Pilot Briefing

Cessna 206 prototype in flight testing

A prototype of the Cessna Turbo 206 Stationair, the last of the three piston-engine singles that Cessna promised to build after Congress passed product liability legislation, is in flight testing. The prototype, a 1978 206G that has been modified to incorporate changes planned for the new Turbo 206, is flying from the Cessna Aircraft Company plant in Wichita.

The aircraft is powered by a 310-horsepower Lycoming TIO-580-A1A. Test pilot Doug Bassett reached an indicated airspeed of 140 knots at 2,500 rpm. The first T206 pilot program airplane will be completed and ready for flight test in January. The Stationair will be assembled in Independence, Kansas.

Chicago closes Meigs Field

Despite ongoing efforts by aviation organizations and the state of Illinois, Chicago's Merrill C. Meigs Airport was closed after a bustling final weekend of operation.

The city immediately shut down Meigs' single runway after the lease on the lakefront airport expired at 10 p.m. on September 30. The city, strongly backed by Mayor Richard Daley, plans to redevelop the land into a park at a cost of $27 million. Destruction of the airport was halted until October 24 because of an appeal by the state of Illinois.

According to officials at Signature Flight Support, the only FBO at Meigs, the last weekend of operation was one of the busiest on record — thanks in part to many area pilots paying their last respects to the 50-year-old airport located just south of Chicago's business district. (See related item in "AOPA Action")

Mooney adds IFR equipment to fleets's base price encore for the Mooney 252

Mooney has introduced a new turbocharged variant of the MSE, dubbed the Encore. The aircraft is essentially a modernized Mooney 252TSE, a model taken out of production in 1990.

Like the 252, the Encore is equipped with a turbocharged 210-horsepower Continental TSIO-360. The Encore and other Mooney models will be sold through a newly established marketing network of 25 dealers nationwide.

In other Mooney news, the company has made IFR equipment a part of the base price for its MSE, Ovation, and TLS Bravo. Base prices for Mooney's line of IFR- equipped aircraft are now $209,950 for the 200-hp MSE, $284,950 for the 280-hp Ovation, and $334,950 for the 270-hp TLS Bravo. (While a VFR Mooney is still offered, it is rare that one is ordered). Dirk Vander Zee, vice president of sales and marketing, said that the prices represent approximately a one percent reduction from previous pricing. Vander Zee said that MSE pricing is intended to compete with the new $190,600 IFR Cessna 182.

The basic IFR package includes an audio panel, dual navcoms, DME, and transponder with encoder. In addition to the basic IFR package, Mooney has created the Classic and Classic/Plus equipment groups. The Classic group costs an additional $37,750 above the base price and includes a two-axis autopilot, slaved HSI, an IFR- certified King KLN 89B GPS with moving map, and a stereo intercom. The Classic/Plus costs an additional $46,400 to $54,300, depending on the aircraft model. The group includes a flight director, weather avoidance equipment, and upgrades specific to each model.

Mooney has also completed work on a new financing program with interest rates that vary from 8.15 percent to 10.25 percent, depending upon the circumstances of the sale.

Hainan Airlines has taken delivery of a Learjet 60 midsize business jet, the first new business jet to be certified in China for operation by the private sector. Hainan operates Boeing 737-300 aircraft and a Fairchild Metro 23 commuter turboprop from Haikou, the capital of Hainan Province, to Beijing and 20 other cities in China. The airline began scheduled service in 1993.

Liability attorney injured in crash

Philadelphia attorney Arthur Wolk, 52, was hospitalized with a broken vertebra following the crash of his Korean War-era fighter — a Grumman F9F Navy Panther jet- -at Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport.

Wolk took off from Kalamazoo for Oceana Naval Air Station, Virginia. Shortly after takeoff Wolk returned to make an emergency landing. The jet skidded off the runway, through a fence, and across a road, dragging the fence. Rescuers put out a small fire at the tail of the aircraft and worked for 90 minutes to free Wolk. He apparently had dumped 400 gallons of fuel before landing. Wolk was expected to be released from the hospital in early October.

Wolk is an aircraft history buff and a partner in the law firm of Wolk & Genter in Philadelphia. He has established a reputation in past years for winning huge liability lawsuits against general aviation manufacturers.

Raytheon Aircraft has built a new Research and Development Center to develop the next-generation Hawker jet. The building was purchased to house integrated product teams, that comprise 120 people from a variety of disciplines to work on the new design.

Astronaut appointed to replace Broderick

The FAA has appointed former astronaut Guy Gardner as its new associate administrator for regulation and certification, the position formerly held by Anthony Broderick.

Gardner is currently the director of the FAA's William J. Hughes Technical Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey. His aviation experience spans from flying combat missions in F-4s for the U.S. Air Force in Southeast Asia, to piloting two space shuttle missions. Broderick resigned from the agency in July in the wake of the ValuJet crash in Florida's Everglades.

Dr. Audie W. Davis, head of the FAA's Aeromedical Certification Division, has retired after 30 years. The division processes a half-million medical certification applications annually. Davis worked for the government for 37 years, first with the Air Force and then with the FAA.

Air Force buys GPS moving maps

Now Air Force pilots will navigate the way thousands of general aviation pilots do — with a handheld GPS moving map in the cockpit. The Air Force has just ordered 1,685 Bendix/King KLX 100 GPS/Com units (see "GPS/Coms Go Portable," July Pilot). At street prices the sale would be worth $2.36 million. However, the Pentagon negotiated a total price of $1.9 million. The Air Force will switch to panel-mounted GPS receivers in 4 to 5 years.

The purchase was made under emergency orders from the Pentagon after Commerce Secretary Ron Brown and top business leaders died last April in the crash of an Air Force CT-43, the military designation for a Boeing 737. The aircraft was attempting a difficult NDB approach during a tour of Croatia by American business leaders and hit a mountain.

The Air Force will receive units that can be used both as handheld transceivers and as GPS navigation displays. The database will include special use airspace, runway diagrams, airports, navigation radio sites, and com frequencies. The Pentagon at first announced that it would buy GPS units like those used by ground forces in Desert Storm, which had no aeronautical database or moving map.

Strega wins Reno

Bill (Tiger) Destefani took his fifth Unlimited national championship in his highly modified P-51 racer Strega at the Reno National Air Races, from September 12 to 15.

Strega actually trailed behind David Price in the modified P-51 racer Dago Red for the entire championship race, although Destefani was closing on Price until the very last lap, when Destefani's engine started running a little rough and he had to pull back on the power. Although Price crossed the finish line first, judges determined that he had cut a pylon on lap five, giving the championship to Destefani.

In pylon air racing, pilots have to stay outside of an oval course marked by eight pylons. Their race speed is determined by how long it takes them to complete the entire race, and if they cut inside any of the pylons, they are penalized 16 seconds. Since Strega trailed Dago Red by only 7 seconds, Dago's penalty dropped Price to second place.

Earlier in the week, John Penny set a new Unlimited qualifying record of 491.266 mph in Lyle Shelton's F8F Bearcat, Rare Bear. But Penny had engine trouble in the second lap of the championship race and had to pull out, landing safely but with his aircraft covered in oil.

After setting a new 3-kilometer Class C1A speed record of 283.75 mph at the EAA Fly-in and Convention at Oshkosh in July, Jon Sharp took his sixth consecutive national championship in the Formula I racer Nemesis with a speed of 239.557 mph. Sherman Smoot took first place in the AT-6/SNJ class in Bad Company, and Patti Johnson won the Biplane class in her Boland-Mong racer Full Tilt Boogie.

This year also marked the initiation of a T-28 Class race, which John Herlihy won with a speed of 263.312 mph. The T-28 races were considered only an exhibition this year, however, and no prize money was awarded.

Inclement weather was a factor in all of the race classes throughout the weekend. Friday's Unlimited heat races were canceled altogether — the first time in Reno air race history that a day of Unlimited racing had been called off entirely. High winds and clouds also forced officials to modify the starting procedures for Sunday's races, so the Formula I racers could take off into the wind and the Unlimited racers could stay clear of clouds as they formed up and came down the starting chute. — Lane E. Wallace

The FAA has canceled the requirement to overfly a known location as part of the compliance requirements for IFR or VFR GPS receiver installations. According to a memo released by the manager of the FAA's Aircraft Engineering Division, "Field experience has shown that the overflight tests are not necessary in order to ensure that the GPS equipment is installed and functioning properly."

Thirty-eight women who died in the service of the Women Airforce Service Pilots were honored from October 2 to 6 during the WASP National Convention in Anaheim, California. The WASPs flew 78 models of military aircraft more than 60 million miles to free male pilots for overseas duty. It took 35 years, however, before 1979, when they were officially recognized as veterans. Yet, to this day, they are not eligible for veterans' benefits such as education and housing aid. Cornelia Fort, the first fatality, died when a skylarking male fighter pilot attempted a head-on slow roll. His wing cut through her canopy, killing her almost instantly. Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Betty Jane Williams said that when a male pilot died, the relatives of the deceased got insurance and burial benefits, but when a female died — even if she flew as copilot in the same aircraft as the male — "We took nickels out of the Coke machine, and from that collection we would send the body home." For additional information, call Williams at 818/348-8671.

Teledyne Continental Motors has opened a Customer Support Center at Fairhope Municipal Airport in Fairhope, Alabama, just across Mobile Bay from the TCM factory. The facility specializes in Continental engine installations for most piston-powered aircraft, powerplant and airframe maintenance, inspections, and repair services. The facility also offers line services, including fuel, catering, tiedowns, hangar space, rental cars, and a pilot lounge.

Christian Dries has resigned as president and CEO of Diamond Aircraft Industries in London, Ontario, which his family owns, to take a more active role in another of his family's businesses, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC Auto Deutschland GmbH) in Germany. He will continue as chairman of the board of Diamond Aircraft Industries, which is owned by Diamond Aircraft Austria. He will be replaced by Herbert Oberhaus, who retired a year ago as a vice president for worldwide purchasing and research and development with General Motors.

The New Piper Aircraft Inc. has appointed Attitudes International Inc. to conduct its transition and refresher training for all models of PA-32 Cherokee/Lance/Saratoga, PA-34 Seneca, and PA-46 Malibu. The training will be conducted at Piper's factory in Vero Beach, Florida. Attitudes will also offer maintenance courses, as well as "mobile flight training" programs. For information, call 407/569-2790.

Dan Rihn has developed the Rihn 109, a two-place tandem-seat aerobatic aircraft that can be used as a trainer and is capable of competing in Unlimited category aerobatic competition. It is the ninth design Rihn has developed and built. Nearly 400 sets of plans have been sold for Rihn's earlier aircraft, the One Design, and nine are flying. (He works in aircraft design for Northrop Grumman, where he helped to develop the B- 2 bomber.) The 109 has a load limit of plus or minus 10 Gs, and a roll rate in excess of 360 degrees per second. The cost of the kitplane is $50,000, not including the engine or avionics. A completed aircraft is expected to cost $120,000 and take fewer than 2,000 hours to build. The aircraft can accept engines rated from 200 to 300 horsepower. For information, call Aircraft Spruce and Specialty at 800/824-1930 or 714/870-7315.

The 1997 AOPA General Aviation Calendar features a wide range of aircraft, from the Aviat Pitts S-2B to the Beechcraft King Air B200 and American Eurocopter A-Star helicopter. It is available for $10.95 plus shipping by calling Sporty's Pilot Shop at 800/SPORTYS. A portion of the proceeds go to AOPA.

Honeywell's Primus Epic
The point & click cockpit

Hate the heads-down time, multiple keystrokes, and user-hostile methodology of conventional, pedestal-mounted flight management systems? You're not alone. For the past 5 years, Honeywell Inc.'s Business and Commuter Aviation Systems group has listened to focus groups in the pilot community, FAA, NASA, and aviation industry for ideas on how to improve the quality of the human-avionics interface. The result is Honeywell's new Primus Epic avionics suite, which promises nothing short of a revolutionary change in the way pilots manage cockpit information. The system is due to be introduced at this year's NBAA convention in Orlando.

The Epic uses four 8 2 10-inch LCDs to present primary flight, navigation, communication, flight planning, weather, and other information in a Microsoft Windows-style environment. To call up various submenus or activate a range of functions, the pilot, using a pedestal-mounted cursor control device, simply moves a cursor to one of the softkeys at the border of a display, and clicks. Gone are the FMS keyboards of the past; with the Epic, all the work is done on screen. This point-and- click strategy can also be used to call up and tune the radio frequencies presented on navigation charts. The Epic uses Jeppesen's JeppView database for navigation charts covering all phases of flight.

There's more. The Epic also makes use of what Honeywell calls a voice command system (VCS). With the VCS, the pilot verbalizes requests for radio frequency and transponder code changes, and the system automatically enters and tunes the appropriate equipment. The VCS can be programmed to recognize up to 13 different languages.

The Flight Situational Displays, located in front of each pilot station, present primary flight and navigation data in a HUD-style format, complete with velocity vectoring and projected flight paths. Also included is radio frequency, engine, and cautionary information. Multifunction displays include pages for calling up and manipulating weather, chart, flight plan, external video, and aircraft systems information. Many systems components can be controlled on-screen, via the cursor — thereby eliminating the need for conventional switches and knobs for certain noncritical system functions.

In addition, two portable Pilot's Personal Assistants are provided. These are PC-based devices that let pilots do flight planning and other tasks away from the airplane. They will also store operating manual, maintenance, and minimum equipment list data. The PPAs fit into docking stations in the airplane, and in this configuration they have access to all networked information.

The Epic also incorporates its own Honeywell-proprietary digital engine operating system, or DEOS, a system similar to Windows NT.

At the Epic's heart are three modular avionics units — components that, in effect, serve as networked computers. Each unit has processing, database storage, and power supply functions. This provides system redundancy and the sharing of all data to all units. This system architecture replaces the heavy, wire-laden, maintenance- intensive black boxes of the recent past with multiple, linked computer processors. The new system draws heavily on Honeywell's experience in designing avionics for the Boeing 777.

The Primus Epic represents the first system truly designed from the start with human factors excellence as a design objective. Major side benefits, Honeywell says, will include light system weight, better reliability, ease of maintenance, and a still- unnamed sales price that's targeted at "30 percent less" than conventional high-end FMSs. It will be interesting to see how pilots and competing manufacturers respond to this Epic challenge. — Thomas A. Horne

A new airport opened for business in Missouri last month. Clay County Regional Airport (GPH), served by an ILS approach, is 19 miles northeast of downtown Kansas City. For those of you programming a GPS receiver, the location is latitude 39 degrees, 19 minutes, 46.7 seconds; longitude 94 degrees, 18 minutes, 36.5 seconds. The airport has a 4,000-foot runway and a 2,000-foot parallel taxiway, with three cross taxiways. Fuel is available.

Frederick W. Smith, chairman, president, and CEO of Federal Express Corporation, will receive the 1996 Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy. The trophy has been presented since 1948 for significant public service of enduring value to aviation in the United States. Smith founded Federal Express in 1973.

The American Helicopter Museum and Education Center opened on October 18 in West Chester, Pennsylvania, at the former MBB helicopter factory. Featured attractions are the Army's 1941 Sikorsky XR-4, the prototype for the world's first mass-produced helicopter, and the PV-2, the second helicopter flown successfully in the United States. The museum is located on Brandywine Airport at 1220 American Boulevard and is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Admission is $5 for adults and $3.50 for children. For information, call 610/436-9600.

Maine Instrument Flight of Augusta, Maine, has been granted FAA Part 141 and Veterans Affairs (VA) approval for its tailwheel training program. MIF claims to be the only school to offer tailwheel training under the VA flight training benefits program. MIF uses a Piper J-3 Cub for its training. For more information, call 207/622-1211.

The FAA has issued an airworthiness directive (96-19-07) requiring owners of Grob G115C, -C2, -D, and -D2 airplanes to install a placard restricting the airplane's never exceed speed (VNE) to 160 knots from 184 knots. Another placard must be installed prohibiting aerobatic maneuvers. The ruling was prompted by the inflight breakup of a Grob 115D in Florida that killed two people. According to sources, the airplane in question had recently been painted by an uncertificated paint shop and may have had improperly balanced flight control surfaces.

The FAA has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that would supersede airworthiness directive 96-11-08 regarding Robinson R22 helicopters. The current AD requires installation of an improved throttle governor, an adjustment to the low rpm warning threshold. The NPRM requires that procedures for the improved governor be inserted into the R22's flight manual.

McCauley Propeller Systems, located in Vandalia, Ohio, has received supplemental type certification for its three-blade constant-speed BlackMac propeller on Piper's PA-32-300 Cherokee Six 300, PA-32R-300 Cherokee Lance, and PA-32RT-300 Lance II. McCauley Propeller Systems, formerly known as the McCauley Accessory Division, works directly with Cessna.

Mesa Air Group will purchase 16 Canadair Regional Jet aircraft for its regional airline operations. Deliveries of the 50-passenger jets will begin in early 1997.

Watch your notams for intentional disruptions in GPS signals at several cities in the United States. Testing of jamming devices can occur at any given time in the areas surrounding Albuquerque; Prescott, Arizona; Riverside, California; and Gainesville, Florida. Testing around Albuquerque, Prescott, and Riverside can disrupt GPS signals for 300 nautical miles in all directions, while testing near Gainesville is generally limited to a 50- to 100-nm area.

A prototype of the Murphy Super Rebel kitplane has begun flight testing. The gross weight has been set at 3,000 pounds following airframe testing. The aircraft originally was expected to have a 2,500-pound gross weight. The company said the aircraft can carry four 200-pound people, 60 gallons of fuel, and 240 pounds of baggage. Early flights have been conducted at 65 percent power and 125 knots. Testing at higher speeds has been delayed to install a stronger windscreen. The airplane is expected to cruise at more than 130 knots. The kit price is $20,000. For a complete aircraft with a rebuilt engine (not included), the final cost for most builders is expected to be between $50,000 and $100,000, depending on how it is equipped. Build time is 2,000 hours. Nearly 100 of the kits are on order. For information, call Murphy Aircraft in Chilliwack, British Columbia, at 604/792-5855.

An aircraft design that currently exists only on a computer has won first place in a NASA/FAA design competition for a team of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University students. The Aquilas II, a twin-boom aircraft powered by a ducted fan pusher propeller, is designed to allow its passengers to survive all but a head-on, midair collision. It even has its own parachute to float the airplane down to Earth. The competition was sponsored under the Advanced General Aviation Transport Experiment (AGATE) program.

Eric Haagenson of Pompano Beach, Florida, won the Unlimited category competition during the International Aerobatic Championships at Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. The yearly contest is termed international because contestants from several nations sometimes participate. It is considered a warmup for the biennial World Aerobatic Championships, in which 20 or more nations participate (see " Pilot Briefing," October Pilot). Haagenson hopes to make the 1998 U.S. aerobatic team.

AOPA members in the news

Don Gabel, AOPA 1053084, Jeff Ruetz, AOPA 1194938, and their partner, Kerry Rich, tracked down an aircraft and pilot that buzzed the suburbs of Denver in late July. The FAA is seeking revocation of the pilot's certificate. Charges of reckless endangerment have been filed under state laws. The pilot was as low as 150 feet during his flight from Boulder Municipal Airport. Gabel, an officer of the Denver police department, was assigned the case, since he is also a department pilot. "Incidents like this can and will ruin GA to the point that it will cease to exist," Gabel said. Gabel's investigation was aided by FAA radar tapes that showed the aircraft flying over an amphitheater, Denver suburbs, and downtown Denver.

Jack Tunstill, AOPA 686387, of St. Petersburg, Florida, was chosen by the Orlando Flight Standards District Office as the district's Aviation Safety Counselor of the Year for 1996.

Frank L. Jensen, Jr., AOPA 799592, of Alexandria, Virginia; Curtis Pitts, AOPA 1211107, of Homestead, Florida; J. Dawson Ransome, AOPA 045727, of Ocala, Florida; and Jean Kaye Tinsley, AOPA 158111, of Menlo Park, California, received the 1996 Elder Statesman of Aviation award from the National Aeronautic Association. The award recognizes those Americans who have made a significant contribution to aeronautics and have reflected credit upon themselves and the country.

Elisabeth Anne France, AOPA 1181568, of West Bloomfield, Michigan, was awarded the Francis B. Fuller Aviation Scholarship for 1996 and 1997. She is a sophomore airway science major at Ohio University and recently received her flight instructor's certificate.

Phyllis Anne Duncan, AOPA 694303, of Alexandria, Virginia, received the FAA's Excellence in Public Service Award for her efforts as the editor and contributor for the FAA publication, FAA Aviation News.

Bill Monroe, AOPA 878967, former president of Socata Groupe Aerospatiale in Dallas, has been named a vice president for Learjet in Wichita.

Pete Alexander, AOPA 1180904, New Mexico state aviation director, hopes to establish a military and aviation history museum in the recently vacated Albuquerque International Airport terminal building. First, he must win over those at the airport who have received a consultant's recommendation to turn the terminal building into a restaurant. If he is successful, state aviation offices will also be moved to the building. The 1939 structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and will not be available for occupancy until a restoration project is completed late next year. Jim Hinde, project manager for the restoration, said that the airport has made no decision on what to do with the building and has received interest from firms that want to make it a corporate headquarters.

Paul K. Sanchez, AOPA 1153031, an FAA safety counselor and flight instructor, has published a Cessna 172 Skyhawk Information Booklet. While it has checklists and handy reference items, it also includes extensive computer-generated performance graphs. It's available for $25 plus $3 shipping from On Eagles' Wings, 14532 SW 129th Street, Miami, Florida 33186-5305.

Hal Groce, AOPA 1086862, and Sean Reilly, AOPA 1259271, have created a web site called WestWind Airlines. It allows players to fly simulated aircraft over simulated scenery as part of a cyberspace airline operation. Participants must already own Microsoft Flight Simulator Version 5 and Flight Simulator Flight Shop. To apply for a pilot position, visit the site at www.flywestwind.com.