Cirrus has begun testing a two-stage ‘smart’ whole airframe parachute system for its forthcoming SF50 Vision single-engine personal jet. All aircraft in the Cirrus range currently come with the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) as standard and the system has gained much publicity in 2010 alone for minimising the damage of what could’ve otherwise been fatal incidents. However, some pilots are skeptical of CAPS as it takes control of the aircraft away from the pilot. With the SF50 weighing in at 2,725kg, Cirrus says the ‘smart’ parachute system will include a first parachute that will stabilise the aircraft and set the proper speed for the second and final parachute to be deployed. We’re sure this will be the topic of much discussion once the SF50 enters the marketplace.
A Lycoming-powered Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) has flown for the first time, putting the Lycoming name next to those of, amongst others, Rotax, Continental, and Australia’s own Jabiru in the stable of LSA powerplant brands. For the record, the engine was a four-cylinder Lycoming O-233, it was fitted to a Falcon LSA, and the flight took place in Missouri and lasted a little over an hour. Test pilot Rob Runyon reported that the engine performed well throughout and the aircraft easily reached a speed of 110 knots.
Piper Aircraft has started construction of a new factory at its Vero Beach headquarters that it will use to build its PiperJet. The manufacturer has contracted a construction company to renovate a 75,000 square foot building for the building of its new personal jet. Construction of the new factory is expected to be completed in 2011. This comes as good news for the Florida business community, as speculation had been mounting that Piper would move the manufacturing of the PiperJet away from its longstanding Vero Beach location.
After co-founding Cirrus Aircraft in 1984 and then leaving the company in 2009, Alan Klapmeier has joined newly created company Kestrel Aircraft and is pushing full steam ahead with the certification process of the former Farnborough F1 six-place composite turboprop. The aircraft has been in development in the UK for the last eight years. Kestrel is designing the aircraft to fit a niche sector of the market between turboprops and business jets, and the word is that Klapmeier is very impressed with the aircraft’s large payload, impressive range and short take-off and landing (STOL) potential. It’ll be interesting to see what the very capable Klapmeier can make of the project in due course.
The 2010/2011 edition of the Pilots Touring Guide is now on the shelves. This AOPA guide boasts comprehensive information on nearly 2000 airfields throughout the country, as well as extra details covering accommodation, taxi and car rental companies and local attractions. The publication costs $65 and is available at all good pilot supply outlets.
Italian aircraft manufacturer Piaggio Aero has thrown its hat into the air ambulance and medical evacuation ring with the announcement that Florida-based Air Ambulance Worldwide has started operating a Piaggio P180 Avanti twin turboprop set up in air ambulance configuration. Apparently the aircraft performed perfectly, but it remains to be seen if our own Royal Flying Doctor Service will splash out on any P180 Avantis, given their predilection for Pilatus PC12s, King Airs and Cessna Caravans.
Italian light aircraft manufacturer Vulcanair says it’s confident that customer deliveries of its revamped A-Viator twin turboprop will start by the end of 2011. Vulcanair hopes to build three A-Viators next year and expects to deliver around 10 aircraft a year from 2012. Despite no orders for the aircraft placed as yet, Vulcanair says it’s received considerable interest in the rugged, Rolls-Royce 250B17C-powered 11-seat utility aircraft, particularly from the Asia Pacific region. Vulcanair is bringing an A-Viator demonstrator to next year’s Avalon Airshow, so be sure to get a look at the aircraft then if you’re interested.
Airservices Australia has completed its Instrument Landing System (ILS) upgrade at Cairns Airport. ILS is a radio navigation aid that supports the safe and efficient movement of air traffic into and out of an airport, particularly during bad weather conditions when visibility is reduced. Airservices studied weather patterns back to 1948 and decided that August/September were the driest months and therefore the most appropriate time to carry out the ILS upgrade with minimal disruption to airport users. But as luck would have it, unseasonal wet weather in early September ended up disrupting and delaying the project anyway. How’s that for luck?
A lucky Steppe Eagle has been given a ride in a Cirrus SR22 after being wounded in Afghanistan. US Navy Seals saved ‘Mitch’, as the eagle has been named, after it landed on a rifle range and was accidentally hit and damaged its wing. Hitching a ride to the US via military transport, Mitch was picked up at a GA airport in Virginia by pilot John Williams in his Cirrus, who then escorted the plucky eagle to a bird quarantine site in upstate New York.
The Cirrus Vision SF50 personal jet. (Cirrus)
