Pilot Briefing

Lancair Columbia 300 lost in Portland crash

A Lancair Columbia 300 crashed on January 8 when it plunged into the Columbia River near the Portland (Oregon) International Airport, during foggy weather. Two persons died, one of them a pilot for Pacific Aviation Composites, which developed the Lancair aircraft.

The aircraft was used as a demonstrator and was featured in several aviation publications (see " Launching Columbia," October 1997 Pilot).

The flight had originated in Bend, Oregon, where the company is located. Hans Oesch, 39, had flown many of the flight tests that resulted in certification of the aircraft late last year. He held a commercial certificate with multiengine and instrument ratings. Oesch's friend, 20-year-old Kimberly A. Kelley, also died in the crash.

The National Transportation Safety Board indicated that initially the aircraft was not on a flight plan. Here is an excerpt from the NTSB preliminary report: "Air traffic control personnel reported that the pilot contacted Portland Approach and reported that he was 25 miles east of Portland International and requested [an] IFR clearance for landing at PDX. The flight was cleared for the ILS Runway 10L approach. During the first of two instrument approaches, the aircraft was lined up for Runway 10R, and the tower instructed the flight to go around to the north. The pilot was given vectors for the Runway 10L approach. Radar data indicates that the aircraft was bracketing the Runway 10L localizer, and descending, when the aircraft dropped off radar coverage about one mile west of the runway."

An eyewitness saw the aircraft at 100 feet before it hit the river. Visibility was about one-quarter mile at the airport; it was lower along the river. Rescue personnel could not see the water from their boats, said a Portland River Patrol official.

Lancair is aiding the NTSB in its investigation. Production of the Lancair Columbia 300 will not be delayed by the accident, according to Pacific Aviation Composites staff.

Lycoming piston pin plugs plague Embry-Riddle Skyhawks

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, grounded its fleet of 53 new Cessna 172Rs in late November pending an investigation of excessive piston pin plug wear observed in several of the fleet's Lycoming IO-360 engines.

According to a Lycoming official, an ERAU 172 made a precautionary landing after experiencing severe in-flight engine roughness. Teardown of that engine revealed severely worn piston pin plugs. ERAU decided to inspect the rest of the engines in its fleet. The inspection revealed three other cases of worn piston pin plugs in ERAU's airplanes, resulting in the university's decision to ground the fleet. ERAU mechanics replaced all of the engines' piston pin plugs with new parts and most airplanes were returned to service in five days.

Piston pin plug wear is not unusual in Lycoming engines, according to many maintenance shops. However, Lycoming admitted that the problem has become more common recently. Lycoming also said that the most likely time to see abnormal piston pin plug wear is during the first 100 to 300 hours of engine life.

Some have speculated that the problem stemmed from last year's union strike, when white-collar executives were building engines. Lycoming says that the incidence of piston pin plug problems was no different during the strike period than before or after the strike.

ERAU said that the university is satisfied with the fix and that Lycoming and Cessna were, "extremely cooperative throughout the issue."

The rest of the industry fears that the problem could be more widespread given the parts commonality among many Lycoming engines. Lycoming has issued Service Instruction (SI) 1492A, which urges owners to cut open the oil filter at the next oil change and start an oil analysis program to monitor trends. Any spikes in aluminum readings during an oil analysis could be linked to piston pin plug wear.

Lycoming says that the piston pin plug wear problem does not require an immediate action, such as an emergency airworthiness directive, but it's taking the issue seriously. The FAA is aware of the problem and will work with Lycoming if the solution requires more than SI 1492A. A copy of the SI is available on AOPA Online ( www.aopa.org/whatsnew/newsitems/1999/990120textron.pdf; in PDF format ).

Notice of Annual Meeting of Members — The annual meeting of the Members of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association will be held 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. — John S. Yodice, Secretary

VisionAire continues to work out development problems

VisionAire Corporation, which laid off 25 employees last Thanksgiving (see " Pilot Briefing," February Pilot), has furloughed 95 of the remaining 175 employees at the St. Louis-based company. Most of them were technicians and consultants. Eighty workers remain.

The workers who were laid off or furloughed will be recalled as needed — perhaps at a rate of 20 per month — and 20 contract aeronautical engineers will be added early this year. Redesign and certification efforts continue on the company's Vantage single-engine business jet.

Minor problems now in correction include the discovery of a disturbed airflow over the tail at certain weights and low airspeeds. Air inlets may need to be smoothed, and the wing may require an aerodynamic fence to facilitate airflow. A new certification schedule should be known this month.

Rans is now offering a taildragger version of its S-16 Shekari high-performance two-place single. In a conventional-gear configuration, the S-16 is five knots faster than the tricycle-gear version. For more information contact Rans at 785/625-6346 or visit the Web site ( www.rans.com).

Statistics compiled by Aviation Information Resources (AIR) Inc. indicate that 1998 was the biggest year in history for airline pilot hiring. Overall, 14,143 jobs were filled in 1998. AIR Inc. forecasts 12,500 new airline pilot jobs in 1999. For more information, contact AIR Inc. at 800/247-2777 or visit the Web site ( www.airapps.com).

Sabena Airlines has taken delivery of a New Piper Archer III, Saratoga II HP, and Seneca V, the first of 12 aircraft ordered as trainers. All 12 aircraft will be used at the airline's training facility in Scottsdale, Arizona. The next step for Sabena pilots, after learning to fly in the Archer and mastering the Saratoga and the Seneca, is a cockpit seat in the airline's fleet of Boeing and Airbus transports.

Still Flying at 137?

Anybody have a medal? Joe Mapes of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, thinks that he deserves a medal for being the oldest certificated pilot in America. The FAA states on his pilot certificate that he is 137 years old, but Mapes claims to be about 100 years younger.

FAA forms for changing information on the pilot certificate are meant primarily for a change of address, so the $2 fee that Mapes included with his last form to correct the error was wasted.

Perhaps Mapes learned to fly in one of the more than 39,146 aircraft that were — according to the FAA aircraft registry — built in 0000. What a year for aviation that was! (When the owner does not report the model year, the FAA simply enters four zeros.)

Pilatus Business Aircraft reports a record sales year in 1998 with 76 orders and 51 worldwide deliveries of the Pilatus PC-12. Of that total, North and South America represent 80 percent of all sales. A factory for the TLM Aircraft Tiger, based on the Grumman American AG-5B Tiger, is nearing completion at the Eastern West Virginia Regional Airport near Martinsburg, West Virginia. A temporary office is opening soon in Martinsburg.

TLM Aircraft is owned by Taiwan-based Tong Lung Metal Industries, a maker of less expensive door locks sold in U.S. home-repair and discount store chains.

In addition to the Tiger, the company expects to return the AA-5B Cheetah to production three years after the $214,000 Tiger begins rolling off the assembly line. Two Taiwanese commercial aircraft companies were expected to join the Tiger production effort in February.

NASA Invention Improves Helicopter Control

Helicopter tail strakes developed and patented by NASA have been licensed to Boundary Layer Research, of Everett, Washington, for production and sale. The strakes improve control in helicopters by reducing the effects of rotor torque.

The strakes are 10 to 15 feet long and three inches wide. Two are installed, one near the top and another near the bottom of the tail boom's left side only.

At slow speeds, they create a resistance to the air coming down from the main rotor, creating a high-pressure area on the left side of the boom. This reduces a single-rotor helicopter's natural tendency to turn left because of rotor torque.

Italy has awarded type certification to the new Learjet 45. The airplane has now been approved by 22 European countries that are part of the Joint Aviation Authorities.

Owners of a flight school won the Mooney MSE sweepstakes aircraft given away by King Schools. Ken and Lois Hawkins, of Mountain Valley Aviation in Mountain Valley, Tennessee, boosted their fleet by one aircraft. Ken Hawkins is a Boeing 747-400 captain for Northwest Airlines, while Lois is president of the FBO. Next year King Schools will give away a new Cessna 172.FYI to FBOs.

Underground Tank Replacement Deadline Has Passed

Before departure, pilots may want to check fuel availability at their destinations, especially at smaller airports. After 10 years of warnings, the Environmental Protection Agency's deadline for replacement of underground fuel tanks has passed. The deadline was December 22, 1998, but tanks at many of the nation's smaller airports are still not in compliance. The fine for having tanks that do not protect against spills, overfills, and corrosion is a maximum of $11,000 a day. That's the bad news.

So far, a half-dozen small airports have reported to AOPA their cessation or interruption of fuel sales. The AOPA Online Airport Directory is being updated to reflect the latest conditions.

Avfuel's Marci Ammerman said that 85 percent of Avfuel's 700 dealers have tanks that comply with EPA regulations, but the rest do not.

"In a recent survey of our dealer network, we understand that 85 percent of our dealers are in compliance," Ammerman said. "The remaining 15 percent [about 100] are working on solutions which we are helping to provide. We have 30 new tank projects in process and have placed skid tanks and refueler trucks in the field as temporary solutions. This is all being accomplished through our subsidiary, Avtank Corporation."

The good news is that the EPA will focus any enforcement action prior to June 22 on only those private and government facilities having four or more tanks. Second, the EPA is making "allowances" for public entities where public interest is at stake. Third, fines can be reduced by 75 to 100 percent simply by calling the EPA and explaining the reason for not replacing the tanks before the deadline, such as lack of contractor support or a tardy local government budget process.

Operators of noncompliant underground tanks are required to remove fuel and shut off lines and pipes. The "spirit" of the law, an EPA spokeswoman said, requires that the tank be emptied immediately. The fuel could be moved, for example, to an above-ground tank.

Orenda to Supply Aero V-8s for New Turkish Airplane

Orenda Recip Inc., of Canada, won its first new-airplane contract from Turkish Aerospace Industries to supply a firewall-forward kit, including Orenda's FAA-certified OE-600 V-8 engines, for a new agricultural/firefighting airplane currently under development.

Orenda will supply as many as 300 packages, which include the 600-hp engine, mounting structure, accessories, propeller, and cowling for the new airplane. Potential value of the contract in U.S. dollars is $45 million. Kits are expected to begin shipping from Orenda's Debert, Nova Scotia, facility this summer. First flight of the new airplane is expected in the fourth quarter.

Also on the agricultural airplane front, Orenda expects a V-8-powered Air Tractor AT-401 to be flying this summer. The retrofit kit, which is very similar to the kits being sent to Turkey, replaces the AT-401's original Pratt & Whitney R-1340 radial with the liquid-cooled OE-600.

In other Orenda news, a de Havilland Otter has flown for more than 20 hours behind an Orenda V-8 since making its first flight last November. Orenda says that the V-8-powered Otter outperforms the original Pratt & Whitney radial-powered Otter in speed, fuel economy, and range. Orenda's Peter Jackson says that the V-8 Otter performs as well as or better than a turboprop-powered Otter. The conversion also yields a more aerodynamic cowl and lightens the airplane by some 300 pounds compared to the standard float-equipped Otter. Orenda expects certification of the Otter conversion by June. For more information, contact Orenda Recip at 905/673-3250 or visit the Web site ( www.orenda.com).

NTSB Recommends Restricting Aerobatics for Pilots With Cardiac Conditions

Pilots who perform aerobatics with preexisting heart conditions or those who take heart medication are targeted in a National Transportation Safety Board recommendation to the FAA that calls for restricting aerobatic activity.

Three fatal accidents since 1980, in all of which pilots showed evidence of preexisting heart conditions and/or previous heart attacks, led to the recommendation. According to the NTSB, the combination of low blood pressure and slow heart rate, which are side effects of many heart medications, tends to reduce a pilot's resistance to G-induced loss of consciousness.

As a result of its findings, the NTSB recommended to the FAA that "all pilots with special-issuance [medical] certificates due to cardiac conditions that could affect their G-tolerance and all pilots taking medication that reduces G-tolerance should be restricted from engaging in aerobatic flight." AOPA is examining the data leading to the recommendation and will oppose it.

The FAA will build a consolidated approach control facility between Manassas and Warrenton, Virginia, 50 miles west of Washington, D.C., to control traffic going to Reagan National, Baltimore-Washington, and Dulles International airports, and Andrews Air Force Base. The new facility will be located at a former military base called Vint Hill Farms Station, that was once used to gather and analyze signal intelligence. The 700-acre site was primarily a large antenna field; it was closed in 1997.

Avfuel Corporation has added Zephyr Aviation, located at Tacoma Narrows Airport in Tacoma, Washington, to its nationwide dealer network. With the 48 dealers added in 1998, Avfuel now has close to 700 dealers nationwide.

AOPA Members in the News

Wayne Handley, AOPA 1128885, an airshow veteran from Greenfield, California, broke the world time-to-climb record for a propeller-driven airplane, flying his new Turbo Raven from sea level to 3,000 meters (9,843 feet) in one minute 8.6 seconds. Handley's Turbo Raven is a 1,600-pound (empty) composite taildragger powered by a 750-shaft-horsepower Pratt & Whitney PT6, an engine typically found on each wing of a Beech King Air F90. The airplane is capable of sustained vertical climbs of 4,000 feet per minute. Handley's record dethrones those held by Lyle Shelton, AOPA 1136840, in the piston category (flying a modified Grumman F8F Bearcat racer named Rare Bear) and Chuck Yeager, who took the turboprop category honors in 1985, flying a Piper Cheyenne 400LS.

Hank Holevinsky, AOPA 1125836, was featured in the Hammond local section of The Times of northwest Indiana for his unique plan to introduce children to aviation and incorporate the fundamentals of flight to help children in their school studies. Construction of Project Higher Ed's facility is scheduled to begin at the end of this year on Chicago's Lansing Municipal Airport. The project is expected to launch in August 2000. For more information, contact Holevinsky at 708/596-2000, extension 2359; or visit the Web site ( www.ssc.cc.il.us/phed).

Roland Maheu, AOPA 065873, of Minot, Maine, died recently at the age of 84. Maheu, a 49-year AOPA member, was an award-winning aerobatic pilot whose trademark stunt consisted of shutting down the engine in flight, then climbing out on the landing gear to hand prop the engine back to life. The performance landed him a spot on the television program Ripley's Believe it or Not.

Bruno Oskinis, AOPA 006729, of New Britain, Connecticut, and Vero Beach, Florida, died recently at the age of 84. Oskinis, a 58-year member of AOPA, appeared in a full-page AOPA testimonial advertisement in Flying magazine in 1950.

Cynthia Otis Brown, AOPA 747975, has been named executive director of Be A Pilot, the AOPA-and-industry-funded effort to increase the number of student pilots. She is the wife of Steve Brown, a former AOPA senior vice president and former National Aeronautic Association director who is now the FAA's acting associate administrator for air traffic services.

Julie Clark, AOPA 1232587, an airshow performer and airline captain, has received the Art Scholl Memorial Showmanship Award from the International Council of Airshows. The award is presented each year to the performer who best exemplifies Scholl's commitment to the airshow as an entertainment venue.

Christopher Sis, AOPA 1384307, a 16-year-old aspiring airline pilot, has received a $1,000 flight-training scholarship from a Web site called The Student Pilot Network. The Juneau, Alaska, pilot has chronicled his flight lessons on the site ( www.ufly.com/gbrown).

Dassault Falcon Jet Corp sold 99 Falcon business jets in 1998, the best sales year in Falcon history. A total of 173 new Falcons, valued at more than $4 billion, were sold in 1997 and 1998, making that two-year period also a record setter. The company's large-cabin, transcontinental Falcon 2000 was Dassault's biggest seller, thanks to 38 orders from the NetJets fractional ownership program. Dassault also makes the Falcon 50EX, 900C, and 900EX. The company claims that since 1997 it has captured half the market for business jets valued at $17 million and up.

NASA has announced a contest to name its Deep Space 2 mission's two microprobes now on their way to Mars. In December, Deep Space 2, launched with the Mars Polar Lander on January 3, will send two probes plummeting to the surface of Mars at 400 mph. The probes will search for ice under the surface. Details are available on the Web ( http://spaceplace.jpl.nasa.gov). The deadline is April 30.

Precision Aviation Products Corporation, of Everett, Washington, has established its Lamar product line of aircraft electrical components as a separate company. The new Lamar Technologies Corporation will continue to provide manufacturers and aftermarket customers with electrical components, consisting of lightweight starters, voltage regulators, and other electrical items. For more information, call 425/355-6400.

Dutch Firm Buys Boeing Civil Helicopter Product Line

McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Company, an indirect subsidiary of The Boeing Company, has sold its MD 500, MD 600N, and MD Explorer product line to MD Helicopters Holding, a Dutch firm owned by RDM Holding.

The sale price was not disclosed, but a Boeing official said it is less than the previously reported $155 million figure.

MD Helicopters will continue to produce the entire line of single- and twin-engine helicopters in Mesa, Arizona. The product line was originally developed by Hughes Helicopters before Hughes was sold to McDonnell Douglas.

Included in the product line are the MD 500E, MD 530F, MD 520N, and MD 600N single-engine helicopters, and the MD Explorer series of twin-engine, eight-place aircraft. The 520N and 600N use the Notar no-tail-rotor system which will be licensed to MD Helicopters.

Certification of the Diamond Aircraft DA40 has slipped to the last half of 1999. Flight tests of the four-place aircraft are continuing in Austria. Production will begin sometime in 2000 once IFR certification is complete. Sometime this summer, a "configuring" model will join the three prototypes now flying. A Lycoming 180-horsepower engine powers the DA40. Earlier in the program the company had hoped to complete certification under JAR 23 standards by December 1998. Diamond currently makes the Katana DA20 two-place trainer aircraft.

ATC Upgrades Finally Begin in Seattle

The first air traffic control center to go operational with new display equipment for controllers has been dedicated in Seattle. For pilots, it means that the controller will be able to provide better weather information.

A Display System Replacement suite was dedicated at Seattle Center on January 20 by Transportation Secretary Rodney E. Slater and FAA Administrator Jane F. Garvey. Other centers are in the process of conversion to the new equipment.

The old system at Seattle consisted of 1960s-era large steel structures housing 19-inch monochrome plan-view displays for radar tracks and other air traffic control information. Each controller position was hard-wired to support a single sector of airspace or a small combination of sectors.

The new display is made of composite structures designed in the 1990s and containing a 20-inch-square high-resolution color monitor for radar tracks, improved real-time weather, and other air traffic control information. Each position can support a single sector or any combination of sectors. There is built-in redundancy to protect against outages, and the flexibility to accommodate peak traffic, severe weather, or outages at adjacent facilities. Under a separate program, the FAA will have replaced obsolete host computers at all centers by the end of the year.

Rocky Mountain Helicopters has received FAA approval for commercial use of night-vision goggles. The company plans to use the technology during its night VFR air medical operations. RMH has received a supplemental type certificate for use of night-vision goggles in cooperation with three other companies.

Three teams of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University students will conduct microgravity research while weightless inside a NASA Boeing KC-135 aircraft. The goal of the experiment is to determine how two differentfluids interact in an artificial vascular system in a free-fall environment. It will contribute to better medications.

Owner-Flown Aircraft Lead 1998 Business Aircraft Fatalities

Business jets and turboprops that were flown by owner/pilots accounted for most of the fatalities involving business aircraft during 1998, according to data from Robert E. Breiling Associates of Boca Raton, Florida.

Breiling said that there were 16 business jet accidents in 1998, compared to 15 in 1997. Of the total accidents, four were fatal, compared to one in 1997 — with nine fatalities last year, up from five in 1997. Those business jets that were flown by pilot/owners accounted for three of the fatal accidents and seven of the fatalities.

Turboprop statistics show 27 total accidents — an improvement, compared to 37 in 1997. Twelve of the 27 accidents involved fatalities, compared to 14 a year before. There were 27 fatalities, down from 41 in 1997.

Owner-flown turboprops accounted for five of the 12 fatal accidents and 14 of the 27 fatalities. Part 135 air taxi operators accounted for seven of the fatal accidents in 1998 and the remaining 13 of the turboprop fatalities. See Breiling's Web site ( www.breilinginc.com) for details on 1997 accidents.

Jessica Torbeck, 18, of Moscow, Idaho, has received a $1,000 grant toward her training as an instrument flight instructor from the Nancy Horton "Touch the Face of God" Scholarship Fund. Torbeck has an A grade average and has been named a Presidential Scholar at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida.