Pilot Briefing

July 5, 1999

THE AIRCRAFT ELECTRONICS ASSOCIATION CONVENTION

New avionics announced

New cockpit displays got most of the attention at the Aircraft Electronics Association convention that took place recently in Atlanta. Virtually every large avionics manufacturer introduced at least one new display. Among the new products were the following:

Avidyne Corporation gave additional capability to its Flight Situation Display with the introduction of Avidyne Traffic. The function takes data from the Ryan TCAD 9900B+ or a TCAS I traffic alert and collision avoidance system and displays it on the Avidyne moving map. In the case of the TCAD, no other display need be present in the cockpit. The company also introduced a number of new radar-display interfaces. Avidyne Radar allows weather radar data from various radar systems to be depicted on the Avidyne display.

Garmin International, which has taken the avionics industry by storm with its GNS 430 moving map GPS with VHF nav/com, introduced three new products at the AEA show. The new GNC 420 GPS/com looks much like the GNS 430, and the interface is the same, except that the 420 does not have built-in VHF nav receivers. The GPS 400 also is similar in design, but it is strictly a GPS/moving map, with neither the com nor the VHF nav features. Both products will be available in the fourth quarter of this year. Prices will be announced in the third quarter. The third new Garmin product is the GTX 327 solid-state transponder. In addition to the usual transponder features, the GTX 327, which features a digital display, includes such niceties as an altitude alerter and display of pressure altitude. The new transponder will be priced at less than $2,000 when it debuts early next year. Meanwhile, work continues on the GNS 530, which is similar in design to the 430 but features a larger color display. Dual 530s will be standard on the Piper Meridian when it is certified in mid-2000. The 530 will be available in the second quarter of 2000 and will come standard with interfaces for lightning detection and collision avoidance systems.

The dearth of product introductions by avionics giant AlliedSignal appears to be over. While the company quietly introduced the Bendix/King KLN 94 panel-mount GPS with color moving map earlier this year, it was still news to most avionics dealers at the AEA show. The 94, which won't be available until early next year, is a slide-in replacement for the monochrome KLN 89B. Besides the color LCD, on its moving map the 94 also features cartographic information such as rivers, highways, and railroads. The 94 is projected to list for $5,195. Another new AlliedSignal product is the KMD 150 multifunction display. The five-inch color screen is similar in design to the AlliedSignal Skyforce handheld moving map/GPS (see " Pilot Products," p. 135) except that the 150 is a panel-mount unit. As when using the Skyforce, pilots interact with the 150 by using a series of soft keys along the right side of the display and employing a small joystick. The system can display a variety of map types, including cartographic information. The unit can also be interfaced with a WX-500 Stormscope to display lightning information. With a built-in GPS receiver, the 150 lists for $4,795. Those who already have a GPS receiver can purchase the display without the sensor for $3,995. The system should be available in August. — Thomas B. Haines

UPS Aviation Technologies, formerly II Morrow Corporation (see p. 32), introduced the Apollo SL15 audio panel. The new product is the UPS-branded version of the PS Engineering PMA7000 stereo audio panel.In its quest to ensure that pilots have critical GPS data right in front of them, Icarus Instruments introduced the NavAlert II at AEA. The unit interfaces with most any panel-mount GPS and takes virtually no panel space. The display, 3.5 inches wide by 0.64 inches high, attaches to the top edge or bottom edge of an attitude indicator or HSI. Three wires connect it to a small remote-mounted processor. With the unit the pilot can select to display, at any one time, two of seven GPS parameters, such as time to waypoint, distance, groundspeed, track, waypoint ID, track error, or CDI with track error. In addition, the small unit has an altitude alerter built in. All functions are controlled by a single knob mounted on the panel. The price is $1,495.

For more information on NavAlert II, contact Icarus at 301/891-0600, or visit the Web site ( www.icarusinstruments.com).

II Morrow Corporation becomes UPS Aviation Technologies

II Morrow Corporation, the manufacturer of the Apollo line of avionics, is changing its name to UPS Aviation Technologies. II Morrow has been a subsidiary of United Parcel Service since 1986. UPS acquired II Morrow to help it develop a system for tracking the thousands of familiar brown trucks that deliver packages door to door throughout the world. The name change signifies a new financial and management commitment to the subsidiary. "We now have the resources needed to bring new avionics to the market and compete with the largest avionics companies," said Sam Seery, director of sales and marketing.

In April, II Morrow announced a complete avionics stack that includes a new large multifunction display, VHF navcom, and transponder — in addition to the audio panel, GPSs, and coms that the company has offered for a number of years. While the II Morrow name will be phased out, the avionics will continue to carry the Apollo badge. — TBH

Garmin, AirCell bring Buck Rogers back to the future

With all of the GPS receivers in airplanes these days, it seems that no pilot has an excuse for getting lost. But now, if you do somehow manage to get lost, you can at least phone home, thanks to a new alliance between Garmin International and AirCell. At the AEA convention, the two companies announced a new joint product called NavTalk Pilot. The handheld GPS/moving map/cellular telephone is an outgrowth of an existing Garmin product called NavTalk. It is a handheld moving-map GPS with a built-in cell phone designed for ground-bound users. It has been available for about 18 months and sells for about $300 to $400 at consumer electronic stores.

The NavTalk Pilot integrates with AirCell's network of cellular sites designed for use from aircraft. It is illegal to use a conventional cell phone from an aircraft in flight. On the ground, pilots can use the NavTalk Pilot as a conventional cell phone and/or moving-map GPS for hiking or boating (it's even waterproof).

If the person you are calling is also using a NavTalk or NavTalk Pilot, he or she can push a button on the phone and his or her position anywhere in the world shows up as a waypoint on your moving map. Hold one button down and you can be connected to Protection One, a Dallas firm that, via the GPS position sent over the cell network, will know where you are and who you are. Protection One can then send help if you are stranded, or give you directions around a traffic jam on the highway. When you get into the airplane, snap the unit into a cradle attached to the yoke or anywhere else and it becomes not only a GPS navigator but also an in-flight telephone for placing or receiving calls. When connected to the cockpit mount, the unit interfaces with any audio panel that provides a third com or telephone setting. And, with duplex capability in the audio panel, the pilot can talk on the telephone through the headset and microphone.

On the GPS side, the navigator has all of the features and map functionality of Garmin's slick GPS III Pilot, including cartographic map data, in addition to the usual Jeppesen nav data. Besides the ability to make or receive telephone calls in flight via the AirCell network, the unit also comes in handy if you have a com failure. Hold down a button and it instantly links you to the supervisor's desk at the nearest air-route traffic control center. You can explain why you haven't been answering the controllers' calls.

Whether you are in the air or on the ground, you can use a CD-ROM from Garmin to update the map data. For use when driving, additional road detail for several cities at once can be downloaded to the unit. If you are into boating, you can put in detailed data about lakes and bays that includes the locations of individual docks and buoys.

Finally, the NavTalk and NavTalk Pilot also can act as numeric pagers. List price when the NavTalk Pilot becomes available early next year will be less than $3,000, according to Garmin. That price includes the yoke mount, audio panel interface, and external antenna. — TBH

Those buying cellular telephone equipment for their aircraft now have the choice of a new system from AirCell. The AT.01 system is an airborne-only cellular transceiver. AirCell also has systems designed to be used both in the air and when the aircraft is on the ground. The AT.01 will sell for $3,995. Access to the AirCell system of cellular telephone sites for aircraft costs $39.95 per month and $1.75 per minute of usage. The per-minute charge includes all long-distance and roaming charges. — TBH

NAT offers new audio panel, plans intercom products

Northern Airborne Technology (NAT) has introduced a new audio panel with loads of features. Among the features of the AMS50 are inputs for three coms, duplex capability for in-flight telephones, split-com capability to allow two pilots to transmit on separate radios at the same time, and stereo music inputs with adjustable muting. It should be available this fall for $1,995.

Meanwhile, NAT plans to reintroduce the intercom products formerly produced by QuietFlite. NAT purchasedQuietFlite last fall and intends to offer improved versions of the intercoms later this year. — TBH

AlliedSignal offers ground proximity system

AlliedSignal will develop a new, low-cost enhanced ground proximity warning System (EGPWS) for general aviation aircraft. The yet-to-be-named unit will depict hazardous terrain and provide "too low," "sink rate," "pull up," "don't sink" and other voice commands. Inputs from a GPS receiver, encoding altimeter, and outside temperature will feed the unit's computer, which will assess the necessary geographic database.

With a 1.5-pound computer the size of a paperback novel, the EGPWS won't come with a display, although the box will work with other compatible displays. A dedicated display based on a future Skyforce product will soon be offered.

Typically EGPWS prices trend toward six figures. The new AlliedSignal system will be available in early 2000 for about $7,000 to $8,000 with an optional GPS sensor. — Thomas A. Horne

Meggitt Avionics, which is providing the navigation displays and engine-control systems and displays for the Piper Malibu Meridian, has rolled out its own complete cockpit system for general aviation. Traditionally, Meggitt has provided backup electronic displays and engine sensors for business jets and the airlines. Now it plans to offer similar products to general aviation that are designed to be used as primary instruments rather than as backups.

Basically, Meggitt's new Magic panel is a low-cost electronic flight instrumentation system (EFIS) for general aviation. Magic includes primary navigation displays, engine displays and sensors, and a solid-state attitude and heading sensing system. At this point, the market for the system will be new airframe designs. However, parts of the system may be retrofittable to existing aircraft.l The FAAhas withdrawn a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that would have required the installation of inspection holes in the top and bottom wing surfaces of American Champion Aircraft (Bellanca) 7, 8, and 11-series aircraft. In its place the FAAreleased NPRM 98-CE-121, which adopts recommendations from the Citabria Owners Group to allow for inspections using a high-intensity flexible light per American Champion Service Letter 406. Copies of the service information are available from American Champion on the Web ( www.amerchampionaircraft.com).

Cessna 402Cs with more than 10,000 hours' time in service are targeted in an emergency airworthiness directive that will require inspecting the forward, aft, and auxiliary wing spars for cracks following an accident in which a 402C's right wing separated in flight. Compliance will be in accordance with Cessna service bulletin MEB99-3, which calls for an initial external inspection followed by an internal inspection.Iniziative Industriali Italiane of Rome, Italy, delivered the first Sky Arrow 650 ERA (environmental research aircraft) to San Diego State University. The ERA is basically a standard FAA-certified Sky Arrow equipped with sensors and other air analyzers developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Sky Arrow 650 is powered by an 80-horsepower Rotax engine that provides a maximum cruise speed of 105 kt. Stall speed is 35 kt. A turbocharged, retractable-gear Sky Arrow 750 is also in the works. For more information, call 06/854-63-41, or visit the Web site ( www.skyarrow.com).

FAA restricts T-34 ops after wing failure

Following the inflight airframe failure of a Beech Model 45 (T-34A) in April, the FAA issued Priority Letter Airworthiness Directive 99-12-02, which places a 152-knot speed limit and a flight load limit of 2.5 Gs on the airplanes. Aerobatic maneuvers are also prohibited per the temporary restrictions that will be in place until the FAA and Raytheon agree on a fix.

Two pilots were killed when one of three T-34s owned by Sky Warriors, of Atlanta, suffered an in-flight failure of the right wing. The airplane entered a rapid spin to the right and crashed. Examination of the accident airplane revealed evidence of fatigue cracking at the location of the fracture on the T-34's aft wing spar. The airplane, which was originally delivered to the Air Force in 1954 or 1955, reportedly had a total of 8,200 flight hours, 4,000 of which were with Sky Warriors.

Sky Warrior pilots were not supposed to exceed a company-imposed limit of four positive Gs, despite the airplane's 6-G limitation. In a videotape of the flight, however, the pilot is heard telling the pilot-passenger that they had just performed a 4.5- to 5-G turn. Another of Sky Warriors' airplanes reportedly exceeded 12 Gs during one mission.

In its recommendation to the FAA prior to the release of the AD, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said that it "has found no other examples of possible wing structure fatigue cracking in the long history of the T-34." However, the NTSB believes that air combat flights, with their higher number of wing-loading events per hour, caused the fatigue cracking that led to the failure of the accident airplane's wing. The NTSB recommended grounding all T-34s that had been or currently were in use for air-combat simulation flights. The NTSB also called for recurrent inspections of the wings and other critical structures on the T-34.

Raytheon went one further and recommended, in a May 19 Safety Communiqué to T-34 owners that all YT-34, T-34A, and T-34B airplanes be voluntarily grounded until a final determination of the action required is made by the FAA. The Raytheon letter also made mention of another T-34 that crashed in Venezuela as a result of an in-flight wing failure during aerobatic maneuvers. AOPA, which had recommended that the FAA place temporary limitations on the airplanes, applauded the FAA's decision to allow the airplanes to continue flight during the busy flying season.

A Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 engine has been installed in the first of three flying prototype Malibu Meridian aircraft built by The New Piper Aircraft (left). All three will be used for FAA certification testing. The first, shown here, will be delivered to the flight test program in early July. A new wing has been designed for the Meridian to help achieve the guaranteed speed of 262 knots, the gross weight of 4,850 pounds, and a fuel capacity of 170 gallons. New tooling was created for the 42-foot wing. New Piper has more than 100 orders for the Meridian. The company says that it is on schedule for a mid-2000 certification. Engine Components Inc. (ECI) of San Antonio, Texas, is attempting to keep radial-powered airplanes flying, with the introduction of new replacement cylinders for Pratt & Whitney R-1340-series radial engines. ECI says that it has addressed problem areas of original R-1340 cylinders by incorporating the "heavy head" and eliminating the skirt relief to increase durability. For more information, contact ECI at 800/324-2359 or 210/820-8101.

The second annual Mooney Caravan to Oshkosh will form on July 25 at Madison, Wisconsin. Up to 100 aircraft are expected. They will fly in loose formation in groups of six. For information, telephone 360/683-8058. Kit aircraft manufacturer Rans, located in Hays, Kansas, has begun flight testing of the S-12S Super Airaile. Design modifications include replacing presewn Dacron skins with dope and fabric, reducing the frontal area, and lowering the thrust line. Rans claims that cruise has increased 10 mph, with better climb rates and a higher service ceiling. The $27,500 kit, which includes the 80-horsepower Rotax 912 engine, can be completed in 200 hours. For information, telephone 785/625-6346.

Medical, piloting assistance sought

The Remote Area Medical Volunteer Corps, a charitable organization created in 1985 to provide free health care to needy individuals in remote and rural areas of the United States and other countries, is planning a four-day expedition into the Appalachian Mountains-and it's looking to the general aviation community for assistance.

"We're looking for volunteer dentists and eye specialists — ophthalmologists, optometrists, and opticians — and some physicians," said Stan Brock, the organization's founder. "If there are pilots who can bring some of these people [to the Johnson County Airport in Mountain City, Tennessee], we would appreciate their help as well." Brock is perhaps better known for his role in Wild Kingdom, the television show that he cohosted in the 1960s.

Remote Area Medical operates a Douglas DC-3 and a Cessna 206, but unlike most other airborne medical assistance organizations, provides 60 percent of its services within U.S. borders. Some 120,000 people have been treated during the 167 medical expeditions conducted so far. During May, more than 600 patients were treated during two days in rural Georgia.

For more information or to become involved, call Remote Area Medical's headquarters at 423/579-1530 or visit the organization's Web site ( www.ramusa.org). — Michael P. Collins

Air Tractor, located in Olney, Texas, has delivered three AT-802F aircraft to Conair Aviation of British Columbia. Conair now operates five of the firefighting aircraft. The tandem two-seat aircraft holds 820 gallons of fire-retardant chemicals or suppressant foam. l The FAA is expected to issue an emergency airworthiness directive affecting approximately 20,000 Cessna airplanes that may have improperly manufactured fuel selector valves. Cessna 170 (through the B model), 172 (through M model), 175, and 177 (through B model) airplanes are affected by the AD, which will require a logbook search to determine whether the faulty fuel selectors were installed between January 1998 and May 1999.

The National Transportation Safety Board sent a safety recommendation to the FAA regarding Cessna 172RG and 182RG airplanes following an August 30, 1998, accident in which a 172RG landed at Daytona Beach International Airport with a partially extended left main landing gear. An examination of the airplane revealed a cracked and slightly deformed actuator body on the left main gear. The fatigue crack caused the body to spread open and jam the actuator, which locked the gear in an intermediate position. The NTSB believes that there is a high probability that additional Cessna 172RG and 182RG airplanes will experience the same failure and is recommending that Cessna develop an inspection process for identifying cracks in the gear-actuator housings of those aircraft. The recommendation also calls upon the FAA to issue an airworthiness directive dealing with the matter.l Maule Air has a 205-horsepower Franklin-powered MX-7 taildragger nearing the end of the company production line. The Franklin engine, which was the favorite of B.D. Maule, founder of the Moultrie, Georgia-based company, is now produced by PZL of Poland. Company officials say that the Franklin is known for its smooth operation and $10,000 lower cost, compared to engines of similar power and size from Lycoming. For more information, call 912/985-9628.

General Dynamics buys Gulfstream

Tank and submarine manufacturer General Dynamics, which sold the Cessna Aircraft Company in 1992, has purchased Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation for $5.3 billion. The deal is expected to be completed late this year.

"This transaction will be immediately — and handsomely — accretive to earnings and cash flow, and a fine addition to General Dynamics," said Nicholas D. Chabraja, General Dynamics chairman and chief executive officer. Bloomberg, the financial news company, reported that the sale is a windfall for Forstmann Little & Company, the leveraged-buyout firm run by Gulfstream Chairman Theodore Forstmann. Forstmann's company bought Gulfstream from Chrysler Corporation in 1990 for $850 million. Forstmann will remain as chairman, while W.W. Boisture Jr. retains the titles of president and chief operating officer.

ERAU-Prescott takes prize at NIFA

Safecon '99 The National Intercollegiate Flying Association's fifty-first annual Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference (Safecon) was hosted by Kansas State University this year, as 29 college and university flight teams descended upon Salina, Kansas, to compete in the week-long event.

Flight teams and individual students competed for more than 30 awards, including power-off landings, IFR proficiency, cockpit resource management, and preflight inspection. This year's national champion trophy was awarded to the Golden Eagles of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Prescott, Arizona, campus. The team won the national title in 1997 and placed second last year.

The runners-up were the University of North Dakota, Western Michigan and Southern Illinois; Ohio State University and Embry-Riddle's Daytona Beach, Florida, campus tied for fifth place. First place for the Top Pilot Trophy was awarded to Logan Fifer, AOPA 1375745, representing Southern Illinois; second place to John Marchildon, AOPA 1107738, representing Ohio State University; and third place to Julie Savage of Southern Illinois.

The American Airlines Safety Award, presented to the team demonstrating the best in safety practices and procedures, was presented to Delta State University located in Cleveland, Mississippi. Scott Van Ooyen of Ohio State University was named Coach of the Year. Currently there are 65 NIFA member schools that compete on a regional level for an invitation to the annual Safecon.

For information on NIFA, call 601/846-4208 or visit the Web site ( www.deltast.edu/academics/bus/nifa/). — Jeff Jones

McCauley obtains STCs, Mooney agreement, mechanic training course

McCauley Propeller Systems has become Mooney Aircraft's exclusive supplier of propeller systems and related components for the next three years. Mooney will use the propellers on its Ovation, Bravo, and Eagle models.

McCauley has also obtained supplemental type certification from the FAA for a two-blade Blackmac propeller conversion for Cessna 180s and 182s powered by Continental O-470s. The conversion boasts a 2,400-hour TBO. McCauley recently received another STC for the O-470-powered Navions that replaces the two-blade propeller with a three-blade version featuring a threadless blade retention system and a sealed, oil-filled hub.

Finally, McCauley announced the formation of the McCauley Training Center in Dayton, Ohio, to train propeller mechanics. For information, telephone 937/264-1583 or see the Web site ( www.mccauley.textron.com). Europa Aircraft Company in York, England, now offers its Europa with a 42-foot glider wing. The carbon-fiber-spar wings have no flaps. A pair of trailing-edge airbrakes are used instead. The aircraft takes off in 600 feet, the manufacturer claims, and climbs at 1,000 feet per minute. The glide ratio is 25:1. See the Web site ( www.europa-aircraft.com); e-mail [email protected].

AOPA members in the news

Phil Scott, AOPA 1275180, has completed The Pioneers of Flight, an anthology of writings by many of aviation's pioneers, published by Princeton University Press. Pioneers include Octave Chanute, Gustav Lilienthal, Wilbur and Orville Wright, Glenn Curtiss, and Anthony Fokker.

Glenn McConnell, AOPA 481612, has been named the FAA Great Lakes Region 1999 general aviation flight instructor of the year. He is currently a member of a joint NASA/Ohio University research team investigating pilot decision-making in weather-related accidents.

Ralph Charles, AOPA 1347314, appeared in the Columbus Dispatch newspaper in Columbus, Ohio, for renewing his airman's medical certificate on his ninety-ninth birthday. He was a barnstormer in the 1920s, a TWA copilot in the 1930s, and a civilian test pilot for the U.S. Navy during World War II. He once took former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt for a flight.

Robert Frost, AOPA 111460, has been selected to coach the 1999 Advanced aerobatic team. The team will compete in the Advanced World Aerobatic Championships in the Czech Republic this month.

Diane Ruth Armour Bartels, AOPA 1413673, has written and published Sharpie: The Life Story of Evelyn Sharp — Nebraska's Aviatrix. For information visit the Web site ( http://members.aol.com/bartmanne/sharpie/sharpie.htm) or write to Diane Ruth Armour Bartels, 1801 Mindoro Drive, Lincoln, Nebraska 68506; e-mail [email protected].

Eleanor Todd, AOPA 681364, of Newport Beach, California, was featured in Southern California's Daily Pilot after being honored by the Orange County Board of Supervisors for her work as a volunteer tour guide at the John Wayne Airport-Orange County in Santa Ana, California. Todd is a commercial pilot and flight instructor who owns a Piper Cherokee.

Philip Handleman, AOPA 830027, has co-edited, with Walter J. Boyne, Brassey's Air Combat Reader — a collection of historic feats and aviation legends from World War I to the Persian Gulf war. Boyne and Handleman gave a speech on the book in May at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. Handleman is an aviation photographer and Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker. An active pilot, he flies a restored Stearman biplane. The book is available for $24.95 from Batsford Brassy Incorporated at 202/333-2500 or 800/775-2518.