aerokurier 11/2000
Editiorial Sorry, closed / Feature Airborne fire brigade: fighting forest fires in Spain / Pilot Report DA40-180 Diamond Star /   Air Shows Report on "take off 2000" / Magazine Marl-Loemühle: expand or close?, Historic airfield of Wasserkuppe open again /  Travel Flight safari in the north of Canada / Flying Esprit VF II: Born to be Fry / Practice Refresher: forearmed for the cold, Safety: that dot on the windscreen, Accident analysis: collision over the home airfield / Ultralight First experiences with the Impulse 100 / Gliding Pilot Report LAK 17a: a winner in the 18m class, Idaflieg summer meeting, Training: transition to the dream flight, Valbrembo 2000: an exhibition devoted to gliding, Lower Saxony Junior Championships, Opti software for the aerokurier Online Contest, Splicing mechanism for winch cables / Special Business Aviation The new centre: diversity of types among the midsize jets, Tips for first-time buyers of business aircraft, Grenzland Air: the working day of a charter pilot, The evolution of Business Aviation, Executive charter companies: sector overview

EDITORIAL

Sorry, closed

We are gradually running out of airspace in Europe. If forecasts of air traffic growth are only roughly correct, air traffic will have more than doubled between 1995 and 2015. Current air traffic control systems based around air corridors are simply not up to dealing with this onslaught. Commercial aviators and the military are gazing at the airspace which is still available today to General Aviation and aerosports with greedy eyes.
     Against this background, Eurocontrol is working on an airspace strategy for the 38 states which are members of the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC).
     The interests of General Aviation and aerosports are to be represented in an international task force containing representatives from ten countries plus IATA, IAOPA and IFACTA. Without sufficient access to airspace, aviation for private individuals would be condemned to death.

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FEATURE

Airborne fire brigade: fighting forest fires in Spain

The summer of 2000 was one of the hottest in the history of Spain. Fire services and firefighting aircraft were deployed almost without a break in an attempt to contain the damage. The first arm of the Spanish aerial forest firefighting capability is the Spanish Air Force, whose main assets were their fifteen twin-engined turboprop CL-215T SuperScooper water bombers as they extinguished fires along the Mediterranean coast and on the Balearic Islands. Also involved was the national nature conservation authority DGCN, flying the CL-215 predecessor model powered by two powerful Pratt & Whitney radial engines. Finally, some autonomous interest groups also took part, operating small single-engined Dromador firefighting aircraft as well as helicopters.

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PILOT REPORT

DA40-180 Diamond Star

Diamond Aircraft has a new offering in its portfolio, the Diamond Star. This four-seater has just been recommended by the JAA for European certification. No further obstacles lie in the way of deliveries. aerokurier’s Pilot Report reports on what the large Katana has to offer.

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AIR SHOWS

Report on "take off 2000"

This is the second time "take off" has attempted to present itself as a marketplace for General Aviation in the north. This still new air show failed to achieve its self-imposed objectives, but there were still a number of new products to be seen.

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MAGAZINE

Marl-Loemühle: expand or close?

Flugplatzgemeinschaft Marl-Loemühle is demanding that the airfield is modified in line with JAR-OPS 1 and that the runway is extended to 1350m.
     On 11 December the district council of Recklinghausen will decide whether the runway at Marl-Loemühle will be lengthened from its present 830m to 1350m. This decision will determine whether the airfield can continue to be used for industrial and commercial traffic after expiry of the JAR-OPS 1 transitional period on 31 December 2004. From closure of the airfield or retention of the status quo through to expansion, the suggestions cut right across the political landscape.

Historic airfield of Wasserkuppe open again

As of 1 September Wasserkuppe in the Rhön is now classed as a special landing strip and its use is no longer confined to the aircraft stationed there.
      However, it is necessary to obtain advance permission to use it by phoning the airfield operator, Gesellschaft zur Förderung des Segelflugs auf der Wasserkuppe (the society for the promotion of gliding on Wasserkuppe Mountain) / Wasserkuppe Gliding School (Tel.: +49 (0)6654-364). The 900m (2953ft) high landing strip has a number of special features, as a result of which it is only possible to land there under certain wind conditions.

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TRAVEL

Flight safari in the north of Canada

Regine and Heribert Schwab wanted to experience unspoilt nature. For their flight safari through Canada’s north they chartered a Cessna 172 and experienced around two weeks of the purest flying, in a country where you can land on the highway and where, when you need to re-fuel, you just take your refillable canisters along to the next service station.

FLYING

Esprit VF II: Born to be Fry

Valentino Fry of Switzerland’s quite personal dream of a high-performance single-seater finally came true. His little pusher, designated Esprit VF II, cuts an impressive figure in the sky - and its operating costs are moderate as well.

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PRACTICE

Refresher: forearmed for the cold

The winter months are just around the corner. Even if it is not necessary to give up flying altogether, most people do less flying at this time of year. Now is the time to take action to ensure your aircraft survives the winter in good shape and to prepare yourself. We advise you on how best to get your plane fit for the cold season and what to remember when flying in the winter.

Safety: that dot on the windscreen

On weekdays the German armed forces’ fast jets fly all over Federal territory in the altitude band between 1,000 and 2,000ft. We provide practical tips on how to protect yourself from dangerous encounters with these aircraft, which could be flying at up to 1000km/h, and on what you can do as a pilot to ensure that a dangerous situation does not arise.

Accident analysis: collision over the home airfield

In the airspace above a gliding site near the city of Philadelphia, USA a Cessna 305A Birddog collided with a Grob G-103 Twin II glider. The pilot of the glider which was being towed by the Cessna managed to release the tow-cable at the last minute before the wingtips of the Grob Twin and the glider tug came into contact and crashed. Three people were killed as a result of the accident.

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ULTRALIGHT

First experiences with the Impulse 100

It is without doubt one of the most exciting new aircraft to make its debut this year. Trimmed relentlessly for performance, the Impulse 100 shows what a modern ultralight design can offer today. We have already flown the prototype of this aerobatic low-wing aircraft, which can fly at up to 270km/h. Read what this newcomer has to offer and in what areas Impulse Aircraft could refine the design still further in the latest issue of aerokurier 11/2000.

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GLIDING

Pilot Report LAK 17a: a winner in the 18m class

The two versions available are very attractive. With the LAK 17a, Sportinè Aviacija of Lithuania has built a racing class aircraft with a wingspan of up to 18m. The combination aircraft is an economic alternative for the 18m class.
     The LAK 17a has convincingly proved itself in hard competitive situations. Only in August it was among the entrants in the European Championships in Lüsse. However, the version for the 18m class is likely to generate even more interest than flying the 15m wingspan version in the racing class. In the 18m configuration it has a lot to offer to pilots with ambitions of flying longer distances, with a best lift/drag ratio of 50 promised by the manufacturer.

Idaflieg summer meeting

Nearly 50 students were present at the Aalen-Elchingen airfield on the Swabian Alb in the middle of August. For the 49th summer meeting of the association of academic flying groups (Idaflieg) this was a record attendance.
     The highlight of the event was the participation of the Mü 30 "Schlacro", the twin-seater combined glider tug and aerobatic aircraft built by Akaflieg Munich, which had made its maiden flight only a few weeks before the meeting (see aerokurier 8/2000). In Aalen-Elchingen the Schlacro was undergoing flight trials.
    To assist with the various student projects and/or act as glider tugs, the organisers around Idaflieg President Alexander Weisser (Akaflieg Stuttgart) had assembled a large fleet of aircraft: AK-5, AK-5b, three ASH-25, two ASK-21, D-40, DA-40 Diamond Star, DG-300/17, two Discus 2, DR-300, DR-400/180R, DR-400 PR, Duo Discus, G 109B with 130hp turbo Limbach, Janus, Kiwi, LAK-12, LAK-17a, Club Libelle, Nimbus 4M, Nimbus 3, Mü 30 Schlacro, SB-12.

Holidays: Fuentemilanos, the glider’s paradise

The Spanish gliding centre Fuentemilanos had an outstanding summer 2000.     The date of 8 August, around which legends have already been woven in Fuentemilanos - nearly every year it has seen some 1000 km flights - proved to be an outstanding day in the 2000 season as well. Rolf Bredtmann, responsible for the German-speaking organisation in Fuente, took notes on the day.

Training: transition to the dream flight

The problem is not new: what do you do once you have finally got the PPL-C you have dreamed of for so long? Do you go into distance flying, aerobatics, or just go on excursions around the airfield? A new type of distance flying seminar is intended to show how frustration can be turned into love of flying.
     In a new kind of distance flying seminar run by Reiner Rose and Peter Preisegger, the emphasis is on love of flying, the pleasure to be obtained from having succeeded on a distance flight, the experience of gliding over the countryside.
     The seminar is directed in particular at younger pilots, although they should already have some flying practice under their belts. The two-part seminar in Unterwössen and Nötsch will cost around DM 1200, excluding the cost of tows in Nötsch, overnight accommodation and meals. Further information may be obtained from Team Segelflugszene, Reiner Rose, Hohensteinstrasse 12, 91217 Hersbruck, e-mail: segelflugszene@proforma.de.

Valbrembo 2000: an exhibition devoted to gliding

Small, but high-quality must be the verdict on the exhibition at Valbrembo near Bergamo, northern Italy. The 21st exhibition was held on 16-17 September.

Lower Saxony Junior Championships

The Lower Saxony Junior Championships were held in August at Wilsche near Gifhorn. Over seven competition days, 23 pilots flew distances of between 150 and 400km.
   Ralph Trost from Braunschweig flew to victory in the standard class, while Bernhard Kloth from Alfeldsicherte took the club class title. The silver medal in the club class went to Henrik Lüthge (AC Wolfsburg), who finished ahead of Markus Hischke (LSV Thermik Alfeld), while in the standard class second and third places went to Robert Frase (LSV Burgdorf) and Simon Bräuninger (AC Hanover) respectively.

Opti software for the aerokurier Online Contest

With "Opti", registration in the aerokurier Online Contest will become child’s play. The new program reads in the log file and then performs all the work automatically.
     Developed by Jens-Christian Henke specially for the aerokurier Online Contest, the Opti software relieves the pilot of almost every task, from analysis and optimisation through to creation of the file which reports the distances flown.

Splicing mechanism for winch cables

Puzzle freaks from the Vorgebirge Bornheim air sports club, near Bonn have devised a particularly practical, time-saving gadget for lengthways splicing of winch cables.
    The advantage of this gadget is that a single person can do the splice on his own. Moreover, it is possible with the tool to make a splice on a steel cable of 4.6mm diameter significantly faster and with less strain on the hands than in the normal way. A practised splicer can succeed in less than 40 minutes in permanently splicing a fracture point that will last to the end of the life of the tow cable - at no extra cost.

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SPECIAL BUSINESS AVIATION

The new centre: diversity of types among the midsize jets

The market in business jets continues to grow, and medium-sized jets account for a significant portion of these. Their performance characteristics make them the ideal solution for modern business travel.
The midsize jet segment refers to jet-powered business aircraft with a MTOW of between 20,000 and 30,000lb (9,072 to 13,608kg) and is characterised by the co-existence of proven types such as the Learjet 60 or the Hawker 800XP which have undergone further development over the years and newcomers such as the Learjet 45 or the Cessna Citation Excel.

Tips for first-time buyers of business aircraft

What opportunities does ownership of a business aircraft present? The most important benefit is the time saved. Because the airlines are geared towards operation out of central hubs, travel to many destinations requires time-consuming transits through overfilled large airports. By contrast, if you have your own business aircraft you can make a round trip to virtually any destination in Europe within a day, or, failing that, within a reasonable time.
    That first business aircraft purchase is a great stride forwards in every respect for the buyer. It comes hand-in-hand with both opportunities and risks. The novice needs to think carefully about many aspects before committing himself, to ensure that ultimately the opportunities definitely outweigh the risks.

Grenzland Air: the working day of a charter pilot

Four stripes on a pilot’s sleeve are no guarantee that he will never be found lugging a case of drink onto the aircraft. At least, not if he is a pilot with an air taxi company.
      Grenzland Air employs a staff of 45, the reservation phone is manned all around the clock and just six staff look after the flying operations. A central computer monitors the locations and flight movements of all the aircraft in minute detail.

The evolution of Business Aviation

With the advent of the jets at the end of the 1950s, there was no stopping the development of Business Aviation. Since then aircraft have become ever more economical, more powerful and hence more profitable to the user.
       For as long as commercial aviation has been around, business and private people have used the aircraft as the ideal means to achieving fast travel. Before the Second World War, flying to order was rare, and in some countries it simply was not done. In those days it tended to be heads of state and diplomats who used aeroplanes to pursue their interests, rather than business people. Aviation was still confined to visual flying. Instrument flying, with whose aid it is possible to reliably reach one’s destination even in bad weather, was still in its infancy.

Executive charter companies: sector overview

Executive charters, which enable customised air travel tailored to the requirements of the passenger, are popular. More and more companies have realised that it can be more efficient to use a business aircraft than to waste precious time over inconvenient transit connections. We provide you with a list of 122 companies which charter business aircraft and helicopters in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

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