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aerokurier 12/1999
Together strong Germany’s ministry of transport has canceled its plans to introduce a VFR fee. Minister Klimmt informed both, the AOPA and the German Aero Club DAeC on 15 October about this. A wave of protest had risen when AOPA found out about the plans for the VFR fee and aerokurier had reported about the ministry’s plot as the first magazine. The Red Card action, a joint effort of aerokurier, FLUG REVUE, AOPA, DAeC, DULV, VC, Freiballonsport-Verband and the colleagues from the Aeromarkt, generated more than 20000 signatures against the fee. Pilots, clubs, airfield operators and investors informed their congress men about the ministry’s plans and the catastrophic effects they would have on General Aviation. The threat of the VFR fee created a unique movement of solidarity. The many arguments were communicated to the political decision makers in an objective but nevertheless clear way. This approach was effective mainly because all of the political levels were involved. Many contributed to this success. Everybody who became active in any way has made a significant contribution to stop the plot. The cancellation of the planned fee was not an automatism but a joint effort. The introduction of the fee was just short of its implementation, that the letter of the minister confirmed. Cross country over Germany A cruise with the biggest Blimp of the world. A relaxed journey instead of a rushed trip from A to B. Flying in an airship is offering an entirely new perspective. The view from the pilot workstation is much different to conventional aircraft cockpits. The spacious gondola with its high ceiling, the comfortable leather seats which hold lots of room for the elbows and stretched legs, are creating a noble atmosphere on board. One feels put back in time. Did people not used to travel like this in earlier times – in the era of the steam locomotives – when taking the famous trains with their luxury wagons? Lancair Columbia 300: The masterpiece Lancair spent four years of development time to turn its kit-plane four-seater Super ES into a FAR 23 certified aircraft. Under close supervision of the US aviation administration FAA the production has started. The first customer aircraft is supposed to leave the new Lancair plant in Bend, Oregon, before the end of the year. Lancair says to have logged 80 orders and 150 options for the powerful 310-hp low-wing aircraft that has a fixed gear and is capable of speeds up to 190 KTAS. Just recently the company selected a sales representative for Europe. The Hanseatische Luftwerft Holland in Lelystad is supposed to get a demonstrator in the spring of 2000. With a width of 127 cm and a height of 130 cm the Columbia 300 is offering a spacious cabin. Large doors and a side-stick control allow for a comfortable cabin entry. With full tanks the payload capability allows for three adults (80 kg) and short of 40 kg of baggage. The aircraft has a range of approximately 2000 km. Safety plays a significant role with the LC 40-550FG which is the aircraft’s official designation. The cabin is enclosed in a 3-G-capable carbon-fiber frame. The airframe’s crash resistance is unrivaled. According to Lancair, the aircraft is almost immune against spins. The Columbia 300 is currently listed for 285500 Dollar in a basic IFR version and 299500 in a premium version. Wing cuffs at the leading edges make sure that the ailerons stay effective even during a stall. At very slow speeds and a simultaneous low throttle setting of at least 12 inch HG the rudder movement to the left is reduced by almost half. This reduces the potential for getting the aircraft into a left spin. Single-engine aircraft with right-turning propellers are receptive to this spin direction. Indeed, the aircraft shows excellent flight characteristics at Vs 1. The times of fast aircraft being aggressive in the slow speed region are over. The traditional manufacturers of small and fast single-engine aircraft must get in gear since Lancair is already considering a Columbia 300 version with a Bi-turbo engine and a retractable gear. This variant is supposed to be on the market in two and a half years. 52nd NBAA in Atlanta Business Aviation is in the midst of a constant peak period. At the NBAA this was illustrated by new production records. This year’s show was mainly characterized by news from the small manufacturers. Large numbers were the center of attention of the 52nd NBAA convention. The large manufacturers were shining with production records and anniversary aircraft. Bombardier Aerospace displayed the 2000th Learjet, a Learjet 45. Raytheon brought the 500th Beechjet to Atlanta and Cessna announced the delivery of the 3000th Citation. Also, the NBAA itself presented a large number: the 6000th member was registered in Atlanta. NASA program for General Aviation The new aerokurier series "Future 2000 plus" takes a view into the future and shows visions for General Aviation. The first part of the series deals with the concepts of the NASA. In 1994, NASA and FAA started a program to revitalize General Aviation. AGATE (Advanced General Aviation Transport Experiments) started as a joint program of NASA, FAA, universities and industry. AGATE not only mediates new visions for the future but also focuses on their realization. By realizing all of the projected leaps in technology, NASA projects an annual need of 10000 aircraft in less than ten years and an annual need for 20000 aircraft in less than 25 years just for North America. AGATE’s three main goals are: an safety increase of General Aviation, a significant reduction of costs, along with a simplifying of flying. Long-term test of the DA40-180 BETA is the term for "best tested aircraft". The DA40-180 prototype accomplished 10000 landings in 41 days. Until December, the new four-seater is supposed to take 15000 landings in demanding traffic pattern operations. The new aerokurier issue reports on the results of BETA. Ten years ago in Stölln: Il-62 landing on a grass runway Landing the four-engine jet on the 1000-meter grass runway was a masterpiece of aviation. Ten years later, the participating people met again at the Stölln airfield. Bitburg: Conversion thanks to a private initiative Many of the air bases have become surplus after the end of the Cold War in Europe. The US Air Force base in Bitburg was effected by this process also. But the people in Bitburg did not give up and, today, more civil employees are working on the former base than at the times of the US military utilization. A court decision about the continuation of the flying operations in Bitburg is expected for the first quarter of the year 2000. Problems with JAR-OPS 3 Klaus Koplin, general secretary of the Joint Aviation Authority was a guest speaker at the fall meeting of the German helicopter association. At this occasion Koplin explained the problems that Europe has with implementing the new regulations for flying operations. Especially JAR-OPS 3, which is supposed to regulate the commercial operations with helicopters and should have been implemented since August of 1999, is lagging behind. The implementation of JAR-OPS 3 in Germany is now planned for the summer of 2001. Other European states are refusing to implement the new regulations at all. Single-engine to San Francisco The doctor Thomas Kretschmar flew with a TB 21 from Brilon to San Francisco. Unfavorable weather forced him into a five-day stop-over at Iceland. After that, he continued his flight via Quebec, Winnipeg, Victoria and Portland/Oregon. The landing at the international airport of San Francisco was one of the highlights of the trip. My freedom Silke Olthoff is a scientist and was born in East Frisia in northern Germany. She is living in Cambridge where she is working as a physicist. Old things are her big affection. When she heared that one can acquire a private pilot license on a real Tiger Moth in Cambridge there was no stopping her. Now, Dr. Silke Olthoff is working on her aerobatics license – off course flying the legendary Moth. Carburetor icing The purpose of the carburetor solely is the generation of an ignitable fuel-air-mixture. However, once in a while the carburetor involuntarily turns into an ice machine and requires the pilot’s attention. Karl-Heinz Apel explains the preventative measures to avoid carburetor icing and what to do when the rpm is fluctuating and the manifold pressure is decreasing. Emergency landing after carburetor icing At the end of November of last year the Swiss pilot of a Cessna 182Q wanted to ferry flight the aircraft from Speck-Fehraltorf to Altenrhein. Because of the low outside temperature of minus 2 degrees Centigrade, the pilot let the engine warm up for 15 minutes on the ground. He then filled up the tank and filed a flight plan. Take-off and initial climb were uneventful. However, at an altitude of 200 m above the ground the engine rpm dropped from 2400 to 2000 rpm and less. The pilot pulled the carburetor heat and the rpm subsequently increased to 2300 rpm. Only moments later there was another drastic loss of performance. The pilot decided to perform an emergency landing at a nearby field. Because of the soft surface, the airplane nosed over after nosewheel touchdown. The pilot was unhurt. Carburetor icing was the probable cause for the accident. Formula Simple formula can be very helpful in stress situations during flying. The formula presented in this issue are little helpers for various calculation needs in the cockpit. Meteorology High pressure situation, which are first signs of good weather during the summer season, show their cold shoulder in winter and often generate fog. In this situation pilots are often confronted with radiation and high fog. While the first part of this article covered the phenomenon radiation fog, this issue’s article deals with the very real essential question of when the fog will disappear. The article also describes the criteria for the forming and dissipation of high fog. Accident analysis: Pilot’s error? All four occupants died when a Bölkow 207 crashed shortly after taking off in Eichstädt. The police and the accident investigators concluded that a pilot’s error had caused the crash. The testimony of a testpilot and aircraft expert comes to a different result. According to him, the pilot exactly followed the pilot’s operating handbook of the Bölkow. FK 14 Polaris: The climber B & F is on the move. The FK 14 Polaris is flying. We visited the Speyer based ultralight aircraft manufacturer to find out about the status of the new development. In the December issue of aerokurier we report on which problems have already been solved during the development and what we can expect from B & F’s first low-wing. Evektor/Aerotechnik: ultralights as reference The ultralight aircraft market has lots to offer. Who are the manufacturers? A look behind the scenes holds many surprises, for example at Evektor/Aerotechnik which is making the EV 97 Eurostar. We took a closer look at the plant in Kunovice, Czechia. Samburo: for towing and touring There is a fresh breeze in the market of the touring motor gliders and tow motor gliders. The extensively modified 115-hp Samburo AVo68-R115 from Nitsche Flugzeugbau in Unterwössen will be able to tow any glider. One of the racers of the Open Class towed by a motor glider, can this work out OK? What looks kind of strange at first sight is not a problem at all for the Samburo AVo68-R115 with a turbo-charged 914 from Rotax. The Samburo easily accomplishes a tow weight of 750 kg, the maximum weight for gliders. This was proven by the flight testing in mid-October at the Unterwössen airfield with its 555-meter elevation. High-altitude flights in Germany: Wave flying area Hoher Meißner Since July of 1999 there is a high-altitude flying area in Eschwege, east of Kassel. When active, one can fly in the wave of the Hohen Meißner up to flight level 160. This possibility was first used in October. The Hohe Meißner is almost ideally suited for wave flights because of its structure and orientation. The long wave develops in East-West direction. The pilots from Eschwege use the Hohen Meißner not only for local high-altitude flights but also as jumping-off place for cross-country wave flights. German Soaring Convention ‘99 The last German Soaring Convention of this century was one without much noise. The 58th annual meeting, this time in Hannover, was a success and did not miss to give an outlook into the year 2000 and beyond the horizon. The scientist Professor Dr. Christian Wopp, in his speech, addressed several questions and challenges which gliding must take if it really wants to keep its position among the competition of many other sports. High School in Laucha: Gliding as subject Laucha is the center of the German Aero Clubs airsport youth division. This had another effect. The local high school is now offering gliding as a subject. The first PPL-C were handed out in mid-September. Following a theoretical and practical test (a 50-kilometer cross-country flight to Nordhausen), three students from 12th grade and the senior classes’ coordinator received their licenses. Trial courses: cooperation of clubs and schools When it comes to winning young people for the gliding airsport, gliding instructor Michael Thomsen from Saarmund is very dedicated. This year he was very successful with three trial courses which he had conducted in cooperation with local schools. The courses are taking place at the airfield Saarmund, located southwest of Berlin. The club, which was founded in 1992, has approximately 70 members, 55 of them are glider pilots. But that is not enough. Without newcomers the club has no future. Family friendly: 4th Stahringer comparison flying The Stahringer comparison flying has developed into the vacation tip, making it possible to do both, family holidays at the Bodensee and a competition with self-start capable gliders. In mid-August, the event took place for the fourth time: 20 glider pilots, most of them of mature years with wives, kids and grand children came to the Bodensee. Musterle – homage in wood With building a replica of Wolf Hirth’s high-performance glider "Musterle" from 1929, Klaus Heyn has revitalized a piece of gliding history. Engineer Klaus Heyn needed almost seven years to build his seventh oldtimer glider: He built the replica of the Musterle, the aircraft with which Wolf Hirth had a major influence on the development of the thermal and cross-country gliding at the end of the twenties and beginning of the thirties. The aircraft is a construction by Peter Laubenthal and originally had the name "Lore" and the designation H 2 PL. Wolf Hirth gave his H 2 PL the name "Musterle". Top of Page |
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Last updated November 21, 1999