Beech/Pilatus trainer selected for $7 billion Pentagon contract
The Beech MkII turboprop beat out a bevy of jet competitors for the Air Force/Navy JPATS (Joint Primary Aircraft Training System), a contract potentially worth $7 billion for as many as 711 aircraft over 22 years.
Raytheon Aircraft, which later this year will receive nearly $1 billion in contracts for preparatory work, will build the aircraft in Wichita under license from Pilatus Aircraft of Switzerland. The aircraft is based on the Pilatus PC-9. Pilatus will receive royalties and could become a subcontractor to Raytheon Aircraft.
"There is great joy here," said Pilatus President Oscar Schwenk in a telephone interview from Switzerland. "We have won against jet competitors. It is proof of our turboprop trainer concept." Schwenk and company director Ernst Thomke said the royalties will be reinvested in the development of a future trainer aircraft now on the drawing boards.
About half of the $7 billion total is for aircraft acquisition, while the remaining half is for logistics. Raytheon Aircraft will provide related aircraft support and begin a competitive selection process for the JPATS Ground-Based Training System, which will include flight and ground simulators, training courseware, and a management information system for tracking student training performance.
The aircraft will replace the aging fleet of trainers currently being used — the Air Force's Cessna T-37B jet and the Navy's Beech T-34C turboprop. The new MkII, powered by a Pratt & Whitney PT6A- 68 engine, will be equipped with ejection seats, electronic flight instrumentation, a pressurized cockpit, and digital cockpit displays. The aircraft will be delivered from 1999 through 2017.
Losers include Cessna's 526 (based on the company's CitationJet), Grumman's S211A, Vought's Pampa 2000 (which was disqualified from competition), Rockwell's Ranger 2000, Northrop's Tucano II, and Lockheed's T-Bird II.
These Civil Air Patrol cadets soloed during June at the first of four one-week flight-training camps in Oshkosh, Wisconsin: Scott Welborn, Jose Lu's Castro, Lauren A. Wagner, Jacob Scherrer Willis W. Shane, Christopher M. Petrullo, Melanie VandenBos, Christopher Mendoza, Aaron Oliver, R. Dustin Underwood, Geoff Miller, Joshua L. McSwain, Adaryl L. Wakefield, Reid Ormseth, and Dennis Bissel. More than 100 students were expected to solo during the four sessions. Each student paid $500 for 10 hours of flight instruction and 20 hours of ground instruction.
Up, Up and away
The Alexandria Balloon Festival takes place August 4, 5, and 6 at Alexandria Field in Pittstown, New Jersey. Bands, night balloon launches, parades, fireworks, and a crafts fair are among the attractions. For further information, call 908/735-0870.
Aviation weather research slashed 70 percent at NCAR
The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado, will lose 70 percent of its $5 million budget for FAA- funded aviation weather research under cuts proposed for 1996 (see "Wx Watch: Inside NCAR," July Pilot). Weather scientists in Boulder say the cuts could deepen as FAA accountants eye the remaining funds.
At least one program, a project to detect super-cooled drizzle drops, has been spared, however. Super-cooled drizzle drops are thought to have brought down American Eagle Flight 4184 in Indiana last winter. The program was killed five weeks after the crash but restored after the Washington Post ran a full-page story May 28 on the termination. In saving the program, however, additional weather programs not previously targeted were killed by budget planners. "They just rearranged the deck chairs [on the Titanic]," said NCAR Engineering Programs Manager Bruce Carmichael.
The programs that were cut to save the drizzle-drop icing research included a program to bring new computer power and sensor technology to bear on forecasting ceiling and visibility; a program to detect and forecast the approximate location of convective activity, hail, tornadoes, and turbulence; 80 percent of the funding for a program to predict where thunderstorms might occur 30 minutes in the future; and half of the funding for programs to predict turbulence and deicing needs of aircraft ready for takeoff.
"They [FAA] don't think about the pilot, the external user, but about what the controller needs. Their big problems are replacing controller displays and radios," Carmichael said.
Bruce Bohannon, flying his Formula One racer Pushy Galore, will attempt to set a new 3,000-meter time-to-climb record during the EAA International Fly-In Convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Bohannon made an unsuccessful attempt at the 3,000-meter (9,843 feet) record during the Sun 'n Fun EAA Fly-In last spring. The new effort is the latest in a series of time-to-climb record attempts sponsored by Aeroshell. Mattituck Aviation built a new engine for the attempt. The old record is 3 minutes, 29 seconds.
Twin downs tethered balloon
A Cessna 310 en route to the Dover (Delaware) Air Force Base from the Chandelle Estates Airport severed a cable that was tethering a Delaware Department of Transportation balloon being used to monitor traffic during the Dover 500 Nascar race.
The 310's pilot claims that he had not received any notice of the balloon flight, either through his preflight briefing or from the Dover controller with whom he was in contact. The waiver that allows these balloons to be flown restricts them to 1,000 feet agl or below.
The 310's pilot claims that he was flying at 1,700 feet msl (1,670 feet agl) at the time of the incident, which was confirmed by Dover radar information.
Prototype ST-50 makes forced landing
Shortly after being shipped to Israviation in Israel, Cirrus Design Corporation's ST-50 turboprop was landed gear-up after the airplane's single turboprop engine flamed out.
According to reports, the engine failed during the airplane's third test flight of the day while flying at an altitude of 900 feet. Neither of the two pilots was hurt as the airplane landed gear-up in a field near the airport.
Cirrus designed and built the ST-50 for Israviation. Following a series of test flights in the United States, the airplane was disassembled and shipped to Israviation, where it was reassembled and put into flight testing for Israeli certification.
In other Cirrus news, a second SR-20 four-place, fixed-gear single is being built and should be on display with the prototype at the EAA International Fly-In Convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Cirrus hopes to start the certification process before the end of this year, with production to begin by the end of 1996.
The Tridair Gemini ST helicopter has been approved for FAR Part 135 operations. The Gemini utilizes two Allison turbine engines that drive the main rotor through a Soloy Dual-Pac gearbox. The helicopter can be operated as either a single or a twin and was the first aircraft to be certified as such (see "Pilot Briefing," December 1994 Pilot, and " Gemini ST," July 1994 Pilot).
Freedom flight to tour U.S.
Hundreds of World War II-era aircraft will tour Texas, Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, the District of Columbia, New Jersey, and New York in August to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the end of World War II.
Freedom Flight America plans a massive fly-by of the Statue of Liberty at the conclusion of the tour on August 14. Other stops include Biggs Field, El Paso, Texas, August 1-2; Alliance Airport, Fort Worth, Texas, August 2-3; New Century Air Center, Olathe, Kansas, August 3-4; Chicago Aurora Airport, Aurora, Illinois, August 4-7; Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio, August 7-9; Andrews Air Force Base, Washington, D.C., August 9-11; and McGuire Air Force Base, south of Trenton, New Jersey, August 11-14.
Falcon Field Airport in Mesa, Arizona, has been named the 1995 Arizona Airport of the Year. The award is given on the basis of the airport's relationship with the community, the way in which it is managed, and the airport's physical facilities.
Stoddard-Hamilton's tricycle-gear GlaStar is now also offered in the tailwheel configuration. "Quite a few of our customers have indicated they would prefer to have their GlaStar in the taildragger configuration," said Stoddard-Hamilton President Kelly Lee. Stoddard-Hamilton is located in Arlington, Washington.
Raytheon Aircraft is planning to replace its Hawker 800 with its enhanced 800XP (extended performance) when it is certified later this summer. The XP's AlliedSignal TFE-731-5BR engines are expected to yield a five- to 14-knot increase in max cruise speed and provide improvements in takeoff and time to climb.
CAP facing budget ax
Sen. John McCain, an ex-Navy pilot and honorary Civil Air Patrol member, says the CAP spends its money unwisely and must therefore take a $5 million cut in its $28 million annual budget.
The CAP, in answering the charges, says McCain has misunderstood Washington's convoluted budgeting process.
McCain claims the CAP spends heavily on overhead expenses, leaving only $2.6 million of its funds for search and rescue missions. The rest goes for administration, he said.
Further, a recent CAP reorganization was supposed to save $3 million a year, but instead raised costs by $4 million, McCain said.
A CAP official said the so-called $4 million increase in costs is actually a budget request that, on the surface, does indeed appear to be $4 million higher than last year. But the request was for new counter-drug operations and an unrelated cost-of-living raise for CAP liaison officers, and not due to a cost overrun.
"We, in fact, did save the $3 million," said CAP spokesman Col. Robert V. Payton.
McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services readiness subcommittee, is searching for ways to cut the Department of Defense budget and sees the CAP as a good target. "I intend to reduce DOD spending for non-defense and lower-priority military programs, and explore alternative funding sources when they are as valuable as the Civil Air Patrol," he said.
McCain is not alone in misunderstanding how the CAP spends its funds, the CAP official said. "There is a great deal of confusion over our budget," Payton said. "Only 58 percent of the budget request is from the CAP. The rest is from the Air Force for oversight of the CAP and for related operations. Not mentioned anywhere is the fact that all CAP members reach into their own pockets for hotel and meal expenses during searches. Many even buy their own radios used in the search," Payton said.
Valle Airport and the Planes of Fame Museum recently opened in Valle, Arizona. The airport has two runways, each measuring approximately 4,000 feet. Despite some adverse weather on June 17 and 18, the airport and museum drew several thousand people to the shared grand opening.
Cadmus Corporation is having a summer sale on the PZL Koliber 150A (see " Back to the Future," August 1994 Pilot), dropping the price from $99,950 to $79,500. The company said the price drop is temporary but will continue for an indefinite period until current inventory is reduced. Cadmus Corporation, of Northfield, Illinois, is the North American distributor for PZL Warsaw-Okecie, Poland.
Scholarship established
Jones, airshow performer, killed
Jan Jones, well on her way to becoming an airshow star, crashed near Cleveland on May 8 while en route to a press event in Philadelphia.
Jones died of injuries a day after her Staudacher S-600 aircraft crashed while attempting an emergency landing on the 3,000-foot grass runway at Botsford Air Strip in Wellington, Ohio. The aircraft's fuel system was under examination by investigators at press time.
John Rux, her husband and manager, said a tractor pulling a mower was on the runway, adding that she "...intentionally sacrificed herself, rather than injure an innocent bystander."
Jones, 42, was featured in a Pilot article last year (see " Spinning for Dollars," August 1994 Pilot). Especially popular on the Canadian airshow circuit, she also performed in 1994 at the EAA International Fly-In Convention and Sun 'n Fun EAA Fly-In.
Rux has established a scholarship fund for women pursuing aviation careers. Scholarship contributions may be sent to the Jan Jones Memorial Scholarship Fund, International Council of Air Shows Foundation, 1931 Horton Road, Suite 5, Jackson, Michigan 49203.
Actress Whoopi Goldberg and her pilot husband, Lyle Tractenberg, have purchased a Mooney Ovation demonstrator adorned with the Texas flag. The aircraft was used in a model rollout ceremony and later appeared in advertising and promotional materials.
AOPA members in the news
Jim Hooper, AOPA 1234041, regional coordinator for the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) campaign, helped to introduce 10,000 youngsters to aviation last spring, through an airshow especially for them at Manassas, Virginia. The show was part of the Virginia State Police anti-drug campaign. The youngsters got to see F-14s; police aircraft; medical helicopters; a presentation by the Flying Circus of Bealeton, Virginia; and a dogfight between a MiG-15 and a de Havilland DH-12 Venom.
Chip Robberson, AOPA 1161989, of Edmond, Oklahoma, arranged for children injured in the Oklahoma City bombing to receive autographed pictures, t-shirts, and hats from the nation's top airshow performers. He sends his thanks to all the performers who helped.
Jennifer Bessler, AOPA 1119517, of Mukilteo, Washington, was recently awarded the Ninety-Nines Achievement Award at the National Intercollegiate Flying Association's Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference, held at the Delta State University in Greenville, Mississippi. Bessler received a gold Amelia Earhart medal and a $250 honorarium. She is earning her master's degree in aviation management from Dowling College in New York. Jenette Jensen, AOPA 1140073, an airway science major at Central Texas College, received a bronze Amelia Earhart medal and a $100 honorarium for her third-place finish.
Dan Manningham, AOPA 815915, of Mansfield, Ohio, was presented the Business Aviation Meritorious Award at the Flight Safety Foundation's Corporate Aviation Safety Seminar in Vancouver, for his weather, technique, and safety articles in Business & Commercial Aviation magazine. Manningham is an ATP with more than 20,000 flight hours, holds type ratings in Boeing 737, 757/767, and is training in the 747-400.
Daniel Moe, AOPA 1023536, of Mukilteo, Washington, has established a new company called Mechanical Overhead Equipment, to provide production tooling to general aviation manufacturers using computer-aided design.
Jonathan Stern, AOPA 1008885, of Rockville, Maryland, has published his second aviation book, titled Microsoft Flight Simulator Handbook.
Joseph Hunt, AOPA 943976, of Corpus Christi, Texas, recently received his instrument rating at age 69.
Fred Adams, AOPA 729192, of Bismarck, North Dakota, was elected president of the North Dakota Aviation Council.
Toyota is expanding its participation in air shows as an advertising vehicle for its automobiles. Toyota AirSports, headed for the past year by airshow performer Don Johnson, AOPA 1201368, has added U.S. Aerobatic Team member Mike Goulian, AOPA 1058365, to the Toyota roster of airshow pilots. In addition, the AirSports team has signed a multi-year sponsorship with Firewall Forward to overhaul and maintain its airshow engines.
Mathias Ismail, AOPA 1041622, and Philippe Sistac, AOPA 771650, have formed the Madagascar Aviation Association to promote general aviation in the region (Madagascar, Muritius, Reunion, South Africa, and Comores) and help visiting pilots. They hope to organize a Madagascar International Sky Tour in 1996 and have completed their first event, the Antsirabe Fly-In. To contact them in Antsirabe, call 011 261 4 494 22.
Squawk sheet
Mooney's M20R Ovation is the target of a new airworthiness directive that requires repetitive inspections of the exhaust system until it is retrofitted with an improved exhaust that Mooney has developed. Cracks forming in the exhaust header, muffler, and tailpipe assemblies have raised concerns over engine compartment fires.
A new airworthiness directive aimed at Piper PA-25 Pawnee airplanes supersedes a previous AD that requires a one-time visual and dye-penetrant inspection of the wing forward spar fuselage attachment for corrosion. The new AD will require repetitive inspections using dye-penetrant and ultrasonic procedures to detect cracks or corrosion.
The FAA released a notice of proposed rulemaking to establish a minimum safe airspeed for the Beech Duke in icing conditions. Three fatal accidents and one incident occurred in which low airspeed and the subsequent high angle of attack caused ice to form behind the leading edge of the wings, rendering the deicing boots useless (see " Safety Pilot: Ice Folklore," January Pilot). If the NPRM becomes an airworthiness directive, a supplemental section must be added to the airplane's flight manual.
Socata's TBM 700 fell victim to its first airworthiness directive, effective July 19. The AD requires installation of pneumatic deicing boots on the leading edge of the elevator horns. Significant ice accumulation on the elevator horn could lead to loss of elevator control. The FAA estimates the fix will cost $5,210. Compliance is required within 100 hours time in service from the effective date.
A Federal Express Boeing 727-200 has completed 100 successful Category III autocoupled landings, using Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) for guidance. The tests took place at the FAA Technical Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Part 135 IFR may be approved for some single-engine Turbines
IFR operations under FAR Part 135 in single-engine turboprops may become a reality now that the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC) has drafted a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).
The FAA requested ARAC to devise a set of standards to outline equipment, safety, and reliability requirements for single- engine airplanes (specifically the Socata TBM 700, the Pilatus PC- 12, and the Cessna Caravan) to be used in the Part 135 IFR environment. The draft was issued in the first week of June.
In its present form, the requirements of the NPRM are met only by the turbine singles. Piston singles are not exempt, however, leaving an opening for future piston aircraft that may meet the requirements. Equipment requirements are similar to those required for multiengine piston aircraft, such as dual instrument and electrical power sources.
Effort grows to build American museum in Great Britain
American and British notables have joined in an effort to construct a building to house the American Air Museum at Duxford Airfield, south of Cambridge.
Duxford, the site of much of the filming for the movie Memphis Belle, is part of the Imperial War Museum. U.S. officials were waiting at press time for news of a possible $11 million contribution by the British national lottery.
There are already 40 aircraft in the collection, most of them stored outside. They include a Boeing B-17, a Douglas C-47, a North American B-25, and a Lockheed U-2.
Actors Jimmy Stewart and Charlton Heston have contributed to the fund-raising effort, taking up where the late General Jimmy Doolittle left off. Efforts by Doolittle before his death raised $2 million. U.S. fund-raising is directed by the American Air Museum in Britain Campaign, a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C., established by the Imperial War Museum.
The American Air Museum is to feature a heavy concentration of American-built World War II aircraft, with additional aircraft from World War I to the present. For information, call 202/543- 4226.
Glider team prepares for contest
The U.S. Glider Aerobatic Team leaves in late August for the World Glider Aerobatic Championships in Fayence, France, in September. The team includes a husband-wife duo, Gary and Linda Gillmore of Lindenhurst, Illinois. They will share the use of their customized Polish-built Swift S-1.
Team members Bill Lumley of Florida and Walter Parrasch of New Jersey also fly the S-1, while Charles Kalko of New Jersey will compete in a Celstar made in South Africa. The competing Polish team has won every world championship to date.
Paris Airshow news
BY THOMAS A. HORNE
Aerial exotica on display
Crowds at the Paris Airshow, estimated at more than 300,000 people, were wowed by flying demonstrations of such exotica as the Bell/Boeing V-22 Osprey and the McDonnell Douglas C-17A Globemaster III military transport. Also on hand was the X-31A Enhanced Maneuverability Fighter, which used its vectored thrust design to perform extremely high-angle-of-attack flight, including 6-G entries to slow flight, extremely tight turns at extremely slow airspeeds, and vertical climbs at 70-degree angles of attack. The airplane is a product of Rockwell and Daimler-Benz Aerospace.
The airshow was held at Le Bourget Airport from June 10 to 18.
France's Rafale B fighter, the new Eurofighter 2000, the Sukhoi Su-32 fighter, the Tupolev Tu-160 Blackjack bomber, and the monstrous new Airbus A300-600ST Beluga — a Super Guppy-type mega-transport — were also in Le Bourget's pattern.
The biggest scene-stealers, however, were distinctly American. The Northrop Grumman B-2 stealth bomber made a brief pit stop for fuel and promptly left, but this was enough to awe the audience and capture the front page of every Parisian newspaper.
Another show-stopper was the new Boeing 777, a twin-engine, wide-body, fly-by-wire, next-generation airliner capable of carrying up to 440 passengers as far as 6,000 nautical miles. The 777 caught more than the public's eye. To the European Airbus consortium's A330 and A340 airplanes, the 777 represents unwelcome competition.
Socata has bought the manufacturing rights to the American General Aircraft Corporation Cougar. Socata renamed the four-place light twin the TB 320 Tangara. A company official said that Socata plans to sell the Tangara primarily as a multiengine training complement to the rest of its TB series. Decisions concerning whether or where to build the Tangara have yet to be made.
Before arriving at Le Bourget, a Learjet 60 flew from Wichita to Gander, Newfoundland, to Geneva in 9 hours, 57 minutes, for an average groundspeed of 446 knots and an unofficial record.
The Bombardier Business Aircraft Division announced a special edition version of its corporate Regional Jet. The airplane should have a range of 3,000 nm, thanks to two new 4,000-pound-capacity auxiliary fuel tanks.
The company also announced an up-to-800-nm boost in range for its Challenger 601-3R — without any physical changes to the airplane. A review of performance data turned up an overly conservative VMCG (minimum single-engine control speed on the ground) for the 600-series Challengers. New performance data is being sent to owners.
Trimble and Honeywell signed a memorandum of understanding to merge efforts in developing a wide range of new GPS products. Several Honeywell divisions involved in space and air transport products will pursue projects with Trimble. In the process, Trimble will realize the benefits of Honeywell's expertise in systems integration and product support.
FAA Administrator David R. Hinson, speaking at a press conference in the U.S.A. National Pavilion, predicted a doubling of airline passenger levels by 2015. Worldwide use of GPS, digital datalink, and Automatic Dependent Surveillance can help ease traffic congestion and save hundreds of millions of dollars, Hinson said, but more must be done to standardize current national and regional airspace systems. The free flight concept, Hinson said, has yet to be embraced by the FAA and International Civil Aviation Organization, and will require massive changes in the air traffic infrastructure.
Raytheon Aircraft Company said it would announce a new, entry- level business jet at the NBAA convention in September.
The company's JPATS trainer, the Beech MkII, made its international debut (see " Beech/Pilatus Trainer Selected for $7 Billion Pentagon Contract," p. 30).
Raytheon's new Hawker 800XP is on schedule for certification this summer, the company said. First deliveries of this faster, longer-range, and more versatile iteration of the Hawker 800 will begin in the fall.
Grob will provide the United Arab Emirates Air Force with 12 of its 260-hp G115T trainers. The $5.5 million order includes an option for 12 additional G115Ts.
Cessna officials said the company will begin holding production positions for its line of piston singles. A $2,500 refundable deposit will hold a non-transferable position. Recruiting for the single- engine sales and marketing team will begin in the fall.
Cessna President Russ Meyer flew a Citation X to the airshow, making the leg from Gander to Le Bourget in 5 hours, 39 minutes. Average TAS was 505 knots, and cruise speeds ranged from 0.87 to 0.91 Mach.
Also debuting at the show was the Dassault Falcon Jet Falcon 900EX. First flight of this 4,500-nm trijet was on June 1 at DFJ's main factory site in Bordeaux.
Gulfstream stated that its G-IVB project has been put on hold. According to President Bill Boisture, market surveys showed that the G-IVB's projected range increase of 5 to 7 percent over the current-production G-IVSP was not highly valued by prospective customers. Meanwhile, the company's newest project, the long-range G-V, remains on track. The wings and fuselage of the first airplane have been completed, according to Gulfstream, and there's an order book worth $2 billion.
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