Innehållsförteckning för March - April 2023 från Australian Flying

Col Pay Award for a Lifetime of Service to General Aviation CHRISTOPHER SIEVERS A member of HARS Historic Flight Association, a registered Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (Airframe and Engine), a Responsible Person for a number of companies with CASA, Responsible Person and Owner of a registered training organisation (Aerospace Training Services) and Lifetime Member of a number of aviation related businesses, Chris has been a GA stalwart for over forty years. “I am extremely flattered to receive this prestigious award for my commitment to the Australia aviation industry.”Chris Sievers Chris and a business colleague started a small company – Air Affairs - in the early 90’s providing advisory and training services to the RAN at Nowra, which still flourishes to this day. His advanced manufacturing centre, which focuses on producing products…

Pushed by the disadvantages of airline travel and pulled by the 100% immediate write-off of business aircraft for tax purposes, pilots with means are upgrading their ratings, skills and type of aircraft they fly. Previously, turboprops like the best-selling Pilatus PC-12, and light jets, like the Mustang, have owned that market. Now there is a new player grabbing buyer attention: the certified, EPIC E1000 GX. After a four-year wait, due to certification and COVID restrictions, having first met the Epic team at Oshkosh in 2019, I was invited to fly the aircraft out of Australian Mike Smith’s Napa Airport flight school in California. EPIC CEO and president, Doug King, flew the aircraft down from Bend Oregon especially for the flight test. Last year King flew this Epic aircraft around the…

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Its 40 years this year since ultralight flying in Australia became a legitimate pursuit, with structure and oversight. Recreational Aviation Australia (RAAus), the successor to the Australian Ultralight Federation (AUF), has grown from very humble beginnings: operating aircraft that didn’t differ that much from the early flying machines of the 20th century, with basic engines, airframes and instrumentation, to today where much of our fleet is utilising technology seen in modern-day airliners. Since those early days of the AUF, RAAus has flourished into a national organisation with more than 9100 members, 3300 aircraft and 185 flight training schools. RAAus’ role is to administer pilot certificates (our version of a pilot licence) and higher-level qualifications such as instructors, register aircraft, authorise maintainers that perform work on the aircraft, and to promote…

Electric aviation presents private, flying school and light commercial operators with a decarbonised and cost-reduced method of flying. FlyOnE Sustainable aviation is tackling the multifaceted challenge of decarbonising light aviation in Australia with the importation of electric aircraft options, certification of new airframe designs, developing electric aviation charge nodes in key areas in Australia and working with governing bodies to build a framework of safety and training around electric aviation operations and pilot skills development. There are currently two-seat electric aircraft operating in Western Australia, but these are just the tip of the iceberg for electric aviation. In addition to representing (and stocking) Pipistrel electric aircraft in Australia, FlyOnE Sustainable Aviation has committed to over 40 additional electric aircraft orders, including eVTOL and 700km range commercial air transport-capable aircraft to…

More than 180 aircraft and 30 different type groups are expected to be featured at Avalon this year. The dedicated GA/Sport area will feature a live build of a Zenith CH750 STOL aircraft and a conference centre where associations are invited to run their own seminars. The dedicated GA area will feature displays from the Antique Aeroplane Association of Australia, Airtourer Association and Angel Flight, to Recreational Aviation Australia, the Sport Aircraft Association of Australia and Victorian Model Aeronautical Association. Presentations will focus on various aspects of aviation, including aircraft restoration, women in flight, flight safety and how to attract more young people to the industry. As part of the event, the Australian Sport Rotorcraft Association will also celebrate the centenary of the first successful flight of the autogiro, which…

Relax, for a minute, and take yourself back. Feel the hot, squeaky-soft sand. Breathe in the salted air. Hear the kids on the beach, playing totem tennis or flogging soggy sand at one another, and the whirr of the Victa (no, the motor mower) slicing up the grass at Aunty Joan’s old shack nearby. Feel the burn on your bare soles from the sticky bitumen while slogging down to the local corner-store for an Icy Pole at lunchtime. Then feel the cool of the ocean on your blistered feet as you rinse off the sticky sugary drips from your hands. At days’ end, you’re exhausted, with sand in every crease of yourself and your wet togs (cossie, bathers, whatever). Mum’s now dragging you back to the sage green Holden station…

After a long break due to covid travel restrictions, it was good to be back at the fast-expanding Cirrus Vision Centre, in Knoxville, Tennessee, to test fly the latest Vision Jet and SR22T. There were more hangars, owners taking delivery, employees, and aircraft on site. My third visit was hosted by directors of the SF and SR programs, Matt Bergwall, and Ivy McIver. Travelling coach (economy) on American domestic airlines is horrible, and my trip from San Francisco reinforced why people with means, and those for whom time is money, fly privately. As the market leader, Cirrus is surfing the wave of customers wanting to own their own aircraft, combined with the economic benefit of a full order book and record deliveries. This provides cash for research and development, continually…

To the side of Cafe Connie at the HARS Museum in Shellharbour, NSW, is a lift and a set of stairs. Take either and you will find yourself on a spacious mezzanine floor, the focal point of which is an open area containing display cases. On the walls are large photographs of the luminaries of Australian aviation. Also conspicuous is an unusual metal low-wing four-seater aeroplane with struts: the only Victa R2 ever built. Hanging from the ceiling is a series of connected box-kites, under which hangs a mannequin wearing 19th century clothing. You are in the Australian Aviation Hall of Fame (AAHOF). What is a Hall of Fame? Halls of fame are places (typically museums) with exhibits honouring famous people and events related to a particular sport or field…

The Wombat Ware cooling case is a companion device for pilots in general aviation who fly with their iPads. The aim of the case is to prevent the iPad from overheating, a common issue in the summer heat of Australia. Simply place the iPad in the cooling case and switch the case on. Now, the pilot can focus on flying and not be concerned about the iPad shutting down in the heat/sun. The inbuilt temperature sensor monitors the back of the iPad. When it gets above 32°C or 90°F, it triggers the blower fans keeping the iPad cool. The fans are powered by an internal rechargeable battery that can keep the fans going for up to 5 hours. The cooling case is compatible with different third party mounting accessories (e.g.…

What sparked your interest in aviation? Was it watching an intrepid pilot battle stormy weather at the movies? Was it through a hobby or did the fascination grow from that always thrilling first flight or a visit to an airport? Were you hooked by one of the ubiquitous aviation television documentaries or were you lucky enough to have a family member or friend involved in the industry? For me, it was at Launceston Airport getting on a plane as an eight year old and knowing in less than an hour I would be on the mainland. Often the seeds of a lifelong passion are sown at an early age and there is no better way to expose a developing mind to the potential of aviation than by taking them to…

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority has issued an Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) to new Australian airline Bonza after the carrier submitted final documents and successfully completed proving flights. The AOC is the regulatory approval required by Bonza to fly scheduled passenger-carrying flights in Australia. A specialist CASA team has been working with Bonza since it submitted its application last year, progressively assessing various components and providing feedback. CASA Director of Aviation Safety and Chief Executive Officer Pip Spence said Bonza went through a rigorous assessment and validation process to ensure it could operate safely. ‘This is a significant milestone and we congratulate Bonza on achieving its air operator’s certificate,’ Ms Spence said. Ms Spence said the AOC process was designed to ensure that everyone boarding an aircraft in Australia could…

Absence, it is said, makes the heart grow fonder. If true, it goes a long way toward explaining the yearning the aviation industry has for the Australian International Airshow. After four years away, it returns to us in the form of Avalon 2023, and the Australian aviation community is more than ready to embrace the event warmly, welcoming it back as the last vestige of aviation to return to normality post-COVID. We are whole again. Love that large brings with it expectations of grandeur, and the team at organiser AMDA Foundation is very aware that the aviation community is looking at Avalon 2023 to make up for lost ground. Co-incidentally, the returning air show is also the first one for new AMDA CEO Justin Giddings, who replaced retiring boss Ian…

The Bell 505 Jet Ranger X is a fine exemplar of modern rotary wing aviation - evolution at its finest. Designed as the natural successor to the immensely successful Bell 206 JetRanger - the light utility helicopter that kick-started its illustrious flying career in the late ‘60s, the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X (JRX) has not only injected further zeal into the world-renowned Bell Textron Inc. brand, but also met the exacting needs of operators in the 21st century along the way. Considering a figure well north of 7,000 units of the classic Bell 206 Jetty were built, the Bell 505 JRX continues a tremendous legacy. Despite being a new clean sheet design in its own right, the advanced Bell 505 JRX SLS (short light single) has still managed to…

Despite emerging economic and political conditions, recent reports indicate that business jet fleet utilisation and demand within the Asia-Pacific region remains high and will continue to underpin strong new and pre-owned aircraft sales well into 2023. Locally, the pandemic encouraged many new entrants into corporate aircraft ownership. In addition, the conditions created over the last few years reaffirmed for many existing owners the agility and convenience of business jet travel. Now in its 15th year at Avalon airport, the show has grown to be recognised as a significant global business event. With the last show being held in 2019, the return of this valuable platform for industry engagement and networking is well overdue. Textron to Display Four Popular Aircraft This year, Textron Aviation Inc., home to the iconic Cessna and…