving calls for its closure. Mjb – which offered fuel, maintenance and facilities for corporate and other aircraft – has been sold to Ansett, which will use it primarily for its own requirements. This could leave Tullamarine based and transiting corporate aircraft with no dedicated facilities available to them, leaving, it is argued, the way open for the establishment of such a centre at Essendon. Meanwhile, the local council tug-of-war over Essendon has intensified, with Essendon Council resisting attempts by adjacent Keilor Council to have the airport moved to within its boundaries. For the aviation industry it would appear the airport would be better off if it did come under Keilor’s jurisdiction as Essendon Council wants to sell it of and turn it into a residential estate, saying the best use for it was “for more economic and employment intensive uses”. This, of course, completely fails to take into account the many aviation industry workers who would lose their jobs if the airport closed.

Clarification:

On page 90 of our September edition in the Register Update column we stated that Metro Vh-swp which crashed near Tamworth was owned by Newcastle Aviation, this is not so. Newcastle Aviation is presently the largest operator of Metros in Australia and has never had an accident with the type.

A Greater Need To Monitorageing Ga Fleet:

The Civil Aviation Authority’s Manager Airworthiness Bob Scott has warned of the affects of age on Australia’s ageing Ga fleet saying that this “does not necessarily mean these aircraft should in any way be unsafe” but that “there is a level of maintenance that needs to be carried out on them to maintain their integrity.” Australia’s Ga fleet, like the rest of the world’s, is ageing rapidly in large part due to the non availability of suitable new aircraft, the result of liability laws forcing the three major Us aircraft manufacturers to drastically downsize their production over the past 15 years. As a result most of Australia’s Ga fleet is over 12 years old, and the effects of time, both calendar and operating, means that instances of the effects of ageing, including corrosion, fretting and cracking, are becoming more common. One of the largest affects of age is corrosion, which often occurs in hard to get at areas where moisture accumulates unnoticed, including, according to Bob Scott, “the empennage right down to the back at the rear bulkheads, in the base of th fin, and in under fuel tanks in the wings.” Another problem is fretting, where surfaces gradually wear due to rubbing, and it can lead to corrosion and cracking. Bob Scott feels that there will be an incremental increase in such problems with the ageing fleet unless owners, operators and pilots become more aware of the problems and their consequences, and that while the cost of increased precautionary exploration and testing, “you cannot really afford to let the situation get to the stage where you start losing critical structure.