aerokurier 3/2001
Editiorial Airfields in danger! / Feature Atlantic transfers: a far cry from flying with an airline / Pilot Report Renaissance 8F: a new classic /  Magazine TAE 110: Aircraft diesel engine from the Formula One stable, Bücker factory airfield: things are looking up for Rangsdorf, First historic sports flying days, Arnsberg-Menden: safe and sound, Flightship 8: specialist in low-altitude flying, In the cockpit with Karl Kössler /  Readers' Choice 2001 Take part and you could be a winner! /  Flying Fairchild 24: a time machine / Practice GPS routing for VFR flights, Carbon monoxide – the silent killer, Accident analysis: the fatal last flight of the Kennedys / Ultralight Quick trip to the Baltic, Seahawk: UL amphibian soon to take off / Gliding The first club class world championships, German championships 2000: decided in Spain, Super atmosphere in Bitterwasser: 54 thousand km flights!, Asiago: springboard to the Dolomites, Planning and analysis with "SeeYou", Aerotowing using the winch launch hook to be allowed again / Special Flight Training Editorial: Good times, bad times, What is the best way to get trained?, Licence war, How much dough will you be able to make?, Changing over from the PPL-A to a UL licence, Advancing from the ultralight to the E class, Flying school report

EDITORIAL

Airfields in danger!

An amendment to the Act for Protection against Aircraft Noise has been hanging over us ever since 1997. A draft Bill drawn up by the Ministry of Environment envisages drastic measures.
     Although some of the suggested changes to the law are sensible, these are overshadowed by proposals which, if implemented, would ruin many airfields. For example, one paragraph of the draft Bill redefines the noise protection zone as the area "in which the assessment level caused by aircraft noise exceeds 55 dB (A) by day or 45 dB (A) at night". The noise protection zones are then divided into day- and night-time protection zones, for which different restrictions apply. Every noise protection zone must be re-examined after 10 years at the latest.
    Much of the draft amendment to the Aircraft Noise Act is thus counter-productive as it attempts to throttle General Aviation through an avalanche of costs which are simply not affordable. My opinion of the draft Bill in its current form is: nature and environmental conservation? yes! ecological dictatorship by decree? no!

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FEATURE

Atlantic transfers: a far cry from flying with an airline

They are built in Switzerland but the USA is where they are used. The weekly trek across the Atlantic ferrying PC-12’s fresh off the Pilatus production lines in Stans is almost a scheduled connection. Yet every flight is a challenge.
Ferry pilots fly the aircraft on the North Atlantic route over Scotland, Iceland, Greenland and Canada to the area in which they will be operated. Urs Frischknecht is one of them. Kaj-Gunnar Sievert accompanied him on a ferry mission.

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PILOT REPORT

Renaissance 8F: a new classic

They are back again - the Luscombe Silvaire 8F. The new version comes with precisely so many improvements that it still counts as the original type as far as certification is concerned. It will be built in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, using components manufactured by Czech Aircraft Works. Assembly of the first units is expected to commence in March.
The price tag for the new Silvaire 8F is set at $71,200. It will answer to the name of Renaisssance 8F. The manoeuvrable tail-wheel aircraft will be fitted with a 150hp Lycoming O-320. The new "oldie" will cruise at 110 KIAS. Its range will be around 800km. A detailed pilot report in the March edition of aerokurier recounts what the Renaissance 8F is like to fly.

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MAGAZINE

What a perfect surprise! The first modern diesel engine to be built by a German manufacturer, the TAE 110 is flying in the experimental platform of a Valentin Taifun.
    The name Thielert is well-known in the racing world, as Thielert is not just a Formula One racing stable but builds camshafts and crankshafts, among other things, as well. Electronic engine control units are also among its offerings. Now the company, which has plants in Hamburg and Lichtenstein, Saxony, is employing its know-how in the TAE 110 four-cylinder in-line engine which is intended for diesel and kerosene operation.
    The TAE 110 will compete head-to-head with the Lycoming O-320. JAR-22 certification is almost complete. Another version, a prototype of which is being tested in a Piper PA-28, is expected to achieve JAR-E certification later this year. You can find out all about the new engine in the new March edition of aerokurier.

Bücker factory airfield: things are looking up for Rangsdorf

In a unique project, Bücker aircraft are once again to be assembled at the former Rangsdorf factory airfield. Despite a number of setbacks in the past, the breakthrough could be about to occur. The owners of the site, the municipality of Rangsdorf and Brandenburgische Bodengesellschaft, have withdrawn their earlier opposition to a revival of the airfield. More on this subject in the March edition of aerokurier

First historic sports flying days

The "First Historic Sports Flying Days" to be held at Rangsdorf airfield promise to be a unique event. The Friends of the Bücker Museum plan to use the event, which is to be held over Whitsun weekend (2-4 June) to win support for retaining the airfield. All participants aged 30 or over with sports or touring aeroplanes are welcome. For further information and registration, contact Thomas Schüttoff, Tel. +49 (0)171/8913314.

Arnsberg-Menden: safe and sound

Until only a few weeks ago the future of Arnsberg airfield hung in the balance. Literally at the last minute the property owner and the new operators reached an agreement. Despite stringent flight operation conditions, Arnsberg-Menden will retain its status as civilian airfield. There are even plans to extend it.

Flightship 8: specialist in low-altitude flying

Neither an aircraft nor a ship, the airfoils are viewed by their developers as a quick and efficient means of transport. The biggest wing-in-ground effect craft ever built in Germany is now undergoing trials. We attended the rollout of Flightship 8 on your behalf.

In the cockpit with Karl Kössler

The former Director of the Federal Office of Civil Aeronautics (LBA) looks back on an eventful career as a test pilot. Today he devotes himself to German aviation history.

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READERS' CHOICE 2001

Destination 2001: join in and win a prize!

In the March edition of aerokurier you will have your second and last chance to take part in the big aerokurier "Destination 2001" readers’ choice. We would like to know your preferred flying destination or places where you have had great flying experiences. All you have to do is find your top destinations from among those listed in the magazine, fill in the reply card and send it back to us. By way of thankyou, everyone who takes part will be eligible for entry in a great prize draw. (Summary and registration card will be found in aerokurier 3/01).

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FLYING

Fairchild 24: a time machine

Even in its home country, the USA, the four-seater radial-engined Fairchild 24, in production until 1947, is a rarity today. aerokurier employee Uwe Glaser discovered one in Tennessee that had been beautifully restored. It had been built in 1937.
     This Fairchild is powered by a 145hp seven-cylinder engine. As with all radial engines, the oil volume in the Fairchild 24 is measured not in quarts (just under a litre) but in gallons (the equivalent of 3.78l). The Warner engine requires three gallons. Just under one litre of oil is consumed per flying hour. Average fuel consumption is eight to nine gallons. There are less than 400 Fairchild 24’s still flying today.

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PRACTICE

GPS routing for VFR flights

With the Go-To function in GPS, finding one’s way from A to B is quick and convenient. But in practice it is not as easy as that. The abundance of airspace restrictions today mean that one cannot assume it will be possible to fly the route suggested by GPS. Yet flight planning for GPS that complies with the regulations does not necessarily have to be much more time-consuming. This is illustrated by an example.
     Our route takes us VFR from Ansbach-Petersdorf south-westerly via Nuremberg to Bautzen to the east of Dresden. The routing is not trivial. Ansbach lies close to the C class airspace of the Nuremberg control zone to the north-east, and the Bayreuth and Hof control zones are in the way on the direct route to Bautzen. In addition, the route crosses a small corner of the Czech Republic and touches on the D class airspace around Dresden. There is plenty of opportunity here for airspace conflicts. We show how they are resolved.

Carbon monoxide – the silent killer

It creeps through cracks in poorly sealed heater elements and slowly robs its victims of air: the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning, which regularly claims the lives of pilots, are underestimated. A summary of the dangers and warning devices.

Accident analysis: the fatal last flight of the Kennedys

Take-off delayed past the onset of darkness, poor weather conditions in transit over the sea, lack of reference points and inexperience on the part of the pilot were the factors which led up to the crash of a Piper PA-32 Saratoga off the coast of Massachusetts. The pilot was John Kennedy Jr., and with him died his wife and his sister-in-law.

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ULTRALIGHT

Quick trip to the Baltic

Seven CT crews treated themselves to a thrilling ultralight adventure. They flew their ultralights on a discovery tour of a fascinating country that is very welcoming to pilots, Lithuania. Kaunas, the capital city Vilnius and the Curonian Spit are only a few of the stations which the ultralight formation visited. Read our detailed report, which contains many tips for anyone thinking of following in their footsteps, for yourself.

Seahawk: UL amphibian soon to take off

The newcomer Mark company from Hessian Brensbach plans to become established on the ultralight and kit market. Its design as an amphibian is not the only reason why the Seahawk stands out. We had a good look round at the manufacturer’s.

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GLIDING

The first club class world championships

The title was taken by Peter Masson of the United Kingdom. For the German team the results were a disappointment: in the first club class world championships held in Australia in January, European champion Frank Hahn led the German entry, but the best he could manage was a dismal eighth place.

German championships 2000: decided in Spain

Almost four million kilometres were reported during last year’s German distance gliding championships. Anyone hoping to be near the front among the 3,000 entries had to complete triangular courses of over 700km. Most of the flying took place in Spain.
    Only the juniors Alexander Friedl and Jens Ammerlahn and the main contender in the club class, Thomas Köcher, set off on their championship flights in Germany. In the first part of this article in the February edition of aerokurier they describe their critical flights. Another exception among the pilots in Spain was the third junior champion, Mario Link (racing class).
   We introduce Mario Link, Manfred Scholz (18m class), Stefan Karch (racing class), Joachim Krais (standard class) and Norbert Schlafke (open class) in this report, with details of their winning flights.

Super atmosphere in Bitterwasser: 54 thousand km flights!

Bitterwasser, in the heart of Namibia, stands in the gliding world for ideal distance flying weather. In this southern summer no less than 54 over-1000km flights were flown from the gliding centre in South Africa. A description of this super summer.

Asiago: springboard to the Dolomites

Unlike France or Spain, Italy is rather a secret tip for glider pilots who are planning a flying holiday abroad. Asiago in northern Italy is particularly highly recommended. Introduction to the gliding centre which is currently undergoing expansion.

Planning and analysis with "SeeYou"

A new PC program for distance flying analysis and planning has arrived from Slovenia. The software was developed by Erazem Polutnik and Andrej Kolar, both members of the Slovenian national glider pilot team. The name of their program, "SeeYou" coincides with the sound of the competition identifier "CU" of their own aircraft, but the main focus of the application is actually viewing logger recordings and analysing flight recordings against the background of vector maps.

Aerotowing using the winch launch  hook to be allowed again

Unterwössen. The risks associated with aerotowing using the winch launch   hook were voiced again on 19 January in the Unterwössen gliding centre. The outcome is that under certain conditions aerotows in which the tow-rope is connected to the winch launch hook may be possible again in future.
    The discussion was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Transport, the Federal Office of Civil Aeronautics (LBA), the Deutscher Aero Club and those involved in carrying out two studies on aerotows in Unterwössen and Braunschweig. The starting point was the LBA’s decision a year ago to ban aerotows in which the tow-rope is connected to the winch launch hook, with a transition period (NOTAM II-38/00). This tough ban had been the subject of hefty criticism within the Deutscher Aero Club. The NOTAM was not supported by any new findings and completely ignored the critical relevance of the training status of the glider pilot.
    A new provision is to now be introduced, according to which aircraft which do not have a nose hook will continue to be allowed to be launched with an aerotow (which will then use the winch launch hook), provided that the pilot of the aircraft being towed has had experience of five aerotows within the previous six months. This new provision takes into account the fact that the degree of risk in an aerotow is determined entirely by the level of training. A reasonable solution.

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SPECIAL FLIGHT TRAINING

"We have an urgent requirement for co-pilots, and over the next few years we will need an extra 50 to 70 pilots a year on top of the aircrew we are training ourselves." "To accommodate all the pilots who are already undergoing training, it would be necessary to impose a halt on training for several years." The signals which the employment market for pilots is currently sending could not be more contradictory. While on the one hand statements like, "Anyone who thinks pilots are in demand is lying," are definitely misleading, many airlines do not know where they are going to get enough cockpit crew from.
    No one knows what pilot demand will look like in the future. This depends amongst other things on external factors such as the state of the economy and the prices of oil and air fares. But is this is not the case for every profession? No one who is beginning a course of training that will last several years can know with certainty whether he will be able to get his dream job once he has obtained his qualifications. If one looks at it like this, the pilot profession is a perfectly normal profession with all the associated risks and opportunities. But it offers something that is absent from other professions, the fascination of flying, something that continues to thrill even captains with thousands of flying hours under their belts.

What is the best way to get trained?

Flying school or club? Europe or overseas? There are many routes to the pilot’s licence. Before beginning training, the aspiring pilot must consider carefully what is the best choice for him. We offer some tips that will help him make this choice.

Licence war

Information on requirements for the LBA, FAA, and JAR licences and details of which ones are recognised by whom.

How much dough will you be able to make?

Starvation wages or top salaries? We reveal the income structure among the German airlines and provide the background to labour market trends.

Changing over from the PPL-A to a UL licence

It doesn’t have to be E class all the time: ultralight flying offers almost as much and is a lot less expensive. Extending the PPL-A to include the UL approval is becoming easier. But nevertheless the pilot who makes the change route is in for a few surprises and things which have a mind of their own.

Advancing from the ultralight to the E class

Anyone who can fly a modern ultralight will have no problem flying aircraft of the E class. But it still takes some adjusting to. In this month’s Flight Training Special we advise you on what you need to consider, whether your UL experience will be counted when you change over to a "proper" powered aircraft and what changes the upcoming JAR-FCL rules will bring on this subject.

Flying school report

Our comprehensive review of the industry provides a summary of flying schools in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and the USA.

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