Iditarod Air Force to the rescue
Each year nearly 70 dog-mushing teams race across Alaska's frozen landscape more than 1,000 miles from Anchorage to Nome to re-create a dog-team run of medicine nearly 100 years ago that quelled an epidemic — only this year Alaska wasn't quite so frozen.
With the Iditarod Trial Sled Dog Race set to start on March 1, organizers decided in mid-February to move the race to central Alaska where temperatures were lower. Melting snow in the southern portion of the state had promised poor conditions for the sleds, and normally frozen rivers used by skiplanes to land and unload supplies were instead flowing freely.
A group of general aviation pilots who provide support each year and call themselves the Iditarod Air Force were pressed into service to shift nearly 100 personnel and 95 tons of equipment to Fairbanks. Twenty GA pilots from around the state joined in. The aircraft carried, in addition to their own fuel, hay for the dogs to sleep on and veterinarians. To learn more about the exploits of the Iditarod Air Force, visit the Web site ( www.iditarodairforce.com). — Alton K. Marsh
Deliveries begin for all-electric SR20
Cirrus Design has delivered the first of its next generation of all-electric SR20 airplanes dubbed, as in the computer world, Version 2.0. The delivery in January was made to the 907th Flight Squadron, a flying club based in Jamison, Pennsylvania.
The Version 2.0 draws on the technology of the higher-performance SR22 and eliminates the vacuum system. The electrical system is comprised of a single alternator (a dual alternator is an option), dual battery, and dual bus. It also comes standard with a 10.4-inch Avidyne FlightMax EX5000C multifunction display. Other avionics options, including Goodrich Stormscope weather information and Goodrich SkyWatch traffic information, make up Versions 2.1 and 2.2.
Along with the technology comes a new cowling and slightly higher performance. Base price for the Version 2.0 is $207,800.
Notice of annual meeting of members
The annual meeting of the members of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association will be held at 12 p.m. on Saturday, May 3, 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
New Me 262 takes to the air
A group of dedicated aviation experts north of Seattle is experiencing all the challenges and dangers of producing a new jet aircraft. Except their new jet first flew near the end of World War II, and this winter flew again for the first time in more than 50 years.
The first flight of the new Messerschmitt Me 262 took place on December 20 after nearly 10 years of construction and planning. Unfortunately, the development suffered a setback when a successful second flight on January 17 ended with an off-runway excursion into the trees after the left main gear collapsed.
Jim Byron is the project coordinator on the Me 262 and says it has been a tremendous success despite the latest setback. "It's an unfortunate incident and we will analyze every component to find out what the failure really was," he says. He sees the accident as a step in the testing process. "If required, we'll redesign around it," he adds. Before the first flight in December there were several months of planning and waiting for the plane to be ready, good weather, and the availability of German test pilot Wolfgang Czaia (a former military pilot and retired airline captain).
Sitting on wing jacks back in its hangar, the Me 262 does show some damage, mainly to the landing gear and engine nacelles. But as Byron says, "It's built like a tank." Knock on the skin and you get a definite "thud, thud" rather than the "tink, tink" of many modern aircraft. Like the original, the new Me 262 is built almost entirely of steel. One major exception is the gear doors, which are made of wood. The airplane is powered by General Electric J85 engines (with a time between overhauls in the thousands of hours, it's much better than the 10- to 25-hour TBO on the original Jumo 004B engines) and has 400 pounds of lead in the nose to replace the four guns. The new engines, however, fit into the original nacelle design, so from the outside there is no apparent difference.
The Me 262 project was the idea of the late president of Classic Fighter Industries, Stephen Snyder. His goal was to create a replica of the world's first fighter jet. The problem was that of the 1,433 made, fewer than 10 are left, and none of them are in flyable condition. There were no plans available either, so Snyder negotiated with the U.S. Navy, which had a rotting Me 262 at Willow Grove Naval Air Station in eastern Pennsylvania. He would restore its Me 262 if the Navy would allow him to document the process and create the plans he would use to build his own. The Navy agreed.
After starting in Texas in 1993, the project moved to its current location on Snohomish County (Paine Field), which is home to Boeing's massive 747 factory, about 20 miles north of Seattle. Because the team has worked so hard to build a "true serial production representative" and not just a replica, it has been granted a unique honor for a warbird. The construction so closely matches the original that the Messerschmitt family granted the next five serial numbers in the production line from 1945 to the Me 262 project. Of the five aircraft being built, two have sold already — one to a private individual in the United States, the other to the Messerschmitt Foundation in Germany. Both are expected to appear on the airshow circuit on their respective continents. The other three are still for sale, and visitors are welcome to see the project at Paine Field. For updates on the project, see the Web site ( www.stormbirds.com). — Jason Paur
Oldest pilot dies
Ralph Charles, a 103-year-old pilot from Somerset, Ohio, who in the 1920s built airplanes for the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company, died on February 2. Born on November 6, 1899, he started flying in the 1920s but took a 50-year hiatus after working as a test pilot during World War II. In the late 1990s Charles bought a 1942 Aeronca Defender and was actively flying on his 100th birthday; he was considered the oldest active pilot in the United States at the time. Willard Scott's tribute on NBC's Today show aired a few weeks after his 100th birthday, and Charles appeared on the Late Show With David Letterman around the same time. He was featured in the March 2000 issue of AOPA Flight Training magazine.
A different approach to noise reduction
Here's something you've probably never heard of: continuous descent approach (CDA). Where does this belong in your ever-increasing supply of aviation abbreviations?
For now, it's strictly an airline thing. As part of an effort to reduce airport noise, an experiment was conducted at Louisville International-Standiford Field in Kentucky late last year. Two United Parcel Service Boeing 767s were recorded by 14 highly sensitive microphones provided by NASA and Boeing over a two-week period. One aircraft flew a standard approach that began 30 miles from the airport while the other flew the CDA, a much higher and steeper approach that was previously only modeled in computer simulations.
The results showed a decrease in noise of three to six decibels on the ground, a noticeable improvement to the human ear and people who live off the end of the runways, according to officials who conducted the test. The CDA is also said to be more fuel efficient. The FAA, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and airport officials also participated in the project.
ePILOT Headliners
Recent news from AOPA's weekly e-mail newsletter.
Eclipse chooses Pratt & Whitney
Eclipse Aviation has chosen Pratt & Whitney Canada as the new manufacturer to power its personal jet airplane. The PW610F engine is slated to produce 900 pounds of thrust. Eclipse had to find a new engine manufacturer after it severed a deal with Williams International late last year.
Safire selects Williams
Safire Aircraft, meanwhile, is going with Williams International and thinks it will be the first personal jet to market when it becomes available in late 2005. Safire has selected the Williams FJ33 turbofan engine for the S-26 jet, not to be confused with the Williams EJ22 engine that was developed exclusively for Eclipse.
Second Adam A500 flies
Adam Aircraft flew its second A500 centerline thrust aircraft on February 13. The airplane, powered by a pair of 350-horsepower turbocharged Continental engines, climbed to 13,000 feet over Centennial Airport outside Denver.
Mooney production back in gear
The Mooney Airplane Company is back in business. Mooney's production line was restarted in February, and the company reported a 16-airplane sales backlog. Rehiring has brought the company to 161 employees; eventually, Mooney hopes for a 350-person staff.
Goodrich to sell avionics unit
Goodrich Corporation has entered into an agreement to sell its avionics systems unit to L-3 Communications for $188 million in cash. The deal is expected to close later this year. The sale is part of the company's push to become "a systems supplier, not a component supplier," according to Goodrich.
Textron creates quality panel
Textron Inc. has formed an independent advisory panel to assist the company with safety, quality, and compliance systems and processes at its Lycoming business unit. The creation of the panel stemmed from recalls of certain Lycoming engines.
Raytheon releases sales figures
The A36 Bonanza was Raytheon Aircraft Corporation's top seller for 2002, with 51 airplanes delivered. It was followed closely by 46 sales of the Hawker 800XP. Only five turbocharged Bonanza B36TC airplanes were sold.
Now you can receive a customized version of the free AOPA ePilot e-mail newsletter tailored to your interests. To customize your weekly newsletter, see AOPA Online ( https://www.aopa.org/apps/epilot/).
Squawk Sheet
The FAA has issued a final rule airworthiness directive for Socata aircraft models TB 9, -10, -20, -21, and -200 airplanes. AD 2003-04-03 requires owners to inspect the aileron control gimbal joint for correct alignment and operation and repair if necessary. The FAA said that failure of the joint could cause loss of control of the airplane. The AD is effective April 7.
Pan Am graduates finding jobs despite airline woes
Headlines about bankruptcy-bound airlines may worry some career-minded pilots, but officials at Pan Am International Flight Academy say flying jobs are still available and their graduate placement records are proof.
What the headlines don't say is that while the majors are fighting to stay afloat, they are switching many of their flights to more profitable regional carriers — and that means room in the right seat for well-trained, if relatively low-time, pilots. In fact, some of the major airlines have reached agreements with their pilot unions not to move employees from the main carriers to their regional associates. That means newcomers aren't competing with seasoned professionals for slots in regional jets.
While the employment offerings are not as plentiful as they were a few years ago, when airlines were accused of looking for warm bodies to fill cockpits, there are still jobs to be had and the situation is looking up.
"Placement numbers have gone up markedly in the past six months," says Eric Norber, marketing director with Pan Am International Flight Academy's Career Pilot Division. In fact, of the 15 students to complete the school's full training program in January, 14 received job offers by mid-February and the fifteenth was actively interviewing. While the majority of those job offers were with regional airlines, some graduates also have gone straight to corporate cockpits.
Norber says this upward trend in hiring is the fruit of Pan Am's training model, which uses airline industry representatives to help guide curriculum development. The school's Airline Advisory Committee, next scheduled to meet on April 4, helps ensure that Pan Am's graduates are ready to succeed when they reach the airlines.
"When folks graduate they are perfect new hires," says Norber. "The airlines know they have the professionalism and ethics they are looking for and won't contribute to washout rates."
Two programs in particular have proven valuable to future employers — the airline route program, which has students spend about 80 hours as crewmembers flying a twin-engine aircraft along airline routes while maintaining an airline schedule, and the air crew education program, in which students fly airline-style missions in a Canadair Regional Jet 200 simulator.
At the heart of both programs is the desire to "instill in our pilots the concept of operating at the pace and vigor of an airline and doing it safely," says Norber.
Pan Am International Flight Academy is one of the largest flight schools in the United States, averaging 360 to 400 students at its Phoenix and Fort Pierce, Florida, campuses. The company anticipates a rosy future for professional pilot training, and has the expansion plans to match, with facilities, aircraft, and space available to double the number of students it trains. — Elizabeth A. Tennyson
Members in the news
Bob Vosburgh, AOPA 425827, has published Lift: Leadership That Soars Above and Beyond, a book about leadership that builds on his career as an Air Force fighter pilot, flight instructor, Air Force Academy professor, and business leader. Vosburgh has also expanded his Aeronautics Seminars for Pilots. The seminars teach pilots about maximizing climb performance, effects of altitude, takeoff and landing performance, G-force awareness, and many other topics. All areas are taught with an emphasis on safety and improving flying skills. The FAA Wings-approved seminars include additional speakers such as Lockheed SR-71 pilot Brian Shul and NASA test pilot Dana Purifoy. For more information on the book and the latest seminar schedule, see the Web site ( www.9gs.org). AOPA members should type in the code "AOPA03" on the registration form to receive a $20 discount on the seminars.
Thomas E. Powers, AOPA 668642, has received the Meritorious Community Service Award from Barry University for his 10 years of volunteer work with Angel Flight Southeast. Powers currently serves as vice chairman of the group and has held numerous positions on the board of directors as well as been a volunteer mission pilot who has flown more than 50 trips.
Brandon Harmon, AOPA 2870598, has been selected to receive the Spaatz Aerospace Leadership Scholarship. A second lieutenant in the Civil Air Patrol, Harmon is one of three cadets nationwide to receive the award. The scholarship is based on extracurricular activities and leadership abilities and is designed to help cadets with flight training costs. Harmon passed his private pilot checkride last August.
Carlo Aggi, AOPA 551059, has received the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award, honoring his 50 years of dedicated service in aviation safety. Taylor was the mechanic and designer who built the aircraft engine for the Wright Flyer.
Thomas Dunham, AOPA 193322, has published The Congo Chronicles, a novel based on the author's experiences while living in West Africa and the Congo. The book is set in the turbulent days of the 1960s as the former Belgian colony becomes independent. The main character, Jack McKenzie, an American pilot, is thrown into a series of dangerous adventures as he tries to survive the chaos and save his friends and the girl he loves. African spiritual powers change his life. The 169-page book is available in bookstores or see the Web site ( www.1stbooks.com).
The first stall
BY ELIZABETH A. TENNYSON
Stalls make you a little nervous? If so, you're by no means the first pilot to be unsettled by the sudden loss of lift. The Wright brothers didn't fully understand stalls, which they referred to as "loss of balance," but they were terrified by the consequences — and with good reason.
These days, in most airplanes, stalls are pretty much a nonevent. A little forward elevator and some rudder work are generally enough to get the wing flying again — all with a loss of altitude of just a few feet. Not so in aviation's early days.
In fact, one of the great pioneers of glider flight, German aviator Otto Lilienthal, was killed in 1896 when his glider entered an unrecoverable stall — an event that was not lost on Wilbur and Orville Wright, and one that led to one of their many innovations, the canard.
The Wright brothers' canard, named for the French word for duck, was really an elevator placed in front of the wing. Intended to control pitch, the design first appeared on their 1900 Wright Glider, where it was a miserable failure. The Wrights did not realize that moving the pitch control surface in front of the wing reduced stability and required a different center of gravity. They hoped that the canard would make it possible to recover from a ,tall, instead of leaving the hapless pilot to ride his no-longer-flying-wing to Earth. In fact, the reduced stability meant that they frequently lost control of their Glider. Fortunately, they never had enough altitude to kill themselves — of course they never had enough altitude to recover, either.
Another of their innovations, wind-tunnel testing, allowed them to improve the design before trying it on the powered Wright Flyer. By the time of their famous 1903 flight, they had discovered that the canard achieves the critical angle of attack before the wing, causing the nose to drop and reducing the angle of attack on the wing before it stalls. The brothers decided that the added maneuverability this provided was their best chance to control their airplane in the strong winds of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, and that the structure in front of the pilot might provide some crash protection.
Even so, the Wright Flyer was tremendously unstable in pitch — ask any modern pilot who has tried to fly the simulator — and experiments with moving the center of gravity aft by moving the radiator and fuel tank from the front struts to the rear of the aircraft on the 1904 model only made the problem worse. Adding 200 lb of ballast to the canard to move the center of gravity forward eventually made the 1905 aircraft stable enough to fly four circuits of the airfield.
Today, the relative instability of canard designs — and their resulting maneuverability — has made them a favorite for fighters. Of course today's pilots have some advantages over the Wright brothers, starting with computers that control pitch in these slippery airplanes.
But 100 years after the Wrights' first canard design, there's still no consensus about the best configuration for a canard — or even how to define it. Some engineers say a canard is any horizontal surface in front of the main wing, in essence a forward wing; others argue that only a forward surface that replaces a horizontal tail qualifies; still others insist the forward surface must control pitch to be properly considered a canard. Optimal canard size is just as hotly debated. Because handling and performance characteristics are more sensitive to changes in canard size than in tail size, the proper canard configuration depends on what the designer most wants to achieve — aggressive climb, long range, or high-speed cruise. Canards can help accomplish any of these goals — but not more than one at a time.
Burt Rutan's famous Voyager made its unrefueled flight around the world in part thanks to a canard designed for high endurance and low speeds. On the other hand, many supersonic aircraft, including the F-26 and experimental X-36 fighters, also use canards, although these designs are all about going fast. Even some homebuilts, such as the Rutan-designed Long EZ, boast canards.
This month in GA
The Wright brothers created the single greatest cultural force since the invention of writing. The airplane became the first World Wide Web, bringing people, languages, ideas, and values together. — Bill Gates, CEO, Microsoft Corporation
April 16, 1867. Wilbur Wright is born in Millville, Indiana. Three years later the family moves to Dayton.
April 16, 1908. Wilbur Wright delivers a Flyer to Italy and instructs students. On April 24, Wright pilots the Flyer with a cinematographer as a passenger. It is the first flight in which a motion picture camera is used.
April 16, 1912. Harriet Quimby becomes the first woman to fly across the English Channel. Unlike the widespread acclaim that met her male counterpart, Louis Blériot, who flew across the English Channel July 25, 1909, Quimby's record-setting flight is overshadowed by the sinking of the Titanic on April 14.
April 14, 1918. Air Service Lts. Douglas Campbell and Alan Winslow of the 94th Pursuit Squadron fly in the first aerial combat mission. Each downs one German airplane.
April 27, 1920. Ormer Locklear is issued the first aerial law violation for "reckless aerial driving" over Los Angeles. He is fined $25. Locklear dies in August performing a stunt for the film The Skywayman.
April 22, 1931. Pitcairn pilot Jim Ray lands an autogyro on the White House lawn and takes off again. The landing is part of a ceremony at which President Herbert Hoover presents the Collier Trophy to manufacturer Harold Pitcairn "for the greatest achievement in aviation, the value of which has been demonstrated by actual use in the preceding year." Pitcairn built 51 autogyros in 1931 and developed models for the U.S. Navy and for private owners.
April 18, 1942. Sixteen North American B?25s, commanded by Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle, take off from the USS Hornet (CV-8) at sea and bomb Tokyo. It is the first time B-25s take off from an aircraft carrier.
April 17, 1944. Howard Hughes and TWA President Jack Frye set a new cross-country speed record as they pilot a Lockheed Constellation from Burbank, California, to Washington, D.C., in six hours and 57 minutes.
April 15, 1956. Cessna Aircraft Company makes the first deliveries of the Cessna 172. The model, introduced in January 1956, becomes the most popular general aviation aircraft ever made.
April 20, 1972. Apollo 16 lands on the moon.
April 12, 1981. First launch of the space shuttle Columbia.
Related Articles
