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aerokurier 7/2000 Perceptions of the future "Whatever makes you so optimistic about the future?" one reader asked me
reproachfully in his letter. Business was down in the German aerospace industry, he
argued, and there was no future at all for General Aviation. Then came a detailed list of
all the problems which are plaguing GA. Halfway around the world in a Ju-52 It was to have been a unique flight – a round-the-world trip in a 61-year old Ju-52. But then this dream was shattered by a Russian "Njet". And yet the flight was still a great adventure. The veteran plane, which had left the Junkers factory in Dessau in 1939, flew no less than 39,906 km in 122 days. It was an exacting test for both crew and aircraft. Just how the Swiss JU-Air Ju-52 flew to the north of Japan and back again to Dübendorf, under conditions which at times were extremely difficult, you can read in this month's aerokurier. The new CitationJet CJ1 Cessna has upgraded the avionics on its successful entry twin-engined CitationJet. The
new version, which is designated the Citation CJ1 and has already clocked up around 100
orders, comes with the integrated Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite as standard fit. The
system uses state-of-the-art sensors and has two 10" x 8" large colour displays
which reduce pilot workload and are highly flexible. For example, the primary flight
display can be easily transferred to the multi-function display and vice versa. The
symbols used are easy to understand. A long-running success story: the 100th Caravan on floats Single-engined turboprop aircraft are particularly well suited to commercial operations
due to their reliability. On 16 May, the 100th float version of the Cessna 208 entered
service. Aviation insurance: safari in the premiums jungle Insurance for General Aviation is a highly competitive market. In this lucrative business, sometimes companies fight tooth and nail for customers. We have fought our way through the insurance premium jungle for you and offer some tips on what to look for when signing a contract, as well as providing a summary of who is offering what for how much. 25 Malibus in Essen-Mülheim Flight safety and experience sharing were uppermost on the agenda at the annual reunion
of Malibu devotees at Essen-Mülheim in the middle of May. Mammoth shuttle at the Nürburgring The Formula One race at the Nürburgring was not just one of the sporting highlights in Germany, but it was also one of the biggest helicopter conventions in continental Europe. More than 3000 visitors to the race came to the Ring by helicopter. Altogether 148 helicopters from all over Europe were involved. Switzerland seeks pilots Thanks to a new agreement between Switzerland and the EU Member States, it is now possible for EU citizens to work in Switzerland without having to go through the rigmarole of getting a work permit, as they have had to do in the past. This means that Swissair is now able to offer students from their Swissair Flight Academy a job in the cockpit of a Swissair jet once they have completed their training. The demand for pilots in Switzerland is greater than ever before and the national carrier is currently even offering the guarantee of a job. ILA 2000 in Berlin-Schönefeld More than 950 exhibitors from 38 nations attended the fifth ILA, ILA 2000, between 6
and 12 June in Berlin, making it an impressive event indeed. While the industry is
enjoying full orderbooks, the strong dollar is temporarily plaguing GA aircraft
manufacturers and businesses. New Zealand flight to the land of rain At the other end of the world, on New Zealand's South Island, Air Fiordland is flying tourists to the Milford Sound. The fjord is an attraction in the middle of the Air Fiordland National Park, which attracts thousands of visitors from all around the world every year. The area also has one of the highest rainfalls in the world – just the thing for pilots seeking to test their skills. Ur-UL Mathieu-Russell monoplane Kit aircraft are not just a thing of the post-war era. Kit planes were already around in the 1920s, some of them not very successful. Why this was so is shown in flight trials with a Russell monoplane that has been restored over the last year. Fuel management: those extras do matter It is with depressing regularity that we read of GA incidents in which poor fuel management played a critical role. Writer Karl-Heinz Apel, whose main occupation is that of airline pilot, takes the opportunity to re-examine the topic of fuel planning in detail. He recalls that during flight planning, that extra fuel needed to cover waiting on the ground, take-off and climb and any unexpectedly strong head winds during the cruise phase, which ought to be included in the calculation, is only too readily "forgotten". The result is quite nerve-racking for the crew when, in the final stage of the flight and with the aerodrome of intended landing not far away, the fuel tank indicator is pointing to empty. Emergency at sea: emergency landing on water Training for an emergency landing on water is of limited effectiveness, but one can prepare oneself mentally for the possibility. One's chances of surviving such a situation depend on having the right equipment. This month's aerokurier explains how to optimise one's chances by making the best landing on water under various wind and sea conditions, and how to survive until one is rescued from the cold seawater. Accident analysis: collision with transmitter mast on approach The passenger was a VIP. He absolutely had to get home that evening. The pilots of the Cessna Citation took off from Cologne/Bonn even though the weather at their destination, Lübeck, had taken a turn for the worse. After changing from IFR to VFR (Lübeck was not equipped for IFR approaches), they found themselves in the midst of the expected bad weather and started their descent. About 700 m before the airport one of the Citation's aerofoils touched an NDB mast. Both pilots were killed during the impact of the aircraft hitting the ground. Uwe Barschel, at that time Minister President of Schleswig Holstein, was sitting in the rear of the cabin and survived with serious injuries. Poised for certification: the Aerostyle Breezer It had its debut at AERO '99. Now the new ultralight low-wing Breezer is about to achieve certification. The prototype has clocked up 70 flying hours to date. We have taken a look at the newcomer, which, with its BMW injection engine, will be quite distinctive. In our aircraft report you can read what the new low-wing aircraft has to offer to training and travel. Pilot report on the Schleicher ASW 28 Its maiden flight was in March, just in time for the 2000 competition season. Meanwhile, the ASW 28 has stood up well in its first few competitive events. How does it respond to the much maligned turbulent thermals? We put the 28 to the test and flew it in a full range of thermals - weak, rough, strong and tight. German Racing and Standard Class championships Zwickau provided the German Racing and Standard Class Championship with just about
everything: seven competition days of extreme conditions – good and bad. The pilots
themselves provided the most excitement and at the end they almost turned everything
upside-down again with their take-off poker. Countdown to the 10th European Championships The list of entries is impressive: 113 pilots from 24 nations are planning to attend
the European Gliding Championships 2000 from 29 July to 13 August in Lüsse, to the
south-west of Berlin. It will be the tenth time this event has been held, and the second
time in Germany, the previous occasion being Mengen 1986. Klix: cup for old Open Class gliders This spring competition in Klix turned out to be one of the best, with 126 gliders to
be pushed to the take-off zone every morning. Alarming decline of gliding (part 2) Gliding is taking a downturn – at least as far as numbers of pilots are concerned. The consequences are affecting the whole sport. Fred Weinholtz shows how the trend could be broken on the basis of the report by John Roake which appeared in the June edition of aerokurier. Blind spots in the GPS coverage Since 1 May the version of GPS which is available for civilian use has become
significantly more accurate, as artificial degradation of the GPS navigation signal
("selective availability") by the US Department of Defense has been
discontinued. Should we be jumping for joy? The idea is great, certainly, but in practice
it seems there are places with no cover at all. Mode S transponder for new aircraft Technological upgrades in the cockpit are overtaking aircraft operators. Having already invested in B-RNAV equipment and radio sets with 8.33 kHz channel separation, they now need to invest in a Mode S transponder. Moving map display with ground proximity warning Displays which present data from several sensors are on the increase in GA cockpits too. The GCAS-2000 from EuroTelematik is a terrain awareness warning system with built-in growth potential. |
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Last updated June 29, 2000