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aerokurier 1/1998
Mail from the Post The German Post is always good for a shocking surprise. Three years ago, it upset the operators of aviation radios by billing 36 Marks per year per unit, based on the law concerning the electro-magnetical immunity of radios. In November of 1997, there was again mail from the Post. This time, it concerned a fee for the utilization of frequencies. What was once a radio fee and costed 60 Marks per year per airborne radio unit, was meanwhile renamed into frequency utilization fee and the price for it was raised by 50 percent. The amount is incomprehensible, like many other things the Post does. The responsible administration BAPT (Bundesamt für Post und Telekommunikation) needed a year to send out the invoices. But still, many of the bills were false. Nobody argues that administration fees arise and must be paid. However, the users should be able to understand what they are paying for. This requires transparency which is nowhere to be found at the BAPT. Worse, the business behavior of this administration does not make one confident in its abilities. How is this administration able to cope with all its other tasks? Zenair CH2000: On course towards Europe The scale of VLA aircraft has, again, become broader. The CH2000 is the newcomer in the market. It is built by Zenair in Midland, Ontario. The Canadian all-metal low-wing aircraft is due to be certified by the European JAA; the US and the Canadian certifications have already been completed. The CH2000 is the first VLA that is certified for IFR flights and for spins. 41 aircraft were delivered up until the end of 1997. Most of them are operated at flying schools in the US. Five CH2000 are used as trainers in India. Its government plans to purchase another five of this model. With a price tag of 70000 US Dollars for the VFR version and short of 100000 dollars for the IFR variant, the two-seater is an affordable option. The aircraft is powered by a Lycoming O-235 with 116 hp. All together, the CH2000 is offering balanced flight characteristics. The main point of critics is the rudder, due to its somewhat tough behavior at high speeds. The wings are fitted with split flaps. Extending these flaps has a considerable braking effect and is also accompanied by a significant nose-down pitch. Going around with full flaps could be a major challenge for students with very little experience. Following the JAA certification, the Schopf GmbH will take over the representation for the CH2000 in German-speaking Europe (Address: Hegnachweg 36, 70839 Gerlingen, Germany, Tel.: +49 (0) 7156/26964). DLR project: EC 135 – test bed for 20 years The ACT/FHS project (Active Control Technology/Flying Helicopter Simulator) of the DLR (German Aerospace Center) site in Braunschweig is supported by a DM60 million investment. An EC 135 helicopter, which is equipped with various test equipment, is used for the project. The airborne tests will be conducted over a period of 20 years and will be the basis for a later series production of more silent rotor systems and more effective control systems of helicopters. The main elements of the test bed are its fly-by-light flight control along with digital actuators. The project also includes test phases concerning an innovative design of cockpits. ACT/FHS will be flown by a test pilot and an evaluation pilot. An identical simulator unit will be installed at the DLR site in Braunschweig. Single-engined through southern Africa Looking for new horizons? We recommend flying in Namibia. LTU or Air Namibia connect to the country’s capital Windhoek. From the airport, just take a taxi to the Eros Airport and visit the company Flight Line which will help you in validating your licence. Once the administrative work is done, fantastic trips with a C172, C177 or C210 are waiting. Enjoy spectacular landscapes and the breath-taking African nights. Once the licence is validated, the flights are not restricted to Namibia. Depending on the time and travel purse available, Botswana, Zimbabwe or South Africa can also be explored. With only 70 Pfennig per liter, avgas is cheap and even a C210 is available for an affordable 220 Marks wet. You will find addresses and important travel tips in the newest aerokurier issue. Safety: See and be seen Midair collisions are a threat to both, private and professional pilots. The most recent example is the collision of a German air force Tupolew 154 and of a US Air Force Starlifter off the Namibian coast in September of 1997. Michael Wiesener, lawyer and pilot from Bremen, has put together safety relevant tips to avoid midair collisions. Accident analysis: Flight into clouds – crash into the mountains Taking off from Bayreuth airfield, a Piper PA-32 flew into the clouds and crashed into the climbing terrain east of the field. The pilot had filed an IFR flight plan. The first part of the departure procedure for runway 06 required pilots to stay under VFR. IFR would start when passing a certain minimum safe altitude. According to the accident report, there were no VFR conditions to the east of the airfield. Furthermore, the Piper was overloaded by 215 kg and the pilot did not retract the gear after take-off. Due to these factors, the aircraft did not gain sufficient altitude during the departure. Five people died in the crash. The departure procedure was subsequently changed. FK 9 Mark 3: Sister with chic The first FK 9 flew nine years ago. Since then, B & F has continuously updated the aircraft to the current market standard. However, with the FK 9 Mark 3, company head Peter Funk is doing more than just keeping the standard. For B & F, it’s the step from mixed into plastic design. This means a significant performance leap for the FK 9, which, in its youngest version, really has become an entirely new aircraft. Still, B & F plans to continue the production of the older Mk II. After the test flights we can say that the Mark 3, in almost all areas is a better aircraft than the Mark 2. Please read our comprehensive pilot report. (Please click here for a comparison table). New low-wing ultralight from B & F: FK 14 B & F is developing a new composite low-wing ultralight in the 200-km/h category. The positive core of the two-seater was completed at B & F’s site in Krosno, Poland, at the end of the year. In order to reach the stall speed of 65 km/h, the FK 14 will be fitted with a sophisticated flap system. While Peter Funk doesn’t want to give numbers on the performance yet, the design with the Rotax 912 engine promises speeds beyond the 200-km/h mark. As of now, the FK 14 will take off for its first flight in the summer of 1998. New book: The finest ultralight aircraft The new book "The finest ultralight aircraft", published by the Motorbuch Verlag, is offering lots of fascination and information. The three authors are Jürgen Gaßebner, aerokurier photographer Frank Herzog, and aerokurier ultralight editor Heiko Müller. With 137 pages, the book shows what modern ultralight aircraft can do. A total of 14 aircraft, ranging from biplanes to high-performance ultralights, are presented in photos and with comprehensive background stories. The book is not only interesting for ultralight pilots but, for everybody who is interested in the currently most innovative aircraft category. "The finest ultralight aircraft", 137 pages, 49,80 DM, ISBN 3-613-01838-1. The eta project: the beginning of a new dimension? eta is the symbol for efficiency (h ). It is also the name of one of the most ambitious large projects in German glider manufacture. The project contains several new ideas and will certainly cause a sensation. In approximately one and a half years from now, the self-start capable two-seater with the tremendous wingspan of 30,84 meters is supposed to fly. The technology bed is being designed by Dr. Reiner Kickert in Braunschweig. The wing molds are made at Hansjörg Streifeneder’s Glasfaser Flugzeug Service in Grabenstetten. This is also where the six-piece wing will be built. Walter Binder in the Rhön area will be responsible for the fuselage and final assembly. The German Center for Aerospace (DLR) in Braunschweig developed and windtunnel tested new profiles. Reiner Kickert developed a new wing spar design in order to be able to really accomplish the profiles with the high-aspect ratio wings (51,33!!). As compared to a reference aircraft with a similar fuselage and a known profile, it is expected that the eta aircraft will have a 25-percent performance increase in the best glide flight profile! Still, the performance plus is limited to a small speed window around the best glide speed. At higher speeds, the advantage would be smaller. If everything goes according to schedule, the eta could be presented at the 1999 gliding world championships in Bayreuth. Bundled forces: association of glider manufacturers Often, it is easier, if not only possible, to achieve goals together. According to this motto, the German glider manufacturers have bound together to form an industry association. The "Verband der deutschen Segelflugzeughersteller" is based in Berlin and joins Alexander Schleicher Segelflugzeugbau, DG-Flugzeugbau, Glasfaser-Flugzeug-Service Hansjörg Streifeneder, Rolladen-Schneider Flugzeugbau, Schempp-Hirth Flugzeugbau, and Stemme. Dipl.-Ing. Helmut Treiber is a supporting member. 50 years of wave flying in Fayence, France It was on 16 November 50 years ago when in Fayence the first flights in wave lifts were conducted. These first wave flights have subsequently made the gliding center near the Côte d’ Azur a Mecca for high altitude gliding. Today’s Centre de Vol à Voile de Côte d’ Azur Fayence is offering a modern infrastructure. The main building, which was built a few years ago, contains an office, briefing rooms, quarters, and a restaurant, along with a repair shop. The club has ten full-time employees for administration, maintenance and flight operations. The fleet consists of seven tow aircraft and, since 1997, the center has a winch available. Whomever is considering to charter an aircraft, has the choice between 35 gliders, the scale ranging from the single-seat trainer K 8 to the Open Class double-seater ASH 25. The staff speaks German and English. Landing out: cut off from the rest of the world Leonardo Brigliadori, who won the world championships in the Standard Class in 1985, went through a true odyssey at the world championships of the World Class 1997 in Turkey. Short of the destination in Inönü, an outside landing cut him off from the rest of the world. "Leo" describes how it is to be torn out of civilization from one moment to the other. Four-drum winch: with a push-button from a truck into a launch winch It is not a must that a launch winch is equipped with two relatively geared motors and two fully equipped "cockpits". Karl Höck from Friedberg, located close to Augsburg, has developed a solution, called the "H125 Integrale", which turns from a truck into a launch winch by the activation of a push-button. The truck basis for the H125I is a Dodge Ram 3500 pick-up. Its V10 engine with catalytic converter and four-speed automatic transmission, by integrating a changeover gear, can be also used as a launch winch. The engine supplies 225 kW (306 hp) at 4400 rpm. The maximum torque is 650 Nm at 2800 rpm. A toggle switch is used to change between truck and winch mode. The driver can stay behind the steering wheel. Further gliding news, for example concerning the European championships of the women and the German championships of the juniors, can be found under airSPORT. Computer libraries in maintenance Computer based libraries have become essential tools in aircraft maintenance. Not only repair shops use the media which are mostly available on microfiche or as CD-ROM. Many aircraft owners and operators use them to keep up to date with the most recent airworthiness directives of their aircraft. An overview covering the computer based libraries in the USA and Germany. Know-how from the expert: What to know about tubes Not very many pilots pay attention to the tubes of their aircraft’s engine during the walk-around. Tubes are normally just there and do their job. Only when one quits its job and, as a result, the aircraft either looses its braking capability or fuel are we aware of the importance of the tubes in aircraft. Friedrich Welbhoff, an expert and head of the WMT Motoren Technik, has compiled valuable information about tubes in aircraft. You can find out all about the materials and the different colors of tubes in the Maintenance Special of aerokurier issue 1/98. |
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Last updated December 19, 1997
