Pilot Briefing

Piggyback airplanes land safely after midair

Student pilot Barbara Yeninas—who hopes to take her private pilot checkride soon—has far more real-world experience than most student pilots. She was in a midair collision in mid-December in which two small aircraft locked together but landed safely. No one was injured in the accident.

Alan Vangee, Yeninas’ flight instructor on December 11, when the freak midair collision occurred at the Plant City, Florida, Municipal Airport, said that all he saw "was a wheel, coming right down through the windshield" of his Cessna 152. Vangee and Yeninas were practicing landings at Plant City when 19-year-old private pilot Jay Perrin, who took off from Melbourne, Florida, essentially landed his Piper Cadet on top of Vangee’s Cessna.

"I heard him call downwind, then base leg, and he said he ‘had the Cessna in sight’…but there were two Cessnas in the pattern that day. The next thing I knew, there was a nosewheel coming through our windshield," Vangee said. "We were on final, at about 150 feet agl, I suppose, when his landing gear hit us from above," Vangee continued. "The Piper’s main gear landed on top of our flaps, damaging the left flap. The nosewheel, after it came through the windshield, shifted a little to the right, which was good because it kept the prop arcs away from each other."

After colliding, the two airplanes descended as one, with Vangee steering the whole works toward the left of the runway. "I figured that landing on the grass might soften the impact and prevent sparks from igniting any fuel that might leak," Vangee said. Vangee, 65, is a retired Air Force officer who has been a CFI for 25 years and works as a part-time instructor at Plant City Airport Services. "It worked out well, except for the flap damage and some scratches," Vangee said. "Our landing gear even seemed to handle the extra load without damage." The Piper’s tail ended up resting on top of the Cessna’s empennage.

Vangee said that after the two airplanes came to rest, Perrin emerged from his cockpit to fully assess what had just happened. "He said he knew he hit something," Vangee said, "but he didn’t see what it was. He said he went to full power and tried to pull up after he hit us, but of course nothing happened—he was attached to us!

"‘I knew I’d landed,’" Vangee quoted Perrin as saying. "‘But I couldn’t figure out why I was sitting so high off the ground.’" Perrin, who couldn’t be reached for comment, was on the first leg of a solo cross-country flight that originated from Melbourne Regional Airport. His Piper aircraft was registered to and operated by the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne.

The Cadet suffered very minor damage. It was lifted off of the Cessna with a crane and straps, then flown to its home base the following day. The Cessna will undergo repairs at Plant City. It had damage to the right wing leading edge, windscreen, vertical stabilizer, and left flap track. The Cadet’s left main gear was pushed into the flap track.

And what about Yeninas? "She handled it very, very well," Vangee said. "Her biggest worry was how to break the news to her husband." Actually, Yeninas said, her husband has encouraged her flight training and backed her "150 percent." She still flies "every chance I can." Yeninas was scheduled to take her checkride on January 12.

El Paso Tracon using FAA’s STARS display

The El Paso Terminal Radar Approach Control (tracon) facility in El Paso, Texas, has become the first FAA facility to install the FAA’s Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS). The new controller work stations, developed by Lexington, Massachusetts-based Raytheon Corporation, feature high-resolution color monitors and hardware that is easier to maintain and more reliable than current equipment. Other advantages include industry-developed software systems with an evolutionary approach to planned upgrades, as well as reduced life-cycle costs through the use of common hardware and software that can be maintained from remote locations. STARS will eventually replace existing equipment at all military and civilian tracons in the United States. The next installation will be in Syracuse, New York.

Garmin’s 430, 530 moving maps learn new trick

Garmin International will offer satellite-based Nexrad weather datalink technology through Echo Flight. The GNS 430 and GNS 530 GPS mapcoms will provide a display interface for the Echo Flight datalink system. "Garmin is pleased to offer pilots the kind of life-saving information that Nexrad weather radar can provide," said Gary Kelley, Garmin’s director of marketing. "When we designed the GNS 430 and GNS 530 we wanted an expansive platform for flight-critical data. Weather information was a high priority for us. However, this is definitely just the beginning when it comes to Garmin’s ability to deliver both text and graphic weather depiction data in the future."

The weather data provided by Echo Flight is an alternative to other flight information systems (FIS) that are currently in development. Unlike traditional broadcast FIS information, Echo Flight uses Orbcomm’s network of low-earth-orbit satellites to deliver weather information to the cockpit on a request/reply basis. With Echo Flight, there are no altitude restrictions and you can request weather data at your current location, your destination, or anywhere in between. In order to access this data, pilots will need to purchase a $2,495 transceiver. Users will then subscribe to the $40-per-month service through Echo Flight.

In addition to providing Nexrad images, pilots will be able to view graphical and textual weather information such as METARs and TAFs. The service offered by Echo Flight also will make it possible for pilots to send and receive e-mail from the cockpit, as well as send position reports.

Endowment honors wife
Artist experiences amazing recovery

Sam Lyons, the renowned aviation artist seriously injured in the June 26, 1999, crash that claimed his wife, Vickie, has returned to his easel—and the skies above his Kennesaw, Georgia, home.

Their 1947 Piper J–3 Cub crashed shortly after takeoff from a private airfield in Dawson, Maryland, as the couple was returning home from the Sentimental Journey to Cub Haven Fly-In in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. Lyons suffered third-degree burns over 50 percent of his body; he was hospitalized more than two months and received numerous skin grafts.

Less than five months after the accident, however, Lyons was able to return to the cockpit—with a safety pilot—in his Stinson 108. He has also returned to his easel, painting and completing several drawings.

Lyons’ Web site ( www.lyonsstudio.com) received more than 22,000 hits last July. "I didn’t think I knew that many people," Lyons quipped.

An endowment to memorialize Vickie has been established through the AOPA Air Safety Foundation, an organization that the couple had long supported. Proceeds from the endowment will help to support the foundation’s safety seminars. Contributions may be sent to the AOPA Air Safety Foundation, Attn: Vickie Lyons Memorial Endowment, 421 Aviation Way, Frederick, Maryland 21701, or made by calling 800/955-9115. — Michael P. Collins

PIC turns 20

Professional Instrument Courses is celebrating its twentieth anniversary this year. For its customers, PIC—founded in 1980—revolutionized the way instrument training was conducted.

The company’s signature 10-day instrument courses came about as a result of complaints from pilots who struggled for months to complete the typical regimen—which meant flying after work and on weekends. Under the PIC program, you give the company 10 days and it helps you to earn the instrument rating. The Essex, Connecticut, company has grown from just a couple of part-time instructors to a staff of more than 60 full-time CFIs who travel around the country with desktop simulators. The CFIs set up camp at the students’ home airports and help them to prep for the checkrides.

PIC also offers refresher courses and type training at the customer’s airport. For more information, call PIC at 800/435-9437, or see the PIC Web site ( www.iflyifr.com). — Thomas B. Haines

Arizona has opened its first new airport since 1959. Benson Municipal Airport (E95) was opened in December by Benson Mayor Jim Crawford. Anticipating the recent opening of nearby Kartchner Caverns State Park, community leaders had spearheaded development of the airport over the past 10 years to promote tourism and commerce. Previously, the nearest public airports were 30 miles away. Benson Municipal, elevation 3,810 feet, has a 4,000-foot paved runway, ramp, and tiedown areas. City officials project that 40 to 60 aircraft will relocate to the new airport when hangars are constructed. Eventually the runway may be extended to 7,000 feet. No telephone, fuel, or other facilities yet exist at the airport, so transportation to town and area attractions should be arranged in advance. Call 520/586-2842 for more information. — Gregory N. Brown

Micco Aircraft Company’s SP20 has received FAA certification for VFR and IFR flight. The company said it was the first certification of the new century, and the first certification for an aircraft company owned by a Native American Indian tribe. Micco is owned by the Seminole Tribe. The company has 31 orders.

Gary Hay named CEO of Cessna

As part of the planned management transition process, Gary W. Hay has been promoted to chief executive officer of Cessna Aircraft Company.

Hay will have full operations responsibility for Cessna and will report to Textron President and Chief Operating Officer John A. Janitz. Hay also becomes a member of Textron’s executive leadership team, a 13-member body of Textron’s senior executives.

Russ Meyer continues as Cessna’s chairman, focusing on new product development and customer relationship.

Honeywell and Coherent Technologies have teamed to create a turbulence-detection system that is hoped to, among other benefits, curb injuries suffered by passengers when airplanes encounter clear-air turbulence. Using a combination of infrared and microwave radar, the system will detect all types of turbulence whether in clear air or associated with convective weather. The system is also expected to provide a measure of wind velocities and turbulence above and below the aircraft, to allow the crew to choose an altitude that offers the optimal ride. United Airlines will provide consultation regarding its real-world experiences with various types of turbulence. First deliveries to airlines and the military are expected in late 2002.

The industry-wide campaign to attract new pilots to general aviation called Be A Pilot provided information to 30,000 potential student pilots during 1999. See the campaign for yourself at the Web site ( www.beapilot.com), or call 888/232-7456.

Aerosance, a unit of Teledyne Continental Motors, is testing a full-authority digital engine control (FADEC) system for general aviation aircraft. The system provides electronic ignition and precise fuel metering to each cylinder, similar to the systems widely used in the automobile industry. Testing in this Cessna 172 indicates a fuel savings of 12 to 15 percent. The system is also being tested on a Diamond Katana aircraft. Correct fuel requirements are calculated by the system based on temperature, altitude, and manifold pressure. A side benefit is better hot-and-cold engine starting (see "Airframe and Powerplant: Bag of Chips," January Pilot).

WSI Adds Flight Explorer to PILOTbrief Vector

Billerica, Massachusetts-based weather provider Weather Services International (WSI) has added a new feature to its popular PILOTbrief Vector package of weather briefing services. Called Flight Explorer, this product lets airlines, flight departments, FBOs, and others track the whereabouts of designated aircraft.

Using flight plan, position, speed, and track information from aircraft linked to the system via satellite, Flight Explorer plots targets on a display of the United States and some European nations. Weather radar imagery from WSI’s NOWrad mosaics, along with any plotted sigmets, airmets, or convective sigmets can be superimposed on the Flight Explorer display. The cost of Flight Explorer—which is provided via Dimensions International—is $250 per month. For additional information, visit the Web ( www.wsicorp.com/wsicorp/whatsnew/Oct_11_1999.htm), or call 978/670-5000.

Raytheon Aircraft Company is on schedule to begin deliveries of the composite-fuselage Premier I business jet this spring. Because the jet’s normal Mach speed was expanded to Mach 0.86 for the FAA tests, a privately owned T–38 Talon was used as a chase airplane. Raytheon plans to build 60 Premier I aircraft a year.

Hartzell Propeller has received a supplemental type certificate for a 78-inch-diameter, three-blade propeller system for all Piper Cherokee Six/260 aircraft. It is identical to the prop used on the Exxon Flyin’ Tiger to set a new time-to-climb record last year during the EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh. For more information, call Hartzell at 937/778-4200, or visit the Web site ( www.hartzellprop.com).

Squawk Sheet

Precise Flight’s SVS III standby vacuum system, installed on approximately 10,000 GA airplanes, is subject to Airworthiness Directive 99-24-10, which, among other actions, requires repetitively inspecting the push-pull cable, vacuum lines, saddle fittings, and shuttle valve for proper installation and damage. The AD is expected to be complied with at the aircraft’s next annual inspection following the January 14 effective date. The FAA estimates cost of compliance at $180 per airplane.

The FAA has amended an existing airworthiness directive applicable to Aircraft Belts Inc. seat restraints that are installed on numerous GA airplanes and helicopters. The original rule (AD 98-25-10) required inspection of seat belts to ensure that the locking mechanism was engaging properly and required replacement of the buckle half if necessary. The amendment allows pilots to make the one-time inspection and indicates that only those belts manufactured between March 1997 and November 1998 are affected. Compliance is due within 10 hours’ time in service from the January 14 effective date.

Piper PA–25s, PA–28S-160, PA–28S-180, and PA–32S-300 airplanes equipped with Facet (Purolator) induction air filters manufactured between January 1997 and September 1998 are subject to AD 99-26-05, which requires replacement within 25 hours’ time in service from the January 13 effective date. Piper PA–28-151s and -161s equipped with STC SA2946SO are also affected by this rulemaking because they incorporate the same filter. Filters are identified by a quarter-inch-high white stamp that reads "FACET-638873" and may include "FAA-PMA."

The FAA issued a special airworthiness information bulletin (SAIB) that reminds owners of Continental 470-, 520-, and 550-series engines of the recommendation to replace connecting rod bolts at the time of overhaul. Eight accident/incident reports from 1974 to the present indicated failure of the connecting rod bolts on IO-520/TSIO-520-series engines. Although not indicated as a cause in any documented accidents, the 470 and 550 series are included in the SAIB because they use the same bolts. SAIB CE-00-07 recommends that owners reference TCM service bulletins 97-6 and 96-7B, which can be obtained by contacting TCM customer service at 888/221-6942 or on the Web ( www.tcmlink.com).

DTN Transmission Network Corporation has purchased FlightBrief Online Service for $375,000. The purchase includes two Web sites, a weather briefing site for pilots and other users ( www.weatherconcepts.com), and an interactive flight-planning site ( www.flightbrief.com). DTN will receive 3,400 customers with monthly subscriptions ranging from $4.95 to $9.95 each.

NASA "FutureFlight Central," the world’s first full-scale virtual control tower, has opened at NASA’s Ames Research Center at Moffett Field in California. Constructed at a cost of $10 million, the two-story NASA FutureFlight Central facility was jointly funded by NASA and the FAA. The facility is designed to test—under realistic airport conditions and configurations—ways to solve potential air and ground traffic problems at commercial airports.

Micro Aerodynamics, of Anacortes, Washington, has come up with a $1,950 vortex generator system that improves the takeoff and landing performance of Piper Seminoles. The system uses 52 vortex generators on the stabilator to increase its effectiveness and improve takeoff rotation and landing-flare performance. The system includes another 62 vortex generators on the wing to improve aileron control at low speeds. Visit the Web site ( www.microaero.com), or call 800/677-2370 or 360/293-8082.

Learjet test pilot Pete Reynolds, now vice president of flight testing for Bombardier Aerospace, has received the 1999 J.H. Doolittle Award from the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. He heads the Bombardier Flight Test Center. In 1977, Reynolds and astronaut Neil Armstrong took the Learjet Model 28 to 50,000 feet in slightly more than 12 minutes, setting five world records.

Flight testing of the Diamond Aircraft Katana 100, powered by a 100-horsepower Rotax 912 engine, is in progress. Canadian certification is expected in March.

More than 500 staff in the FAA’s Office of Regulation and Certification have voted to join the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees union.

Cutter Aviation plans to operate a new FBO facility soon on the North Field in Santa Monica, California. Current Cutter FBO locations include Albuquerque; El Paso and San Antonio, Texas; and Phoenix-Sky Harbor Airport and Phoenix-Deer Valley Airport in Arizona.

Look, listen to airports on Web

Want to see current activities at several of the nation’s airports? Here’s a Web site that offers a list of Web cameras showing up-to-the-minute airport scenes. Go to www.cargolaw.com/cameras.html#airports.

Would you rather listen to all the action? Try this link: www.squawkident.com/livefeed.html.

The FAA’s venerable Flight Training Handbook, also known as Advisory Circular 61-21A, has been replaced by the Airplane Flying Handbook. Enlarged and expanded, the new book, also known as FAA-H-8083-3, was written to assist student pilots. It covers basic flying skills and knowledge. The book continues to be the official FAA source for flight training information. Many FAA knowledge-test questions are based on information in the book. It is available from Aviation Supplies and Academics (ASA) for $16.95. To order, call 800/ASA 2 FLY or 425/235-1500. Visit ASA on the Web ( www.asa2fly.com).

Scheme Designers, of Fort Lee, New Jersey, was chosen by The New Piper Aircraft Inc. to design the production paint scheme for the Malibu Meridian single-engine turboprop. Piper’s third production prototype Meridian, N402MM, displays the new scheme. Scheme Designers can also design a paint scheme for your airplane. For more information, call 201/947-5889, or visit the Web site ( www.schemedesigners.com).

Avionics firm plans GPS/WAAS receiver module

UPS Aviation Technologies will develop and market a WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System) module capable of precision GPS approaches. The module will be the heart of next-generation GPS systems, and will also be marketed to other avionics manufacturers.

The new module will be used on 229 United Parcel Service jet aircraft. Development should be completed in a year.

NavCom Technology of Redondo Beach, California, is providing design assistance for the module, which is to be manufactured by UPS Aviation Technologies in Salem, Oregon.

The GPS/WAAS engine, as it is called, will power a new line of UPS Aviation Technologies navigation products intended primarily for high-end general aviation aircraft and airliners.

The module will be used for GPS landings where the visibility is as low as a half-mile, and the ceiling is 200 feet. It will support a future GPS enhancement, the Local Area Augmentation System, that will allow landings in still lower visibility.

The U.S. State Department has halted training for foreign military students at the National Test Pilot School in Mojave, California. The State Department said that the training may provide hostile nations with knowledge of U.S. weapons systems. Actually, the school uses surplus 1960s- and ’70s-era aircraft bought from foreign nations. The school also trains Americans.

AOPA members in the news

Donnie D. Todd Jr., AOPA 1045511 , was recently appointed to the Pell City, Alabama, City Council to fill the unexpired term of a departing member. He is also a member of the St. Clair County Airport Authority and represents the airport for the AOPA Airport Support Network.

Jim McIntyre, AOPA 600264 , a retired airline captain, has received the Jerome P. Lederer Award for a lifetime devoted to safety. The award was presented at a meeting of the International Society of Air Safety Investigators. The presenter was 97-year-old Jerry Lederer himself, a founder of AOPA and the Flight Safety Foundation.

Francisco Baco, AOPA 944322 , of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, was selected as the FAA Caribbean Flight Standards District Office’s Aviation Safety Counselor of the Year. Baco is director of safety for the Civil Air Patrol’s Puerto Rico Wing.

David B. Casey, AOPA 1381326 , of Rancho Sante Fe, California, has completed restoration of the aircraft in which he learned to fly, a 1958 Morrisey 2150. The aircraft is one of only 10 ever built. Fewer than five still exist. The aircraft was designed and built by Bill Morrisey, a former chief test pilot for Douglas Aircraft Company.