Don Engen, NASM director, dies in glider crash
Donald D. Engen, director of the National Air and Space Museum and president of the AOPA Air Safety Foundation from 1987 to 1992, died July 13 in a glider crash in Nevada.
The crash occurred five miles east of the Minden-Tahoe Airport. The Schempp-Hirth Nimbus glider owned by Bill Ivans, past president of the International Gliding Commission and the Soaring Society of America, apparently broke up while flying at 11,000 feet. Ivans, 79, was also killed in the crash. Both were AOPA members.
Engen headed the AOPA Air Safety Foundation from October 1987 through January 1991. He established the ASF safety database that forms the basis for much of the analysis done by ASF today. He also started the Joseph T. Nall safety report for general aviation in memory of a National Transportation Safety Board member who died in an aircraft accident in Caracas, Venezuela.
Prior to joining AOPA, Engen served as FAA administrator for nearly four years in the Reagan administration. He also served as general manager of Piper Aircraft in the late 1970s.
A World War II naval aviation hero and winner of the Distinguished Service Medal and Navy Cross, Engen reached the rank of vice admiral.
His main project at NASM had been to raise funds and guide planning for an annex to the museum at Dulles International Airport.
Aviation artist injured, wife killed in Cub crash
Renowned aviation artist Sam Lyons was injured and his wife, Vickie, killed in the crash of their 1947 Piper J-3 Cub returning home from the Sentimental Journey to Cub Heaven Fly-In in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. The Lyons' Cub was third in a flight of three aircraft which had stopped at a small private airfield in Dawson, Maryland, on June 26.
According to a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board, shortly after departure from that airport, the second and third airplanes crashed. Weather was reported as VFR with a temperature of at least 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
Later flown by Maryland medevac helicopter to the burn unit at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore, Lyons was reported to be in critical but stable condition.
Also seriously injured were the occupants of the other downed Cub, Thomas McKersie Lee and Anita Yvonne Winje, both of Atlanta. Lyons is based in the Kennesaw, Georgia, area northwest of Atlanta.
The Lyons' Studio Web site reported that Sam and Vickie took off third in the flight of three. As the first Cub turned onto a downwind departure for Cumberland, the second Cub crashed in trees north of the airport. The Lyons' Cub then crashed about one-half mile away from the first crash site. For updates, see the studio's Web site .
A 450-horsepower 1942 Boeing Stearman is being prepared for a trip around the world. Preparations for the flight, which will begin on June 1, 2000, have been under way since 1993. The pilot of this solo attempt is Robert Ragozzino of Norman, Oklahoma. Learn more about it on the Web ( www.stearmanworldflight.com).
Citation Special Olympics Airlift held
What was hailed by Cessna as the world's largest peacetime airlift took place on June 25 and July 5 when 272 Cessna Citation business jets delivered 2,000 athletes and coaches to and from the Special Olympics Summer World Games in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina, area. At times the Raleigh-Durham International Airport was collecting a Citation every minute, making the two days of the event the busiest in that airport's history.
The 1999 Citation Special Olympics Airlift was a volunteer effort by 260 individual and corporate owners of the participating Cessna business jets. "The airlift saves thousands of dollars for each of the state Special Olympics organizations participating," said Sargent Shriver, Special Olympics international chairman. "It is through the generosity of the of the airlift that money can be put to work for the improvement of programs, sports equipment, and transportation directly beneficial to the athletes."
About 1,500 volunteers were needed to organize the event. Cessna's recently named vice president of corporate communications, Marilyn Richwine, organized this year's and all previous airlifts.
PARIS AIR SHOW
Socata redesigns TB line of single-engine piston aircraft
Socata announced several design changes that will appear in all models in its TB line of single-engine piston aircraft. Beginning next year, all new TB9s, TB10s, TB200s, TB20s, and TB21s will be fitted with larger flush-mounted windows, a new aft ventral strake, and new, upswept wing tips.Dubbed the "NG" line (for Next Generation), these airplanes will also have greater headroom, larger cargo doors, and rear-seat headrests. The canopies will be made of a composite design and the retractable-gear models will have retracting steps. Moreover, aircraft in the NG line can be equipped with the new Morane-Renault jet-fuel-burning engines when they become certified. Certification of the first of these engines - the 200-hp MS 200 - is due to occur in 2000. - Thomas A. Horne
Sukhoi Su-30 crashes at Le Bourget
Two crewmembers aboard a prototype of the Sukhoi Su-30 - Russia's latest, heavily touted fighter - safely ejected before crashing at the Paris Air Show.
The Su-30 had just completed a falling-leaf and other high-angle-of-attack demonstrations, and was in a dive intended to restore its airspeed. At the bottom of the maneuver, what should have been the bottom portion of a loop turned into something quite different. It appeared as though the pilot, Viacheslav Averianov, waited too long to begin pulling out of his dive. The airplane pancaked on the airport grounds, then Averianov applied power in an attempt to gain altitude.
Trailing flames from the left engine, the airplane went nearly vertical and reached an altitude of some 150 feet. At this point, Averianov and his navigator ejected. The airplane crashed and burned well away from Le Bourget's runway and the airshow chalets and displays.
Initial reports indicate that there were no mechanical problems. This was the second crash of a Sukhoi airplane at the Paris Air Show. In 1989 a Sukhoi Su-27 crashed at Le Bourget. Russian officials said that the crash of the Su-30 would not jeopardize the fledgling program. - TAH
Socata is offering a new freight version of its TBM 700. It is a stripped-down version of the standard, large-cabin-door TBM now being sold, although it can be converted to a six-to-seven-place VIP configuration in 30 minutes. A lease agreement with the French airline Air Open Sky will be used to validate the freighter concept. The first freight version will go into service with Air Open Sky in November. - TAH
Executive Jet orders 100 Raytheon Hawker Horizon jets
Executive Jet, Inc., the pioneer of and largest player in the fractional-ownership business, will buy 100 new Raytheon Hawker Horizons. The sale involves firm orders for 50 Horizons, and options for 50 more. The deal, which includes service and support, represents $2 billion of income for Raytheon. The contract is the largest business jet fleet transaction in Raytheon Aircraft's history. Deliveries will begin in 2002.
NetJets, the fractional ownership arm of Executive Jet, has ordered 587 new aircraft in the past three-and-one-half years, and has another 461 business jets on order. "I see no end to the growth in our business," said Richard Santulli, Executive Jets' chairman and CEO. "The only thing that's holding us back is the time it takes us to train new employees."
Meanwhile, Santulli said, the NetJets program is expanding in Europe. More than $700 million in new airplanes will be added to the NetJets' European program. "We see the same growth prospects in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America as we do in the United States," Santulli said. "And we plan to be the first into those markets." - TAH
Bombardier launches new Continental model
It's official. Bombardier's new Continental - a $24.5 million, super-midsize corporate jet - will go into production with a target first-flight date of mid-2001. The airplane should enter service in 2002, said Robert Brown, president and chief executive officer of Bombardier Aerospace. The Continental will fill the niche between Bombardier's Learjet 60 and Challenger 604. Maximum range with eight passengers is to be 3,100 nm, at a cruise speed of Mach 0.82. To date, some 75 letters of intent have been received for the Continental, all of which the company believes will be converted into firm orders. An additional 25 Continentals will serve in Bombardier's Flexjet fractional ownership program. - TAH
Flight Options Inc., a Cleveland company formed last year to bring used jets to the fractional ownership market, will buy 25 Fairchild Aerospace Envoy 7 business jets in a deal valued at more than $760 million. The Envoy 7 is developed from the same airframe as the Fairchild Aerospace 728JET, the first in a family of advanced airliners in the under-100 seat class. The Envoy 7 will be the largest aircraft in Flight Options' fleet of 50 aircraft.
St. Augustine aviation pioneer dies at 49
Jim Moser, operator of Aero Sport at the St. Augustine, Florida, airport, died of cancer on June 26 at age 49. The St. Augustine City Commission has passed a resolution supporting the renaming of the airport; the name currently under discussion is St. Augustine Moser Field.
The airshow pilot and aircraft dealer was the son of Ernie Moser, an Air Force pilot, barnstormer, and airshow performer who bought the failing St. Augustine FBO in 1966. The younger Moser had a passion for aviation, and demonstrated his close-formation flying skills on the pages of AOPA Pilot many times (see the January 1997 cover and the November 1996 contents page).
As a teenager, the younger Moser taught himself aerobatics and has boosted the sport ever since. While serving as a Bellanca Decathlon dealer, the Mosers made significant contributions to the modification of that aircraft's design. Moser did the same for the German-built Extra 200 and 300 series, and contributed as well to the design of the upcoming Extra 400 six-passenger aircraft expected to appear in the United States next year. Moser recently rebuilt his FBO, adding an airport restaurant to the redesigned building.
For more information visit the Web ( www.aerosport.com/whatnew/whatnew.html), or ( www.staugustine.com). Or see AOPA Online ( www.aopa.org/members/files/pilot/1997/xtra9701.html).
FAA selects UPS Aviation Technologies for Capstone program
The FAA Alaskan Region has selected UPS Aviation Technologies (formerly II Morrow) to demonstrate avionics and datalinks for the Capstone program, a government-sponsored test of advanced flight technology.
Pilots flying aircraft equipped under the Capstone program will have the capability to see graphical depictions of other traffic, terrain obstructions, weather, and special-use airspace. Each aircraft will broadcast position information that can be received and displayed by other Capstone-equipped aircraft, and by air traffic controllers.
Following a successful demonstration of the technology this summer, the FAA could award a contract to provide avionics for as many as 200 commercial aircraft participating in Capstone. UPS Aviation Technologies will supply the FAA with an avionics suite that includes the Apollo GX 50 GPS with moving map, the MX 20 multifunction cockpit display, and a datalink radio. The MX 20 features a six-inch full-color flat-panel display. AOPA hopes to equip its two piston-engine aircraft with the systems late this year for testing in the eastern United States.
In addition to the Capstone program, UPS Aviation Technologies is providing datalinks and cockpit displays to the FAA and Cargo Airline Association under the FAA Safe Flight 21 program. Under that initiative, 12 cargo jets operated by Airborne Express, Federal Express, and UPS are testing datalink procedures with aircraft that transit hubs throughout the Ohio Valley.
Roy Redman, owner of Rare Aircraft in Faribault, Minnesota, says that he spreads the gospel of antique airplanes whenever and wherever he can. Actually, the Waco biplanes that he restores speak louder than words. They are, in a word, exquisite. He exhibited a Waco JTO Taperwing recently at the AOPA Fly-In in Frederick, Maryland, where visitors insisted that the aircraft was new. They were not easily deterred from their opinion, because the airplane appeared to have just come from the original Waco factory. For information, telephone 507/334-5756, or write to Rare Aircraft, 3401 Highway 21 West, Municipal Airport, Faribault, Minnesota 55021.
Flightline Group, based in Tallahassee, Florida, has become The New Piper dealer for Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida's western panhandle. Flightline can be reached at 850/574-4444, or visit the Web ( www.fltline.com).
Airplane Manufacturing and Development Company will locate a new facility in Eastman, Georgia, and manufacture the Zenith CH2000 trainer, according to AMD President Mathieu Heintz. The two-place aircraft has a base price of $70,000.
The Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation's Boeing C-54 Skymaster, a veteran of the 1948 to 1949 Berlin Airlift, was the centerpiece of a fiftieth anniversary commemoration at Washington Dulles International Airport on May 12. Also on hand were a variety of military transports and a Boeing 747 freighter. A C-54 could carry 10 tons of cargo, compared to a Douglas C-47/DC-3's three tons; in contrast, a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III - like the one at the left in the photo - has a payload of 85 tons.
Primary target tracking sought
Last year, two midair collisions occurred when aircraft receiving radar advisories collided with aircraft that appeared only as primary targets on controllers' radar screens. Unless radar returns are enhanced, aircraft not broadcasting a transponder signal are often undetected by air traffic controllers.
The National Transportation Safety Board has suggested that the software in the nation's air traffic radar system be modified to recognize and tag primary targets that have characteristics consistent with those of aircraft in flight. The two accidents cited by NTSB involved a Cessna CitationJet and a Cessna 172 over Marietta, Georgia, in April 1998, and a Beech Bonanza that collided with a National Guard helicopter near Morgan Hill, California, in February 1998. AOPA has long supported the idea of continuing to operate radar systems that can track primary targets.
Superior Air Parts, of Dallas, is developing a new CD-ROM-based program that will allow users to access information and order parts through the company's Web site ( www.superair.com). Rapid information and Internet ordering (RIO) will allow customers from all over the world to find a part from a database, check the cost, locate the nearest distributor, and order the part through that distributor from the Web site. If the user does not have access to the Internet, order forms are provided on the CD-ROM. Superior expects to release the product before the end of the year. For more information, see the Web site or call Superior at 972/233-4433.
NTSB releases Cirrus SR20 crash information
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has found evidence of an aileron-control problem so far in the investigation of the March 23 accident involving an experimental Cirrus SR20 that crashed near the Duluth (Minnesota) International Airport.
The NTSB led the investigation team, which included personnel from Cirrus Design and the FAA. "Cirrus applauds both the NTSB and the FAA for their cooperation and expediency in the investigation," said Alan Klapmeier, president of Cirrus Design. The company has completed extensive retesting and analysis of the control system, both of which exceed FAA requirements and substantiate the safety of the design.
The NTSB has issued a press release. It can be found on the Web ( www.ntsb.gov/Pressrel/pressrel.htm). The following is an excerpt from the press release:
"Examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of a fire or in-flight structural failure. Also, no pre-impact failures or malfunctions with the engine, propeller, or systems were found, except for the flight control system of the roll axis. Examination of the wing and aileron structure revealed scratch and rub marks on the upper surface of the right wing skin near the mating area of the right aileron. Corresponding marks were found on the leading edge of the right aileron. Static testing on other Cirrus SR20 prototypes revealed that it is possible for the leading edge of the right aileron to become jammed against the wing when the aileron is deflected downward and the wing is flexed upward to its maximum design limit. The gap tolerances between the aileron and wing are critical factors in determining the potential for jamming."
From what Cirrus has learned in the investigation and to ensure that this type of control interference cannot occur again, the following changes have been made to the SR20: aileron leading edges have been closed, eliminating potential interference with wing trailing edge; clearance between aileron and wing trailing edge has been expanded; elevator leading edges have been closed, eliminating potential interference with horizontal trailing edge; clearance between elevator and horizontal trailing edge has been expanded; wing aileron coves were attached differently to prevent the possibility of aileron leading edge interference; aileron actuation pulley control stops have been modified.
Testing of the above modifications has been an important part of the company's flight test schedule for the past six weeks. Those tests were conducted on two SR20 aircraft. Cirrus says that it is confident that the above changes address all issues associated with the accident and clear the way for delivering SR20s to customers.
Delivery of the first customer aircraft, which made its first flight June 7, awaits FAA issuance of an airworthiness certificate. Prior to that, Cirrus will have to implement the above modifications and the FAA will have to complete the required documentation associated with those modifications.
Used market holding fast
According to Vref Editor Fletcher Aldredge, the used-market prices for the second quarter held steady, despite "speculation of doom, along with rising availability."
Aldredge described the single-engine arena as "the least exciting, but by far the most reliable end of the market." Most singles continued to appreciate. Low-time airplanes in good condition sell well, while the high-time, run-out airplanes are hard to move. Mooneys, Beech Bonanzas, Cessna Cardinals and 210s, and Piper singles remained strong.
Cabin-class twin airplanes remain in demand. Cessna's 340 and 400-series airplanes appreciated significantly, as did the Piper Navajo series. The bargain of the cabin-class segment is the Beech Duke. Aldredge said, "In nothing else can you go this fast, this cheap, and look so good."
Aldredge said prices are increasingly dependent on restoration quality. Airplanes with engines from big-name or specialty overhaulers command a premium since they often have upgrades and extended warranties.
Turboprop Otter flies toward STC
Texas Turbine Conversions of Decatur, Texas, has flown a de Havilland Otter powered by an AlliedSignal (Garrett) TPE 331-10 turboprop in place of the airplane's stock 600-horsepower Pratt & Whitney R-1340 radial.
Initial flight testing of Texas Turbine's Super Turbine Otter shows that the conversion, which is flat-rated to 900 shp, climbed at 1,600 feet per minute at the airplane's 8,000-pound max gross weight. The lighter weight of the engine allows for a 400-pound increase in useful load. A four-blade, full-feathering, reversible Hartzell propeller will allow the Otter to stop in shorter distances compared to those of the stock airplane.
Texas Turbine touts the reliability of the turbine engine over the radial and the fact that the Garrett's TBO is 5,400 hours, compared to the radial's 1,200 hours. Cost of the conversion (not including the engine) is $175,000 when installed at Texas Turbine. For more information, call 940/627-7901 or e-mail [email protected].
Refinements made to VisonAire
VantageVisionAire Corporation says that it is making several modifications to the Vantage single-engine business jet based on a technical review that began earlier this year. The changes affect the engine, fuselage, wing, empennage, avionics, landing gear, and performance. The engine will be upgraded from the Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-5 to the JT15D-5D, which produces an additional 150 pounds of thrust. The engine has been moved 20 inches aft to reduce the inlet duct curvature, decrease the ice impingement area, and gain room for baggage storage.
The fuselage has been changed from a multisplice frame/longeron design to a monocoque-unitized structure, reducing weight. The wing's forward sweep has been reduced from 10.1 degrees to 6 degrees to improve control and stall behavior. The wing has been moved aft for compatibility with center-of-gravity travel. The vertical tail has been increased in size, while the horizontal tail is to be moved aft for enhanced spin recovery, better handling, and an increase in maximum trimmed downforce. The avionics will be upgraded with new technology to save weight. Color multifunction displays will be added. The landing gear will have a wider track, using wing-mounted trailing-link main landing gear. This will make the Vantage safer on the runway. The wing has been lowered six inches.
The Vantage should now be able to carry a 1,037-pound payload 900 nautical miles at 350 knots. That range can be extended to 1,000 nm through speed and altitude management. VisionAire expects certification at the end of 2001, and requires an additional $140 million to $150 million to bring the Vantage program to production. The price of the aircraft is expected to be $2.195 million.
AOPA members in the news
Austin Cole, AOPA 331460, has acquired the designs for the Bakeng Deuce and Double Duece homebuilt aircraft. He plans to continue to offer plans and will soon sell quick-build kits. For information, contact Austin Cole, Bakeng Deuce Airplane Factory, 1515 Judson Avenue, Evanston, Illinois 60201; telephone 847/866-8544.
Lyle Shelton, AOPA 1136840, a retired Navy and TWA pilot, has been inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. He joins such inductees as Jimmy Doolittle. Shelton has set several world records in his 449-knot Grumman F8F Bearcat Rare Bear. The aircraft has been grounded for two years for modifications and will fly in the 1999 Reno Air Races.
David B. Thurston, AOPA 061008, has formed Aeromarine Aircraft to complete the FAA certification of the four-place TA16 Seafire amphibian. A second prototype is under construction. Much of the construction is taking place at Seagull Aviation Parts in Clintonville, Wisconsin, while final assembly will occur at Turbine Design in DeLand, Florida. Certification is expected to be complete in 18 months. Several homebuilt TA16s are now flying.
Ira B. Harkey, AOPA 235348, wrote Noel Wien: Alaska Pioneer Bush Pilot, which has been republished by the University of Alaska Press. He also wrote " Is There Life After Grounding?" (May Pilot).
Stephen Coonts, AOPA 1056593, best-selling author and a regular contributor to AOPA Pilot, has completed a new novel, Cuba, set to be published in August by St. Martin's Press. It will be available for $24.95 at bookstores everywhere. Visit his Web site ( www.coonts.com). Also, see Coonts' " Flying Straight Up," beginning on p. 66 of this issue.
Nelson J. Brandt, AOPA 1220000, of St. Petersburg, Florida, has been named Outstanding Pilot Graduate in the Naval Air Training Command for 1998. Brandt flies an HH60J Jayhawk helicopter and is based in Clearwater, Florida.
Aviation pioneer Crocker Snow dies at 94
Aviation pioneer Crocker Snow, who served as director of the Massachusetts Aeronautic Commission under 11 governors before retiring in 1976, has died at his home in Ipswich, Massachusetts. He was 94, and flew his last solo flight in his North American Navion in 1998.
His contributions to aviation eclipsed his role as a state aviation director. He headed the Aviation Advisory Commission under President Richard M. Nixon. When Nixon became bogged down in the Watergate scandal and shelved the commission's report, Snow fought for the group's recommendations in the public media. One of the successful results was a cockpit system known as TCAS, which Snow said meant Traffic Control and Separation. It shows to the pilot the position and motion of conflicting traffic. It is an important component of future plans for direct high-altitude point-to-point flights, called "free flight."
Snow soloed on October 29, 1926, and earned a sport-flying license that was signed by Orville Wright. He founded Skyways Aviation at Boston's Logan International Airport, where Amelia Earhart was one of his students.
During World War II he set up ferry routes to England and the Pacific. Snow also led a Boeing B-29 strike against Tokyo in 1944.
His life is chronicled in his book, Log Book, published in 1997 (see " Pilot Briefing," October 1997 Pilot).
Australian Eagle 150 certified in United States
Eagle Aircraft North America Inc. of Orlando, Florida, is importing the Eagle 150, an all-composite, two-seat Australian trainer powered by a 125-horsepower Continental IO-240.
The Eagle 150, which features forward and main wing surfaces plus a conventional tail, was recently certified by the FAA under JAR-VLA rules, a bilateral agreement in which most of the approval process was conducted by Australia's Civil Aviation Authority.
Eagles will be shipped in crates from the Perth, Western Australia, factory and will be reassembled in Florida. The company has five orders for the 120-knot airplane. Thirty airplanes have been delivered in Australia.
The basic price is $105,000. An IFR-equipped version with AlliedSignal Bendix/King avionics will list for $125,000. For more information, contact Eagle Air at 407/894-5336, or visit the Web site ( www.eagleairusa.com).
The long-vacant original Houston Airport Terminal, built in 1940 on what is today called Hobby Airport, will be restored as a civil aviation museum. The project was spurred by AOPA member Drew Coats, AOPA 1178312, a founder of the Houston Aeronautical Heritage Society, along with other aviation and history enthusiasts. The terminal will showcase the role of civil aviation in Houston since the dawn of manned flight.
Air BP International has moved its headquarters from Houston to Warrenville, Illinois. The move resulted from BP's merger with Amoco last year. The company will continue to market aviation fuel under the Air BP name.
June Maule, of Maule Air, located in Moultrie, Georgia, and wife of its late founder B. D. Maule, was recently inducted into the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame and The Women in Aviation International Hall of Fame.
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