Back in October we reported that the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) was seeking industry comment regarding a number of proposed amendments to the mandatory aviation accident and incident reporting scheme. The ATSB was taking submissions on the matter up until Friday December 17, but as it turns out a technical problem has prevented the bureau from receiving emails to its ‘Regulation Consultation’ mailbox and a number submissions have gotten lost in cyberspace. As a result, the ATSB asks that anyone who has sent an email to that mailbox kindly resend their submissions to the Regulation.Consultation@atsb.gov.au. Submissions will now be received up until January 31 next year. To read our initial reporting on this click here.
Avweb reports that a Wisconsin company working on a diesel aircraft engine has caught the eye of Cirrus. After raising nearly US$1 million in funding, Engineered Propulsion Systems formally launched the project last week after several years of R&D and hopes to have a running prototype engine by mid-2011. At the launch, Cirrus chief of engineering Paul Johnston said the manufacturer is watching the project with interest as it considers a potential alternative fuel engine for its range. Johnston added that it, “…really gives you hope that this will be the engine to power our airplanes into the next decade”. That’s a big call, given the widespread popularity of the Cirrus range, so it’ll be interesting to see what comes of it.
Flightglobal reports that Brazilian manufacturer Embraer has completed a flight-test program to add spoilers to its Phenom 100 entry level business jet to help pilots in getting the aircraft stopped on the ground. Consisting of two panels, each positioned laterally on each wing top near the wing root, the spoiler system is intended to automatically deploy when a weight-on-wheels sensor detects a landing, reducing the lift on the wings and correspondingly putting more weight on the tyres for deceleration. Apparently the move comes in response to numerous incidents of pilots having difficulty landing the brake-by-wire equipped twin jet, many ending with blown main gear tyres when emergency brakes had to be applied as a result of actual or apparent brake system failures. Embraer hopes to have the system incorporated into forward-fit production line aircraft and available as a retrofit option. To read our flight test of the Phenom 100 click here.
Diamond Aircraft owner and CEO Christian Dries has announced he’ll be stepping down after two decades leading the Austrian-headquartered aircraft manufacturer. Naming aeronautical engineer Gerd Berchtold as his successor, Dries plans to retain ownership of the company and maintain an active management role. Diamond employs 1200 workers and its aircraft are currently flying in 28 countries. To read our flight test of the Diamond DA40 XLS click here.
After four years in the works, a proof-of-concept electric-powered Waiex aircraft achieved its first flight late last week in Oshkosh. The Experimental Aircraft Association reports that John Monnett, founder of Sonex Aircraft, the US company that produces the Waiex homebuilt kits, successfully piloted the aircraft on a short hop to break ground-effect and analyse in-flight system performance. The kit aircraft was modified with the installation of proprietary E-Flight electric power components including a 54-kilowatt brushless DC electric motor, an electronic motor controller, a 14.5kilowatt-hour lithium polymer battery and battery management system, and cockpit instrumentation and controls. The electric Waiex project can be followed here.
Western Australia’s Heliwest has won a two-year contract with natural gas transporter the APA Group to conduct aerial gas pipeline surveys in the Perth metropolitan area. Heliwest Managing Director Alan Bailey said APA’s decision to switch from fixed-wing to rotary wing patrols for monitoring the pipeline makes the job easier: “If something untoward is noticed during a patrol we have the capability of landing at or close to the scene to enable any problem to be assessed quickly.” Patrols will start in early January.
Cirrus Aircraft has released a service bulletin regarding the 10-Year Overhaul Requirements of the popular Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) ballistic recovery system that comes as standard on its aircraft. The release is intended to answer a number of frequently asked questions from Cirrus owners and operators related to this required service. Cirrus has been offering CAPS replacements for a little over a year and to date has replaced CAPS on 70 aircraft. Cirrus aims to complete around 200 more CAPS replacements in 2011 and a further 400 in 2012. To read the service bulletin click here.
Specialty Fabrics Review reports that airbags are becoming an increasingly popular choice for General Aviation aircraft buyers, with one manufacturer – Phoenix-based AmSafe – reporting that most of the airbag orders its currently receiving are coming from Australia as well as Europe and Asia. “If an aviation school goes out and acquires a new single-engine airplane, chances are very good that they will have airbags standard on that airplane,” an AmSafe representative said.
Airservices Australia has this week handed over a fleet of new high visibility Mk8 Rosenbauer fire trucks to Launceston Airport’s Aviation Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) unit. The largest fire fighting vehicles in Australia, the Mk8 Rosenbauers cost over $1 million each, and despite tipping the scales at an impressive 30 tonnes can accelerate to 80 kilometres an hour in under 30 seconds. Equally impressive, the trucks can carry 10,000 litres of water and foam and can empty that payload in around two minutes, shooting it over a distance of 80 metres. The Mk8s will replace ARFF vehicles that are up to 20 years old.
The Australian Women Pilots’ Association (AWPA) will hold its 61st annual conference in Darwin in 2011. Runing from May 4-8, the event includes communication and education sessions, an annual air navigation trial, an Annual General Meeting and a presentation dinner. For more on the AWPA click here.
A US website has stated the obvious – at least for anyone who has experienced the joys of piloting aircraft – by naming commercial pilot as one of the 50 best careers of 2011. And they’ve sensibly mentioned that commercial pilot careers cover more than just flying for the airlines: For pilots, airlines aren’t the only game in town. Commercial pilots work for other employers, often transporting passengers and/or cargo. Some are agricultural pilots who dust crops; others monitor ground traffic for television stations, fly corporate executives to meetings and trade shows, test-fly planes, or assist police and firefighters with rescue. Read the full story here.