aerokurier 9/2001
Editiorial On its way – the national PPL / Feature The everyday routine of an airline pilot: intercity express / Pilot Report Piper PA-46-500TP Meridian / Air Shows AirVenture 2001: "What is a Sigma, please?", 54th RSA Fly-in / Magazine Mylius My 103: production version flying, In the cockpit with Angelika Machinek / Practice pc_met 2001: easier to use and simpler, Accident analysis: near-collision in Geneva TMA / Ultralight Pilot report on the TL 96 Star, World Air Games: German ultralight team trailing along behind / Gliding Stemme: new S class from Strausberg, Banjo: ultralight gliding delight, Mountain flying course in Samedan, Flying with an anti-collision warning device, School sports in the cockpit, Lower Saxony state championships, Bavarian Open 2001 / Helicopter Special Above the Öresund in 15 minutes, Sawing with a helicopter, Quiet rotor blades, Entry models, Sector overview 2001/2002

EDITORIAL

The criticism directed at the European PPL(A), as it is to be introduced under the new European Joint Airworthiness Requirements Flight Crew Licensing (JAR-FCL) regulatory standard, was heated. In Germany the Deutscher Aero Club was quick to point out the risks of adopting the JAR-FCL on a 1:1 basis.
    Now, at the eleventh hour, the warnings have finally met with a response in Germany. In the amendment to the Regulation on Personnel Licensing (LuftPersV) which has been announced for the first quarter of 2002 there will be a national PPL building up in stages to the JAR PPL(A). And indeed, as in the United Kingdom, there is to be a licence below the ICAO minimum requirements which permits flying only within the national borders.
     Despite all the relief and joy at this step, the limitations of this national PPL should not be overlooked. Given that it is intended to allow safe flying within the national borders, appropriate training and a final examination will still be necessary. But anyone who wishes to fly safely in German airspace on the basis of the PPL(A) will be able to do exactly this in the quite similarly structured airspaces of Germany’s neighbours.
    To position the planned national PPL(A) as a licence below the ICAO requirements can only be viewed as an evasive measure aimed at avoiding questioning the JAR PPL. It would be more honest to redefine the European PPL(A) at JAA level, if necessary completely overhauling it, and then leave it unchanged with national ICAO-wide licences for private pilots. The idea behind the JAR FCL, of serving as a uniform regulatory standard in Europe for commercial pilot’s licences would then remain untainted.
     But in the current situation the step towards the national PPL has become very important for the first time.

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FEATURE

Airline pilot – once upon a time the word evoked adventure, distant countries and unshaven heroes of the silver screen who guided their DC-3’s through fierce storms from North Dakota to Virginia, a cigar hanging from the corner of their mouths. And today? Martin Brüggemann accompanied a Lufthansa CityLine crew on a tour around Europe.

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PILOT REPORT

Piper has taken its courage in its hands and developed a turboprop derivative from a piston-engined aircraft. The original type was the proven Malibu Mirage. The Meridian PA-46-500TP FAA has been type-certificated since September 2000. Some 80 planes have already been delivered to customers. The plane, which carries a price tag of $1.6 million, is recommended as an entry-level single-engined turbine aircraft.
    But the turbine version of the Malibu has a weight problem. With full tanks it may offer a range of 1,018nm (1,883km) plus 45 minutes’ reserve, but only 162kg can be carried in the cabin. Higher passenger capacity comes at the cost of reduced range. As a rule of thumb, every passenger including luggage means an hour’s less fuel or 250nm (463km) less range. As regards speed, a brisk 262kt (485km/h) is offered. Obviously this is the true air speed value, which is aimed for at FL 300.
     The build quality of the aircraft reflects American standards. The interior is attractive, although access to the cockpit is somewhat difficult. Once one has taken up a position at the controls the cockpit is very comfortable. In operation the aircraft is relatively quiet. Air-conditioning is supplied as standard. Cabin pressurisation works at a maximum of 5.5psi. At an altitude of FL 250, the cabin is pressurised to 8000ft. The instrument panel avionics are supplied by Meggitt and the autopilot by S-Tec.

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AIR SHOWS

AirVenture 2001: "What is a Sigma, please?", 54th RSA Fly-in

One can always expect surprises, both big and small, at Oshkosh. This year there was a German presence. "FAA certified." A white shield with red letters enticed Oshkosh visitors to Solaris Aviation in droves. The company founded in 1999 from West Palm Beach, Florida was making its debut at AirVenture Oshkosh 2001. It had brought along a composite low-wing aircraft, attractively styled, with four seats, upward opening doors, retractable undercarriage and variable-pitch propeller. Those who thought they had seen the plane before were not mistaken. In fact this single-engined aircraft known as Sigma was being produced some years ago by Ruschmeyer in Melle. Now production of the former R90 is to resume – with top avionics and in three engine variants. Deliveries are to commence in the autumn of 2002.
    The rumours have been circulating for some time, but now it is official: Mooney Aircraft is fighting for its life. The company filed for protection under chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code on 27 July. Chris Dopp, the previous President, had to vacate his desk to a new management team.
   The old Grumman Tiger is available once more, this time built by Tiger Aircraft from Martinsburg, West Virginia. The first aircraft in the new production run was unveiled at Oshkosh. The basic price is $219,500. Also available once more are the GlaStar and the Glasair Super II and III.
    Lancair unveiled the turbine version of the IV-P. It is powered by a 750 shaft horsepower Walter-Turbine 601E, which shifts the self-build four-seater at a spanking pace. Cruising at FL 260, it can do 322kt.
   Keenly awaited at Oshkosh was the Cessna 182 which had been retrofitted with the French SR 305 diesel engine by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. The 2,200km journey to Oshkosh was the aircraft’s first extended cross-country flight. The diesel-powered C182 is expected to get its FAA supplemental type certificate (STC), putting it on a legal footing, by the end of the year.

France’s amateur aircraft manufacturers had to change their plans at short notice this year. The venue used for the fly-in in previous years, Epinal-Mirecourt airfield, was no longer available. The RSA (Réseau du Sport de l’Air), in which most of the nation’s kit aircraft builders are organised, switched to a former NATO base in Chambley-Bussières, about 40km to the south west of Metz.
   A perfectly restored Emeraude, year of manufacture 1957, flew in from England. It had been built by the Atelier Régional Parisien, one of the small manufacturers which had built Emeraudes under licence in those days. Warbird fans were able to enthuse over a T-28D Fennec belonging to Georges Kern, a well-known French Cessna sales representative. It was the first time that the aircraft, built in 1951, had been presented to the RSA public. In France there are only two of the aircraft left.
    Prominent among the reconstructions was the AJ 160. This is a 160hp two-seater with retractable undercarriage. It is said to cruise at 270km/h. Its range is around 1,350km. It was developed and built by André Jaillet.
    There was an example of the HN 700 Menestrel II built out of wood, this time with a 100hp Subaru-Stratos engine. A second example is flying with an 80hp Jabiru engine, while the perfect construction quality of a third HN 700 ensured that the aircraft went home with two cups.

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MAGAZINE

The My 103 testbed has served its purpose. Since the beginning of July the production version has been flying. It incorporates numerous modifications. There is now a throttle lever on the left-hand side wall as well, and the ailerons are fitted with spades. The wing span has slightly increased. The controls have been strengthened and modified in places. Elevator trimming is now electrically powered. The propeller has three blades instead of four. The plastic-coated wooden blades are quite striking with their sabre-like shape and smoothly truncated blade tips. In conjunction with the exhaust system developed by the Heggemann company, noise emissions should be extremely low. The DM250,000 all-rounder will shortly be type-certificated.

In the cockpit with Angelika Machinek

"Flying is a wonderfully enriching pastime," so the passionate glider pilot, who holds a PPL(A), an ultralight licence, a balloon flying licence and is a qualified instructor as well, has discovered. Gliding is her passion.
  When it comes to competition flying Angelika Machinek prefers the racing class, the agile, fast aircraft that are still manoeuvrable with their 15m wing span. When she is sitting at the controls Angelika Machinek is transported into a state of rapture. "In my Ventus 2a I become a different person. I become a part of the aircraft. It’s as if I were flying with my own wings."

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PRACTICE

The new pc_met program from the German Meteorological Services promises easier access to weather forecasts. A beta version of the 2001 update is now available.

Accident analysis: near-collision in Geneva TMA

After receiving permission to take off, the pilot of a Cessna 182 ran into problems adhering to his allotted altitude and departure direction in Geneva. He found himself 1,000ft above the cleared flight level and, due to clouds on his original departure route, he came dangerously close to the ILS centreline for runway 05 of Geneva airport. At the same time a KLM Boeing 737 was on ILS approach to runway 05. On visual contact, the TCAS equipment on board the Boeing ordered the KLM pilot to climb and the airliner climbed to 5,500ft, while the air traffic controller ordered the Cessna pilot to turn immediately to the west. The two aircraft passed each other at a horizontal separation of 1,700m.

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ULTRALIGHT

Within only a short time the ultralight TL 96 has clocked up considerable success on the German market. We had our first contact with the Czech-built composite low-wing aircraft over three years ago, when we flew the brand new prototype for our aerokurier readers. Now we wanted to know what had become of the aircraft which has since entered series production, and in Germany alone Wezel Flugzeugtechnik has already delivered 20 of the aircraft.
    On test, the TL 96 Star proved very dynamic. Although "only" fitted with the 80hp Rotax 912, the two-seater offers a very attractive performance with pleasant aerodynamic properties. It may not be an aircraft one would use superlatives for, but a fast and spacious recreational aircraft which promises a lot of fun. You can read all about what the TL 96 Star has to offer in the current September issue of aerokurier.

World Air Games: German ultralight team trailing along behind

The ultralight competitions of the second World Air Games, held between 21 June and 1 July in Beas de Segura, Andalusia, had the status of a world championship. This time the small team from Germany did not manage to win a single medal. The best German among the 76 one-and two-seater teams in the three-axis and trike ultralight classes was Wolfram Walter. At last year’s European championships he had made his debut at international level as co-pilot and now he earned himself a fourth prize in the three-axis controlled one-seaters with his Stratos. Heinz Korella and Jan Altenkirch, winners of the first World Air Games in Turkey, came sixth this time in the two-seater class with their Ikarus C 42.
   The world champion in the solo three-axis class was the Spaniard Marchesi in a Hawk. Among the two-seaters, as expected, "world championship holder" Philippe Zen from France won the title again in a Sinus. In the trike classes the Hungarian Endre Thurocy and the French team, S. Elari/C. Almaric, took the prizes.

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GLIDING

Below the S10 VT – both a touring powered glider and a high-performance glider – Stemme is planning a whole series of new touring powered gliders. The new product family to be built by the Strausberg-based company will be based on a glider, the two-seater S2 for training and competitions.
    The family similarity is unmistakable in the new generation. Thus the side-by-side arrangement of the seats, which is unusual for a pure glider but has already been shown on the S10 not to carry any aerodynamic penalties, will be retained by all members of the family. The S2 will then be an alternative in the market for 20m two-seaters.
   Good aerodynamic performance is one objective of the new S series. Basically, with the new series Stemme is aiming to produce manoeuvrable, robust gliders and powered gliders suitable for club use and with good flight characteristics.
    The S6 and S8 touring powered gliders and the derivative S15-8 will also have a central engine with extension shaft to the propeller in the nose, like the S10, but unlike the S10 design, it will not be possible for the propellers to be lowered. In the S6 and S8 it is possible to choose between two-and three-bladed propellers for constant speed operation (and naturally with glider setting as well). The 100hp Rotax 912S and the 115hp turbo variant 914F are to be offered as powerplants. For uncomplicated club use the new powered gliders will have three-leg landing gear, with an option for this to be retractable.

Ultralight aircraft do not have to have an engine. Who knows that already? At any rate the ultralight glider has attracted little attention up to now. But that is all set to change with a new representative of the gliding plane species, the Czech-built Banjo.
    The Banjo is a product of the new air traffic licensing regulations which now allow ultralight gliders to have an empty weight including life-saving equipment of up to 120kg. The Czech design from the PROFE company comes in at 105kg (without life-saving equipment). It is designed for slow flight, as we rapidly established during an afternoon of thermals on Wasserkuppe Mountain. Although at first sight the Banjo reminds one of a single-seater trainer from the pre-GRP era, in practice it turns out to be a genuine ultralight.

Still relatively few people know about the German-Swiss "Mountain range" basic courses for beginners in Alpine gliding. But this year almost twice as many signed up as had actually been planned. And they certainly got their money’s worth in experience and instructive flights.

Collisions in the air usually end up in fatalities. To prevent them, Klaus Porod has developed the idea of a collision warning system.
   It operates on a simple principle. Every glider has to be equipped with a transmitter/receiver for the system (including a small antenna). Pulses are emitted continuously, several times a second via the antenna on a frequency in the GHz region. The signals simultaneously received are tracked continuously by the on-board systems from a distance of 600m and evaluated according to their strength and direction of origin.
   On approaching another glider around 400m away an acoustic and visual warning is activated. The pilot hears an audio message, e.g. "11 o’clock", and can direct his attention immediately in the appropriate direction. At the same time in the display device, a circular LED composed of 12 light emitting diodes, the 11 o’clock diode lights up. Any other gliders already captured in the 400m radius circle continue to be indicated on the LED display with reduced brightness.

The first sports joint activity session involving schoolchildren and the Aerosports Club of Bavaria to have included gliding on the programme was held in Bad Neustadt.

There was only one competition week at the Lower Saxony championships in the standard, racing, two-seater and club classes at the end of June/beginning of July in Rotenburg/Wümme. The weather was kind.
   Most of the winners earned their prizes as a result of consistently high achievement. In the two-seater class Jens Teichmann of Hanover won with a Duo Discus, the most popular model to be entered in this class, with a 550 point lead over Andreas Werschek from Hildesheim and Volkhart Meissner from Celle. In the racing class the results were even more clear-cut: Hans Martin Tronnier (Aero-Club Braunschweig) came 600 points ahead of Michael Hamm-Bohle (Melle) and Tilo Holighaus (Kirchheim/T.), who finished in third place.
   Prizes in the two big classes were hotly contested: A-squad pilot Tassilo Bode from Wolfsburg was the winner, this time flying a Discus 2a, ahead of Carsten Barthel (Hameln) and Michael Möker (Bad Salzdetfurth), both flying the LS8. The club class resembled a club cup, with the first three places going to pilots Thomas Quindel (ASW 19), Lutz Seiler (Std. Cirrus) and Lothar Dittmer, all from Repke.

Bavarian Open 2001

It got off to a grand start: at 775km, the competition task set at the Bavarian Open in Bayreuth was the longest yet to have been set and actually flown in Europe. However, a tragic accident caused the championships to be aborted.
In the 18m, class Jürgen Schuster (Ventus 2) and Lutz Heydecke (LS8) succeeded in maintaining a consistent lead, followed only a short way behind by Hermann Leucker (LS6-c) and the unfortunate Ralf Fischer (DG800), who gave away the victory due to penalty points on the first day. The winner in the racing class was Walter Sinn, who had a significant lead on Eckhard Wehnert (Ventus 2). The standard class competition was dominated by members of the national team. Mario Kiessling and Michael Buchthal were up at the front in their Discus 2’s. Gerd-Peter Lauer (LS8) steadily worked his way up day by day to third position.

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HELICOPTER SPECIAL

There are plenty of shuttle flights around the world in which passengers are carried by helicopter scheduled services. Usually these are connecting flights to islands, or flights in coastal regions where, due to the nature of the infrastructure, helicopters constitute the most efficient flying machine. We visited the Swedish helicopter service on its present "racetrack". The 14-seater S76 helicopter flies up to 15 times a day between Copenhagen and Helsingborg.

A new helicopter saw removes branches that stick out into overhead power lines cleanly, quickly and cost effectively. The machine is manufactured by the German company Helimatic, which has developed the system following a Swedish model and brought it to the production stage. We attended demonstration flights in Prutz, Austria and report in Helicopter Special how the saw unit, which at first sight seems strangely adventurous, works.

There are many sources of noise emissions in a helicopter. The rotor noise is particularly intense during the landing phase. Engineers from the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) and its French counterpart, ONERA, have concentrated their research on reducing rotor noise and developed a new rotor blade. Extensive wind tunnel testing has established that the geometrically unusual blade is up to 6dB quieter than a conventional geometry comparison blade, and without any loss of performance.

Since Frank Robinson developed his two-seater R22, if not before, the rotorcraft has succeeded in gaining acceptance world-wide amongst private pilots as well. Helicopter flying is no longer the exclusive privilege of the super-rich or military pilots. We introduce the small, compact models, which as well as being used for all kinds of tasks are also suitable for novices to helicopter flying.

Sector overview 2001/2002

In this major sector overview, the 14th we have carried out, we have listed 88 helicopter operators from Germany, Austria and Switzerland for you.

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