Learjet circles globe in record 49 hours
Four pilots, including former astronaut Pete Conrad, broke the round-the-world speed record for light business-class aircraft on February 14, eclipsing a mark that had stood for 13 years.
The crew flew a modified Learjet 35A roughly 23,500 miles in 49 hours, 21 minutes, and 42 seconds for an average groundspeed of 475 mph, beating the old record by more than an hour.
Along with Conrad, the crew of Mark Calkins, Dan Miller, and former Department of Defense official Paul Thayer left Denver's Centennial Airport in cable television magnate Bill Daniel's airplane. They made eight fuel stops along the way.
The Lear's cabin seats were replaced with two 200-gallon fuel tanks, raising the total usable fuel on board to 7,500 pounds. Stops were made at St. Kitts, in the Leeward Islands; Cape Verde, off the west coast of Africa; Olbia, Italy; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Varanasi, India; Manila, the Philippines; Sakhalin Island, Russia; and King Salmon, Alaska.
Average groundspeed was calculated by dividing the direct- route, fuel-stop-to-fuel-stop distance by the time taken to circle the globe. The previous Class C-1F record had been set by Brooke Knapp of Los Angeles, whose 1983 flight — also in a Lear 35A — took 50 hours, 22 minutes, and 42 seconds, at an average groundspeed of 458.9 mph. — Stephen Pope
Cuba criticized in shoot-down of Cessnas
AOPA has joined those criticizing the downing of two unarmed twin- engine Cessna 337 Skymaster aircraft by Cuban fighters on February 24.
The airplanes hit by air-to-air missiles were flown by Hermanos Al Rescate (Brothers to the Rescue), an anti-Castro group. Among the group's activities are humanitarian missions to spot and help to rescue those adrift in the Florida Straits after fleeing Cuba.
Since the United States began returning refugees to Cuba in May 1995, however, there have been fewer refugees to help — only eight a week, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. And Hermanos Al Rescate has stopped calling Coast Guard vessels for rescue efforts- -knowing that the refugees might be sent back to Cuba. In 1995 the group became emboldened and violated Cuban airspace in order to drop leaflets on Havana.
The two aircraft shot down were in international airspace, according to U.S. Air Force radar data. A third Skymaster, piloted by the group's president, Jose Basulto, left the area even though radar returns indicate that the aircraft violated Cuba's 12-mile airspace limit. Riding with Basulto was the president of the anti-Castro Mothers Against Repression group.
Basulto told AOPA Pilot that he never intended to violate Cuba's airspace on February 24 and planned only to conduct search operations for Cubans escaping their country by raft "as I have 1,800 times before" (see "Pilots: Jose Basulto," November 1994 Pilot). However, he admitted to one flight over Havana to drop leaflets pledging the support of Hermanos Al Rescate to the Cuban people. He mentioned another flight in which a declaration of human rights was dropped, but he refused to say where it took place.
"Politics and past incidents aside, use of deadly force against unarmed civilian aircraft cannot be justified," said Phil Boyer, president of AOPA and of the International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations. "We call on the international community to condemn Cuba in the strongest possible terms for this apparent violation of international law, ICAO interception procedures, and basic human decency," Boyer said.
The dead crew members were identified as: Carlos Costa, a 29- year-old pilot with a degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, who was in charge of employee development and training at Miami International Airport; Armando Alejandre, Jr., 45, a construction manager for the Metro-Dade County Transit Authority; Mario de la Pena, a 24-year-old pilot identified by the Associated Press as one of the pilots who flew over Havana; and Pablo Morales, 29, who was once a refugee saved by Hermanos Al Rescate.
Transcripts indicate Basulto and other pilots notified Havana air traffic controllers that they were approaching and were warned of danger. They were engaged in cordial conversations with air traffic controllers as the MiGs were vectored to the attack on a military frequency not heard by the Cessna pilots.
NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING
The annual meeting of the members of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and AOPA Legislative Action will be held at 12 noon on Saturday, May 4, 1996, at Wings Field, Ambler, Pennsylvania, for the purpose of receiving reports and transacting such other business as may properly come before the meeting, including the election of Trustees. — John S. Yodice, Secretary
FBO takes flying to the people
An FBO in Louisville, Kentucky, displayed a Piper Tomahawk for a month in bargain-priced space at a local shopping center and sold 1,276 discovery flight certificates.
Circumstances helped, of course. It was the month before Christmas, when shoppers were looking for unusual gifts; and the rent was only a third of the normal price because the mall was new and only partially occupied. Whatever the reasons, the result was a $10,000 profit for Central American Airways, located at Bowman Field.
"Prospects don't want to go to an airport. They are uncomfortable there," said Richie Davidson, marketing director for Central American. He expects 50 new students out of the exercise — students who will rent aircraft and pursue additional ratings over the next two years. For now, he has bought two additional Tomahawks to handle the load. Most of the discovery flight customers are waiting for prettier weather in late spring or early summer to use their certificates.
Before other flight schools call their local mall manager, however, Jim Hackman of Sawyer Aviation at Phoenix Sky Harbor International in Arizona suggests caution. Moving an airplane into a mall can be a logistical nightmare, he warns. And it is unusual to rent space for $7,500 for one month at a shopping mall, as Central American did; $25,000 to $30,000 is the more likely charge.
Like Central American, Sawyer Aviation is a clever marketer of flight training. In fact, both FBOs paint their aircraft bright colors for customer appeal. Sawyer operates The Plane Store at a mini-mall in Tempe, Arizona. While the store sells aeronautical gifts, it is intended as a marketing tool to attract new students. Sawyer Aviation also stages special promotions. When a local movie theater showed The Rocketeer, the firm put an aircraft in the lobby.
Aircraft misfueled in Fayetteville, North Carolina
Seventy-seven aircraft were fueled with 100LL that was tainted with jet fuel at Metro Air Center at North Carolina's Fayetteville Regional Airport between February 10 and 15. Local police and FBI officials were investigating to determine whether the mixing of the two fuels was accidental or intentional.
At least one pilot was forced to return to the airport with engine trouble after refueling from a fuel truck, the Fayetteville Observer-Times reported.
The contamination was traced to a single fuel truck at Metro Air Center, the only refueling operation at the airport. It did not appear that the fuel farm was contaminated. Airport commissioners were told recently that Metro Air Center has now changed fuel ports on the top of its refueling trucks so that they will accept only a certain size nozzle, and the company is now locking openings on fuel trucks.
Metro Air Center officials were not available for comment, and have referred questions to their insurance company, American Eagle Insurance of Dallas, Texas (800/945-9459). Aircraft owners with hull insurance should contact their own companies.
Su-31 loses wing; airshow pilot Rick Massegee killed
Airshow pilot and two-time member of the U.S. Aerobatic Team Rick Massegee was killed when the right wing of his new Sukhoi Su-31 detached during a training flight in Florida on February 20.
An initial investigation indicated a structural failure of the forward spar at the right wing root. Engineers from the Sukhoi Design Bureau in Moscow were scheduled to travel to Immokalee, Florida, where the accident occurred.
Brian Becker, president of Pompano Air Center, which markets the Sukhoi and helped to sponsor Massegee, recommended that all Su-31s be grounded until further information is available.
As the aircraft, which had a total time of 11 hours, was entering a vertical climb — passing through 15 to 20 degrees nose up and estimated to be pulling 6 Gs — the right wing bent upwards 30 degrees before separating in a backward motion. The United Airlines captain had previously logged 725 hours in a Sukhoi Su-26.
Angel Flight of Florida pilots will help to deliver summer campers from major Florida airports to a new facility for chronically ill children. The new camp, called Boggy Creek Gang and located north of Orlando near Cassia, Florida, is free to youngsters and their families who are referred by a doctor or hospital. The camp is sponsored by actor Paul Newman and General Norman Schwarzkopf and is similar to Newman's Hole-in-the-Wall Gang camp near New Haven, Connecticut. Angel Flight of Florida, which includes private, charter, and corporate aircraft, will transport the campers to Leesburg, Florida, the airport closest to the camp. For information on the camp, call 800/933-6811 or 407/628-0411.
Express design closes its doors
Continuing the checkered past of the design, the Express Design, nee Wheeler Express, is once again without a home. The company, which has steadily improved upon the four-seat homebuilt, has run into the traditional bugaboo — lack of money. Last year, Express Design announced that it would limit participation in expensive airshows and that kits would be available at a cost savings without the normal allotment of hardware and off-the-shelf parts. During the development, Express Design reworked many areas of the Express. The airplane received a new low tail — replacing the Wheeler's cruciform type — and was hopped up with larger engines than the original's Lycoming IO-360. Considerable speculation surrounds the possible next home for the Express' tooling and design elements. Stay tuned. — Marc E. Cook
92-year-old paperboy flies his route
The editor, reporter, and paperboy for the 3,500-circulation Sierra Booster in Loyalton, California, airmails his paper to 50 of his customers — if the weather is good. That means Hal Wright climbs into his 1948 Aeronca Sedan every other Friday and takes to the skies over remote ranches and fire lookout towers.
"He goes as low as the law allows," said his wife, Allene. He aims for front porches and flings the newspaper out the window, hitting his target once in a while. He bought the airplane in 1954, prior to which he owned a Piper Cub. The newspaper is operated out of his home. The special deliveries are made "just for fun," the couple admits.
The medical exams are getting more interesting, his wife said (he was away on business on the day of the interview). The FAA now requires three doctors to certify that the editor still has the Wright stuff.
Several newspapers have taken an interest in Wright's aerial exploits. "We laugh about the publicity, but it doesn't hurt our paper," said his wife.
Rubber band man dreams of record flight
You know those balsa wood toy airplanes with the propellers that you wind up with a rubber band and fly in the backyard? Well, volunteers at Van Nuys Airport in California, along with help from 60 sponsors, are working on a carbon-fiber version big enough to carry a pilot.
Affectionately known as the Rubber Bandit, the world's first rubber band-powered human-carrying airplane is nearing completion and should be ready for its first flight by the end of May. Independent aircraft designer George Heaven says that his airplane will have enough power to take off, climb to 100 feet, and then fly at 30 mph for more than a minute — all without burning one gallon of avgas (the EPA will be thrilled).
The Bandit's powerplant design is pretty straightforward. Eight hundred 25-foot-long bands of model airplane rubber will be stretched to three times their normal length by a truck with a tractor bolted to it. As the truck slowly inches forward, the rubber will be generously lubricated with castor oil. Then the tractor's winch will wind the bundle tight. The Bandit must then begin its takeoff roll quickly because stored tension in the rubber begins to slowly drain.
Because the Bandit is constructed of carbon fiber (much of it donated by Dick Rutan), the completed airplane will weigh just 180 pounds. With Heaven, who adds another 180 pounds, and the 90-pound powerplant, gross takeoff weight will be 450 pounds.
The Bandit will be 33.5 feet long and have a 68-foot wingspan, with an area of 300 square feet, an aspect ratio of 15.5, and a 4.5- foot chord. The tail will be 20 feet across and 11.6 feet high, and the airplane will sit on long legs to accommodate a monstrous 18-foot prop.
The airplane will have no physical flight controls. Instead, the control surfaces (rudder and elevator only; there are no ailerons) will be radio controlled. Also, the Bandit will sit at a relatively flat angle of attack to help it get off the ground quickly.
An unmanned quarter-scale version of the airplane has already been flown successfully. After piloting the full-size version from a runway at Van Nuys, Heaven says he hopes that the National Air and Space Museum will consider placing the Rubber Bandit alongside other aviation firsts on display. — SP
Cessna Aircraft displayed its 500th Grand Caravan at the Singapore Air Show in February. It is now on a demonstration tour of the Far East and Pacific region before being delivered to Transmile, Cessna's distributor in Malaysia. It will provide mail and overnight package delivery service throughout Malaysia. At the show Cessna also displayed a Citation X, which is scheduled to be certified on April 29.
North Atlantic separation standards to be reduced
Vertical separation standards on North Atlantic routes during peak travel times will be reduced from 2,000 feet to 1,000 feet next January. The move increases capacity by taking advantage of more precise air data computers used by today's autopilots.
John Slieter of Duncan Aviation in Lincoln, Nebraska, estimates that there may be 100 business jets in the U.S. fleet without digital computers capable of maintaining the new standards.
Jets using airspace reserved for reduced separation standards during peak times — which occur during 10 to 12 hours of the day — will, at a minimum, need pitot-static system checks and must have their computers reset to maintain altitude to tighter standards, Slieter said. The new separation standards apply only in minimum navigation performance airspace.
Costs to operators could range from several thousand dollars to $100,000 for new dual digital air data computers, Slieter estimated. Duncan Aviation has formed a team to inform operators about the changes. Slieter said he plans to talk directly with operators. He can be reached at 800/228-4277.
A Southern Illinois University sophomore enrolled in the school's aviation program was arrested in mid-December after stealing a university-owned Cessna 320 twin-engine aircraft from the Southern Illinois Airport in Carbondale, Illinois. Todd McCutchan, 20, of Evansville, Indiana, was arrested after landing in Parkersburg, West Virginia, and was returned to Illinois to face theft charges. McCutchan reportedly radioed that the airplane had been hijacked and that he needed course headings to the East Coast. By the time he reached jail he had changed his story, claiming that he was suffering from hallucinations.
Squawk Sheet
An airworthiness directive has been issued requiring owners of American Champion (Bellanca) models 8KCAB, 8GCBC, 7GCBC, and 7ECA Citabrias, Scouts, and Decathlons to have the wing front strut attach fittings inspected for cracks, scratches, or surface deformities within the next 50 hours time in service after the February 26 effective date. If the struts have any of the cited maladies, they must be replaced. A copy of the AD can be obtained through AOPA Online on CompuServe (library: Aircraft Ownership, filename: 960311.TXT).
The FAA has issued an airworthiness directive superseding the AD regarding Piper PA-31, PA-31-300, -325, and -350 Navajos and Chieftains. The new AD would require a one-time inspection of the upper section of the FS 317.75 bulkhead for cracks and installation of a reinforcement kit if cracks are found in the area.
An airworthiness directive has been proposed that would require inspections for cracks or missing rivets in the cabin structure of Beech 58P Barons. Four rivets that attach the longeron to the frame and splice (adjacent to and aft of the second cabin window on the right side) were not installed during the manufacturing of some of the airplanes.
A revision of an earlier airworthiness directive was sent by the FAA to clarify that inspections of rocker bosses on Continental engine models C75, C85, C90, C125, C145, O-200, O-300, and GO- 300 are required at the time of cylinder removal or engine overhaul.
On February 7 Aerospatiale completed the purchase of the type certificate for the Grumman American GA-7 Cougar twin-engine aircraft (see "Pilot Briefing," August 1995 Pilot). Production of the aircraft, to be renamed the TB 320 Tangara, is expected to begin in France in two years. Company officials now plan to gather ideas from engineers and dealers who were involved with the original Cougar.
Riley International of Carlsbad, California, manufacturer of "Riley Rocket" modifications for Cessna 210s, 310s, and 337s, has declared Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Jack Riley, Sr., founder of the firm, suffered a stroke leaving him partially paralyzed.
Anniston Metropolitan Airport in Anniston, Alabama, expects to complete a new control tower by the end of April. The airport also has achieved foreign trade zone status.
UNC of Annapolis, Maryland, an aviation services company, has purchased Garrett Aviation Services, located in Phoenix, for $150 million. Garrett offers overhaul and repair of aircraft, engines, and avionics equipment. Garrett, once part of AlliedSignal, is now owned by an investor group.
Aviation pioneer remembered
John Becker, founder of Pompano Air Center in Florida and inventor of modern-day parachute techniques, died on January 5. He was 76.
Becker had a 60-year career in aviation, performing as a barnstormer and wing walker in his early days and later founding a supplemental air carrier — Modern Air Transport — as well as the National Air Carriers Association.
Becker pioneered the popular spread-eagle skydiving position used worldwide today by military and sport enthusiasts. While an aircraft commander in the Air Transport Command during World War II, he developed the high-altitude, low-opening technique that saved the lives of thousands of military jumpers.
Prior to World War II he flew for Northwest Airlines, making captain by age 23. He started Pompano Air Center in the 1970s with his son, Brian, who continues to operate it today. The company has become a major force in the support and promotion of sport aerobatics.
Air Tractor, Inc. has upgraded its AT-502A agplane to create the AT- 602. The -602 has a 56-foot wingspan and a 12,000-pound gross weight to accommodate a new 630-gallon hopper; it is powered by an optional Pratt & Whitney PT6-60A. The AT-602 utilizes many parts from the company's AT-802. For more information, call 817/564-5616.
The Aviation Scholarship Foundation of Palos Park, Illinois, has established a pilot training scholarship for youth from Wendell Phillips High School in Chicago. It is named after pioneer pilot Harold Hurd of Chicago, a Phillips graduate, who founded the school's first aviation club in 1931 and was one of Chicago's first black aviators. Hurd, a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, continues to serve as a mentor to young pilots. He helped to create the Robbins Airport in Robbins, Illinois, the first black-established airfield in the country. He is pictured at right with a Davis monoplane at Chicago's Harlem Airport in 1936. The Aviation Scholarship Foundation, headed by AOPA member Patrick Carron, funds flight training for inner city youths in Illinois, Indiana, and California.
Avid Aircraft of Caldwell, Idaho, has put its Lycoming-powered Magnum model on tricycle gear. The tri-gear model will sell for $21,495, while the tailwheel version sells for $19,995. Prices do not include engines. For information, telephone 208/454-2600.
Comanche owners debate fuel pump ops
The International Comanche Society has responded to numerous inquiries regarding the operation of the auxiliary fuel pumps on carbureted Comanches.
Following the fatal accident of an ICS official, which appears to have been caused by fuel starvation, the organization has received a barrage of calls and letters regarding aux fuel pump operation. According to ICS technical director Maurice Taylor, there is nothing wrong with the airplane or its fuel system.
The problem appears to be vapor locking on hot days. Taylor suggests keeping aux fuel pump use to a minimum on such days in order to avoid vapor lock. The lack of fuel flowing through the engine-driven pump when the aux pump is on causes the residual fuel to get too hot and vaporize, leaving no fuel pressure.
Taylor recommends using the aux pump for takeoff only and turning it off at 1,000 feet above ground level or as soon as terrain allows. For more information, contact Taylor at 941/439-2792.
The NASA Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, is celebrating 50 years as an experimental test center. The center got off to a good start in 1946 when five aeronautical engineers arrived from Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory in Hampton, Virginia, to begin research on breaking the sound barrier. They were successful in 1947. The center is considered a tenant on Edwards Air Force Base. The X-15 shown here first flew in 1959, ultimately achieving a speed of Mach 6.7 (4,520 mph) and reaching an altitude of 67 statute miles above the earth.
Hartzell Propeller and Knots 2U have collaborated on a newly designed two-blade propeller, spinner, and engine cowling, which they claim adds 10 knots to the speed of a Piper Twin Comanche. The price of the modification is $23,050. For more information, call 616/526-9646.
New equipment codes to denote GPS
Because of "rapid changes in aviation technology," the FAA has established three new equipment codes for pilots to file on their IFR flight plans.
Aircraft equipped with an IFR en route and terminal-capable GPS or global navigation satellite system (GNSS) should now file /G. Aircraft with a flight management system (FMS) and barometric vertical navigation (VNAV) should be filed as /F. Aircraft with dual FMSs, an electronic flight instrumentation system, and dual inertial reference units should be filed as /E. All aircraft must have operating Mode C transponders in order to file the new suffixes.
The FAA says the change will allow pilots and controllers to better identify aircraft with more advanced equipment.
LoPresti Speed Merchants of Vero Beach, Florida, in cooperation with Lynn Aviation of Severna Park, Maryland, is now offering the Howl Cowl conversion for the non-turbocharged Piper Lance and Saratoga (PA-32R). The recently certified composite cowl has full-length nosegear doors, a single cowl flap where the stock airplane had none, larger oil coolers, a new spinner, and an improved induction system that combine to add 10 knots to the PA-32R's cruise speed at 75-percent power. Engine access doors greatly ease maintenance and preflight inspections. With the new cowl and all the other Speed Merchants modifications available for the PA-32R, LoPresti claims a total speed increase of 18 knots. Price for the cowl is $11,900. For information, contact LoPresti Speed Merchants at 800/859-4757 or Lynn Aviation at 800/416-4757.
AOPA members in the news
Harry B. Combs, AOPA 1063416, of Denver, has been nominated to the National Aviation Hall of Fame. Combs is the founder of the AMR Combs FBO chain. Among many other accomplishments, Combs has authored books and documentaries about the Wright brothers, served in the Army Air Force in World War II, was the president of Gates Learjet until 1983, and at the age of 83 still works at AMR Combs. Combs owns and flies his Learjet, Piper Super Cub, and Beech Bonanza and Baron aircraft.
Aviation video instructors John and Martha King, AOPA 418012 and 1190807, of San Diego, have added free balloon ratings to their pilot certificates and have become the first husband-and-wife team in which each holds all of the possible pilot category and class ratings. The Kings also hold all available flight instructor ratings.
David Brown, AOPA 682030, has written View From the Cockpit, a journey through a wide range of aircraft from biplanes to jet fighters.
Bill Signs, AOPA 939074, of Dallas, and Ruth Jacobs, AOPA 587185, of Fairhope, Alabama, copiloted this 1974 Cessna 210L (below) around the world on "Friendship Flight '96." It was the first documented around-the-world flight of a single-engine airplane that landed on all seven continents in less than 50 days. Total flight time was 226 hours, at an average speed of 176 mph. The longest leg of the trip took the pair from Honolulu to Los Angeles in 15 hours.
Ron Horton, AOPA 460496, has established the Nancy Horton "Touch the Face of God" memorial scholarship fund for private pilots seeking advanced ratings toward a piloting career. Fund-raising is in progress, and he plans to make the first $1,000 award on July 8. Nancy Horton, his wife, had amassed 10,500 hours working as a flight instructor and a pilot on night freight and charter trips before she was selected by Tower Air to fly Boeing 747s. She died of breast cancer in May 1995 before she could accept the job. For information, write to Ron Horton, 234 Jay Hakes Road, Cropseyille, New York 12052.
Richard B. Robinson, AOPA 000824 (that's right, he joined in 1939), of Akron, Ohio, has determined the 10 aircraft that pilots admire most. He conducted a survey of nearly 400 pilots in 1989 in an effort to get the U.S. Post Office to issue a new line of stamps, a suggestion the Post Office rejected. The winners, listed first choice to last, are: Douglas DC-3, Ford Trimotor, Boeing Stearman, Spirit of St. Louis, Piper Cub, Beechcraft Staggerwing, North American P-51, Curtiss JN-4 Jenny, Boeing B-17, and the Rutan Voyager.
Lisa de Vries, AOPA 832515 (above), has opened an air charter service at Virginia Tech Airport in Blacksburg, Virginia. It is called Professional Air Service and uses a Cessna 310 for charter flights. For information, call 800/660-6247.
Murphy J. (Mike) Foster, AOPA 199482, has been elected governor of Louisiana. Foster has been a pilot for 30 years and is a commercial pilot in land and sea aircraft with 1,800 total flight hours. Foster noted that general aviation plays a significant role in the state's economy and has promised to support the rebirth of the industry in Louisiana.
HELI EXPO '96
By Tim McAdams
Several new models nearing market
Eurocopter is continuing flight testing on its new five-place single- engine EC120 turbine helicopter. As the first in a new class of helicopter for the Eurocopter product line, it will focus on the civilian and public service markets. Eurocopter's new light twin- engine turbine helicopter, the EC135, is expected to be certified in May. The EC135 received the 1996 Flight International Aerospace Industry Award for significant achievements and overall excellence in the aerospace industry.
Robinson Helicopter Company led the industry in civil sales for the eighth consecutive year, delivering 179 helicopters. Robinson's latest model, the R22 Beta II, has the more powerful Lycoming O- 360 engine, a vernier mixture control, and an rpm governor as standard equipment. Although there is no increase in gross weight, the O-360 engine allows for a larger power reserve and better hot weather and high altitude performance. Also announced was the availability of lower insurance rates for the R22 and the R44.
Bell Helicopter Textron has formed a partnership with Samsung Aerospace Industries of Korea to build a light twin-engine turbine helicopter. Tentatively called the Bell 427, it will be 13 inches longer than the 407 and will seat eight including the pilot. The design will use a four-blade composite rotor system.
More than 20 Schweizer Aircraft 300CB trainers are in service, with Schweizer's lead customer, Helicopter Adventures, Inc., of Concord, California, operating a fleet of 10. Schweizer Aircraft and Jeppesen Sanderson announced a joint effort to develop training materials designed specifically for helicopters.
McDonnell Douglas is flight testing its MD 600N, an eight-place stretch version of the MD 520N. It's powered by a single 800-shaft- horsepower Allison 250-C47 turbine engine and will use a six-blade main rotor system for better performance. It is expected to receive FAA certification late this year. Fifteen of the company's eight- place twin-turbine MD Explorer helicopters are currently in service, and there are firm orders for an additional 66.
Agusta Aerospace Corporation will install the Pratt & Whitney PT6B-37 engine in the Koala A119 helicopter. Currently under development, the eight-place single-engine turbine helicopter is scheduled for certification in 1997.
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