Pilot Briefing

New 'super mid-sized' Hawker Horizon debuts at NBAA

At Raytheon, it's out with the Hawker 1000 and in with a brand-new offering — the Hawker Horizon. The Horizon, officially announced last month at the National Business Aircraft Association's annual convention, marks Raytheon's entry into what it calls the "super mid-sized" category of business jets. Compared to the old Hawker 1000, the Horizon will have a larger wing, larger fuselage and cabin dimensions, and newly designed and uprated Pratt & Whitney PW308A engines of 6,575 pounds thrust each.

This revolutionary new design will have an equally revolutionary instrument panel. The Horizon will be the launch customer for Honeywell's new Epic avionics suite, a five-LCD electronic flight instrumentation system that favors interactive, on-screen, cursor- controlled data manipulation over traditional keyboard-style flight management system data entry. (See " Pilot Briefing," November Pilot.)

With a 6-foot-high and 6-foot, 7-inch-wide stand-up cabin, flat floor, and 3,300- nm range at its normal Mach 0.80 cruise speed, the Horizon will provide tough competition for "smaller" large- cabin aircraft. The fuselage will be constructed of composite materials, using the methods pioneered in Raytheon's Premier I program.

Raytheon claims that the Horizon will have a max cruise speed of Mach 0.84, and a 3,400-nm, max range cruise speed of Mach 0.78. Max takeoff weight will be 36,000 pounds, max fuel available will be 14,000 pounds, max certified altitude will be 45,000 feet, and balanced field length will be 5,250 feet under ISA, sea-level conditions.

Price of a completed Horizon, with Engine Information and Crew Advisory System, TCAS, and cockpit voice recorder, is projected at $14.5 million in 1996 dollars. First flight is set for late 1999, and certification is scheduled for spring 2001. — Thomas A. Horne

FCC refunds radio fees

The cost of flying just went down. Since aircraft operating domestically no longer need radio station licenses, the FCC is refunding regulatory fees.

If your license was issued prior to July 18, 1994, you paid a nonrefundable $35 application fee and will not get a refund. After that date, however, regulatory fees were added. If you paid $115 between July 18, 1994, and February 7, 1995, for a 10-year license, you are entitled to a $56 refund. You will receive a $63 refund for licenses issued between February 8, 1995, and September 17, 1995. If you paid the newer $75 fee after September 17, 1995, and received the license, you will get a $27 refund. If the application was never processed, you will get $75 back automatically unless you notify the FCC that you still want the license.

Submit your station license, with "refund" written across the top, to FCC, Aircraft Refund, 1270 Fairfield Road, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania 17325-7245. For information, call the FCC at 800/322-1117.

The VisionAire Vantage, a six-place, single-engine business jet, rolled out on November 8 and was to make its first flight by mid-November. It was to fly in Mojave, California, where it was developed by Burt Rutan's company, Scaled Composites. VisionAire claims to have 40 customers waiting for the 350-knot aircraft, which is designed to cruise above 40,000 feet. Assembly of the aircraft will be in Ames, Iowa, in a facility slated for construction in 1997. The company expects to employ 150 workers there. VisionAire is currently headquartered at Spirit of St. Louis Airport in Chesterfield, Missouri.

Arnav releases new color cockpit display

Arnav Systems, Inc., introduced its MFD 5200 multifunction display at AOPA Expo in San Jose, California.

The recently certified MFD 5200 is a 5-inch-diagonal color LCD that weighs 2.7 pounds; a 2.5-pound remote-mount symbol generator also is required. The unit is operating in Sikorsky, Bell, Mooney, Cessna, Piper, and Raytheon aircraft.

The basic function of the MFD 5200 is moving map navigation. The unit receives position information from any loran or GPS receiver. In addition, the MFD 5200 will integrate with a new remote-mount version of the Stormscope 950 that will be released next year, allowing lightning strikes to be displayed on the MFD.

The MFD 5200 database combines Arnav's GeoData and Jeppesen's NavData to provide geographic detail in several VFR and IFR chart scales. Arnav has also developed enhanced databases depicting roads, highways, and high-resolution geography for special missions. The MFD also can be adapted to display video and forward-looking infrared (FLIR) images.

The list price of the display is $6,995 with a probable street price of about $5,800. Additional plug-in modules provide other features. For example, an Engine Monitoring Module lists for $4,000 and includes probes for EGT, CHT, oil temperature and pressure, fuel flow and pressure, manifold pressure, tach, and vacuum. Besides providing supplemental graphic engine monitoring displays, the system will also annunciate any out-of-tolerance readings.

The Arnav GeoNet datalink module lists for $4,495. With that option, the pilot can request graphic and text weather products from the cockpit for any location. The request is received by dedicated Arnav ground stations at many locations throughout the United States. Once processed, the requested data is sent up to the aircraft for display on the MFD.

For more information, contact Arnav at the Pierce County Airport, 16923 Meridian East, Post Office Box 73730, Puyallup, Washington 98373; telephone 206/848-6060, fax 206/848-3555. — Thomas B. Haines

FlightSafety International has been purchased by Berkshire Hathaway of Omaha for $1.5 billion. FlightSafety founder Albert L. Ueltschi will remain as head of the company. FlightSafety operates 38 aviation training centers in the United States and Europe. The company also provides ship training. Warren E. Buffett, chairman of the board of Berkshire, said, "FlightSafety is a business that I like, run by a man I like and admire." The merger is expected to be completed by January.

A new version of the Cirrus software for GTE Duats that is compatible with the latest FAA- mandated changes to the Duats system is now available from GTE by calling 800/345- DUAT. Cirrus users should not contact MentorPlus for technical support, according to Anthony Werner, of MentorPlus. His company developed the free Cirrus software for GTE and receives no revenue from it and therefore cannot afford to provide product support, he said. Questions should be directed to GTE at the above number.

The Sino Swearingen Aircraft Company's SJ30-2 prototype flew for the first time on November 8 at San Antonio International Airport. Test pilots Carl Pascarell and R. H. Blackwell flew the aircraft for an hour and a half and reported no problems. The prototype will be used to evaluate flight characteristics and external design changes. Two other certification test aircraft will be completed next year. In addition, two airframes will be completed and used as structural test articles in the FAA certification program. Initial flights of the prototype use Williams-Rolls FJ44-1A turbofan engines with 1,800 pounds of thrust each. Newly developed Williams-Rolls FJ44-2A engines with 2,300 pounds of thrust will be used when they are available.

Rocket Engineering of Spokane, Washington, displayed its Piper Malibu JetProp at AOPA Expo in San Jose, California. The long-snouted Malibu is powered by a 680-shaft-horsepower Pratt & Whitney PT-6A-28 turboprop in place of the 310- or 350-hp piston engines that power stock Malibus. Rocket claims that the Malibu JetProp can cruise 1,000 nautical miles at 268 knots and will be able to climb 2,600 feet per minute to Flight Level 290. For information, call 509/535-4401.

Global Express makes debut and first flight

The 6,500-nm Global Express has completed its first two test flights following a lavish August 26 rollout ceremony. The event took place at Bombardier's Downsview, Ontario, assembly plant and featured a 1,000-person choir with orchestral accompaniment. The company said that there were 2,100 attendees — among them Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien and Ontario Premier Michael Harris.

The aircraft's first flight occurred on October 13, with a second flight 9 days later.

The theme of the rollout stressed the international collaboration so central to the Global Express project. Announced in 1991, the Global Express is a team effort involving nine major partners in six different nations. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, BMW/Rolls-Royce, Honeywell, Lucas Aerospace, AlliedSignal, and Messier-Dowty rank among the biggest participants.

The president of Bombardier's Canadair Business Aircraft Division, John Lawson, took the opportunity to announce that 52 firm orders had been placed for the Mach 0.88 widebody jet.

After initial flight testing of the Global Express is completed, the airplane will be ferried in mid-November to Bombardier's flight test center in Wichita to begin certification tests. Customer deliveries are scheduled for the fourth quarter of 1997. — TAH

An Internet site offering more than 3,000 FAA documents, reports, and handbooks for sale has opened at www.avmgt.com/bookstore/. It is operated by Gary R. Church of Aviation Management Consultants in Springfield, Virginia. For more information, call 703/644-4465.

Mooney debuts Encore; brings back dealers

Mooney Aircraft formally added a fourth model to its current line when it introduced the Encore at AOPA Expo in San Jose, California (see "Pilot Briefing," November Pilot). In addition, the company announced several other changes to the product line and its distribution methods.

When it is certified in April, the Encore will be an improved version of the M20K, which was last produced in 1990 as the 252TSE. Sporting the same fuselage and interior as the 200- horsepower, normally aspirated MSE, the Encore will be powered by a 220-hp, turbocharged Continental TSIO-360 engine swinging a three-blade prop. At a max gross weight of 3,100 pounds, the Encore will have a 1,000-pound payload, 200 pounds more than the 252. Mooney believes that the airplane will cruise at more than 200 knots, "maybe 210 knots," speculated Dirk Vander Zee, vice president of sales and marketing. Twelve orders have been received so far, with first deliveries set for April. A final price has not yet been established, but Mooney expects the base price to come in very close to the larger but normally aspirated Ovation. In other words, about $290,000.

Meanwhile, Mooney has certified a new air conditioning system for the Ovation. The engine- driven system carries a 25,000 BTU rating and a net weight increase of 65 pounds. The system actually weighs slightly more, but some ballast in the tail can be removed when the system is installed. The system is retrofittable to existing Ovations. The price is about $14,000. The air conditioner saps a mere 2 hp from the engine, meaning that it can be used for takeoff; most light aircraft air conditioners cannot.

In an attempt to "establish a larger footprint" in the market, Mooney recently revised its distribution by signing up new Mooney Marketing Centers. The company originally utilized a dealer network for sales, but in 1988 it went to a factory-direct program. So far, nine dealers have signed up for the new dealership program; Mooney hopes eventually to have 15 to 20 dealers in the United States. It already has 40 dealers overseas. — TBH

Jordan Coonrad, AOPA 960285, has completed a set of color postcards called Flightseeing Alaska: Mt. McKinley & Denali National Park, which captures some of the best natural beauty Alaska has to offer. Coonrad has spent hundreds of hours photographing from his Cessna 180. Flightseeing Alaska costs $9.95 plus $2 shipping from Jordan Coonrad/Airborne, Post Office Box 966, Angwin, California 94508.

SkyStar Aircraft acquires Pulsar

SkyStar Aircraft, maker of the Kitfox and Vixen series of kit airplanes, has purchased the rights to and tooling for Aero Designs' Pulsar kitplane. According to SkyStar President Phil Reed, the Pulsar will continue to be developed and kits of the new Series II airplane (available with a Rotax 912 of 80 hp or the turbocharged 914 of 115 hp) will be built at SkyStar's Nampa, Idaho, headquarters.

At press time, the molds and fixtures had been moved from Aero Designs' old home in San Antonio, and several key personnel will be temporarily employed by SkyStar. The new Series II Pulsar employs a number of refinements over the previous-generation model, including larger fuel tanks, heavier fiberglass skins, increased VNE (to 200 mph), and a revised engine-mount scheme that allows for a fully removable cowling.

The 914-powered airplane is capable of 160-knot cruise speeds on about 6 gph. Basic kit cost of the Pulsar is $19,500, plus a $2,000 firewall-forward kit and the cost of the 912 ($8,995) or 914 ($12,900) engine. — Marc E. Cook

The fox den was full during the Seventh Annual Kitfox Fly-in at Nampa Municipal Airport, Idaho. Thirty-two of the aircraft returned to the manufacturing plant, along with 200 builders and spectators. For information about next year's fly-in, call 208/466-1711.

The Piper Aztec has been approved for installation of vortex generators supplied by Micro AeroDynamics. There are 33 pieces on each wing and 12 on each side of the vertical stabilizer, just forward of the rudder. The generators are said to lower stall onset and improve aileron and rudder effectiveness during slow-speed operations. The kits sell for $1,950. For information, call 800/677- 2370 or 360/293-8082.

Omega navigation days are numbered

The Omega Radionavigation System's future looks bleak beyond September 30, 1997. That's when the U.S. Department of Transportation has decided to abandon its involvement with the precision navigation system.

DOT reviewed the requirements for Omega and informed the Coast Guard and the FAA that most users will have converted to GPS technology by September 1997. At that time, Omega stations in Lamoure, North Dakota, and Haiku, Hawaii, will be closed and bi-lateral agreements with six partner countries will terminate.

Omega was implemented in 1968 and offered worldwide navigational coverage. It remained in service as long as it has simply to give users a chance to acclimate to GPS, said a report in the Federal Register.

Plans to terminate Omega were announced in the 1994 Federal Radio-navigation Plan (FRP), which delineates policies and plans for federally provided radionavigation services.

Ditavia, the European distributor for Aviat Aircraft in Fellbach, Germany, has received approval from the German government for the installation of hydraulic skis on the Aviat A-1 Husky. Once equipped, the Husky received the designation Snowbird. During certification testing the Snowbird was landed on glaciers in Europe with up to a 60-degree slope. The skis have skidplates to prevent the aircraft from sliding sideways when parked on a steep slope. For information, call Thomas Dietrich in Germany at 011 49 711 513 484 or write him at Hegnacherstr. 43, 70736 Fellbach, Germany.

AOPA members in the news

Dr. Peggy Baty, AOPA 1119828, was named the first president and CEO of Women in Aviation International, a not-for-profit corporation that seeks to involve women in all facets of aviation.

Corky Meyer, AOPA 479746, of Ocala, Florida, was inducted into the Carrier Aviation Test Pilot Hall of Honor aboard the USS Yorktown in Charleston, South Carolina. Meyer was a test pilot for 50 years and flew more than 125 types of military and civilian aircraft.

John S. (Jack) Penn, AOPA 295916, of Lambertville, New Jersey, was presented the 1996 President's Award in Aviation by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Penn is the executive director of the Division of Aeronautics and Freight Systems of the association. The award recognized Penn's numerous accomplishments in the New Jersey aviation community.

Troy White, AOPA 1082393, has released a limited edition print titled New Year's Bash which reenacts Capt. William T. Whisner's fourth victory of January 1, 1945, during the battle over Asch, Belgium. A P-51 downs a Me-109 after a head-on pass. The 22 2 28 print costs $95 from Stardust Studios, 612 North Salisbury Avenue, DeLand, Florida 32720. For information, call 904/738-3142.

Gayle Williams, AOPA 1280821, of Petone, New Zealand, was recently elected secretary of AOPA New Zealand. She is currently taking aerobatic lessons in a de Havilland 82A Tiger Moth and is an owner of a 1975 Cessna 172.

Robert Zeitinger, AOPA 273531, of Kirkwood, Missouri, was elected president of the Lifeline Pilots, Inc., a group of 230 pilots in the Midwest who volunteer their aircraft and time to fly medical patients to and from treatment centers.

Watch AOPA member on the gridiron, Jim Roe, AOPA 1269009, this season in the starting offensive tackle position for the Auburn Tigers football team. Roe is the only certificated pilot on the team.

Ann Marie Donaca, AOPA 1253059, is the first recipient of the Touch the Face of God scholarship for female pilots. The scholarship was established by Ron and Nancy Horton just prior to Nancy's death from cancer. It will allow Donaca to complete a commercial certificate and pursue a career in aviation. Nancy Horton was an avid pilot pursuing a career in aviation. Women interested in next year's application process should write to Ron Horton at 234 Jay Hakes Road, Cropseyville, New York 12052.

John M. Holley, AOPA 1196674, a professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona, completed a companion book for the FAA's Aviation Weather Services called Aviation Weather Services Explained. The book is intended to interpret the various weather messages and charts furnished to the pilot by the FAA, NWS, and other sources. It is available through Aviation Supplies and Academics Inc.

W. L. (Andy) Anderson, AOPA 160845, of Independence, Oregon, has been named Pilot of the Year by the Oregon Pilots Association for his support of aviation in the state. Also honored was Hal Caywood, AOPA 1234559, of Lincoln City, Oregon, who was named Barnstormer of the Year for giving rides.

Walt Shiel, AOPA 1196968, has written Cessna Warbirds: A Detailed and Personal History of Cessna's Involvement in the Armed Forces. It is available for $29.95 (plus $4 shipping) from Jones Publishing, Post Office Box 5000, Iola, Wisconsin 54945-5000; telephone 800/331- 0038 or 715/445-5000. It is $24.95 plus $4 shipping for members of the Cessna or Piper owners organizations, which are affiliated with Jones Publishing. Signed copies are available by calling 800/497- 2053.

Retired U.S. Air Force Col. John Fradet, AOPA 005216, of Sheridan, Wyoming, celebrated 60 years as a pilot with his colleagues in the Silver Falcon Association, a group of Air Force Academy alumna. Fradet first soloed on June 1, 1936.

John Brennan, AOPA 710673, of Tallahassee, Florida, was presented with a special citation from the Florida Air Force Association for his contributions enhancing aerospace education throughout Florida.

Jon Pegg, AOPA 360999, is helping to preserve the history of Jimmie Angel, a self-styled swashbuckling hero of the skies in the 1930s who pursued gold in Venezuela and adventure in the skies over the rugged mountains and jungles of South America. He was the subject of a feature in AOPA Pilot in December 1972. Now, relatives of the pilot are seeking to preserve Angel's colorful history. Plans include displays in the United States and at his airplane, now in a museum in Venezuela. Anyone having information or photos should write to The Jimmie Angel Historical Project, 1509 Sunset Avenue, Chico, California 95926.

Air & Space Museum extension approved

If all goes as planned, you'll see an extension of the National Air & Space Museum at Washington Dulles International Airport in 2001 — a fitting year to open an exhibit housing the space shuttle. The date is also 2 years earlier than previous estimates. Congress authorized the construction of the $200 million museum but stipulated that more than half of the cost must come from private sources.

Some of the matching money has been approved by the Virginia State Assembly. Fundraising efforts — to include an appeal to the general public — will begin soon, officials said. Asked how he will meet the 2001 deadline, which is much earlier than the previous deadline, National Air & Space Museum Director Admiral Donald D. Engen spelled out a word; "W-I-L-L. I have the will to do it, and I will make it happen."

Engen is a former president of the AOPA Air Safety Foundation.

Pilots needed to track ultrageese

You may have seen or at least heard of the movie Fly Away Home, based on research by Bill Lishman of Canada and William Sladen of the Airlie Center near Warrenton, Virginia. The two scientists taught geese to follow an ultralight along the East Coast bird migratory route. The geese think that the aircraft is their mother.

Research is in the final stage, and the geese are now expected to follow the migratory route on their own. Pilots of high-wing aircraft are needed — especially in the Virginia area, but also all along the route from Ontario to South Carolina — to help to track the birds. Call 888/2- MIGRATE or 540/341-3239 for information. The geese were wearing neckbands with vertical yellow stripes when last seen.

The real purpose of the research is to prove that imprinting works with geese, and then to apply the method to endangered trumpeter swans and whooping cranes.

The Palm Springs Air Museum has opened at Palm Springs Regional Airport, California. The 50,000-square-foot facility has among its collection a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, a Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, a North American P-51 Mustang, a Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, and a Lockheed P-38 Lightning. Also on display is the Lockheed Super Constellation Bataan used by General Douglas McArthur. Modern aircraft include a Grumman F-14 Tomcat, displayed alongside famous World War II Grumman aircraft such as the F6F Hellcat, F7F Tigercat, F8F Bearcat, and TBF Avenger.

Customs catches cocaine-carrying Caravan

After a 15.5-hour chase up the East Coast of the United States, two Colombian pilots of a drug- laden Cessna Caravan were arrested in central Quebec after flying nonstop from Colombia.

The Caravan, which was reported stolen in 1993, was tracked by U.S. military radar soon after its departure from Colombia. After unsuccessful attempts to identify the airplane, a Lockheed P-3 Orion equipped with a powerful overhead radar dome was launched from Cuba to identify it. The Cessna was not utilizing its transponder and was displaying no lights.

After it appeared that the Caravan was going to continue into Canada, U.S. Customs alerted the Canadian Forces, which quickly scrambled its own aircraft to intercept the Cessna. The Caravan dropped some of its load to waiting boats in Lake Stone and landed on a strip that was too short for the military pursuers. When helicopters arrived a short time later, the abandoned airplane was found with some cocaine bales and auxiliary fuel tanks inside. Eight people were eventually arrested and 1,100 pounds of cocaine were recovered from the lake and airplane.

The chase went down in the books as the longest in Customs history, according to Joseph Maxwell, director of the Domestic Air Interdiction Coordination Center.

Executive Jet International has purchased nine Gulfstream IV-SP aircraft for its NetJets shared- ownership program. The company also plans to buy two Gulfstream V aircraft, which will have a claimed range of 6,500 nautical miles.

A $90 million Chicago-area approach facility has opened in Elgin, Illinois. Additionally, a $28- million air traffic control tower has opened at Chicago-O'Hare International Airport.

Transportes Aereos Reionais (TAM), a sister company of Taxi Aereo Marilia — Cessna Aircraft Company's distributor in Brazil — has ordered five Citation V Ultras for delivery next spring. TAM will use one of the aircraft for company transportation and operate the remaining four in TAM's regional airline.

Designed to Fly, an exhibit commemorating the 100th anniversary of Chicago aviation pioneer Octave Chanute's first glider experiments, has opened at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry. The exhibit displays Chanute glider models and the Wright Model B Flyer, showing how Chanute's work laid the foundation for the Wright brothers' experiments. Recently, Chanute's flights were reenacted with replica gliders in centennial ceremonies at the northern Indiana sand dunes where Chanute had conducted his flights. For information, call 312/947-3740. — Larry E. Nazimek

Squawk Sheet

Airworthiness Directive 82-07-03, regarding the pressure testing of Janitrol B1500, B2030, B3040, and B4050 combustion heaters, has been superseded by AD 95-CE-83, which will require operational testing of the combustion air pressure switch and replacing the switch if necessary. Prompting the AD were two incidents; in one, a faulty switch caused an explosion that blew the nose baggage door off of a Cessna 414 in flight.

Sent to owners of Robinson R44 helicopters was an amendment to AD 96-18-22 that would require, before further flight, the inspection of the mating surfaces of the main rotor gearbox components for pitting, elongated bolt holes, or machining grooves. If any of these anomalies are found, all attaching bolts and washers must be replaced.

Piper PA-31, -31P, -31T, and PA-42 Navajos and Cheyennes are the target of an airworthiness directive (95-CE-84) requiring dye penetrant inspection for cracks beneath and in the area of the inboard aileron hinge bracket on the aileron spar and rib. If found to be cracked, the bracket must be replaced with one of improved design.

A notice of proposed rulemaking has been issued that would supersede AD 81-11-04 regarding Piper PA-31, -325, -31-350, and PA-31P Navajos and Chieftains that have Cleveland nosewheel assemblies (P/N 40-76B). The NPRM will terminate the requirements of the AD if the assembly is replaced with an improved design (Cleveland P/N 40-140).

Enstrom Helicopter Corporation, Menominee, Michigan, claims a 5-knot cruise speed increase, thanks to a design modification program for its 480 and TH-28 helicopters. The maximum cruise speed at gross weight is 110 knots. The 480 has received certification in Sweden. For information, call 906/863-1200.