Cockpit of the future being created by consortium
Seven U.S. general aviation companies have been selected by NASA to create a futuristic cockpit display system dubbed "highway in the sky" (HITS) that will replace current "steam-gauge"-type instrumentation. The program is part of NASA's Advanced General Aviation Transport Experiments (AGATE), which was kicked off in 1994 in an effort to revitalize general aviation in the United States.
Participating companies - AlliedSignal, Avidyne Corporation, AvroTec, Lancair, Raytheon Aircraft, Rockwell Collins, and Seagull Technologies - contributed a total of $3 million, which was matched by NASA, for a total of $6 million dedicated to the HITS effort.
The program is expected to produce a low-cost primary flight display (PFD) using solid-state attitude and heading reference systems to replace gyroscopic instruments. The PFD will be backed by a multifunction display of navigation, terrain, weather, and traffic information. A datalink system also will be used to send and receive flight data.
AvroTec, of Portland, Oregon, will lead the HITS team with Avidyne, of Lexington, Massachusetts, acting as technical project manager. The two companies teamed up last year when Lancair announced that its recently certified Columbia 300 airplane would be equipped with an AvroTec display running Avidyne software. Raytheon and Lancair will tackle the issues of integrating and certifying HITS into production aircraft. Lancair intends to certify the system for use in its production airplanes. Rockwell Collins, Seagull Technologies, and AlliedSignal will provide assistance in the areas of display symbology, attitude and heading reference systems, and avionics databus components. HITS will be designed to be upgradable as technology progresses.
Phase one of the program will concentrate on the development of the PFD, for which certification is anticipated by June 2000. Phase two, which should be certified by the end of 2001, will focus on implementing the HITS display and feature a software upgrade. For more information visit the NASA AGATE Web site ( http://agate.larc.nasa.gov/).
Renaissance Aircraft, of Monkton, Maryland, is bringing the first new Luscombe 8 series aircraft to be built in nearly 40 years to the Sun 'n Fun EAA Fly-In. The Renaissance Luscombe tailwheel aircraft is basically the Silvaire design, but has been updated with more horsepower (150 hp versus 90 in the older 8 series), more baggage space, and a newly designed interior. Cruise speed is claimed to be 120 kt at sea level with a rate of climb in excess of 1,500 feet per minute. The aircraft costs $70,000. Deliveries are to begin early this fall. For information contact Renaissance Aircraft LLC, 1235 Piney Hill Road, Monkton, Maryland 21111; telephone 410/357-5815.
Notice of Annual Meeting of Members
The annual meeting of the Members of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association will take place at 12 noon on Saturday, May 8, 1999, at Wings Field, Ambler, Pennsylvania, for the purpose of receiving reports and transacting such other business as may properly come before the meeting, including the election of Trustees and consideration of a change to the bylaws to permit the electronic communication of proxies to vote at a meeting of Members. - John S. Yodice, Secretary
Atlantic Aviation and the city of Philadelphia have signed a 20-year FBO lease - with two additional five-year options - at both Philadelphia International and Northeast Philadelphia airports. Atlantic will build this new facility on the east side of Philadelphia International. It is slated to open before the city hosts the Republican Party Convention in July 2000.
Fractional helicopter programs debated at HAI
The prospects for large-scale helicopter fractional ownership programs seem mixed, according to industry observers at Heli-Expo '99, the annual convention of the Helicopter Association International (HAI). Fractional ownership programs have been dominating business jet sales the last few years. However, no one has established such a program for helicopters.
Engine manufacturer AlliedSignal doesn't think that such an arrangement will work for helicopters. In a survey of about 1,000 helicopter operators, AlliedSignal reports that 87.8 percent of the operators said they were not interested in fractional aircraft ownership. Apparently they believe the flexibility that owning a helicopter provides can't be replicated in a fractional ownership program. Helicopter owners want their aircraft available on a moment's notice and aren't willing to wait for one to be delivered from another site, as would be necessary to make a fractional ownership program viable. The much higher price of a business jet also makes it a more likely candidate for fractional ownership.
Another reason cited by those answering the survey was the limited range of most helicopters, making them less attractive for such programs, which demand that the aircraft be quickly shuttled from one customer to the next.
Helicopter manufacturers disagree with the AlliedSignal survey. They say that AlliedSignal surveyed only corporate helicopter operators. The greatest participation in the fractional helicopter program will come from individual users, as has been the case in the business jet market.
Sikorsky is about to test the waters. It plans to begin a fractional program with Associated Aircraft Group, a charter company that Sikorsky purchased in February. - Thomas B. Haines
The suppressant foam industry is urging testing of the use of the material in the fuel tanks of experimental general aviation aircraft. Testing, proposed to be done at the FAA's William J. Hughes Technical Center in New Jersey, would cover fuel spray patterns only. The research would be aided by the Cessna Aircraft Company and Texaco. Aluminum, fiberglass, and plastic fuel tanks are to be tested. The testing program would be coordinated by the Experimental Aircraft Association.
Avidyne Corporation, of Lexington, Massachusetts, received FAA Technical Standard Order approval of Avidyne Radar, which allows the company's Flight Situation Display (FSD) to interface with and depict weather radar information from Bendix/King RDR 130, 150, and 160 units. Radar information from these monochrome radar units can now be depicted in full color and overlaid on the Avidyne moving map. The FSD with the Avidyne Radar interface starts at $12,000. For more information, contact Avidyne at 781/402-7400 or visit the Web site ( www.avidyne.com).
Squawk Sheet
A new airworthiness directive (99-04-04) affecting Lycoming (I)O-540 engines equipped with Slick magnetos will require initial and repetitive inspections of the magneto impulse coupling pawl every 250 hours. Several service difficulty reports, two incidents, and one fatal accident have been attributed to the condition. The seizure of the impulse coupling in a Piper PA-32 led to a chain of events causing the engine to fail, resulting in a fatal forced landing.
Beech Dukes are affected by AD 99-03-11, which requires modification of the cabin heat control wiring to prevent overheating of the heater circuit control.
Rapco Fleet Support is now overhauling Dukes fuel pumps. The electric pumps are used on many popular general aviation aircraft. Rapco's overhaul includes a new armature of improved design, new field winding, new rotors and spacers, and new Nylatron vanes. Rapco claims its new seal/bearing will eliminate leaks, the main source of pump returns. For more information, call Rapco in Hartland, Wisconsin, at 414/367-6210.
Mechanics, do-it-yourselfers, homebuilders, and aircraft tinkerers should obtain the FAA's recently revised Acceptable Methods, Techniques, and Practices - Aircraft Inspection, Repair & Alterations, otherwise known as AC 43.13B. This bible for aircraft maintenance is available for $18.95 from Aviation Supplies & Academics. To order call 800/272-2359 or visit the Web site ( www.asa2fly.com/asa).
Return of the SwiftFury?
LoPresti Speed Merchants head Roy LoPresti recently obtained all of the rights to the SwiftFury project from Stuart Millar, former chairman of Piper Aircraft. LoPresti has renewed plans to pursue certification and production of the modified Swift that created quite a stir in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
LoPresti Piper, a company partly owned but totally funded by Millar, was set up to certify and produce the SwiftFury. Unfortunately, the eventual bankruptcy of Piper led to the drying-up of funds for LoPresti Piper and stalled certification plans for the SwiftFury. In 1990, 569 people had deposits in escrow on the airplane. In fact, even the Air Force was interested in a tricycle-gear version of the SwiftFury as a replacement for its Cessna T-41 (modified 172) trainer.
LoPresti plans to renew efforts to bring the SwiftFury to production by contacting those who placed deposits through 1990. Plans to set up a certification/production facility in Russell Springs, Kentucky, are being considered. Initially, this site would employ 50 people, growing to 400 during full production (10 airplanes per month). Pricing will be determined by LoPresti after judging the market for the airplane over the next several months. The price reached $129,900 in 1990 before the project was shelved.
The prototype airplane, which has been taken out of storage from one of LoPresti's Vero Beach, Florida, hangars, is scheduled to be on display at the Sun 'n Fun EAA Fly-In from April 11 to 17. For more information call LoPresti at 561/562-4757 .
Eurocopter claims top helicopter spot
In 1998 Eurocopter took orders for 272 aircraft valued at $842 million. With that report, the company says that it is the world's leading turbine helicopter manufacturer for the third year running.
Meanwhile, the company says that it doesn't see a civil tiltrotor as a viable product. However, company officials say they are developing manufacturing technology that will be transferable to a tiltrotor project if it seems viable in the future. Bell and Agusta obviously feel differently as they continue development of the 609 tiltrotor.
Bell demonstrated the XV-15 experiment- al tiltrotor technology prototype recently at the Helicopter Association International convention. Although the 609 is still a couple of years away from certification, the partnership is already working on a variant designed for deep-water rescue operations for the U.S. Coast Guard. - TBH
S.C. Aerostar of Bacau, Romania, has developed an Americanized Yakovlev 52. The aircraft was originally developed for the Russian air club system. The first one will arrive just in time for the Sun 'n Fun EAA Fly-In this month in Lakeland, Florida, but it is not expected to arrive in time to be painted. The first two delivered will be priced at $110,000, while the ones to follow will cost $120,000. The United States distributor is GeSoCo Industries of Swanton, Vermont, a dealership that has sold several of the Yak-52 models. The Americanized version has all U.S. instruments, greater fuel capacity, navigation lights, a three-blade propeller, an externally accessible baggage compartment, and a permanently mounted step. GeSoCo has sold many of the Yak-52s now in this country, most of them used.
Helicopter sales expected to increase in new century
Helicopter manufacturers - despite record low oil prices and the Asian and Brazilian economic crises - seem optimistic that the civil market will continue its steady growth over the next few years.
Attendees at the Helicopter Association International Heli-Expo in Dallas in late February heard a number of forecasts predicting continued growth. In its 10-year forecast, Rolls-Royce predicts that 8,945 turbine helicopters will be delivered worldwide for an average of about 900 per year. The industry delivered approximately 525 units in 1998. Rolls predicts that 60 percent of the deliveries in the next decade will be for civil models and 40 percent to the military. Particularly in the United States, where the economy appears robust, the forecast shows strong sales.
The bullish figures result from the strong utilization of the existing fleet and the financial health of companies flying helicopters in support of offshore oil drillers, who seem better prepared to weather a period of low oil prices than they have been in the past. - TBH
The Mars Pathfinder team and the inventor of the "area rule" have both received the National Air and Space Museum Trophy. On July 4, 1997, the Mars Pathfinder team, led by Tony Spear and Matt Golombek, put Sojourner on the surface of Mars to rove and explore. Richard Whitcomb, winning a trophy for lifetime achievement, is responsible for the 1952 invention of the area rule that led to a 25-percent increase in aircraft performance. It was used on the Navy Grumman F-11 and Convair YF-102, which could exceed the sound barrier. Whitcomb also developed supercritical wings and winglets.
The South Carolina Aviation Association has inducted three South Carolina natives into the state's Aviation Hall of Fame. Horace C. Crouch, Howell C. Jones, and General Lloyd W. "Fig" Newton, commander of the Air Force Air Education and Training Command, were inducted. Jones designed the White Lightning kit airplane. Crouch participated with Doolittle's Tokyo raiders on April 28, 1942, and also flew with the American Volunteer Group in China with the 11th Bomb Squadron.
Mooney's M20S Eagle received its type certificate from the FAA on February 8 after being introduced last October at AOPA Expo '98 in Palm Springs, California.
The new Eagle (see " From the Mooney Mold," February Pilot) is an entry-level high-performance airplane powered by a 244-horsepower Continental IO-550-G. The airplane cruises at 175 kt, climbs at 1,150 feet per minute, and has a range of 1,210 nm. Deliveries began in mid-February with 10 expected to be delivered by the middle of this month. As-tested price of the Eagle is $334,500.
What's the problem, officers?
After touching down at their Frederick, Maryland, home base late in the evening of February 5, four occupants of a Beech Baron were forced at gunpoint to shut down, climb out of the airplane, and lie face down on the taxiway after clearing the active runway.
The pilot, who was receiving VFR flight following from ATC, said that one particular controller transposed two numbers in the airplane's registration after his initial call. The pilot corrected the controller, as well as every subsequent controller en route to the destination.
"It was becoming a joke to all of us in the airplane," the pilot said. "Every time I called with [the correct registration number], the controller would respond with [the wrong N number]."
After landing, the airplane was surrounded by state police vehicles, and a police helicopter was at the ready on the other end of the airport. After several tense minutes, the Baron occupants learned that the police had received a tip that a stolen Cessna 210 bore the registration number that the controller had transposed, triggering the tracking. The troopers were called out to make a possible drug bust since the airplane was suspected to have been stolen by drug traffickers.
After verifying the registration number painted on the side of the Baron, the troopers and the airplane occupants managed to share a few grins.
AOPA members in the news
Arthur Mott, AOPA 709306, of Waxhaw, North Carolina, and Dr. Robert Bonham, AOPA 819175, of Honolulu, raced a Piper Seneca II to victory in the Speed category of the first Great Hawaiian Air Race. Aimee Kuprash, AOPA 713387, of Honolulu, won the Proficiency category. The 575-mile race hopped around seven islands while raising nearly $40,000 in donations to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Hawaii. In turn, the foundation will grant more than a dozen "wishes" to children with life-threatening illnesses. Race Co-chairman Greg Marshall, AOPA 635435, of Honolulu, has decided to make the race an annual event. The next race is scheduled for February 10 to 14, 2000.
Richard Swingen, AOPA 946935, is the new president and chief executive officer of S-Tec Corporation in Mineral Wells, Texas. He has also been named to the board of directors. He succeeds David Alexander, who recruited Swingen as part of Alexander's succession plan. Alexander will continue as president of S-Tec Unmanned Technologies and will remain on the board of directors. S-Tec manufactures aircraft autopilots, avionics, and instruments.
Douglas Corarito, AOPA 1369792, has developed a software program for the PalmPilot handheld computer called AirCalc Pro. It computes such things as weight and balance, best cruise altitude, and time to climb. For information see the Web ( www.infoequipt.com) or call 413/339-0120.
D. Scot Douglas, AOPA 1084446, found the model used by the foundry to cast the trophy for the famous Thompson Trophy Race during the golden age of aviation. The 1930 race took place over a five-mile course and consisted of 20 laps. With the trophy, he also found a new business. Douglas and a business partner plan to make 10 castings of the trophy and will then sell the wooden model. He is also planning to make copies of the famous Bendix Trophy, and the International Harmon Trophy. For information, e-mail Douglas at [email protected] or telephone 503/235-9320.
Dan Boedigheimer, AOPA 1011683, has written Turbine Transition Manual for those new to a turbine aircraft. It is based on the Beech 1900 aircraft. The manual is in use at six universities and is available for $30 by calling 719/548-8911.
Robert Rudolf Burkhardt, AOPA 344105, died at his home in Lewes, Delaware, in January. He was 81. A journalist, he was an expert on the economics of commercial aviation and wrote two books on airline regulation. He was editor and publisher of Air Cargo magazine in 1970 and 1971.
Paul DiMauro, AOPA 1303372, has written and published The Avionics Directory and Layman's Guide to Avionics, available for $19.95. For information, write Flying Spirit Publishing, Post Office Box 766, St. James City, Florida 33956; telephone 877/852-1450.
Rep. Nick Lampson (D-Texas), AOPA 1384524, of Beaumont, Texas, was assigned to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee of the 106th Congress. Lampson plans to make improvements to the Jefferson County and Galveston Municipal airports.
Twin Cities Air Service founders Roger LeBlanc, AOPA 593057, and wife, Lillian, AOPA 645019, of Turner, Maine, received the Business Leadership Award from the Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce for the company's "significant contribution to the economic vitality of the Androscoggin County region." The LeBlancs have been AOPA members for more than 20 years.
Gordon Hoff, AOPA 1103071, of St. Paul, Minnesota, was named this year's recipient of the National Aeronautic Association's Frank G. Brewer Trophy for Aviation Education for his "efforts toward the advancement of aviation education for children of all ages." Hoff is manager of the aviation education section of the Minnesota Office of Aeronautics.
Javier Ferrea, AOPA 959919, of Pompano Beach, Florida, has written To Live and Fly in the USA/Experiences and Knowledge Gained from a Corporate Pilot Living in America. To order, call Dorrance Publishing at 800/788-7654, or visit the Web site ( www.usaor.net/dorrance/).
Randy Blume, AOPA 832075, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, has written Crazy in the Cockpit, an autobiographical novel about what it's like to be a woman in the aviation industry.
Bob Weir, AOPA 145304, of Ypsilanti, Michigan, died recently at the age of 67. Weir, an AOPA member for 42 years, was most recently vice president of flight operations at Zantop International Airlines.
Aircraft billings and shipments highest since 1984
The general aviation comeback continued in 1998, according to statistics from the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. "For the third year in a row, the industry has set a new record for billings," said GAMA President Ed Bolen. "Last year was the first time since 1985 that the industry shipped more than 2,000 aircraft," he added. (The GA industry delivered more than 17,000 aircraft in 1978.)
Billings last year were $5.9 billion, up from $4.7 billion in 1997. Total shipments were 2,223 aircraft, up from 1,569 in 1997.
Gulfstream Aerospace accounted for $2.017 billion in billings on 61 aircraft. Cessna Aircraft had billings worth $1.536 billion on 1,075 aircraft, including 358 Cessna 172 Skyhawks, 64 Cessna 172 Skyhawk SPs, 338 Cessna 182 Skylanes, 80 Cessna 208B Caravan IBs, and 30 Cessna 750 Citation X aircraft.
Raytheon Aircraft had $1.435 billion in billings on 395 aircraft, including 71 Beech Bonanza A36 aircraft, 48 Hawker 800XP jets, 45 Beech King Air B200s, and 45 Beech 1900D Airliners. There were also 43 Beechjet 400A aircraft and 42 Beech Baron 58s sold.
The New Piper Aircraft sold 295 airplanes and had billings of $101.06 million. Shipments included 90 PA-28-181 Archer IIIs, 55 PA-46-350P Malibu Mirage aircraft, 54 PA-34-220T Seneca Vs, and 45 PA-32R-301T Saratoga II TC aircraft.
Other companies reporting to GAMA include American Champion, with 74 aircraft shipped (billings were not reported). Its best-selling model was the Super Decathlon 8KCAB with 25 shipments, followed by the Citabria Explorer 7GCBC with 18 deliveries. Aviat Aircraft shipped 85 aircraft, with $10.4 million in billings. Boeing Business Jets sold seven aircraft and had $227.5 million in billings. The big jets are operated as private aircraft and are therefore part of this general aviation report.
Commander Aircraft shipped 13 aircraft but did not report billings. Learjet shipped 61 aircraft, including 32 Learjet 60 models, and had billings of $540.5 million. Maule Air shipped 63 aircraft, with billings of $5.3 million. Mooney Aircraft shipped 93 aircraft but did not report billings.
New products to watch for at the Sun 'n Fun EAA Fly-In this month include the Lightspeed Technologies 25K headset (see " Headset Roundup: Earily Quiet," December 1998 Pilot). It has improved active noise cancellation, better audio fidelity, and a battery saver that turns off the headset when it's not in use. Deliveries begin this month; headsets will be available at the show. Flightcom has a new Denali ANR headset for $549, which will begin shipping in May. It strives for the ultimate in lightweight comfort. The 11.9-ounce active noise reduction headset will be available in J-3 yellow and blue graphite. A low-force headband and contoured ear seals, coupled with ergonomically canted, low-profile ear domes, contribute to the headset's comfort. It also uses a "drop and go" nine-volt battery box to simplify battery changes. The ANR circuitry provides an additional 19 to 21 dB of low-frequency noise attenuation. A 10.5-ounce passive version sells for $249.
Loadmaster's first flight planned for September
First flight of the Ayres Loadmaster, a 19,000-pound-gross-weight cargo aircraft originally ordered by Federal Express, is planned for September. Parts will be built at the LET factory in the Czech Republic and assembled in Albany, Georgia, and Dothan, Alabama. Groundbreaking for the Dothan factory will occur by summer.
The aircraft uses two turbine engines originally designed for the U.S. Army's Comanche helicopter to drive a single six-blade propeller. The combination is a 2,700-shaft-horsepower AlliedSignal/Allison Twinpac CTP-800. The Loadmaster will use empennage parts from the twin-engine LET L610 and L410 regional airliners. The wing, also similar to those used on the L610 and L410, uses a spar design that keeps weight to a minimum.
Designers anticipate a 10,000-pound useful load. Deliveries are to begin in July 2000. There are deposits on 100 of the aircraft.
The FAA has commissioned Raytheon's multisector oceanic data link system at the Oakland, California, Oceanic Air Traffic Control Center. It was approved for aircraft operations in 18.7 million square miles of Pacific Ocean airspace. The system provides controller/pilot data link communications to suitably equipped aircraft. Communications are by VHF or satellite data links using digital text messages.
The airspace around Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, Texas, will become Class C airspace on May 2. Pilots must maintain two-way radio communications with air traffic control while in Class C airspace. The new airport has radar approach control. The new airspace will not appear on the San Antonio Sectional Aeronautical Chart before May 20 and will not be on the Houston Sectional before October 7. Additionally, Robert Mueller Municipal Airport will close in May. The Class C airspace will reach from the surface to 4,500 feet within five nautical miles of Austin-Bergstrom, and from 2,100 feet to 4,500 feet within 10 nm.
Here's a tip from Teledyne Continental Motors (TCM) for Beech Bonanza and Baron owners. Four common problems were routinely spotted by participating TCM technicians during American Bonanza Society maintenance clinics. Bryan Lewis, president of TCM, reported them in an article in the February issue of the American Bonanza Society Magazine. They are: 1) engine baffles and seals in need of repair; 2) improper alternate-air door rigging that allows the engine to breathe unfiltered air, exposing the engine to abrasive contaminants; 3) improper timing of the magnetos; and 4) throttle linkages that are improperly torqued, opening the possibility of control linkage wear. That might be a good checklist for pilots beginning their flying season.
Redesigned U-2 wins Collier Trophy
The Lockheed Martin U-2S/ER-2 high-altitude aircraft has received the National Aeronautic Association's Collier Trophy as the top aeronautical achievement in the United States in 1998. Lockheed Martin and its partners, General Electric Corporation, NASA, the U.S. Air Force Air Combat Command, and the Defense Intelligence Agency, were honored for designing, manufacturing, and operating the aircraft for data collection.
NAA President Don Koranda said that while the U-2 program has been around a long time, the new version has enhanced the aircraft's mission capabilities well into the twenty-first century. The U-2S/ER-2 is 40 percent larger than the original U-2A, twice as heavy, and able to carry four times the payload.
During 1998, the aircraft claimed four altitude and payload records for air-breathing aircraft. The former Soviet Union previously held three of the records. There are 37 of the aircraft in operation, and they flew 24,000 accident-free hours in 1998.
Eventide Argus moving map users can now display information from Ryan International's 9900B+ TCAD (traffic collision alert device). The interface depicts the intruder aircraft's relative bearing, altitude, and range from the TCAD-equipped aircraft. Argus' enhanced color or monochrome moving maps are ready to be interfaced. Older Argus units can be upgraded to the enhanced version in order to accept the TCAD interface. The Ryan 9900B+ TCAD lists for $14,990. For more information contact Ryan at 800/877-0048 or visit the Web site ( www.ryantcad.com); contact Eventide at 201/641-1200 or visit the Web site ( www.eventide.com).
