Newsdesk — General Aviation

Cessna’s re-entry to the light aircraft market continues building up momentum with the first flight on July 16 of its new generation Model 182S Skylane four-seater.

From LoPresti Speed Merchants comes a new product for Piper Senecas, Lances and PA-28 and PA-28R series aircraft called the Zip Tip which reduces induced drag, increasing cruise speed, improving field performance and climb. Another benefit of the Zip Tip wingtip mod is that it provides space for a nav, strobe and recognition light which can be replaced without having to remove the wing tip. (LoPresti)

At EAA Oshkosh in August of this year, aviation information services company Jeppesen launched its new Electronic Airway Manual Service called JeppView, a CD-ROM based program that replaces Jeppesen’s flight information on paper. Included on the CD are terminal charts, airport information, chart legend/glossary, chart NOTAMS and other related information. The CD is updated fortnightly the same as the Jeppesen Airway Manual.

Test pilot Lionel Diamond flew the aircraft for one hour, taking it to 10,000ft (3000m) and performing a variety of basic handling checks including stalls and trim checks. Powered by a Lycoming IO-540 six cylinder engine, the Skylane will be available to customers from early next year and will be built alongside new 172 Skyhawk and 206 Stationair models.

At the other end of the Cessna product range, golfing legend Arnold Palmer has taken delivery of the first production Citation X high speed bizjet. Appropriately registered N1AP, the aircraft is the golfer’s sixth Citation, starting with a Citation I in 1975 and moving through a II, a pair of IIIs and a VII before taking delivery of the X. Of his 14,000 flying hours, Palmer has logged about 6000 in Citations.

Baea Acquires Training Academy

British Aerospace Australia has reached agreement with Ansett Australia Holdings to acquire the latter’s 50% stake in the Australian Air Academy at Tamworth, a facility jointly owned by the two companies since 1990.

The $80m facility has a fleet of 50 aircraft and accommodation and classroom facilities to handle more than 200 trainees. Current contracts cover the training of pilots for a number of local and international customers including Ansett, All Nippon, Malaysia Airlines, Vietnam Airlines, Air China, the Civil Aviation Flying College of China, the National Taiwan University and the Australian Defence Force. Under the purchase agreement, Ansett will continue to use the academy for a minimum of three years. The sale of its interest in the academy is the latest in Ansett’s recent series of moves to dispose of non-core assets and to help restore profitability. Other recent sales include Skywest Aviation and a 50% interest in Travelex Australia. Despite having a healthy number of students on its books, the academy has been losing money including $6.6m in the two years to June 1995.

The academy will become a wholly owned subsidiary of BAeA and its business activities will be co-ordinated with those of its sister company, British Aerospace Flying College Ltd, based at Prestwick in Scotland. Both organisations will now be known as British Aerospace Flight Training, UK and Australia divisions.

Cessna Stars At Oshkosh

Despite bad weather supposedly affecting public attendance, more than 800,000 people still managed to make it to Oshkosh in early August for the Experimental Aircraft Association’s (EAA) Convention and Fly-In.

For many, the highlight of the show was the appearance of a new generation Cessna 172R Skyhawk, and if the crowd which crammed into the session which announced the prices of that and the new 182S Skylane is any indication (refer Stop Press, last issue), the success of the company’s return to light aircraft manufacture is assured.

Other GA manufacturers present included Learjet, New Piper and Mooney, although Raytheon/Beech stayed away for budgetary reasons. It was represented by dealer Stevens Aviation which displayed the 3000th Bonanza A36 which was midway through a six-month promotional tour of the USA.

The homebuilt and experimental fraternity was well represented as usual, one aircraft which attracted a lot of attention being the Zenith CH260 Gemini twin engined, taildragger kitplane which sells for only $US19,950 less engines and instruments. With them, the price is doubled but still represents a very cost effective twin. This aircraft has an Australian connection as it is powered by a pair of locally designed and built 80hp (60kW) Jabiru four cylinder air cooled engines with solid state, transistorised ignition system instead of the prehistoric conventional (and by now surely well past its use by date) magneto system.

Burt Rutan presented another new and unconventional aircraft, an asymmetric twin called the Boomerang. Powered by two Lycoming IO-360 piston engines, the Boomerang has one engine mounted in the nose of the main fuselage and the other in a long parallel boom on the port side. Pressurised and capable of cruising at 270kt (500km/h), Rutan says the Boomerang displays no thrust asymmetry with one engine shut down. Whether or not the aircraft evolves into a production version remains to be seen.

Other highlights included the return of Bob Hoover and his power-off ‘energy conservation’ display in the Shrike Commander after regaining his medical certificate from the FAA after a three-year battle; and indefatigable designer Jim Bede, who was promoting his BD-10 jet powered supersonic kitplane as a military trainer. Bede has recently sold the production rights for the military version of the BD-10 to Monitor Jet of Canada, while the future of the civilian version remains cloudy following the crash of the first two aircraft.

Oshkosh also remembered one of its departed heroes, top-notch display and aerobatics pilot Charlie Hillard, who was killed earlier this year in a freak taxying accident at Florida in a Hawker Sea Fury.

Raes Pioneer’s Lecture

The Canberra branch of the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Australian Division will be holding its biennial Pioneer’s Lecture on Thursday, October 24 at the Academy of Science, Canberra. The lecture will be given by Mr Tom Lawrence AM, a leader in Australian aviation research and development fields for more than two decades from the 1940s. A dinner will follow the lecture. All Society members and the public are welcome to attend and details can be obtained from branch secretary Martin Aubury on (06) 258 8869.

Beech 1900 Cargo Stc

Raytheon Aircraft Services has received an FAA Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for a cargo interior modification to the Beech 1900C commuter turboprop. The STC allows the installation of a cargo configuration consisting of side panels, flooring, hold downs and cargo nets. The system will accommodate up to 3007kg (6630lb) of freight within a cabin volume of 16.3m³ (575cu ft). About three days down time is required to perform the conversion.

Hawker Pacific Falcon Centre

Hawker Pacific’s Aircraft Service Centre in Singapore is now a Dassault Falcon Jet Authorised Service Centre. The centre is located at Seletar Airport and is also an authorised line service centre for AlliedSignal and CFE engines. The announcement is a boost for Hawker Pacific who now has two service centres for Falcon jets, the other at Sydney.

Tiger Moth Record Attempt

At the time of writing John Fisher was attempting to become only the third person to fly from London to Sydney in a Tiger Moth, at the same time also trying to break three world records and raise $20,000 for charity as well. The 20,000km trip is expected to take 30 days, breaking the current record by two days, and will pass through 16 countries. Mr Fisher left London on September 1 and is carrying 1000 commemorative Tiger Moth envelopes. Money is expected to be raised from the sale of these envelopes and sponsorship of the legs of the trip. Money raised will go to CanTeen in Australia and Marie Curie Cancer Care in the UK.