Mooney officials stay the course during bankruptcy
Officials at Mooney Aircraft remain optimistic that a buyer will soon emerge to purchase the company out of bankruptcy. The Kerrville, Texas, manufacturer filed for bankruptcy protection in July. It was loaned $1 million by its bank to continue operating for 60 days. The deal was to expire on October 15.
First Equity Development Inc. has been retained by Mooney as a financial adviser to assist in the sale of the company. Mike McConnell, senior vice president of strategic planning, says that many interested and qualified potential buyers have visited the facility.
Only 30 employees remain at the factory, mostly preparing paperwork for the bankruptcy proceedings. No manufacturing is under way. However, the company is able to deliver parts out of its $1.5 million inventory. McConnell says the company is as responsive to parts orders as it can be, given limited resources. He estimates that Mooney is able to deliver parts off the shelf for about one out of three customers. The balance of the orders are for parts not available or being built.
The other major issue affecting customers is warranty claims. McConnell says Mooney will deliver warranty parts as it can, but the company relies on its service centers to do the warranty work. The factory is working parts trades in exchange for service center warranty labor where it can. Still, some customers are not receiving the level of service that the company would like to offer. Nonetheless, customers for new airplanes have not completely shied away from the Mooney marque — six aircraft have been !old since the bankruptcy filing.
Meanwhile, Fairchild Aircraft President Rudi Lenz confirmed to The San Antonio Business Journal that his company is among those to have been contacted by Mooney officials seeking a buyer. An attorney for Mooney said the company has contacted a dozen companies and individuals. — Thomas B. Haines
GA aids in search for water on Mars
Planetary exploration starts right here on Earth — and general aviation remains an important tool. In summer 2003, Mars Express, a European Space Agency mission, will launch an orbiter spacecraft and lander module to continue the search for water on Mars, thanks in part to a helicopter.
One of the instruments aboard Mars Express is MARSIS (Mars advanced radar for subsurface and ionospheric sounding). The NASA-contracted team behind MARSIS (consisting of scientists from the University of Iowa, the University of Rome, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California) will endeavor to map water and ice that may lie beneath the planet's surface. The ground-penetrating radar is typically operated on Earth from aircraft to search for manmade objects or water up to a couple of hundred feet below ground. The antenna emits low-frequency waves (1.3 to 5.5 MHz) and weighs 26 pounds.
Testing the Kevlar antenna before the long journey to Mars presented a problem to researchers: The assembly is quite fragile and must be tested at high altitudes, well clear of the ground. After initial tests from a hot air balloon proved "too uncontrollable," according to Don Gurnett, leader of the University of Iowa team, an Aerospatiale SA 315B Lama was contracted to carry out the testing.
Flying a helicopter attached to a 10-foot-square cube on a 70-foot sling hanging at the end of a 500-foot cable — without breaking delicate instruments — requires some precise maneuvering. "You've got all these rocket scientists, and they need the cowboys to test it all," says Dennis Gordon, aircraft coordinator for the Lama. Testing from the Lama is intended to ensure that the antenna will function according to plan when deployed in the rarified atmosphere on Mars. — Julie K. Boatman
Wright B Flyer is on display in Dayton
A Wright B Flyer replica is on display at the Wright Brothers Airport, south of Dayton in Springbrook, Ohio, and will be moved in 2002 to Dayton's Huffman Prairie Flying Field as part of the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park exhibits. Produced from 1910 to 1911, it is considered to be the first production airplane and was first flown by Orville Wright over Huffman Prairie in July 1910. It was the first model on which the Wrights used a rear stabilizer. A Wright Model B piloted by Phil Parmalee carried silk from Huffman Prairie to Columbus, Ohio, 65 statute miles away on November 7, 1910. The flight is now considered the world's first airfreight shipment. The model on display in Dayton was built in the 1970s to celebrate the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Wright brothers' first powered flight. It was flown in The Winds of Kitty Hawk, a made-for-TV movie about the Wright brothers.
GPS vulnerabilities noted by DOT study
The Department of Transportation's (DOT) Volpe National Transportation System Center in Boston has found that GPS signals are susceptible to unintentional disruptions from atmospheric effects, signal blockage from buildings, interference from commonly used communications equipment, and intentional jamming.
The report was ordered by a Presidential Decision Directive and covered all areas of transportation that might use GPS, including aviation.
"This report provides a road map for addressing possible vulnerabilities in GPS so that we can continue maintaining the highest standards of transportation safety," said Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta. "The Department of Transportation takes this report's findings very seriously, and we will be working to ensure that GPS will fulfill its potential as a key element of the nation's transportation infrastructure."
Each branch of the DOT will review portions of the report where GPS plays a key role. A report from the branches is expected this month. The DOT and the Department of Defense (DOD) cosponsored the report.
Among the report's recommendations:
- Create awareness among aviation, maritime, and surface GPS users of the vulnerability of GPS and the need to reduce degradation or loss of GPS signals.
- Implement systems to monitor, report, and locate unintentional interference to GPS.
- Assess military GPS antijamming technology and work with the DOD and industry to make appropriate technologies available for civilian use.
- Identify backup systems, integrity warning, or operational procedures for each safety-critical application.
- Encourage the development of low-cost backup systems to GPS.
- Continue the development of higher GPS broadcast power and the eventual availability of three civil frequencies.
The report, "Vulnerability Assessment of the Transportation Infrastructure Relying on the Global Positioning System," may be obtained through the Coast Guard Navigation Web site ( www.navcen.uscg.gov). — Alton K. Marsh
PILOT HEADLINERS
Avfuel to purchase Texaco GA business in 14 states
Avfuel Corporation entered into an agreement with Texaco to purchase Texaco's general aviation business in 14 states. Texaco's divestiture was dependent on a proposed merger between it and Chevron. A shareholder meeting to seek final approval of the merger was set for October 9.
Air Tractor to build 10-place amphib
Air Tractor, located in Olney, Texas, is designing a 10-place S-22 Surveyor amphibious single-engine turboprop aircraft under a Department of the Interior contract. The contract calls for delivery in 2004 and includes an option for 10 to 15 of the aircraft.
CarbonAero price set at $750,000
Adam Aircraft announced a price of $750,000 for the next 10 CarbonAero orders placed. The first 20 aircraft were priced at $695,000 and the next 10 at $725,000. Thirty-three positions had been sold — three at the new price — as of September.
Colorado mountain passes get AWOS service
Colorado officials have taken steps that should help pilots nationwide — especially those inexperienced in mountain flying. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) recently installed six automated weather observation system (AWOS) units at key locations in Colorado's high country.
Spirit of St. Louis replica to be built by museum
The Rhinebeck Aerodrome Museum is building a flying replica of Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis for the 2002 airshow season, the seventy-fifth anniversary of Lindbergh's epic flight.
Northern Lights team lights the jets for tour
The Northern Lights recently became the first civilian four-ship jet team to perform over U.S. soil, according to the team. Its L-39 Albatross jets were among the featured acts at the recent Chicago Air and Water Show. The 2001 season marks the team's shift from piston Extra 300s to jets.
Diamond wins IFR certification for new airplane
Four weeks after Diamond Aircraft started shipping the composite DA40 Diamond Star, the model received IFR certification. The 180-horsepower, four-seat airplane comes IFR-equipped with a choice of Bendix/King or Garmin avionics for $189,900.
To sign up for the free AOPA ePilot newsletter or to view the archive, see AOPA Online ( www.aopa.org/members/files/pilot/epilot/).
Helicopter sets safety standard
Schweizer Aircraft Corporation has set an impressive safety record with its 300CB helicopter that is used primarily for flight training. In 180,000 flight hours, there have only been 10 accidents and none of them resulted in fatalities or serious injuries. To put it in perspective, Schweizer reviewed NTSB accident statistics for the 1996 through 2000 period. Those figures showed that the accident rate for reciprocating engine helicopters was an average of 20.54 per 100,000 flight hours with a fatality rate of 2.44 per 100,000 flight hours. The 300CB, on the other hand, has had an accident rate of 5.62 and no fatalities per 100,000 hours. For more information, see the Web site ( www.schweizer-aircraft.com).
Eclipse to supply jets for air taxi service
Two companies have moved one step closer to offering an alternative to traditional scheduled air transportation. Nimbus Group has placed an order for 1,000 Eclipse 500 jets that are to be used as part of an air taxi service throughout North and South America.
"With this fleet order our vision of an air taxi service will become a reality. We at Eclipse could not be happier," said Vern Raburn, Eclipse Aviation Corporation president and CEO. Under the terms of the agreement, Eclipse will deliver the aircraft to Nimbus over a five-year period beginning in 2004.
Nimbus also has committed to making an equity investment in Eclipse, but the details of that deal were not disclosed nor were the details of the purchase order for the new generation of jets. But first Eclipse has to build them.
In mid-September Eclipse announced that the first metal cuts have been made in order to create a frame for the lower cabin assembly. The frame will later be connected to the aluminum skin of the aircraft using friction stir welding, a technology new to general aviation but already in use in the space and marine industries. The cuts were made by machinists at Metalcraft Technologies Inc. in Cedar City, Utah. Metalcraft will be providing Eclipse with numerous production-conforming components for the fuselage, including the windshield frame, lower cabin assemblies, and parts for the nose of the aircraft.
Members in the news
Spencer Lane, AOPA 522288, has published First World Flight — The Odyssey of Billy Mitchell. The book chronicles Mitchell's accomplishments such as when he assembled the world's largest air armada during World War I, his sinking of unsinkable battleships from the air, and his warning to the United States of the vulnerability to Germany's rising militarism and Japan's coming attack on Pearl Harbor. "To save U.S. aviation, three years before Lindbergh's flight to France, Mitchell sent a small group of young American airmen on a dangerous mission to make the first flight around the world…. This adventure-filled book reveals, for the first time, the full history and background of that flight and the unsung heroes who suffered the unbearable and prevailed over the impossible," according to the publisher. The book is published by U.S. Press and sells for $27.95. For more information, send an e-mail ( [email protected]).
Bill Legard, AOPA 1166818, flew his Piper Super Cub to all of the 48 contiguous states this past summer. His 10-year-old son, Rob, joined him for the first half of the trip and 7-year-old daughter, Alicia, was copilot for the second half. The Legards camped under the wing whenever possible, and landed primarily at small grass airfields.
Steven J. Calabro, AOPA 782256, airport director of the Chesterfield County Airport in Richmond, Virginia, has successfully completed the process for having the "Virginia Aviation Enthusiasts" license plate added to the list of specialty plates now available through the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. To view the plate, select "purchase a plate" on the Web site ( www.dmv.state.va.us).
Howie Keefe, AOPA 209581, recently published Galloping on Wings, a book of memoirs covering flying and racing the famous P?51 Mustang, Miss America. The 300-page book contains 200 photographs and illustrations highlighting his adventures in Unlimited air racing and airshows. Keefe also developed the Air Chart System of IFR and VFR charts. Galloping on Wings is available for $20 plus $2 shipping; contact Howie Keefe, 6357 Irena Avenue, Camarillo, California 93012; or telephone 877/773-7843.
Dru Narwani, AOPA 1046201, received a Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA) Achievement Award for flying his Canadian-registered 1968 Cessna 182 throughout the world. Narwani's travels initially took him south to New York in 1989, then across the Atlantic to England in 1993. In 1995, he was asked to take on a job in what was then Bombay, India. After making it through various levels of bureaucracy, he flew east to India through Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Pakistan. After three and a half years in India, Narwani flew on to Australia where he sold his trusty 182 to a broker. Today, Narwani is back home in Canada, where he's writing a book and flying his new airplane, a Cessna 210.
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