Pilot Briefing

AOPA expresses reservations
Jane Garvey nominated for FAA post

A former Amherst, Massachusetts, school teacher who parlayed a letter about highway beautification into a government career has been nominated to be the FAA administrator. Jane Garvey, 53, must first be confirmed by the Senate.

Also announced on June 11 was the nomination of George Donohue, a pilot, to be deputy administrator. He currently is the FAA's associate administrator for research and acquisitions.

Garvey was commissioner of the Massachuestts Department of Public Works before becoming director of aviation for Boston's Logan International Airport and Hanscom Field in April 1991, a post she held for 2 years. She then became deputy administrator of the Federal Highway Administration.

The nonpilot is praised by state and federal officials for her innovative funding solutions and her skills as a consensus builder.

"We have waited far too long for an administrator of the FAA — the agency responsible for the safety and operation of the nation's air transportation system," said AOPA President Phil Boyer. "The job has remained vacant some 8 months, almost one-fifth of the new adminstrator's term."

Boyer said he finds it inconceivable that President Bill Clinton could not find "in this vast country ... an experienced manager with Jane Garvey's acknowledged ability to innovate and motivate who is also a pilot, or has had more than her limited aviation experience." Recent surveys show that more than 90 percent of AOPA's members feel that the FAA administrator should be a pilot.

There have been two previous nonpilot administrators.

FAA takes step towards PC simulators

Three years ago the AOPA Air Safety Foundation asked the FAA this question: "Why can't we use PC-based simulators for training and currency?" Now the FAA has answered the question, and in so doing has taken one small step towards approval of personal computer training.

An advisory circular that will be published soon will allow the use of PC-based simulators for up to 10 hours of dual instruction towards the instrument rating. The level of sophistication and software specified in the new circular means that approved simulators will necessarily cost $2,000 or more.

The cost may prevent many pilots from buying the simulators for themselves, once the FAA begins to approve various models. It appears that the FAA is open to making the new standard more lenient in the future, however. The FAA wants to review actual PC-aided training effectiveness before allowing additional credit for use of the devices. For more details, see " Safety Pilot: Meet the PCATD," p. 106, and "AOPA Action," p. 8.

Extra 400 receives German VFR certification

Extra, the German maker of the Extra 200 and 300 aerobatic airplanes, has received German VFR certification of its Extra 400 all-composite single. According to Jim Moser of Aero Sport in St. Augustine, Florida, the North American distributor of all Extra aircraft, a second prototype is approximately 70 percent completed and may appear at the EAA's Fly-In and Convention in Oshkosh later this month. German certification of the airplane's IFR, pressurization, and known-icing systems is hoped to be completed by the end of the year. Full U.S. certification is expected by the summer of 1998.

The 240-knot Extra 400 flew for the first time last year behind a 350-horsepower liquid-cooled Continental TSIO-550-L; however, Extra is considering a turbine variant of the airplane to be priced lower than other turbine singles such as the Socata TBM-700. The engine vendor is under negotiation, but Allison Engine Company says it is not involved with the project.

Moser also reported that company head Walter Extra recently performed an aerobatic routine in the prototype Continental-powered EA-400 at a German airshow. The piston variant of the Extra 400 is expected to cost $850,000 to $950,000 fully equipped. No specific price has been proposed for the turbine model.

A new spin on the Extra 300 will be a 330-hp version called the Extra 330. Powered by a new 330-hp Lycoming AEIO-580, the Extra 330 will boast improved performance over the already-impressive performance of the 300 series. The airplane will be offered in one- or two-place versions and feature better roll and tumbling abilities, said Moser. Also in the works is a two-place canopy that can be exchanged for a single-place version for better aerobatic performance. The 330 will appear at the National Aerobatic Championships at the Grayson County Airport in Sherman/Denison, Texas, this September. For more information, contact Aero Sport at 904/824-6230.

Sale at auction likely
Courts to rule on Bede Jet Corporation

Bankruptcy courts in St. Louis will rule this summer as to whether the Bede Jet Corporation is to remain in Chapter 11 bankruptcy and continue to reorganize or to be sold at auction, according to one of the investors.

A director of the company, which was formed to build the BD-10 kitplane, said the firm owes $6 million to creditors. One of the creditors, Vortex International Trading Company, has asked the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Missouri in St. Louis to allow Vortex to foreclose on its share of the liability to recover the money. None of the scheduled loan payments has been made, said an attorney for Vortex.

Vortex lawyers hope to alter the terms of a proposed sale of Bede Jet Corporation to a Canadian firm, Monitor Jet, for $500,000. Monitor Jet has a license to offer the aircraft as a factory-built military trainer. The sale would include a prototype, which the attorney said has no engine, and rights to the aircraft.

Creditors include kitbuilders who have placed deposits and the federal Small Business Administration, which made a $1.5-million loan to help rebuild the company after a flood destroyed its headquarters at Chesterfield, Missouri, near St. Louis.

Jim Bede, reached at his office, said the most likely outcome is for the company's assets to be sold at auction by the courts, but he remains hopeful that the Canadian company will still build the aircraft.

Bede said his original design was modified by another company that hoped to put the aircraft into production, but alleged that the modifications resulted in accidents that stopped the flow of new orders. He also said inflexible FAA interpretation of rules requiring owners to build 51 percent of kitplanes hindered sales. The interpretation implied that the owner had to be present during 100 percent of the construction, even when the owner is not doing the work. Many of the owners said they did not have the time that would be required to contribute to their airplane's construction.

More than 250 Van's RV-3, -4, and -6 kitplanes, plus the two RV-8 prototypes, are expected to gather at this year's EAA Fly-in and Convention in Oshkosh to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the first appearance of Richard Van Grunsven's famous design, then known as the RV-3. Starting as a one-man operation in the early 1970s, Van's Aircraft now employs 40 people and in 1996 shipped almost 700 complete airframe kits. More than 7,000 kits have been sold, and more than 1,600 have been completed and flown. RVs are flying in 20 countries and are under construction in 40. During this year's fly-in, Van's original RV-3 and prototype RV-4 will be donated to the EAA museum. See Van's Aircraft on the Web ( www.vansaircraft.com).

Global express goes gear-up

Canadian manufacturer Bombardier says that one of its Global Express preproduction test airplanes suffered a gear-up landing at the Toronto airport in Downsview, Ontario.

The airplane, used as an avionics test article, was on a test flight that included checks of the airplane's fire extinguishing systems. Reports indicate that part of this procedure involves pulling all the warning circuit breakers so as to isolate various simulated emergency and abnormal situations. In the process, the landing gear warning circuits were also pulled. The landing caused minor damage to the airplane's belly. The airplane was jacked up, its gear was lowered, and it was towed away for repairs.

On board were two pilots, two flight test engineers, and an avionics specialist. The mishap will not affect the Global Express' production and test schedules. — TAH

Diamond Aircraft Industries unveiled the newest entry into the Diamond product line, the four-seat DA40, at the Friedrichshafen Airshow, Germany, in late April. Company officials say they have 22 orders for the aircraft. The DA40 has a fuselage, wing, and tail similar to the Katana DA20, but with a much wider cross section and elongated cabin. The aircraft will be offered with a Continental IO-240, Rotax 914, or a Lycoming IO-360 165-horsepower engine. The first flight is scheduled for early summer. Certification under JAR 23 standards is scheduled to be completed in December 1998.

The Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University flight team — the Golden Eagles — from the Prescott, Arizona, campus has won what is considered the collegiate Super Bowl of flying, the National Intercollegiate Flying Association's annual Safety Conference national competition. A total of 30 teams competed in nine events, including power-on landings, power-off landings, visual navigation, and general aeronautical knowledge.

Berkut to continue in production

California courts have returned the assets of Experimental Aviation, Inc., allowing production of the Berkut kitplane to continue. The company has been renamed Renaissance Composites. Renaissance has retained Berkut designer Dave Ronneberg, along with the majority of EAI's staff. Production will continue at the former EAI factory in Santa Monica, California. The Berkut is a two-place, canard pusher kitplane featuring a retractable gear and premolded parts; it is stressed for plus or minus 10 Gs.

Renaissance is also continuing customer support for all previous Berkut builders. While Renaissance plans to continue refining the Berkut design, the company's first priority is concentrating on supplying current Berkut builders with the kit segments they need to finish their airplanes. The company was forced into bankruptcy in 1996 when a partnership dissolved.

The company's first developmental change will be to discontinue the solid foam core wing that was used for the first 50 kits, replacing it with a molded carbon fiber wing using separate molded skins and ribs, with a goal of reducing building time and increasing consistency. Company officials expect to begin flight tests of the first set of molded wings later this year.

The company says the aircraft cruises at 208 to 225 knots, depending on the engine used, and has a 1,500-mile range with reserves. For more information, call 310/391-1943.

Bombardier Business JetSolutions says its new FlexJet fractional ownership program has grown to 24 aircraft and 120 customers in two years. The fleet comprises Learjet 31A, Learjet 60, and Canadair Challenger aircraft, and will approach 40 aircraft by the end of the year.

California pilots asked to avoid concerts

The FAA and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association ask that pilots avoid flight over the Hollywood Bowl and John Anson Ford Amphitheater during the summer concert season. Music concerts will take place daily from 6 p.m. to midnight, June 25 to September 19.

White searchlights and strobe lights will alert pilots that a concert is in progress. A single strobe will indicate that Ford Amphitheater performances are under way. When the Bowl and Ford Amphitheater are running concurrent concerts, multiple strobe lights will be turned on near the two theaters.

The theaters are in Cahuenga Pass, 5 miles southeast of Burbank/ Glendale/Pasadena airport and 15 miles north-northeast of Los Angeles International Airport. Controllers will modify flight paths, when possible, to minimize noise. Even if your engine is in tune, it is sure to strike a sour note with the crowds below.

Swans surviving, thanks to corporate aircraft

Windway Capital Corp., a Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, holding company, has discovered that corporate aircraft need not always carry people to be useful. AOPA members Jeff Kohler, AOPA 704443, and Paul E. Jumes, AOPA 148313, used the company's Cessna Caravan turboprop seaplane to transport and release 23 rare and endangered Trumpeter Swans to four Wisconsin wetland refuges.

The flight was the culmination of a year-long process. Each June, an "eggs-pedition" of wildlife biologists flies to Alaska in the company's Cessna Citation V business jet where Trumpeter Swan eggs are collected. The eggs are flown in incubators to the Milwaukee Zoo, where they hatch 33 days later. To keep the chicks from imprinting on their human helpers, they are shown Trumpeter Swan decoys and hear tape recordings of mother Trumpeter Swans. Later, the chicks learn to fly and are progressively introduced to the wild surroundings where they will be released.

The CEO of the company, Terry J. Kohler, AOPA 142157, also assists the International Crane Foundation by transporting endangered whooping cranes to locations in Maryland and Florida aboard his Citation V.

AlliedSignal Aerospace has received certification from the FAA for the TFE731-20 turbofan engine which powers the new Learjet 45 business aircraft. It delivers 3,650 pounds of thrust at up to 93 degrees Fahrenheit.

Checking your O's and U's

Alaskan pilots can now get unofficial notams about conditions at remote airports. The information is useful, though unverified. The FAA decided to test the program on a limited basis last year and got an overwhelmingly positive response.

The program has now spread statewide in Alaska. Pilots should ask for O's, meaning other information, and U's, or unofficial aeronautical information. In this way, information that is vital but does not meet verification requirements of normal notams can be transmitted to the flying public.

The repair and overhaul operation of A/C Fuel Cells in Memphis is back in business under the name A/C Team, Inc. The FAA issued an emergency order revoking the repair station's certificate in late January because of apparent falsification of part and serial numbers, the use of unauthorized parts in overhauling fuel bladders, and the repair of life rafts and vests without referencing the proper maintenance manuals. A/C says that the findings were not a safety or quality issue; they were simply a matter of paperwork. The company has made changes in management and has appointed a quality assurance manager as part of the arrangement to regain the repair-station certificate.

Squawk Sheet

A notice of proposed rulemaking (96-CE-53) has been issued that would require repetitive replacement of the upper rudder hinge bracket on Piper PA-38-112 Tomahawks because of cracking. Many Tomahawks are already affected by an earlier airworthiness directive (80-22-12) that requires replacement of the upper rudder hinge bracket. Tomahawks produced after the AD was issued were not affected because of an improved design of that part (P/N 77610-03). After further study, it seems the improved part is also failing in service and will require replacement within the next 100 hours' time in service from the date of the proposed AD.

Nearly 100 aircraft attended the International Convention of the Swift Association in Athens, Tennessee, in May. The Swifts range in horsepower from 85 to 210, depending on the modifications. Many featured streamlined engine cowling and canopies, and polished aluminum skin. Aviat Aircraft of Afton, Wyoming, received a Swift parts production certificate from the FAA in early May and will begin building a dozen priority parts on June 2. The list will gradually expand to include all parts. Aviat has hired former Boeing Company engineer Leonard Frank to head a Swift Aircraft Project team charged with placing the aircraft in production in a year or two. Aviat owner Stuart Horn said that he may offer various engine options but is considering a 180-horsepower Swift as the intial choice.

Lancair has broken ground on a new 140,000-square-foot facility in Bend, Oregon, to build the company's first certificated aircraft, the Columbia 300. The four-place, fixed-gear Columbia 300 prototype is undergoing FAA certification testing. The facility should be completed by the end of the year, with aircraft rolling off the line by March 1998. AlliedSignal Bendix/King radios and avionics have been chosen as standard equipment in the Columbia 300. The VFR GPS-equipped aircraft will cost $180,000, while the IFR models will cost in the range of $200,000 and up. The aircraft, which has achieved 195 knots in testing, will appear at Oshkosh during the EAA Fly-In and Convention. For information, call Mike Schrader at 541/923-2233.

The Texas Aviation Hall of Fame was formally dedicated in May by Ben F. Love, a World War II B-17 bomber pilot. Nearly 600 guests attended the ceremony at the Lone Star Flight Museum on Galveston Island, Texas. The mission of the Hall of Fame is to honor Texas individuals and companies who made a lasting contribution to aviation.

AlliedSignal Aerospace's new Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) has been certified on the new Gulfstream V, Dassault Falcon 900, Canadair Challenger 601-3A and -3R, and the Beech King Air C90. Future installations for the $67,192 system will include Bombardier's Global Express and Lear 45, Cessna Citation Excel and Citation X, as well as the Falcon 2000, 50EX, and 900EX.

Estimates of the crowd at the 2-day 1997 Shell Air & Sea Show in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in early May have reached nearly 3 million people. "This was definitely the biggest air show I've ever performed in," said Navy F-18 pilot Lt. Cmdr. Tim Krukowski. "People were crowded for miles on the beach, on rooftops, on boats in the ocean — everywhere." The Coast Guard said that 8,000 pleasure boats lined up in the ocean to view the airshow.

The Ayres Loadmaster cargo airplane is in detail design at the company's Albany, Georgia, site and is scheduled to make its first flight in the summer of 1998. The $4 million to $5 million Loadmaster, shown here on amphibious floats, will be powered by two 1,350-shaft-horsepower LHTEC (Light Helicopter Turbine Engine Company, a partnership of Allison Engine Company and AlliedSignal Aerospace) CTP800-4T engines driving a single propeller. GKN Westland Aerospace Transmissions was recently selected to supply the combining gearbox for the Loadmaster. Federal Express will be the launch customer for the Ayres Loadmaster and has placed an initial order for 50 airplanes, with options for an additional 200 (see " Pilot Briefing," January Pilot). The 65-foot-long Loadmaster, in its cargo-feeder iteration, can hold containers that will slide directly into Boeing 727, Airbus A-300, and MD-11/DC-10 cargo aircraft. For further information on the Loadmaster, call Ayres at 912/883-1440.

Allison Engine Company of Indianapolis has announced its Super C20R program for the Allison 250-C20R Series II engines, which will enhance high-altitude and high-temperature operations. Introduced as the C20R Plus program at the Helicopter Association International's convention in Las Vegas, the renamed Super C20R promises operators of Allison 250 engines increased power, reduced fuel consumption, and better durability. Available in early 1998, the Super C20R package, whose enhancements are achieved through more efficient aerodynamics in the centrifugal compressor, gas generator turbine, and power turbine, will be retrofittable to engines at overhaul. For more information on the Super C20R, contact Allison at 317/230-4021.

Plans announced
Orenda V-8s move to Nova Scotia

Orenda Aerospace Corporation, maker of liquid-cooled V-8 aircraft engines, will move its development and manufacturing center to Debert Airport, a former Canadian Forces base near Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada.

At the site, the new Orenda Recip Inc. will develop, manufacture, and assemble some 10,000 OE-600 V-8s for a worldwide market. OE-600s of 500, 600, and 750 horsepower are to be used to re-engine older aircraft ranging from the de Havilland Beaver to cabin-class piston twins such as the Cessna 400 series, and Piper Chieftain. Even turbine twins are slated for conversion to piston power. Stevens Aviation of Greenville, South Carolina, plans on retrofitting Beech King Air 90-series airplanes with the automotive-style V-8s and has ordered 140 engines and installation kits.

The company says that it believes the conversion to the OE-600 series engines offers significant performance and economic gains. An initial TBO of 1,500 hours is expected on the OE-600, which should grow to 3,000 hours as fleet experience increases.

Orenda, formerly a division of Hawker-Siddeley Canada in Toronto, had previously slipped its certification time by 9 to 12 months and experienced further problems when crankshafts developed cracks and a new supplier had to be found.

Orenda expects the Nova Scotia facility to be operational by September, with engine deliveries to begin in October. About that time, Orenda plans on remanufacturing its first airframe, a Cessna 421. By September the company also expects FAA certification of the OE-600. By the end of the year, 23 OE-600s are scheduled to be built.

AOPA members in the news

Bruce Bohannon, AOPA 1144994, is two for two, winning the second Aeroshell 3-D Speed Dash challenge, a time-to-climb competition run during the Sun 'n Fun EAA Fly-In. Bohannon boosted his engine's power with nitrous oxide to win the race, which consists of a climb to 1,000 meters. Dan Denney, designer of the Thunder Mustang, a "fast-glass" kitplane that participated in the event, said that refinements planned over the coming months will improve his airplane's performance for next year's race.

Linda Finch, AOPA 889147, of San Antonio, Texas, completed her goal of retracing Amelia Earhart's 1937 around-the-world attempt on May 29. Finch started the trip on March 17, flying the same type airplane as Earhart, a Lockheed 10E Electra. Unlike Earhart's aircraft, though, Finch's Electra was equipped with modern navigational equipment, including GPS. Pratt & Whitney, maker of the 450-hp Wasp engines that powered the Electra, was the sponsor of the so-called World Flight 1997. Finch, the second woman to retrace Earhart's flight (the first was Ann Holtgren Pellegreno in 1967), dropped three wreaths over Howland Island in the Pacific, the last known position of Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan. Overshadowing Finch's return was a media blitz by the Texas attorney general's office announcing that Finch faces "severe" fines for violations of state regulations at a nursing home where she is 75-percent owner.

Bill Signs, AOPA 939074, has completed a flight to Paris aboard his Cessna 210 commemorating the seventieth anniversary of Charles Lindbergh's historic first nonstop flight. He made the trip in 11 fewer hours than Lindbergh. See his Web site for further details ( www.friendshipflight.com).

Ernie Wolfenson, AOPA 955121, has completed a video for kids called Jimmy Wilson's Takeoff. The video takes the viewer places kids always want to go at an airport, but parents wisely won't let them, such as behind the scenes at baggage claim. To order, send $14.99 plus $3 shipping to Jimmy Wilson Company, Post Office Box 3641, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55403.

John Glenn, AOPA 640064, a U.S. senator, has received the Williams Trophy from the Washington Airports Task Force for leadership in aviation and space that has "enriched the quality of life on Earth."

Rod Machado, AOPA 1076138, has completed an update to Rod Machado's Private Pilot Handbook, aimed at preparing students for the FAA private pilot exam. It is a thick book providing full preparation for the new pilot, rather than a quick memorization of test answers. It is easy to read and contains hundreds of examples of the humor Machado uses in his lectures. It also has 1,100 original illustrations and photos, and many of those are humorous as well. For those who are already pilots, it is a great way to refresh your knowledge for a flight review, or just a pleasant way to brush on up new information. It is available for $34.95. For information, write the Aviation Speakers Bureau, Post Office Box 6030, San Clemente, California 92674-6030, or call 800/437-7080 or 714/498-2504.

Brian M. Jacobson, AOPA 1331032, has written and published Purchasing and Evaluating Airplanes, based on his 26 years as a professional aircraft appraiser and buyer. The book is available for $29.95 plus $4 shipping by calling 800/207-2245 or 248/363-9168; write to Odyssey Aviation Publications, Post Office Box 785, Union Lake, Michigan 48387.

Rinker Buck, AOPA 848585, has written a nonfiction book, Flight of Passage, published by Hyperion, describing a coast-to-coast flight he and his brother made as teenagers aboard a Piper Cub. Available in book stores for $23.95 or by telephone, 212/633-4483.

Ed Phillips, AOPA 424335, has written The Staggerwing Story: A History of the Beechcraft Model 17, published by Flying Books International. Phillips has written five other books on Piper, Beech, Cessna, and Travel Air aircraft. The Staggerwing book is available for $24.95 from Flying Books International, 1401 Kings Wood Road, Eagan, Minnesota 55122-3811. To order, call 612/454-2493.

Robert Gandt, AOPA 136645, has written Bogeys and Bandits, a fascinating nonfiction account of what it is like to train and serve as a fighter pilot. Published by Viking, it is available in bookstores for $22.95.

Bill Robinet, AOPA 061507, has written and published By the Skin of My Teeth based on his experiences while flying agricultural airplanes in the 1950s. It is available for $28.95. To order, call 541/935-3223.

Robert Hawkins, AOPA 276019, of Arlington, Virginia, has been named by the Baltimore Flight Standards District Office to receive its 1997 Aviation Safety Counselor of the Year Award.

Ken Rickert, AOPA 936615, founder of Globe Fiberglass in Lakeland, Florida, died of cancer on April 15. Rickert was one of the founders of the Sun 'n Fun EAA Fly-In and was president of Lakeland's EAA Chapter 454. Rickert and his wife, Karen, started Globe Fiberglass, a manufacturer of replacement fiberglass parts for general aviation aircraft, in 1986.

Walter J. Boyne, AOPA 992692, has written Beyond the Wild Blue: A History of the U.S. Air Force 1947-1997, published by St. Martin's Press of New York City. It is available in most bookstores.

Bill Hamilton, AOPA 727627, of Granby, Colorado, was elected to serve on the Colorado Aeronautical Board. Hamilton is AOPA's regional representative for the central region.

Frank Heffernan, AOPA 1220434, of Glen Gardner, New Jersey, received the Governor's Air and Space Medal for his efforts in creating an aviation education program for high school students.

Jim A. Price, AOPA 1127520, has set an altitude record of 35,027 feet in his Long EZ aircraft in the C-1A weight category. The record was confirmed recently. To set the record, Price took 48 pounds of equipment out of the aircraft and went on a diet, losing 30 pounds. At altitude, his Lycoming 0-320 engine was putting out only 30 horsepower. The temperature was minus 61 degrees Fahrenheit. He installed vortex generators to wring the final bit of aerodynamic performance out of the wings.

Charlie Horton, AOPA 1178237, of Metairie, Louisiana, and Don Johnsen, AOPA 1084972, of Ama, Louisiana, took first place in the Sun 60 Air Race in a Piper Comanche 400, averaging 225 mph.