-Alton K. Marsh
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 3, 2003, 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
Diamond TwinStar makes maiden flight
Diamond Aircraft owner and CEO Christian Dries flew the Diamond DA42 TwinStar from the factory at Wiener Neustadt, Austria, in December. The first flight of the twin-engine airplane took place on schedule, only 55 weeks after the concept was established, company officials said.
With its T-tail and sharp lines, the aircraft seems to fit in well with the rest of Diamond's composite lineup. Besides the futuristic fuselage, the aircraft features the turbodiesel Thielert Centurion 1.7 engines that can run on Jet A1 and diesel fuel. The 125-horsepower engines offer half the fuel burn and twice the TBO of conventional piston engines. As the company slowly expands the performance envelope during flight testing, it expects to see a miserly 10-gph total fuel burn at a cruise speed of 180 knots.
With a target price of $360,000, the TwinStar is positioned as a multiengine trainer or personal traveling machine, designed to compete with high-performance singles. To make multiengine flying easier, the aircraft has single-lever power controls for each engine. There will also be an option for a glass cockpit.
European Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) certification of the TwinStar is projected for the end of 2003, with North American certification and initial deliveries projected for mid-2004. For information, visit the Web site.
New Air and Space facility on schedule
Officials at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum say that construction to open the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is three-fourths complete as the December 2003 launch of the museum's companion facility in northern Virginia approaches. The center at Washington Dulles International Airport will eventually showcase the 80 percent of the national aviation collection not currently displayed at the museum's building on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., or on loan to other museums. The museum still needs $93 million to complete the $311 million project. The amount needed has decreased little in the past year but possible funding sources will be contacted. The money will be raised from private sources.
-AKM
Be A Pilot inquiries up 6.2 percent
Inquiries in flight training generated through the aviation industry's Be A Pilot program increased 6.2 percent in 2002 through early December, Be A Pilot reported. The program has generated more than 32,000 prospects for the year. A follow-up survey estimates that this could produce some 5,000 new student pilots, Be A Pilot President and CEO Drew Steketee said. "We're back from September 11, 2001 - up 4 percent most of the year and now, even more," said Steketee. "Response to the program this autumn was 50 percent to 70 percent higher each month compared to post-9/11 months in 2001." Through November, more than 750,000 people had visited the Be A Pilot Web site, where they can download or print out a coupon for a $49 introductory flight or locate a nearby flight school. For more information, see the Web site.
Pan Am offers free headsets to new enrollees
A free headset will be given to each new eligible student in a winter/spring 2003 promotion sponsored by Pan Am International Flight Academy and Sennheiser, the school announced in December. To receive the Sennheiser HME 100 headset, students must mention the promotion and begin their training before April 1. For more information, visit the Web site or call 800/83-PILOT.
"Unspinnable" Luscombe Spartan receives type certificate
The FAA in December granted an amended type certificate to Luscombe Aircraft Corporation for its 11E Spartan. The single-engine, four-place Spartan is powered by a Continental IO-360 governed to 185 horsepower, with a fixed-pitch prop, tricycle gear, and a base price of $155,900. The company aims what it calls a comfortable, reliable, and highly stable airplane at the training market. In fact, the airplane passed spin certification on an equivalent level of safety clause because of its inherent spin resistance. "In spite of exhaustive attempts, it has not been possible to cause the airplane to enter a spin condition," said the FAA in a memo accompanying the type certificate. Company President John Daniel predicts production of the 11E will begin in six to eight months. See the Web site.
-Julie K. Boatman
Raytheon Aircraft awarded follow-on T-6A contract
Raytheon Aircraft has received a $169.9 million follow-on contract to provide the Air Force an additional 35
T-6A Texan II trainer aircraft, plus training devices and manuals. The contract is the first exercised option to the company's largest-ever military contract - a one-year agreement with four one-year options worth a potential $1.22 billion that was awarded in December 2001. The Joint Primary Aircraft Training System program calls for delivery of nearly 800 of the turboprop aircraft through the year 2017.
Continental announces 2003 price increases
Teledyne Continental Motors officials said that prices will increase by 10 percent in 2003 for most products, along with a 5-percent increase on the company'TopCare cylinders. "Our cost increases for 2003 are being driven largely by changes occurring in our insurance program and effects of September 11 [terrorist attacks]," said Bryan Lewis, president of Teledyne Continental. "Our goal is to hold the line on our prices if at all possible; however, we anticipate both the general economic climate impacts on general aviation and the aviation insurance markets will continue to be challenging." Continental engines power about half of the U.S. piston aircraft fleet; the increase eventually will affect owners and renters of Continental-powered aircraft.
Company installs airbags on GA aircraft
You have one in your car, why not in your airplane? Amsafe, developer of aircraft seatbelts and restraints, has contracted with two general aviation aircraft manufacturers to install airbags in their aircraft. Gippsland Aeronautics, the Australian manufacturer of the GA-8 Airvan, and Zenith Aircraft Company, maker of the CH2000 single-engine certified airplane, have signed on to include the Amsafe Aviation Inflatable Restraint (AAIR) as an option. The airbag inflates from a section of the lap belt, expanding up and out from the pilot/passenger to cushion a forward impact. A company spokesman estimated the cost of installation at about $1,000 per seat. Certification for the AAIR on GA aircraft is expected in mid-2003. Amsafe has signed agreements with 17 airlines for installation of the AAIR beginning in 2003 as well. For more, see the Web site.
-JKB
FlightSafety expands training center
The FlightSafety International Learning Center, devoted to Cessna aircraft, has completed its 28,600-square-foot expansion project. The new wing at the center in Wichita, Kansas, provides space for five full-motion flight simulators and 10 briefing rooms along with nine high-tech classrooms. The center provides training for most of Cessna�s family of aircraft from the Cessna 210 through Citation X. FlightSafety is the factory-authorized training organization for Cessna aircraft.
Delta to launch new subsidiary
Delta Air Lines will launch a new low-fare subsidiary, operating 36 Boeing 757 aircraft, to compete with low-fare carriers such as AirTran and JetBlue, according to airline career consulting firm Air, Inc. It will replace the existing Delta Express operation. Delta had 1,014 pilots on furlough in early December, so the new operation is not likely to create immediate hiring. Air, Inc. said that 469 pilots were hired in November 2002, including 53 at major airlines, 147 at national airlines, and 126 by other jet operators. For more information, visit the Air, Inc. Web site.
Enhanced Vision training offered
Are you an aspiring professional pilot fascinated by the concept of virtual reality-like assistance in landing during low-visibility conditions? Training company FlightSafety International has installed the Enhanced Vision System (EVS) on the full-flight Gulfstream V simulator at its center in Savannah, Georgia. The EVS uses the business jet's head-up display to present the pilot with visual cues derived from infrared imagery - assisting the pilot's vision when visibility is obscured by night or poor weather conditions. By late December, some 90 pilots had taken the initial EVS course. FlightSafety has also received FAA Level D certification for its recently upgraded Falcon 20 full-motion simulator, located at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Texas.
FAA approves PremAir's Airbus training program
The FAA has approved PremAir, Inc.'s Airbus A320 pilot training programs for individuals, corporate aviation, and the airlines. The training courses include FAA Part 61, 121, and 125 initial type rating and recurrent training. Courses began in January at the company's satellite training center in Orlando, Florida. For more information, see the Web site.
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