Innehållsförteckning för July/August 2020 från Australian Flying

1 Helipad proposed for Darling Harbour 2 Pipistrel co-operates on Hydrogen Shuttle 3 Aviation mourns Simulation Pioneer 4 Prominent Physician appointed to Angel Flight Board 5 VoltAero opts for Pusher Configuration on Cassio 6 Loss of Control pinpointed in Remark Conquest Crash 7 CASA issues Part 149 Certificate for APF 8 NSW Government grants $6.6 million for Cessnock Upgrade 9 Vortex Ring State brought down Skycrane: ATSB 10 CASA comes under Fire over Power Station Approval SIGN UP TO KEEP UP! The Australian Flying website is updated daily with the latest GA news stories. Visit us online now at www.australianflying.com.au to also check out our free classifieds section, photo and video galleries, blogs, flying tips articles and comprehensive Warbird coverage. And be sure to register for our FREE weekly electronic…

The air show schedule for Australia and most countries in the world was thrown into disarray earlier this year by social-distancing requirements enforced to combat the spread of coronavirus. With most countries implementing bans on outdoor gatherings without any date predicted for them being lifted, and international travel severely restricted, air show organisers found themselves in uncertain times, with most forced to cancel or at least postpone their events for several months. The uncertainty has been so great that AMDA Foundation elected to postpone the Australian International Airshow at Avalon for nine months, even though it wasn’t scheduled until late February next year. "After extensive consultation and review, it has become clear that the impacts of COVID-19, including lengthy logistical lead times and uncertainty about availability of international travel, would…

I doubt there’s a pilot in the world who hasn’t played the game of “what would you buy if money was no object?” In my mind’s eye I can see my own hangar, with the Beech Staggerwing tucked away in the corner, partially blocked by the Cirrus Vision Jet, behind which peeks the V tail of a 1965 S35 Bonanza. For me, my hangar of fine aircraft is a fantasy, but for many I’ve interviewed over the years, a combination of success and hardwork has allowed them to fill their hangar with the aircraft of their dreams. Simon Hackett is one such person: the owner of a PC-12NG, a Stemme S10-VT high performance touring motor-glider and Australia’s first purchaser of an all-electric self-launch glider, the Pipistrel Taurus Electro. It was…

Several months ago, just when many Australians and our wildlife were beginning to recover from disastrous droughts and bushfires, the world began to be exposed to the COVID-19 virus, which has inflicted a huge toll on human lives and national economies, without discrimination. Both the aviation and tourism industries have been hit particularly hard as business and leisure travel have experienced massive declines. The downturn in aviation activity has been wide spread from pilot training to regional, domestic and overseas airline travel and our skies have not been this empty since the1930s. Business aviation activity has also decreased, mainly due to international restrictions. A very tough time for many individuals and companies. Information flow During difficult times throughout the world, access to timely and accurate information is critical for large…

From mid-March, almost overnight the world changed. Things we all took for granted were suddenly restricted, illegal, not available or in shortage. The view from my window changed dramatically. One day I was in our office at Fyshwick with our team of 14 staff. The next I was in my home office talking to my team via video conference. The view changed. The dedication didn’t. The resolve to get through this chapter didn’t diminish. The commitment to our members didn’t change. We introduced a suite of member benefits quickly to ensure we remain engaged with our constituency. We focused on core issues such as training, currency, communication, connectedness and mental health. We didn’t know how long this would last, so we prepared for a long time where our view was…

If ever there was a sector of the aerospace industry entitled to feel underwhelmed by attention and support it would surely have to be general aviation. Not only is the sector as a whole the focus of a flood of negativity when it does score some attention, but also the contributions it makes to society and the economy are rarely if ever raised to balance the score. In large part this is because the sector is a miscellany of diverse operations that have little in common other than being in some way related to the operation of heavier-than-air machines. This diversity makes it difficult to regulate and impossible to present a united front on any issue in the political arena. The sector is not really a “sector” at all, but…

Got something to get off your chest? Australian Flying welcomes your input. Send your AirMail, with your name and contacts (which can be withheld from publishing upon request) to: stevehitchen@yaffa.com.au or write to: Australian Flying, GPO Box 606 Sydney NSW 2001. Developing Professionals Dear Steve. As an experienced Chief Pilot, multi and turbine instructor and Conquest operator, I read with concern the findings of the ATSB investigation into the Conquest crash at Renmark. There is no escaping the conclusion that the outcome of that flight was, in large part, a direct consequence of the decisions made by the CASA inspector and the operating crew. The ATSB noted that both operating crew weren’t current for this exercise. This reflects the declining depth of experience in the GA sector and in CASA…

Italian manufacturer Tecnam has introduced a diesel engine option to their P Twenty-Ten range. The P2010 TDI turbo-diesel will be added to the 180-hp and 215-hp avgas models of the four-seat high-wing. Continental's new liquid-cooled and turbocharged CD-170 engine has been chosen for the new model, offering 170 hp and Full-authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) systems. The powerplant will give the P2010 TDI a 75% cruise of 127 KTAS at 6000 feet and a range of 1050 nm. Speaking during an online launch event in May, Tecnam Mangaing Director Giovanni Pascale Langer said that his company believes the new model will satisfy market demands for aircraft that don't rely on avgas. "This model will open [up] opportunities to an entirely new segment of customers," he said. "Many of them will…

Flying instructor, member of the Australian Aviation Hall of Fame and pioneer of the Australian Women Pilots Association (AWPA), Senja Robey BEM, folded her wings earlier this year, dying at home on 14 April at the age of 93. A flying instructor of extraordinary ability and empathy, a true pioneer of general aviation in Australia, a friend and mentor to many women pilots, Senja Robey was a living treasure of aviation in Australia, and her death has created a hole that is unlikely to be filled for many years yet. Sydney pilot Cathy Hobson remember Senja as someone who was always looking to help out other people when she could. “When I was starting out I’d just gotten a CPL I was living in Perth and doing my instructor rating…

The world is looking for an alternate to leaded avgas for three reasons. First, leaded avgas, which is manufactured from a non-renewable resource, is expensive to produce and buy; second, it pollutes the environment; and third, it is hard to access, particularly outside the main centres, of developed countries. Further, avgas engines are “inefficient old technology.” Demand for new fuels varies by region, and comparative fuel prices. For example, in Europe the difference in price between 100LL and Jet-A1 (€2.2 against €1.14 per litre) is far greater than in the USA. Unleaded high-octane avgas In 2017, Australian Flying reported on developments leading to a soon-to-be-introduced unleaded high-octane avgas to replace 100LL. The FAA established, the aviation fuels initiative (PAFI) which included the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, the American Petroleum…

If you asked 100 pilots at a flying club barbeque (ah, those were the days!) to name a GA twin, 99 of them would answer with Baron, a Piper with a Native American name (Aztec, Seminole, Twin Comanche), a Cessna starting with 3 or 4, or perhaps Partenavia. It becomes difficult to think of twins other than the staples, particularly if you had to stick to relatively modern types (that would exclude the Dragon Rapide, the Lockheed 10, Beech 18, and lots of other beautiful old aircraft). There are, however, a nice selection of unusual twins that are rarely seen in our skies. And in a few sad cases, are no longer seen. Beagle B.206 A lesser known British aircraft manufacturer of the 1960s was Beagle Aircraft Limited. The strange…

Garmin’s Portable All-rounder From Garmin comes an aviation portable GPS unit that promises much more than just navigation accuracy. In May, Garmin introduced the latest addition to their distinguished family of portable GPS units: the aera 760. Designed with the co-operation and input of pilots, the aera 760 is a complete display system with features far beyond the remit of the standard aviation portable, making it almost inappropriate to label it with the restrictive name “GPS”. Featuring a modern yet rugged design, the aera 760 is an aviation portable complete with a built-in GPS/GLONASS receiver that is optimised for cockpits. It has a bright, 178 mm display can run on battery power for up to four hours on a single charge and is easily read in bright sunlight. Along the…

In considering my column for this edition, I looked out my window and at the FlightRadar24 app and was disheartened by the real impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on our industry. There certainly aren’t as many aircraft in the skies, even though the impact has been varied across the industry. I recognise while some sectors are continuing with their operations, very few are increasing activities and some are suffering severe impacts. I hope by the time you read this there are more aircraft in Australian skies and the COVID-19 restrictions are being progressively relaxed as we stay on top of the virus. Right now there are no guarantees about when life will be back to normal and it is clear for many in aviation that the impacts could last…

Earlier this year, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) released a statistical analysis report that shows fatalities in general aviation are in decline. Covering the years 2010-2019, the report states that although GA accidents increased slightly, the fatality rate decreased over the study period. "Between 2010 and 2019, over 90% of accidents and fatal accidents, and around 80% of serious incidents, involved aircraft operating within the general aviation and recreational aviation sectors," the report notes. "In contrast, due to the more stringent reporting requirements for air transport operations, three-quarters of reported incidents involved aircraft operating within commercial air transport. "Considering all years in the period, the number of general aviation fatalities and fatal accidents decreased. The number of fatalities and fatal accidents within commercial air transport and recreation aviation remained…

Textron Aviation successfully flew the prototype Cessna 408 SkyCourier twin turboprop utility aircraft for the first time in May this year. The SkyCourier took off from the company’s east campus Beech Field Airport, piloted by Corey Eckhart, senior test pilot, and Aaron Tobias, chief test pilot. During the 135-minute flight, the team tested the aircraft’s performance, stability and control, as well as its propulsion, environmental, flight controls and avionics systems. “We were very pleased with how the Cessna SkyCourier performed throughout its first flight,” Eckhart said. “It was particularly impressive to see how stable the aircraft handled on takeoff and landing. The Cessna SkyCourier already displays a high level of maturity in its flight characteristics, especially for a first flight. "We were able to accomplish everything we wanted on this…

As this article goes to print, I’m desperately hoping that we are all able to drag out the charts again (or fire up the electronic flight bag if that’s how you roll). But even if we can’t fly, we can always dream of it and have a plan, and the combination of Goolwa/Victor Harbor is one destination that should be on your avbucket list for a variety of very good reasons. Around 10,000 years ago, Kangaroo Island (indigenously known as Karta or “island of the dead”) situated about 70 nm south of Adelaide as the Warrior flies, separated from the Australian mainland and began drifting infinitely slowly towards the Great Australian Bight. The Fleurieu (FLOO-ree-oh) Peninsula decided to stay terra-firmly behind with its eastern extent forming part of the Murray…

Pilot supply shops–either brick-and-mortar or online–are special places to aviators that mean almost nothing at all to the general public. They are part bookshop, part video store, clothes shop, electronics shop, newsagent, gift shop and camping store. For although they are places to get the things you need, pilot supply shops also offer you the things you want, even if you didn’t know you wanted them until you got there. It’s nothing to walk in looking for a new set of charts and walk out with the charts, two videos, a hand-held radio and a bear in a flying suit. These are the accoutrements that we gather around us. And competition for pilots’ shopping dollar is fierce, with online stores, aero clubs, flying schools and established shops all potential suppliers…

An aircraft piston engine needs fuel, air and a spark to operate. Simplistically, fuel is provided by gravity or a fuel pump driven by the turning engine, air sucked in by the combustion process through the carburettor, and spark by the magnetos which are also driven by the turning engine. The magnetos are a different sort of spark supplier than in a car engine, which uses the battery to generate a spark through a coil or an electronic ignition system. Most modern aircraft are fitted with starter motors to turn the engine, but occasionally the system doesn’t work. Unlike cars, there is a back up: the propeller. Manually swinging a propeller can get the engine going, but there are dangers in having body parts so close the prop once the…

The New South Wales Rural Fire Service (NSWRFS) have ordered two Bell 412s which will be dedicated to remote area SAR, and will be delivered in time for next year’s fire season. This follows an increase in demand for the services of rescue helicopters in remote areas of New South Wales last year, when about 50 people were rescued from fire-affected areas. It was also reported that the service’s MBB BK117s also struggled in the hot-and-high conditions when operating at maximum AUW. The NSW government authorised the purchase of the Bells after it learned that the ex-ADF Black Hawk helicopters, which it was thought would be coming on-line in a fairly timely manner, would be substantially delayed. Following a tender process it was announced that Coulson Aviation was the preferred…