Pilot Briefing

Stemme, the German motor glider company, has started construction of its 100th Stemme S10. It will be an S10-VT model, which received certification last fall. Other models include the S10-V and S10. The S10-VT has two-place side-by-side seating, a 50-to-1 glide ratio, and a Rotax 914 engine. The cruise speed is 140 knots. There are 25 S10s flying in the United States. For information, call Stemme USA at 314/721-5904, or see the Web site ( www.stemme.com).

Orenda V-8 receives Canadian certification

Orenda Recip Inc. of Toronto has received certification of its reciprocating V-8 engine from Transport Canada. U.S. FAA certification is expected soon.

Orenda V-8s are currently being tested as retrofit powerplants on a Beech King Air C90B. Another consortium, Dakota Aero Manufacturers of Bismarck, North Dakota, and Mr. RPM of Xenia, Ohio, are testing Orendas on a Twin Commander 685 (see " Pilot Briefing," February Pilot). Other potential retrofit applications include Cessna 421s, Piper Navajos, de Havilland Beavers and Otters, and Lancair Tigress airplanes. Orendas are liquid-cooled and are available in 500- to 750-horsepower variants. The twin-turbocharged 600-hp variant was the model certified by Transport Canada.

The Orenda V-8 started life in the 1980s as the Thunder engine, a highly modified Chevrolet V-8 designed by Mr. RPM's Dick MacCoon. The engine flew on the port side of a Twin Commander for 20 hours before the project was shelved in 1987. According to Orenda Recip, the only thing an Orenda V-8 has in common with its automotive roots is the 90-degree V angle.

In 1994, Mr. RPM sold the rights to the Orenda division of Hawker-Siddeley, which has since been acquired by Magellan Aerospace. According to MacCoon, the Orenda V-8 is the first piston aircraft engine of more than 450 horsepower to be certified in more than 50 years.

Cessna developing 180-hp Skyhawk

Cessna Aircraft Company has introduced the Skyhawk SP in response to customer and sales team input. The aircraft is still powered by the fuel-injected Lycoming IO-360 used on the new 172R Skyhawk but is rated for 180 horsepower rather than the standard 160 hp. The result is a Skyhawk with a 100-pound useful load increase and a cruise speed of 123 knots at 75-percent power at 8,500 feet. The price of a standard Skyhawk SP is $149,900, compared to $133,000 for the 172R. Certification is scheduled for the second quarter of 1998, with deliveries set to begin in the third quarter.

Air Tractor celebrates 40th anniversary

Air Tractor Inc. of Olney, Texas, hosted a Texas-size bash in late March in honor of its founder, Leland Snow, who is celebrating his fortieth year of aerial-application airplane production in the north Texas town. Blessed with excellent weather, more than 1,625 customers, employees, and vendors arrived by airplane, car, and bus. After a barbecue and an awards presentation, an airshow was presented by Wayne Handley, Kirk Fulton, and other pilots. Snow came to Olney in 1958 in search of cash and a site to build his Snow S-2B agplanes. The town obliged and today is capitalizing on its 40-year investment in Snow's talent. Air Tractor is now the world's largest producer of aerial application airplanes. In recent years, Air Tractor has produced more than 100 airplanes a year. There are 120 Air Tractors on order for 1998.

The English firm Wilksch Airmotive Limited says that it has completed flight demonstrations of a new two-stroke diesel aircraft engine that is suitable for very light aircraft up to the size of a Cessna 152. The company provided no performance details. The engine has been returned to the test cell for power and durability testing. The first model to be offered will probably be a 120-horsepower model. The firm is located in Milton Keynes, England.

The Transponder Landing System, made by Advanced Navigation Positioning, Hood River, Oregon, has completed the 1,000-hour performance testing phase required before the FAA will grant certification. The company expects certification by the beginning of the second quarter this year. TLS systems are to be installed in the Philippines and Taiwan. Existing systems at Batesville, Indiana, and Watertown, Wisconsin, have been upgraded in preparation for the FAA's certification.

Mustang Aeronautics, of Troy, Michigan, is celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the Midget Mustang kit that it manufactures. David Long, the chief design engineer for Piper Aircraft, designed the aircraft and flew it in 1948 at the National Air Races. Close to 400 of the aircraft have been built. The kit costs $6,600, but a completed aircraft with required instruments is priced at $17,000. For more information, call 248/589-9277 or see the Web site (http://sportflyer.com/mustang/).

GPS gets a boost

Two new civilian-use signals will be provided by new Global Positioning System satellites in 2005 that will improve accuracy to civil users.

"The additional civilian signals will significantly improve navigation, positioning, and timing services to milions of users worldwide - from backpackers and boaters to farmers and fishermen, from airline pilots to telecommunications providers, and from scientists to surveyors," Vice President Al Gore said in making the announcement.

GPS always has made two signals available to the military for greater accuracy. The announcement means that the same accuracy will be available to civilians. One of the new signals will be located in the frequency of the current GPS L2 signal, previously used only for military purposes. A third frequency is yet to be determined.

A GPS manufacturer warned that the announcement could be premature and may be based on political expediency.

Government puts three weather sites on the Web

The FAA and the National Weather Service have placed new weather sources on the Internet. The FAA now makes data available from all ASOS automatic weather reporting sites from one address ( www. faa.gov/aua/ipt_prod/terminal/asos/asoslist.htm). You'll find that once you have chosen an airport, the actual weather for that site has been moved to a new page, but an additional click brings it up.

Additionally, aviation-style weather reports are available for many sites in the nation and the world at the National Weather Service site (http://weather. noaa.gov/weather/ccus.html). Weather less than an hour old is provided, along with a lengthy history going back 24 or more hours.

An expanded and upgraded Aviation Weather Center products page is available from the National Weather Service ( www.awc-kc.noaa.gov/awc/Aviation_ Weather_Center.html). The site offers experimental products such as icing and mountain-wave forecasts, and satellite views showing current conditions around the world. The NWS says that the information shown there is not to be used for flight planning or operational purposes.

Lycoming strike over, for now

The white-collar workers at Lycoming have returned to their offices now that striking United Auto Workers union members are temporarily back on the manufacturing line at the Williamsport, Pennsylvania, plant.

Throughout the five-month strike, orders piled up and deliveries fell short. Salaried employees were obliged to build engines and fulfill customer orders. According to Lycoming, quality was not sacrificed since most salaried employees had experience assembling engines.

At the root of the strike was Lycoming's decision four years ago to outsource the manufacture of several reciprocating-engine components. Negotiations between Lycoming and the UAW continue and, for the moment at least, there are no labor-related delays.

Bob McCammon of Tonasket, Washington, thinks that aviation is a great way to inspire youngsters and has formed the Blue Sky Youth Flight Foundation. He found 28 sponsors - many of them unversed in aviation but wanting to help youngsters - for a $2,800 one-year scholarship. Last year high school junior Rhiannon Peery wrote the winning essay on why she wanted to fly; she soloed four months later and passed her checkride in December. This year's winner is Kelly Attwood, a 17-year-old high school student. The bad news for youngsters outside of the Tonasket area is that they are not eligible. Blue Sky officials hope that other communities may be inspired by their example.

McCauley reorganizes, unveils new logo

As part of its 60-year anniversary celebration, McCauley Propeller Systems unveiled a new logo at its Vandalia, Ohio, headquarters in March. Speaking to more than 200 McCauley employees and local dignitaries attending the unveiling, Charlie Johnson, Cessna Aircraft president and chief operating officer, said that the change "symbolizes a new attitude of an already great company." Cessna has owned McCauley since 1961.

The change to a new logo, which features a head-on rendering of a single-engine aircraft with a swooping red prop disk, accompanies other changes at McCauley. For example, the company is now organized into three distinct business units that work together, but they also seek work outside the company to better utilize resources.

The units are Propeller Systems, which manufactures the props; Systems and Components, which manufactures prop governors and deice systems; and Machine Services, which solicits outside work for the company's impressive machining capabilities. Among customers of the Machine Services unit are Boeing and Cessna. Jim Simister, McCauley vice president and general manager, said that the company has embarked on a number of new customer-service initiatives that have already improved parts support and turnaround time for orders. - Thomas B. Haines

The Oklahoma Heritage Foundation and Phillips Petroleum Company have published a biography of Wiley Post that reveals the famous pilot was once jailed for carjacking. To cope with depression after parole, he entered the career of his first love, flying. To raise money for an aircraft, he decided to work in an oil field, where he lost his eye when it was lacerated by a piece of metal. The $1,800 settlement for the loss of the eye bought the airplane and launched his flying career. The book, From Oklahoma to Eternity: The Life of Wiley Post and the Winnie May, is available for $24.95 by calling 888/501-2059 or 405/235-4458.

Avfuel Corporation, located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has acquired the Aviation Fuel Sales Division of PS Trading, Inc. Dallas-based PST was the fuel trading and supply department for the former Pacific Southwest Airlines. PST currently supplies jet fuel throughout the country with a primary focus on airline and commercial contract customers. The transaction funding was more than $10 million.

The Northern Lights Aerobatic Team, quickly becoming one of the busiest on the airshow circuit, has picked up Shell Oil Company's Aeroshell lubricants as a sponsor. Aeroshell also sponsors the U.S. Aerobatic Team in world competition.

Teenagers are encouraged to attend the fifth annual Summer ACE (aviation career education) Camp at the Grand Haven (Michigan) Memorial Airpark July 20 to 24. The five-day camp meets daily from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and allows attendees to explore career opportunities in aviation and aerospace, learn the fundamentals of flight and navigation, and take an actual flight. For information, call 616/842-9648 or inquire via e-mail ( [email protected]).

AirWard of Novato, California, has created service kits to comply with Lycoming service bulletins 505B and 530, regarding corrosion of the inner diameter of crankshafts installed in Lycoming engines that are equipped with fixed-pitch propellers. The kit for inspection and reseal of the crank lists for $29. If corrosion pits are found, AirWard can provide a Ferrocoat treatment kit for an additional $10. Kits to comply with all aspects of the service bulletins list for $134. For information, call 800/524-3264 or visit the Web ( www.airward.com).

Bendix/King to cover AD costs

In response to a proposed airworthiness directive affecting some 20,000 Bendix/King KT76A transponders (see Pilot Briefing, April Pilot), AlliedSignal has announced that it will cover both the parts and the labor costs under warranty. The proposed airworthiness directive, as published in the Federal Register, stated that AlliedSignal would cover parts costs only.

According to Bendix/King Service Bulletin KT76A-7, which dates back to July 1996, "silver migration on the substrate of a resistor network causes ... low impedance paths between adjacent resistors ... causing the unit to incorrectly interpret the output of the encoding altimeter ... [and] transmit a code other than what is set in the transponder." In other words, incorrect altitude information may be transmitted to air traffic control and to airborne traffic and collision avoidance systems (TCAS) installed in other aircraft. Officials at AlliedSignal say that the phenomenon is a gradual occurrence rather than an all-out failure.

Affected transponders bear serial numbers ranging from 93,000 to 109,999. Under the service bulletin guidelines, 2.5 hours of labor has been allotted to accomplish the repairs, which include transponder system recertification labor. For more information, contact your Bendix/King dealer.

The FAA has granted an exemption permitting the Sino Swearingen SJ30-2 to be certified in the Part 23 Commuter category, thus allowing a maximum takeoff weight increase to 13,200 pounds. The FAA granted an exemption to the rule that aircraft certificated in the Part 23 Commuter category be equipped with propellers. The category was originally used for certification of regional airliners. Turbine aircraft under Part 23 were limited to 12,500 pounds. Company officials said that the new weight will allow a pilot and three passengers to travel 2,500 nm at up to 49,000 feet.

Express Aircraft has begun shipping parts to aircraft builders. The total weight of all composite parts has been reduced by 150 pounds. It will be a few months before complete kits can be shipped. The Express, designed by Ken Wheeler, was introduced in 1987 but has only recently been put back into production. Well over 100 kits were delivered, and a few dozen are now flying.

Squawk Sheet

An airworthiness directive (95-26-18) requiring one-time inspections of wing lift struts of Maule M-4, M-5, M-6, M-7, MX-7, and MXT-7 series airplanes may be superseded by a proposed AD (98-CE-01), following an accident in which a wing separated from an affected airplane. The proposed AD retains the one-time inspection, with the addition of requiring repetitive inspections and the option of using ultrasonic procedures to comply with inspection requirements.

An airworthiness directive (97-CE-14) has been proposed that would require owners of Cessna 180, 182, and 185 airplanes equipped with wing extensions (supplemental type certificate SA00276NY) to inspect between wing stations 90 and 110 for the installation of an angle stiffener. If an angle stiffener is not installed, the AD will require the installation of a reinforcing strap.

Owners of Beech Twin Bonanzas seeking alternative means of compliance to AD 97-18-02, which affects Hartzell propellers installed on those airplanes, can obtain a supplemental type certificate for the installation of new McCauley propellers. Flight tests were recently performed, using Richard Ward's Twin Bonanza as a testbed. Ward, who is the president of the Twin Bonanza Association, reported a slight increase in climb, as well as "a definite increase in speed." The new McCauley propeller kit for the T-Bone, including deice, will list for $18,600. The Twin Bonanza Association has arranged special pricing through McCauley. For details, call 419/447-4263.

A new AD (98-05-10) requires owners of Robinson R44 helicopters to replace with steel elbows the currently used aluminum elbows that connect the oil cooler lines to the engine accessory case.

Links to the full text of ADs can be found on AOPA Online ( www.aopa.org/pilot/links9805.shtml).

Texas Skyways, Inc., of Boerne, Texas, is flight testing a Cessna 205 equipped with a 300-horsepower Continental IO-550 for a pending supplemental type certificate. The STC, which was expected to be issued by the FAA at the end of March, will include a new Hartzell three-blade propeller. No airframe or cowling modifications are required for the -550 conversion. Specific data was not available at press time, but Texas Skyways reported significant improvements in takeoff, climb, and cruise.

Scaled Technology Works, of Montrose, Colorado, has received a $47.4 million contract from VisionAire Corporation for the design and production of the wing and empennage structure of the VisionAire Vantage business jet.

AOPA members in the news

Ava Sumpter, AOPA 959745, of Montgomery, Texas, was awarded the Maintenance Technician of the Year Award by Women in Aviation International and Aircraft Technical Publishers. Sumpter, a commercial pilot with a multiengine rating, is a mechanic at Garrett Aviation Services in Houston and specializes in TFE-731 turbofan maintenance. Besides her mechanic duties Sumpter works part-time as the unicom operator and as an FAA Aviation Safety Counselor.

William "Tim" Smith, AOPA 1062026, Tim Bunch, AOPA 1322284, and David Pearson, AOPA 1136849, of Ohio, were featured in several local newspapers after they teamed up to fulfill the wish of 86-year-old Holland Morey, who had never flown. Heartland of Centerburg's Heart's Desire program grants wishes to the elderly, and Morey's one wish was to take that first flight. Morey's ride in Pearson's Cessna 172 gave him a bird's-eye view of the farm where he worked for so many years prior to retirement.

Bill Powley, AOPA 1087811, of Unicoi, Tennessee, was featured in The Erwin Record for his coordination of a unique Air Force Junior ROTC program at Unicoi County High School. Powley's Flight Orientation Program has flown more than 140 cadet/passengers since May 1992. The rides, which often inspire young people to learn to fly, is funded through sponsorships and donations. Powley is hoping to take the program to public high schools in order to expose more young people to aviation. For information on the program, call 423/743-1629.

Ninety-eight-year-old Ralph Charles, AOPA 1347314, of Somerset, Ohio, was recently featured in the Columbus Dispatch just prior to being checked out in the 1942 Aeronca Defender that he recently purchased. Charles, who built airplanes for the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company (under the tutelage of Orville Wright himself), had taken a 50-year break from flying before he bought his Defender. He holds a current FAA medical certificate and, since the article, was checked out in his airplane. He is probably the oldest active pilot in the United States.

Mike Silva, AOPA 534208, of Aurora, Colorado, was awarded the Leo Galanis Memorial Pilot of the Year Award. Silva is a reporter, meteorologist, and pilot for KCNC-TV in Denver.

Marc Hamer, AOPA 1237004, of Miami, received a type rating in the Boeing 737 at the age of 22.

Louis E. Keefer, AOPA 1366191, of Reston, Virginia, has written From Maine to Mexico, a history of the Civil Air Patrol's antisubmarine operations during World War II. The 544-page book is available for $32.95 from COTU Publishing, Post Office Box 2160, Reston, Virginia 20195.

Dale DeRemer, AOPA 195444, a professor of aviation at the University of North Dakota, has been named a Master Certified Flight Instructor by the National Association of Flight Instructors. When not teaching, he instructs bush pilots during the summer months. He and author Cesare Baj of Italy have just completed the book Seaplane Operations: Basic and Advanced Techniques for Seaplanes, Amphibians and Flying Boats From Around the World.

Pamela de Castro, AOPA 1196527, has opened a flight school, Wingover Aviation, at Metropolitan Oakland International Airport, California. For information, call 510/382-1545 or see the Web site ( www.wingover.com).

Dom DeNardo, AOPA 245702, of Providence, Rhode Island, has made available one of his latest prints, Comet over Oshkosh, winner of a 1997 Excellence Award from the Experimental Aircraft Association. This $30 print and others by the 35-year AOPA member can be ordered by calling 401/421-2651.

Beech has delivered its 300th Beech 1900D Airliner with the stand-up cabin. The aircraft went to Proteus Airlines of Lyon, France. Proteus has placed an order for 10 additional aircraft, making it the largest 1900D operator in Europe.

The Lockheed 1011 known as The Flying Hospital, operated by Operation Blessing International, treated 6,300 people in El Salvador who were suffering from the effects of El Niño flooding. In nine days, 380 surgeries were performed - 255 of them aboard on the aircraft. Operation Blessing founder Pat Robertson said that flooding had devastated the country. The aircraft will begin a medical mercy mission to Brazil in May.

Kinetic Research field representative Jack McCornack broke the 3,000-meter time-to-climb record in the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale's Microlight category. Flying a Pterodactyl Ascender IIIC powered by a 70-hp 2-Stroke International 690L, he climbed nearly 10,000 feet in six minutes and 38 seconds.

Cliff P. Gill, AOPA 934212, has found an unusual solution to both a dream and a necessity. He needs to finish his Ph.D. in geology by doing research, but he also needs to fund that effort. The solution is Airborne Scientific, a Helio Courier floatplane tour operation in Alaska from May to September in Homer, Alaska. The area offers features like those found in Yellowstone National Park. If you desire, he will also take you to some of the scientific camps set up in the area and let you talk to a scientist or two. You might even find yourself assisting with the research. The cost is $500 to $700 per day. For information, call 907/399-1755, or see Gill's Web site ( www.airbornescientific.com).