PDF version here

G viationviationeneraleneralGAA

AOPAAOPA

Total EclipseYour personal jetTotal EclipseYour personal jetRAF man takes over CAA’s GA unit

Concern grows over laser attacks on aircraft

Bruce Dickinson rocks with the disabled

RAF man takes over CAA’s GA unit



£4.25(free to membersand students)

FEBRUARY 2014

The journal ofthe Aircraft Owners andPilots Association

Cover :Cover 17/1/14 16:01 Page 1

320ktsThe fastest certifi ed single turboprop

New with quick change interior

4 persons + 507 lbsor 6 persons + 330 lbs

Max Range : 1,410 Nm

www.tbm850.com

United Kingdom & Ireland:Daher-Socata - Mark Diaz – Tel.: + 33 (0)6 31 56 29 54Aura Aviation - Adrian Munday – Tel.: + 44 (0)7599 174184

pp 2 ad:GA 16/1/14 18:21 Page 2

ContentsFEBRUARY 2014

viationviationeneraleneralGAAAOPAAOPA

General Aviation February 2014 3

32 Pilots like youFlying Scholarships for Disabledpeople benefits from rock star-pilotBruce Dickinson’s involvement,as Liz Moscrop reports

36 Briefingse-Go crowdfunding raises half amillion pounds

38 Flying on skisTufan Sevincel travels to Alaska to flyon skis in some challenging country

42 Flying the CobraHelicopter Club Chairman DavidMonks gets the chance to fly the RedBull Huey Cobra

48 New trainerGeoffrey Boot runs a quick rule overthe PS-28 and comes away impressed

Pete

rR

Mar

ch

22

14

38

4 Chairman’s ColumnGA’s change of sceneBy George Done

5 AOPA Working for YouRAF Man takes over GA unit;challenges and opportunities in 2014;AOPA assists instructor member onRule 5 charge; ‘100 hours groundschool’ dropped; China opens up toGA; EASA medical requirementsexplained

14 Laser menaceAircraft are increasingly coming underattack from sophisticated lasers, withhelicopters worst-hit.By Stephen Slater

18 Lee on SolentLee Flying Association, which savedits airfield from extinction, continuesto fight for GA as Mike Cross reports

20 Southend and GASouthend’s expansion squeezes GAbut there’s life in the old dog yet, saysGeorge Capon

22 Commander tourSukey Perry reports on a fly-out toDubrovnik by six Aero Commanders

26 EclipseLast man standing in the VLJ arena,the Total Eclipse does a lot for(relatively) a little, says Terry Earl

18 26

48

contents rrr:contents 17/1/14 16:00 Page 1

Editor and publisher: Pat Malone

Published by: Fairweather Media Ltd,The Studio, Kettys Close, Withiel, Bodmin,Cornwall PL30 5NR. Tel: 01208 832975.Fax: 01208 832995

Advertisements: David Impey,Head of Advertising, AOPA UK,The British Light Aviation Centre50a Cambridge Street, London SW1V 4QQ+44 (0) 207 834 5631+44 (0) 7742 605 [email protected]

Design: David TarbuttPrinting: Holbrooks Printers Ltd

Articles, photographs and news items fromAOPA members and other readers arewelcome. Ideally they should be on a disk, orthey can be emailed [email protected] may also be emailed to thisaddress. They should be high-resolution(300DPI). Alternatively, hard copy andphotographic prints or slides can be posted toFairweather Media Ltd at the address above.While every care is taken with submittedmaterial, we cannot make absoluteguarantees that material will be returned inperfect condition.

Material for consideration for the April issue ofGeneral Aviation should be received by1st March, 2014

© British Light Aviation Centre Ltd, from whompermission can be sought to reproduce any item.Views expressed in General Aviation are notnecessarily those of AOPA.

Published by AOPA, which is a member of theInternational Council of Aircraft Owner and PilotAssociations.

AOPA office:The British Light Aviation Centre50a Cambridge StreetLondon SW1V 4QQTelephone: 020 7834 5631Fax: 020 7834 8623E-mail: [email protected]: www.aopa.co.uk

Change of scene in GAThe holiday period over Christmas and New Year period has followed the usual pattern,with AOPA on hold and little GA flying activity due to the recent terrible weather. Prior tothis, however, a great deal was happening. The December 2013 issue of GeneralAviation contained news of exciting new prospects and projects, including the recentappointment of Patrick Ky as Executive Director of EASA – the published interview withhim promising a more proportionate and pragmatic approach to GA regulation. Anotherreport covered the Government’s General Aviation Red Tape Challenge, initiated by GrantShapps, Minister Without Portfolio, GA pilot and aircraft owner. A letter from RobertGoodwill, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, outlined a number ofmeasures aimed at improving the future viability of general aviation in the UK. As weare now all aware, one of those measures wasto establish a dedicated GA Unit at the CAA.

So the scenery on the GA stage is beingshifted around. Change always induces ameasure of uneasiness, the law of unexpectedconsequences sometimes springingunwelcome surprises. Once things settle down,the overall outcome should be good for GA byhaving brought about most of the intendedimprovements and benefits.

With regard to the new GA Unit, the CAA inits response to the GA Red Tape Challenge(CAP 1123) provided constructive aims andobjectives including taking “…the lead rolewithin the CAA of working with EASA andcolleagues in other NAAs in the negotiationand implementation of EASA’s GA SafetyStrategy…” Excellent! All interested in thewellbeing of general aviation would have also been pleased to note that: “…The Unitwill be staffed by GA experts with knowledge and experience appropriate to thesector…” This provided a warm feeling that GA would be properly looked after. Thenewly appointed Head of the GA Unit, Tony Rapson, is highly experienced in airspacepolicy matters and has had a long career in the RAF, and will no doubt find himself on asteep learning curve in coming to grips with the multi-faceted activity that is generalaviation. He has a good example to follow, namely Andrew Haines, the Chief ExecutiveOfficer of the CAA whose prior experience lay in the management of a railway company.Any qualms felt by those with long standing involvement in the aviation industry havebeen thoroughly laid to rest by Andrew’s demonstrated energy and commitment tounderstanding the world of GA. Let us wish Tony every success in his challenging newposition.

Regarding EASA, a hugely welcome sign has been the recent reprieve for the next fiveyears of the UK IMC Rating. Up to that point, the fight to retain the rating for UK PPLswas all but lost. The meeting at EASA on the Cessna SIDs I wrote about in this columnin December 2013 was constructive and helpful, providing expectation that the SafetyInformation Bulletin (SIB) to be circulated for comment would remove the fear(particularly held by AOPA Germany) that a National Aviation Authority could mandatethe related maintenance inspections that are listed as recommendations only. This SIBhas now been issued, and, in my view, is a masterpiece of civil service prose of whichSir Humphrey would be proud – whilst each page of the SIB states as a footnote “This isfor information only. Recommendations are not mandatory”, the content does nothing topersuade an NAA not to make the inspections mandatory. We are fortunate in the UKthat our own CAA is sticking to the ‘recommended’ line.

Finally, challenges lie ahead when from September the European Parliament re-constitutes itself with a new set of re-elected and newly elected MEPs, enabling freshopportunities to improve the viability of general aviation in Europe (see the IAOPAEurope Enews on www.iaopa.eu for more detail). The year 2014 is going to be a busyone for AOPA and the work cannot continue without financial support in the form ofmembership subscriptions. If the occasion arises, please do not hesitate to remind thosenon-member pilot and owner friends who also benefit from our efforts that they wouldhelp the GA cause by also joining AOPA!

George Done

4 General Aviation February 2014

Chairman’s message

February 2014

viationviationeneraleneralGAA

G viationviationeneraleneralGAA

AOPAAOPA

Total EclipseYour personal jetTotal EclipseYour personal jetRAF man takes over CAA’s GA unit



RAF man takes over CAA’s GA unit



£4.25(free to membersand students)

FEBRUARY 2014

The journal ofthe Aircraft Owners andPilots Association

Front cover:EclipsePeter R March

AOPAAOPA

Masthead editorial rrr:Masthead editorial 17/1/14 16:15 Page 4


encourages a dynamic general aviationsector for the UK”.AOPA is looking forward to working with

the GA unit to make that goal a reality.There are some issues that remain to beexplained about the Unit, and MartinRobinson has been asked to meet withplanners and policymakers in February.‘General aviation’ is as yet undefined inthis context, and of course, no-one willwant to pay more in charges.Martin Robinson says: “Whatever the

difficulties, we will make every possible

effort to ensure that the GA Unit is asuccess and that every sector of aviationbenefits from it. Wewelcome Tony Rapson’sappointment and verymuch look forward toworking with him.“We will need to agree

how much work the unitneeds to do in respect ofsafety oversight, and thiswill lead to fundingdiscussions.”At the same time as

Tony Rapson’s appointment waspromulgated, the CAA announced theappointment of Rob Bishton as Head ofthe CAA’s Flight Operations Department.Mr Bishton was previously GroupOperations Director of Fastjet Plc, and hehad previously occupied several prominentpositions with easyJet, including Head ofFlight and Aircraft Operations and ChiefPilot, and Astraeus as Director of FlightOperations and Flight Training Manager.He is a current A320 and B737 captainand instructor and was formerly type ratedon B757s and 767s. He has also heldhelicopter type ratings.Mark Swan, Director of the CAA’s Safety

and Airspace Regulation Group, said: “Iam delighted that we have two such highcalibre individuals joining our team. Roband Tony bring a wealth of relevantknowledge and experience to the CAAwhich will prove invaluable to theorganisation. I am very confident that theaviation industry will benefit from theirdedication and focus.” �

An RAF Group Captain who is expert inair traffic control and airspace policy is

the surprising choice to head up the CAA’snew General Aviation Unit.Tony Rapson, a CAA insider who was

seconded to the Department for Transportas the UK’s policy lead on theimplementation of the Single European Skylegislation, returned to the CAA in Januaryto prepare to take over the GA Unit, whichis due to begin work in April.His appointment was greeted with some

disquiet in GA circles, where his apparentlack of experience of general aviation gavecause for concern. But AOPA’s ChiefExecutive Martin Robinson said: “We willdo everything we can to support MrRapson in his new position. We wish himall the luck in the world, and AOPA looksforward to engaging with him on the issuesthat matter most.”After a 27-year career in the RAF,

including tours in the Ministry of Defence,Air Command Headquarters and as OfficerCommanding the London Air Traffic ControlCentre (Military), Tony Rapson joined theCAA as an airspace policy expert in 2008.He was instrumental in the development ofthe Future Airspace Strategy, in the contextof the Single European Sky, before movingto the DfT in 2012 to lead negotiationswith the European Commission on SES.The General Aviation Unit was

established by the CAA following theGovernment’s Red Tape Challengeconsultation into how the CAA regulatesGA. The CAA says the GA Unit “will bededicated to a more proportionate,effective, regulation that supports and

RAF man takes over GA Unit

Working for

YOU

AOPA

Above: Tony Rapson, the new head of theCAA's General Aviation Unit

By Martin Robinson

The coming year is likely to be equallybusy, if not more busy, than 2013.

The European Parliament will begin todissolve by April as MEPs start their re-election campaigns. By September thenext parliament will take over, although itwill not start work until about October.IAOPA Europe will continue its

campaign called ‘General AviationConnecting Europe’ in partnership withthe European Business AircraftAssociation as we strive to establish agreater presence in Europe at the politicallevel. AOPA Germany’s Managing DirectorMichael Erb and I have agreed to hireUlrich Stockmann, a former MEP, for six

although the right may gain a largernumber of seats. Across Europe there is agrowing belief that the right wing partiesare attracting the interest of more peoplebecause so many in Europe are unhappywith the political situation.Over the next seven years, European

taxpayers funding of transport-relatedprojects will rise from €8 billion to €26billion. The parliamentarians are calling formore efficient use of this money. Anotherfunding programme called ‘Horizon 20/20(R&D)’ will have €70 billion available,50% of which will go into transportresearch and development, of which €7billion will go to SESAR.The Commission is still considering

taking infringement action against somestates for failing to deliver on FunctionalAirspace Blocks (FABs), the essentialfoundations of the Single European Sky.Transport ministers signed up to unlockcapacity through FABs but states have

or seven months to help us achievegreater visibility in the EuropeanParliament.We have cultivated many friends in the

Parliament who understand GA. At theend of December I attended a two-dayconference on transport at the EuropeanParliament and spoke with Jackie FosterMEP and Brian Simpson MEP. Brian, asupporter of GA, is not standing for re-election, which means there will be a newChair of the Transport Committee. JackieFoster hopes to be re-elected and intendsto stay with Transport.Talking about the make-up of the next

Parliament, the MEPs say the two groupslikely to succeed will be the SocialDemocrats and the Christian Democrats,

Challenges for 2014

wfu revised for late ads:GA 17/1/14 16:37 Page 5

failed to deliver, particularly where morethan two states have been involved. Ibelieve that Europe made a mistake in

trying to rationalise AirNavigation Service Providers; therules for establishing FABsshould have been put in placeas well as the legal basis forallowing ANSPs to merge, butthe Commission seemed focused

on reducing Europe’s 67 air traffic controlcentres. Infrastructure must be a focus forthe next Parliament. Other issues fortransport will be noise, and alternativefuels. Europe will demand fewer delaysand lower environmental impact.Performance-based navigation will growacross all of Europe’s airspace, and willaffect GA IFR operations. Billions of euroswill go into large public transport plansand very little into the non-airline sector

An AOPA member who is a flyinginstructor has been fined £140 for low

flying after failing to intercede quicklyenough when his student flew below1,000 feet over a built-up area.The member took advice from AOPA and

was assisted in the case by our CEOMartin Robinson. After the case he wroteto Martin saying: “I just wanted to saythank you for all your help… I could nothave done it without your guidance. If Ican ever repay you for your time andpatience, please get in touch. I’ve beenselling AOPA at work and so far had one ofmy colleges sign up, and I believe I’ve


On November 20th I went to theCAA Board meeting hosted byWest London Aero Club at WhiteWaltham, along with other GArepresentatives. This discussionwith CAA Board members was a usefulopportunity for a frank exchange of viewsat the very highest level. I’m confident thatthe Board is fully behind the new approachto GA and that there will be no turningback.

On November 25th, accompanied byMichael Erb, Managing Director of AOPAGermany, I met with Thomas Mayer andUlrich Stockmann in Berlin to discussfurther political lobbying requirements inBrussels. We arranged to meet again inDecember in Brussels. We have limited timeavailable if we want to establish the GA‘inter group’ to promote our interests at theEuropean Parliament. The parliament willbreak for elections in April 2014 and re-commence in September, which means wemust sort out a sponsor and supportingMEPs quickly. The European BusinessAviation Association supports IAOPA inthis.

Next day I met in Brussels with twoFrench lobbyists, Philippe Salemis – anAOPA member – and Andre Clodong.They approached me after having readabout the departure of our previous lobbyistLutz Dommel. Their main lobbyingactivities are in the petro-chemical field. Ihave asked them to send a proposal to mebased on the conversation that we had.

On November 27th I attended theEuropean Commission’s IndustryConsultation Body. The main points ofdiscussion were the Functional Airspace

Blocks (FABs) and the lackof commitment to them onthe part of the memberstates. Commissioner SiimKallas is particularly angrybecause member states havefailed to deliver on FABs. I saidthat the Commission got FABswrong because they were tryingto drive forward a rationalisationof Air Navigation ServiceProviders rather than creating an

environment where ANSPs could merge.The UK’s National Air Traffic Services willbe running 13 towers in Spain by next year,and that’s the best route to rationalisation.

Europe has only 4% more airspace thanthe USA but has 60 ATC centres comparedto their 20, and these are using 33 differentcomputer languages. The EC’s approachhas invited trouble with ATC unions, too. Ittakes more than imperious commands tosolve all the riddles, especially whenrecession takes away the urgency and thefinance.

By the way, a NATS colleague told methey’re having discussions in the USA abouta privatised air traffic service. It seems theAmericans are seriously looking at splittingthe FAA between service provision andregulation, and it appears the US isinterested in the EU route fees system! I amsure that will interest the US governmentwhen it comes to the FAA budget.

At the beginning of December I attendeda two-day conference on transport in theEuropean Parliament. I spoke to JackieFoster MEP and Brian Simpson MEP,Chairman of the Transport Committee.Brian is not standing for re-election so therewill be a new Chairman of Transport.Jackie Foster hopes to be re-elected andintends to stay with Transport.

The consensus is that the two groupslikely to succeed in the next Parliament willbe the Social Democrats and the Christian

Another new year, and time for anappraisal of what’s been achieved and

what remains to be done. The contents ofthe ‘in’ tray tower over those in the ‘out’tray, but we can look back on somesignificant successes in 2013. Progress ismostly a matter of changing entrenchedattitudes, and at EASA, the CAA andelsewhere there is evidence of a growingrealisation that inflexible over-regulation isdoing tremendous harm to the entireaviation industry, and that things mustchange.

I’ve written about our plans and hopesfor 2014 elsewhere in these pages, so Iwon’t repeat myself. My greatest wish forthe year is for proper flying weather thissummer; we’ve had one good year in five,and we deserve a break.

Going back to November 18th, Iattended the final CAA Finance AdvisoryCommittee for 2013. The meetingfocussed on the documents that areconsulted on with regard to chargingproposals that come into effect in April2014. The new Scheme of Charges needsministerial approval, which has to begranted prior to April. Of course AOPAremains concerned about the level ofcharges applied to GA, and we wait withinterest to see how the GA Unit will beaccommodated in the budget.

Next day I took part in an earlydiscussion about the current PPL syllabus,as it is the CAA’s intention to modernisethe PPL content and submit an alternativemeans of an acceptable means ofcompliance. This is mentioned elsewhere inthese pages; more information as we haveit.

Chief executive’s diary:Chief executive’s diary:Looking back, looking forward

Working for

YOU

AOPA

of aviation, but funding for Galileo willindirectly benefit GA. As ever, the focuswill be on the airlines. The Commissionstill fails to appreciate the needs of GAwhen it comes to airport and airspaceaccess, and this must change.On a bright note, all over Europe we

see important positions being claimed bypeople who have a greater understandingof general aviation than those who wentbefore – Patrick Ky at EASA, PatrickGandil at the DGAC France, Angel LuisArias at DGAC Spain, Andrew Haines atthe UK CAA. This can only be a positivetrend for GA, and we welcome it.Here in the UK, the Red Tape

Challenge triggered by Grant Shapps MPand endorsed by the senior echelons ofthe CAA give us hope that the burdens onour sector can be relieved while there isstill time. �

AOPA assistsin Rule 5 case


convinced another three.”The fine came with an additional £520

in CAA costs, a hard blow for someone ona flying instructor’s income. But it couldhave been much worse.The instructor, who is working towards a

commercial career, wrote to the courtunder AOPA guidance apologising for hislapse and explaininghow the error hadcome about. He hadbeen instructing astudent pilot on alow-level navigationexercise during whichit was required thatthe student carry out a co-ordinated turn atlow level, maintaining height and gettingan appreciation of the effect of the wind.While he had done this exercise manytimes before, the instructor admitted

incorrectly assessing the ability of thestudent to carry out the task without losingheight, and allowing the aircraft to driftbelow 1,000 feet over a built-up area. Hetook full responsibility for the situation andexpressed his regret. An instructor forseveral years, during which he hasmaintained an unblemished record, he has

more than 3,000hours. Since theincident he had satdown with his fellowinstructors and briefedthem to ensure theydid not make thesame mistake. He had

also had a meeting with the CFI, who hadgiven him advice on assessing students’abilities. The letter also disabused thecourt of any misplaced notion that flyinginstructors are well paid.

Martin Robinson said after the courtcase that the fine of £140 was at the lowend of expectations, although the CAA’scosts claim of £520 in a case where theaccused accepted full responsibilityseemed excessive.“The court obviously saw that this was a

brief lapse from someone who normallymaintains high standards, and thepunishment was proportionate.“I am satisfied with the outcome. The

CAA’s prosecutions policy in recent yearshas become more reasonable and positive,and we no longer have the situation weonce had, where they’d sacrifice the oddpilot ‘pour encourager les autres’. It mustbe remembered that the instructor in thiscase had the prosecution hanging over himfor six months, during which time hefeared for his livelihood. I am very glad tohave been of assistance.” �


Democrats, although there is a fear that theRight may have a larger number of seats –all across Europe there seems to be agrowing belief that the right wing partieshave tapped into growing publicdisenchantment with European institutions.

Over the next seven years Europeantaxpayers’ funding of transport-relatedprojects will rise from €8 billion to €26billion. The parliamentarians are calling formore efficient use of this funding. Onefunding programme – Horizon 20/20(R&D) – will have €70 billion available,50% of which will go into transportresearch and development, of which €7billion will go to SESAR. Commentatorsbelieve that infrastructure will be the mainfocus of the next Parliament; other issueson the agenda will be rail and air noise andalternative fuels. Europe’s PerformanceReview Body will demand more aggressivetargets on delays and environmentalimpact.

The Commission is still consideringtaking infringement action against somestates for failing to deliver on FABs. As Ihave said, I believe Europe made a mistakein trying to rationalise ANSPs. The rules forestablishing FABs should have been put inplace as well as the legal basis for allowANSPs to merge.

Billions of euros will go into large publictransport plans and very little into the non-airline sector of aviation, but funding ofGalileo will indirectly benefit GA. One cansee why the urgent need to de-fragmentEurope’s bottlenecks makes the EC soinsistent on the need for FABs.

One way to ensure improvedperformance may be through giving morepower to the Performance Review Body.The problem for GA is that SES II-plus is

99% airline focussed. The Commission stillfails to appreciate the needs of GA when itcomes to airport and airspace access,particularly at regional airports whichcannot survive solely on CAT operations.

I spent another day in Brussels meetingwith Brian Davy and Greg Bowles ofGAMA to update them on IAOPA’s stanceon issues of mutual interest. Later that day Imet with Ulrich Stockmann and MichaelErb, and we have agreed to hire HerrStockmann from January 2014 to help usestablish the GA inter group for the nextParliament. I went on to Cologne to attendthe EASA Advisory Body and met withPatrick Ky, who agreed with me about theneed for EASA to publish GA accidenttrend data. More to follow on this.

I also attended the EBAA event in theEuropean Parliament. During their ChiefExecutive Fabio Gamba’s speech he madereference to working with IAOPA on the‘GA Connecting Europe’ campaign andexpressed support for the development ofthe GA inter group. I will meet with Fabioagain in January.

On December 9th I met with PhilipClark, the new lead in the CAA on BetterRegulation, to discuss the topic of ‘gold

plating’, which we will continue to debatethroughout 2014. If you have example of‘gold plating’ that you would like to raise,please send them to [email protected].

Two days later I was guest speak at theChristmas lunch of the InternationalFellowship of Flying Rotarians, many ofwhom are AOPA members. The RotaryClub is a well known internationalorganisation, but much less known is theflying section of International Fellowship ofFlying Rotarians, IFFR. Within the flyingsection, made up of members of variousRotary Clubs who are pilots, are individual‘sections’ for many countries throughoutthe world. Unusually, the UK section is thelargest in the world, beating the Europeancountries, Australia and even the USA.IFFR has a number of flying relatingactivities during the year, and one of thekey activities is flying to other sections’weekend meetings, so it is a greatopportunity to fly to other countries andmeet fellow pilots and learn about flying intheir country. If you want more informationabout the IFFR, contact their secretary,Rodney Spokes at [email protected].

Martin Robinson

Right: Martin addresses the IFFRChristmas lunch

It must be rememberedthat the instructor hadthe prosecution hangingover him for six months,during which time hefeared for his livelihood



I am writing to thank you for all the support you and your organisation have offeredus in our work on the Red Tape Challenge on general aviation so far. I read thelatest issue of General Aviation magazine with interest and was delighted to see thelevel of detail with which you had covered the work we were doing. I know that youand AOPA spend a lot of time considering these issues and wanted to encourageyou to carry on doing so – the work that the Government is currently undertaking isdown principally to the input of those who use the system on a daily basis andunderstand the problems that need to be addressed.

Similarly, I wanted to thank you for the advice you sent me on advance notificationtimescales for general aviation ahead of my meeting with Mark Harper. It wasextremely useful to hear your organisation’s views and to understand the steps ithas taken to deal with these issues including, for example, the immense effort thathas gone into creating the online GAR. This kind of background is essential if weare to come to a solution that works for all parties.

At the moment we are still at the start of this work, but reaching even this stagewould not have been possible without input from organisations such as yours. Iwanted to thank you for this once more, and to encourage you to continue engagingas much as possible.

Grant Shapps MP

PS: Please pass my personal thanks on to your AOPA colleagueswho have been working for a more business-focussed, vibrant GA sector in the UKfor many years.



Explore Europe withMobile FliteDeck VFR.

Visit jeppesen.com/�itedeck-vfr84 to learn moreabout Mobile FliteDeck VFR.

AOPA UK members get a one-year UK coverage for€109 (regularly €199).€109 (regularly €199).

get amembersA UKAOP

about Mobile FliteDeck Vjeppesen.com/�itedVisit

a one-year UK coverage for

VFR.to learn moredeck-vfr84

AOPA has taken part in preliminary discussions with theCAA on the PPL syllabus, which the Authority would

like to update to take account of technology. AOPA has beenseeking such a reappraisal for some time and is supportiveof the CAA’s intentions.The gap between teaching and practice has been steadily

growing as modern kit has found its way into the cockpiteven of the smallest aircraft. Some time ago the CAAabandoned the practice of requiring the one-in-sixtyrule to be taught, but there are other apparentanachronisms to which we still cling.Martin Robinson says: “In the real world, as soon

as a student gets a licence they go out with an iPadloaded with some excellent electronic navigationsystem on it, and perhaps with electronic deviceswhich make a quick job of calculating a triangle ofvelocities. The PPL syllabus hasn’t evolved sufficiently totake the new situation into account.”“We need to ask some basic questions. Can useful

guidance be given on the use of electronic kit at the PPLstage? Does the whiz-wheel belong in a museum? Ifchanges are to be made, how is EASA to be co-opted?”AOPA’s Nick Wilcock will be attending a group chaired by

the CAA’s Mike Barnard to discuss these issues. Nickwrites “On the subject of pilot navigation, although there arethose who probably still think that ‘real pilots’ navigate byquadrant staff, lodestone and astrolabe, disdainfullyregarding the GPS as a tool of Satan, hopefully such folk arenow very much in the minority! The programmableelectronic calculator has been around for about 40 yearsand pretty well everyone uses a SatNav in their cars thesedays, so why not in their aircraft? Although, of course, therewill still be a need for some fundamentally basic skills, suchas the ability to plot lat/long on a chart and to understandthe triangle of velocities, there is a much greater need forpilots to develop sufficiently sound navigational skills toavoid airspace busts – and the secret to this is, as we wereso often told during my basic flying training, to planaccurately, to fly accurately and to think ahead. Advances intechnology greatly assist pilots in developing these coreskills and it is quite unreasonable to insist on pilots havingto restrict themselves to the methods of yesteryear.”The co-operation of EASA may be less of an obstacle than

it used to be; in its current incarnation the Agency explicitlyrecognises the expertise of the UK CAA and certain othernational authorities and is more disposed to accept adviceand suggestion than it has been in the past – or so thetheory goes. As long as an acceptable means of compliancewith EASA regulations can be found, it should be possibleto make sensible changes.

100 hours ground schoolNick Wilcock recently suggested to the CAA that the EASAPPL and the LAPL theoretical knowledge requirementsshould be harmonised as the learning objectives for bothlicences are identical. As a result, the CAA has now notifiedEASA that it has raised an ‘Alternative Means ofCompliance’ which removes the requirement for 100 hoursof ground training for the PPL. Instead, it will now be left upto ATOs to decide how they will ensure that their applicantsare adequately prepared and competent to sit the PPL/LAPLtheoretical knowledge exams. �

Working for

YOU

AOPA

Teachingfor the future



China pushes ahead on GA liberalisationInternational AOPA’s leading figures are inChina making final arrangements for theIAOPA World Assembly, to be held inBeijing later this year. Ahead of the WorldAssembly, the Chinese government andmilitary have announced long-awaited

concessions on flight planningand requirements for privatepilots’ licences as part of moves tomake general aviation a viableindustry in China.Fang Wen, then Director of

AOPA China’s InternationalDepartment, reports that from December1, 2013, most general aviation flights inChina enjoy a significantly simplerplanning process, with military approvalfor such civil flights no longer required.“The long awaited alleviation of the

‘regulations on the approval andmanagement of general aviation flightmission’ was announced on November 18by the People’s Liberation Army generalstaff department and the Civil AviationAdministration of China,” Fang Wen says.“The changes are expected to cut thewaiting time for permission to fly fromseveral days to a few hours.“Under the new procedures, operators of

GA flights will still have to file flight plans.More sensitive general aviation operationsin nine specific categories – includingborder areas, prohibited zones and aerialphotography over sensitive areas – willcontinue to require prior approval and theuse of transponders.”Chinese airspace is controlled by the

military, and the changes represent amajor step forward for civil flying in China.Vast distances, poor infrastructure and lackof highways make general aviation ahugely attractive travel alternative, but themilitary stranglehold on flying has been aserious obstacle.Calling the announcement “a great move

in the right direction,” Fang Wen saidfurther obstacles to the development of GAincluded lack of ATC facilities, shortage ofpilots, maintenance technicians and GAairports, high taxes and zero profitmargins. There was a need to allow themarket to play a greater role in GA, headded.“Developing GA airports is they key to

the development of GA in China,” he says.“Without GA airports, talk of thedevelopment of GA is empty. The focusshould now be on the establishment of anetwork of GA airports.”

LicensesAt the same time, China has made it easierfor civilians to earn private pilot licenses.Any citizen age 17 with at least a juniorhigh school education will be eligible toapply for training. Training involves aminimum 20 hours dual instruction, 10hours solo and 10 hours of specialisedinstruction, such as night flying, for 40hours of total time. An additional 40 hoursof classroom time is also part of thecurriculum. They also must pass aphysical exam.Under the old regulations, which date

from 1996, standards for private pilotswere essentially the same as forcommercial pilots. The change is expectedto release pent-up demand for licences,and thus general aviation aircraft, in China.China’s Civil Aviation Authority said it

was making the changes “to enable morepeople to be able to realise their dream offlying.” The change is expected to “promotethe development of China’s generalaviation industry, increase the talent poolfor professional pilots and play a positiverole.”According to the China Daily, there were

some 1,610 aircraft registered in Chinalast summer, compared to more than230,000 in the US. The newspaperquoted Gao Yuanyang, director of a generalaviation industry research centre atBeihang University, as saying thatdifference illustrates the “huge marketpotential in China”.The Chinese have shown a keen interest

in American GA manufacturers and haverecently bought such companies as Cirrus,Mooney, Enstrom, Teledyne Continental,Thielert, Brantly and Enstrom, as well as anumber of component suppliers.Chinese general aviation has the

advantage of being able to start fromscratch with a satellite-based air trafficsystem, completely bypassing the greatestobstacle to the improvement of the aviationsector in Europe, the bogged-down SingleEuropean Sky. The American equivalent,NextGen, is mired in the same sort ofmorass. �

Working for

YOU

AOPA

TIME TO RENEW/REVALIDATE YOUR INSTRUCTOR RATING!!Register now for the

AOPA FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR SEMINARJAR-FCL Flight Instructor Refresher Seminarconducted by AOPA and approved by the CAA

Dates & Venues 2014

May 13/14 TA Centre High Wycombe

September 16/17 TA Centre High Wycombe

£240 for AOPA members

£290 for non-members

To register for the seminar visit the AOPA website www.aopa.co.uk or phone 020 7834 5631



AOPA has welcomed the decision by the CAA toreissue American pilot certificates, thus saving

British pilots who hold FAA tickets from having to flyto the United States to renew their licences.European pilots who surrender their national

licences for an EASA licence are given a new licencenumber, and if they hold FAA certificates issued onthe basis of the old national licence number, thesewill become invalid. Under American identificationrules, pilots have to present themselves in person atan FAA office to get an FAA certificate reissued.However, EASA has arranged with the Americans

to have FAA certificates held by British pilotsreissued in Britain, where the work will be done bythe CAA. EASA’s Head of Rulemaking JulesKneepkens has written to every national authority inEurope reminding them that EASA has struck a dealwith the FAA on this, and urging them to takeappropriate action.“It seems that not all the national aviation

authorities of the EASA member states, and pilotspotentially affected by these changes, are aware ofthis particular ‘light process’,” Mr Kneepkens writes.He adds that the process is available up to October8th, 2018, and sets out in his letter therequirements stipulated by the FAA.AOPA CEO Martin Robinson says: “This is a purely

bureaucratic change which could have causedserious inconvenience and loss to pilots, and it isvery much to the credit of EASA and the FAA thatthey have recognised the problem and taken stepsto alleviate it.“Under American rules the applicant must present

himself or herself in person for identificationpurposes, so that means many British pilots willhave to go to the CAA’s main offices at Gatwickduring office hours to have FAA certificates reissued.The CAA is looking at using their regional offices inan attempt to be helpful, recognising the distancessome people may need to travel to get to Gatwick.Members should contact the CAA to find out wheretheir nearest CAA office is, and agree with CAA thatthey can do what they need to do closer to home.More information is available at

[email protected] �

EASA overcomes‘Part 61’ licenceproblem

Bose Headset with XLR-5 non Bluetooth Dual Cable

Prices from £840.00

��Pooleys Flight Guide

to the United Kingdom now available with iPlates

Freephone: 0800 678 5153Email: [email protected] | Web:www.pooleys.com

Shops at: Cranfield | Elstree | Lydd | Bournemouth

You’ll also find our products at over 95% of flying schools throughout the UK

• Prices held for 2014• Over 50 additional Air7elds for 2014• More than 600 UK Aerodromes• Over 390 Landing Charts

Pooleys is the O6cial Distributorof the Ceteor Range of

Battery Boosters & Chargers



Licensing the new EU/EASA wayand companies may still require a Class One medical certificate toinstruct, but this step down is a major change for the UK CAA.France has always allowed their PPL instructors to fly on a ClassTwo medical certificate. Class Two medicals are carried out by UKCAA approved medical examiners. A Class One AME can alsocarry out Class Two examinations, but not the other way round.Now we come to the confusing bits. There is an EASA Class

Three Medical Certificate, but this is only for the Air TrafficControllers and no-one else. Some Senior AMEs can carry out thistype of medical examination, but not all. So now we arrive at thenew EASA license, the LAPL – the Light Aircraft Pilots Licence,call it a Class Four medical certificate. It is different for a numberof reasons. The acceptable level of medical risk is increased from1% to 2%. It is valid for single engine piston EASA and UK non-EASA aircraft up to two metric tonnes, including helicopters, withup to four persons on board, VFR etc., for use EU-wide, plus youcan use it in Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein.Touring motor gliders are also included in this group. If you havea UK National PPL, which is the one that your GP signed amedical declaration for, you will have to convert this type oflicence by April 8th 2015 to a LAPL, unless you only wish to flynon-EASA aircraft under 2 tonnes in the UK. This means that themajority of UK National PPL holders will have to convert to aLAPL. Anyone with a valid EU/EASA Class Two Medical Certificatedoes not have to convert to this lower form of licence. This iswhere there has been a lot of confusion between a UK NationalPPL (GP medical declaration) and a normal CAA/JAA/EASA / EUPPL (Class Two medical done by an AME). A UK CAA-authorisedGP can carry out a LAPL medical, not all GPs as before. Themedical is now computer based and there are forms to be filledin, and an EU certificate to be issued. Any UK-authorised AMEcan do a LAPL medical, and authorised GPs will have to refer arange of medical queries to an AME in the first instance, and notto the UK CAA. This will all result sadly in an increase in costs, asfew authorised GPs will carry out this more-involved type ofmedical examination free of charge, as opposed to a medicaldeclaration. Any referral to an AME will also incur a cost. It isforecast that most GPs will give up this type ofdeclaration/medical, as it will involve too much time and workthan before. It will all then have to revert to an AME, as happenseverywhere else within the EU. There is no UK GP equivalent inthe rest of the EU, where every type of aviation medical can onlybe done by an AME.On page 30 of the CAA’s periodical ‘Clued Up’ in the

Spring/Summer 2013 edition, there is a whole page onlicense/rating medical validity. This has been done as there arenow a number of types of license, where the validity might seemconfusing. The best way to remember it is to ask which type ofmedical certificate is possessed. The higher the class the moretypes of licence it will cover. One and Two are easy, as they willbe valid for most types. Three has nothing to do with anythingunless you are an air trafficker, but when you get to a Four, it isnot valid for very much other than a LAPL, which is however nowaccepted across the EU community. A UK National PPL (GPdeclaration) is not acceptable outside the UK or by night or oninstruments. If your aircraft type becomes EASA recognised youwill have to change.To summarise very briefly, if you fly on a licence issued after

your GP signed a medical declaration, and you want to go onflying after April 2015, and the aircraft that you fly is now anEASA recognised aeroplane, you will have to get a LAPL by April2015, either done by the new breed of UK CAA approved GPs orby any UK authorised AME.*Dr Perry is Consultant in Occupational and Aviation Medicineand a member of the EASA Medical Experts Group. �

*By Dr Ian Perry

Iam writing this from a medical viewpoint, as there is a great dealof confusion around and about, concerning who needs what sort

of medical certificate and when. I have had a number ofunusual discussions with various club CFIs, whothemselves have got confused about the various types oflicence. A few of them have said that I am wrong,something I would accept if I was, but I am not. I hopeby the end of this short piece to have clarified thesituation for all of you.Let us start in a very simple way. Think of the

EU/EASA medical certificate business as running in four classes,plus a UK local one. An EU Class One Medical Certificate is for theprofessional pilot who wants to earn a living flying anything froman Airbus 380 to PA28 air taxi. This system remains basicallyunchanged. The medical examinations can only be carried out byUK CAA approved Authorised Medical Examiners (AME), onlysome of whom are permitted to carry out Class One MedicalExaminations.A Class Two Medical Certificate is for private pilots who wish to

fly any type of EASA aircraft they can qualify on, anywhere withinthe EU community, by day, by night or by instruments if they areso rated. (I am not going to discuss IMC or any other type ofinstrument certification – that is another can of worms best left tothose who really understand it). Under the new EU/EASA MedicalClass Two rules you can also instruct using this type of medicalcertificate; you do not necessarily need a Class One. Some clubs

Working for

YOU

AOPA

Airsoc is europe's largest aviation community and we need aviation experts to act as website

involved! If you love all things aviation and consider yourself an expert in any aspect of the industry and would like to help fellow aviators

for more information.

Airsoc needs you!WWW.AIRSOC.COM



VFR chart changesChanges to VFR charts have been announced by the CAA. The

changes, designed to increase the clarity of the informationdepicted on the charts, follow a consultation with the aviationindustry and will appear in the new half-mil and quarter-milcharts published in March.The main changes include:

� Addition of boundary tint to all airspace boundaries regardlessof classification – that is, all internal boundaries as well asexternal extremities of controlled airspace.

� Reversal of the colour formatting of airspace classificationsboxes i.e. white classification lettering within appropriateclassification (blue or magenta) coloured box.

� Re-alignment of all airspace annotations along the leadingedges of airspace boundaries, i.e. where adjacent to airspacewith higher base level.

� Application of a white halo effect to all aeronauticalinformation annotations that are located over land, and allairspace annotations embedded in airspace boundary tints.

� Removal of duplicate airspace controlling authority names fromall airspace annotations, except in the outer extremity of the

relativecontrollingauthority’sCAS.

Theaccompanyinggraphic showswhat the newchart will looklike. �

The deadline for converting CAA licences to EASA equivalents is April8th, 2014. If you have a national licence and you miss that deadline youwill still be able to fly, but only using the privileges of an EASA LightAircraft Pilots Licence. (LAPL) That situation will last until April 7th,2015, after which you’ll not be able to fly any EASA aircraft without anEASA licence.Flying under LAPL privileges means you’ll be limited to single engine

piston aeroplanes not exceeding 2,000 kg and with no more than fourpeople on board, flying under VFR. Any instructor or examiner privilegeswill not be valid in EASA aeroplanes.If you have a JAA licence, no worries – when your licence reaches its

five-year expiry date and you apply for a renewal, you’ll automatically getthe appropriate EASA ticket. If in the meantime you put your licence in toget a rating attached or something, it will come back as an EASA model.National licences will remain valid indefinitely for non-EASA aircraft

such as microlights and kit-built planes. However, EASA aeroplanelicences that are valid for single and/or multi piston-engine aeroplanesare also valid for UK-registered non-EASA single and/or multi pistonengine aeroplanes, so in most cases aeroplane pilots should only needan EASA licence.The CAA has all the necessary information on its website at

www.caa.co.uk/privatepilots where there’s a section headed ‘convertingUK and JAA licences to Part FCL’. If you encounter any problems you cancall Martin Robinson at the AOPA offices for advice and clarification.The CAA site also has useful information for people who are thinking

of training for the PPL, for those who are confused about the differencebetween an EASA and a non-EASA aircraft, what the requirements are forthe various licences and other relevant issues.

Licence deadline approaching


Flying at night? There is now a newthreat for which you should beprepared. Lasers.

So far at least, general aviation aircraftdo not appear to have been too frequent atarget for laser attacks. However, it mightonly be a matter of time. In recent yearsthe increased availability of high-intensitylaser ‘pen’ torches has created a seriousand growing threat to aircraft and aircrews. Misguided, mischievous or plainlycriminal targeting of night-time low-flyingaircraft has accelerated dramatically.In the UK, only eight such attacks were

reported in 2006. The past two years haveseen between 1,500 and 1,900 laserattacks per year. These attacks are beingmade on a wide range of aircraft fromgeneral aviation types to civilian andmilitary helicopters and airliners.Of particular concern is the targeting of

airliners in the late stages of approach, atlow level and when visual contact with therunway is critical. In recent months,Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, EastMidlands, Bristol, Heathrow and Gatwickairports have featured prominently inattack reports. Last September, a Boeing737 reported suffering five separateattacks on a single approach into

Safety of an Aircraft’, an offence whichcarries a jail sentence. An importantprecedent was set in 2008 when JudgeTudor Owen sentenced two defendants tosix months in custody for endangering apolice helicopter. Unlike a lot of hisprofession, Judge Owen knows a thing ortwo about flying. Back in his days as adefence barrister, “the Flying Lawyer”frequently represented AOPA members

Birmingham International.The effects of any laser attack, flooding

the cockpit with bright light and potentiallycausing flash-blindness, after-image andloss of night vision, pose a significant flightsafety hazard. It is particularly criticalwhen emergency services helicoptersoperating at low level over cities and otherconurbations are targeted.The large curved plexiglass windscreens

of helicopters form an additional hazard,as when hit by a laser the light refracts inall directions, flooding the cockpit withpotentially blinding flare. One pilotdescribed the effect as “having someonefire a flashgun in your face.”

Making the law an assRecent changes in legislation, driven bythe CAA, have unintentionally made theproblem worse. In past years, offendershave been convicted of ‘Endangering the


Top: an actual laser attack on a Met Policehelicopter during the Olympic OpeningCeremony; the high-intensity blue laser wasbeing shone from a location in Ilford, Essex.Photo: MPSintheskyRight: helicopter pilot Judge Tudor Owenhas jailed laser louts

Laser attacks on aircraft

Stephen Slater reports on why a wrong move by the CAAmay be making matters worse

Lasers rrevised r:GA 17/1/14 16:10 Page 14

against inappropriate prosecutions. Helearned to fly in de Havilland Chipmunkaircraft with the University of London AirSquadron in the early 1970s and hassubsequently owned and flown suchaircraft as the Harvard, Yak-11 andWestland Gazelle ex-military helicopter. Heis the Master of the Guild of Air Pilots andAir Navigators.Certainly Judge Owen’s knowledge was

noted by his fellow senior lawyers. Whenthe defendants appealed against theirsentences, the Court of Appeal rejectedtheir claims and gave guidance to otherjudges on the appropriate sentences forsuch behaviour.The Appeal Court noted: “Incidents of this

sort have increased rapidly in the last threeyears. In our judgment the learned judgewas right to make it clear that custodialsentences will usually follow when offenderscommitting this offence are caught.”

However, fines are normally based on aproportion of the offenders’ declaredincome, usually low, so the deterrent tocriminals is proving minimal.In February 2010, a 16-year-old

admitted shining a laser pen, which hehad purchased on eBay for £8, into thecockpit of an easyJet flight from Belfast toLiverpool. He was fined just £250.Pilots’ organisations have been lobbying

both the CAA and Department forTransport to change the legislation toinclude a custodial sentence, a relativelyeasy process. So far there has been nosign of movement, although both agenciesadmit that the problem has been growing.Why their sole action so far is corporatehand-wringing rather than action is hard tocomprehend.

Police targetIn the UK there are increasing signs thatprosecutors, aware of the limited power ofthe CAA-driven legislation, are reverting tothe charge of “endangerment” whichcarries the custodial penalty. In particular,this is proving the case when lasers aretargeted on helicopters used by the police.While the Metropolitan Police reports

that most offenders are either pranksterswho did not realise the seriousness of theiractions, or residents annoyed at thehelicopter’s presence, there is disquiet thatsome criminals are now carrying lasers inan attempt to distract helicopter crews who

However, in 2010 the Department forTransport, at the instigation of the CAA,created a new offence, which they feltwould make it easier for offenders to beconvicted. This new offence, Article 222 ofthe Air Navigation Order 2009, states: “Aperson must not in the UK direct or shineany light at any aircraft in flight so as todazzle or distract the pilot of the aircraft.”However, the maximum penalty is merelya fine not exceeding £2,500. That meansthe courts now have no powers to imposea custodial sentence.While the authorities still have (and do

still use) the option of charging a miscreantwith “Endangering an Aircraft”, it isperhaps natural that they take the routewhich makes it easier to gain a conviction.


What is a laser?Laser pointers do have legitimateuses. Smaller examples weredesigned to aid teachers inhighlighting items onscreens in theclassroom. Larger andmore powerful lasers are sold to allowastronomers to highlight specific stars inthe night sky for observation. In the latter

case, apurchaser is

supposed to sign adocument undertaking

that they will not use the lasernear an airport, or point it close

to aircraft. However that has littleeffect on their misuse and there are signsnow that these more powerful ‘blue lasers’,bought over the internet from China, arecoming into increased use.

Above: Metropolitan Police helicopters areregular targets for laser attacks


may be monitoring or helping apprehendthem. As the recent tragedy in Glasgowdemonstrated, the hazards of operatinghelicopters at low-level in urbanenvironments at night are high enough,even before a laser attack.Last October, a 20 year-old man was

sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court, tofour months in a young offenders’institution after he had targeted the Essex

plea that he was merely “a young manbeing very foolish and playing around inhis bedroom rather than a maliciousintent” cut little ice.In sentencing, Judge Martin Joy said: “I

have no doubt whatsoever that this offenceis so serious that a non-custodial sentencecannot be justified. Those who commit thiskind of offence must be aware that severesentences will follow.”

Police helicopter, which was hovering atabout 1,000ft over Sittingbourne. Afteridentifying the general area from where thelaser was being shone, thermal imagingwas used to direct officers on the ground tothe offender’s home. The offender, ittranspired, had previous convictions fortheft, common assault and possessing aprohibited weapon, a stun gun.It was notable that the defence lawyer’s


The airline pilots’ union BALPA has published the followingguidelines to pilots, if targeted by a laser:Laser effects on pilots occur in four stages of increasingseriousness – distraction, disruption, disorientation, andincapacitation. Given the many incidents of cockpit illuminationsby lasers, the potential for an accident definitely exists, but thefact that there have been no laser-related accidents to dateindicates that the hazard can be successfully managed.� Shield the eyes from the light source with a hand or a hand-

held object and avoid looking directly into the beam. It ispossible that a laser successfully aimed at the flight deck willbe presaged by unsuccessful attempts to do so; these will beseen as extremely bright flashes coming from the groundand/or visible in the sky near the aircraft. Treat these flashesas a warning you are about to be targeted and prepare toshield the eyes. Do not look in the direction of any suspiciouslight.

� Do not rub the eyes.� Alert the other crew member(s) to determine whether they

have suffered any laser-related effects. If the other front seatpilot has not been affected, he or she should immediatelyassume or maintain control of the aircraft.

� Manoeuvre to block the laser, if possible and subject to ATC.

If on approach, consider a go-around.� Engage the autopilot.� After regaining vision, check flight instruments for proper flight

status.� Turn flight deck lighting to maximum brightness to minimise

any further illumination effects.� Immediately report the laser incident to ATC, including the

direction and location of the laser source, beam colour andlength of exposure (flash, pulsed and/or intentional tracking).Do not look directly into the beam to locate the source.

� As soon as flight safety allows, check for dark/disturbed areasin vision, one eye at a time.

� If incapacitated, contact ATC for priority/emergency handling.Consider autoland.

� If symptoms persist, obtain an eye examination as soon aspracticable.

� File an MOR. In the UK, ATC will notify the police. Whenpossible, write down all details for the police.

� If rostered for further flight sectors, consider whether you arephysically and psychologically still fit to fly even if your self-assessment indicates no visual impairment. It is for individualflight crew to determine their fitness to fly in suchcircumstances regardless of operator policy.

How to respond to a laser attack

JET A1AVGAS 100LLAVGAS UL91

Speedy delivery serviceCompetitive pricesQuality assurance

For more information call Damian on020 8440 0505 or E Mail: [email protected]

242-248 High Street, Barnet, Hertfordshire EN5 5TDTelephone: +44(0)20 8440 0505 Telefax: +44(0)20 8440 6444

Email: [email protected] www.cymapetroleum.co.uk

CYMACCCCeeCeCelllleleelleee eeeelelebbbbeeebeebbeee rrrrrbraaaarrrarraarrr ttttaaatatiiiitttittiittt nnnniniinniii ggggggnnngng 222255552255YYYYYYeeeeaaeaeeaaeee rrararssrsrrssrrr


......cchheecckkyyoouurr ppaa

ppeerrwwoorrkk

bbeeffoorreeyyoouu ffllyy!!

PROMOTING AVIATION SAFETY

HAL/0713/1065

General Aviation Safety Council

Hayward Aviation Limited Harling House 47/51 Great Suffolk St London SE1 0BSEmail: [email protected] Web: www.haywards.net Tel: +44 (0)20 7902 7800 Fax: +44 (0)20 7928 8040

Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority

Your aviation insurance partnerTo download

this poster

www.haywards.net

Warning:Your aviation insurance policy may be invalidated if you fail to comply with allpolicy conditions including maintaining current aircraft and pilot documentation!

DDoonn’’tt ggeett

ccaauugghhttsshhoorrtt......

pp 17:GA 17/1/14 16:19 Page 1

Much is happening at the formerRNAS aerodrome at Lee on Solentin Hampshire. Established as a

seaplane base during the First World War,it wenton to become the main trainingbase and administrative headquarters ofthe Fleet Air Arm. In March 1996 theRoyal Navy moved out and operationalmanagement became the responsibility ofHampshire Constabulary’s Police AirSupport Unit, which was based there. Tenyears later Defence Estates disposed of thesite, with the central part, including therunways, going to the Maritime andCoastguard Agency (MCA), an executiveagency of the Department of Transport.The outer areas including the hangars,aprons and the airfield buildings went toSouth East England Development Agency.In October 2010 Hampshire Police AirSupport Unit closed, with operationstransferred to the newly formed South EastAir Support Unit, covering Hampshire,Surrey and Sussex from two bases at RAFOdiham and Shoreham Airport.Management of the airfield became the

sectors. Solent Local Enterprise Partnership(LEP) was formed as a partnershipbetween industry and local government tofoster this aim. Funding applications havebeen made, and funds unlocked to enabledevelopment to take place.

Lee’s location is critical in a number ofways. The main transport infrastructure inthe area is the M27 motorway, runningeast-west a few miles north of the airfield,and the A3 and M3 which run inland fromit. The last 20 years have seen jobsmoving from towns and cities such asPortsmouth and Gosport to new industrialareas along the M27. The closure of navalestablishments in those areas hascontributed to the problem, with many ofthem being converted to housing. As aresult Lee on Solent and its adjoiningtowns of Gosport and Stubbington becamedormitory towns, with people commutingto work along the M27 corridor. This puthuge demands on the local roadinfrastructure, which is creaking under thestrain in some nearby locations, which willbe addressed by funded road improvement

responsibility of Fly BN, part of BrittenNorman. The closure of the RegionalDevelopment Agencies in March 2012eventually led to all major parts of theairfield being re-united under the Homesand Communities Agency (HCA).

During their tenure, HampshireConstabulary tried to close the airfield tocivilian users and Lee Flying Associationwas formed to fight the closure andchampion an aviation future for theairfield, for example through numerousdevelopment consultations. With help fromAOPA they were successful, and in May2008 the threat of closure was lifted. TheMaster Plan for the development ofDaedalus includes the regeneration ofDaedalus as a viable general aviationairfield.

Since then the airfield has become anEnterprise Zone with the aim of attractinginvestment from the Marine and Aviation

18

Top: Consolidated PBY-5A N423RS leavesLee on Solent for restoration at North Weald.Photo: Mike CrossRight: Cessna Citation N129CJ at Lee onSolent in October 2013. Construction work onthe new Centre for Engineering andManufacturing Advanced Skills Trainingprogresses in the background.Photo: Terry Coombes/LFA

Leeon Solentthriving

Leeon Solentthriving

Since Lee Flying Association saved RNAS Daedalus from closureit’s become a major success story for GA, as Mike Cross reports

lee rrr:GA 17/1/14 16:12 Page 18

projects with construction starting in2014.

The airfield also forms a gap betweenLee and Stubbington. The strategy istherefore to create jobs on the airfield site,rather than housing, while retaining anoperational airfield to preserve the openspace separating Lee from Stubbington.Lee’s 1309 metre runway is the only hardrunway available to GA on the south coastbetween Bournemouth and Shoreham.Southampton Eastleigh has no sparecapacity for based GA.

Lee on Solent airfield lies on theboundary between the boroughs ofGosport and Fareham. The bulk of theoperational area is in Fareham, while theformer technical site consisting ofaccommodation, offices and workshops onthe south side is in Gosport. For airfieldusers the activities of Fareham BoroughCouncil are therefore of most interest.

Britten-Norman’s facility at Lee involvesMoD contracts, and their operationstherefore involve the Military AviationAuthority (MAA). With only one operationalentrance to the airfield, to the south of theoperational (05/23) runway, road traffic toand from buildings to the north of therunway has had to cross the runway. Anew entrance has therefore been createdon the north side, off the B3334 GosportRoad. This will enable the airfield to belicensed once runway and taxiwaymarkings have been brought up tostandard. At the same time a newEngineering Training Facility for FarehamTechnical College is being built ongreenfield land in the south-east corner ofthe airfield. A new entrance road is alsobeing built, a little to the north of thecurrent one at Argus Gate on the southside. This will bring with it new mainsservices (water, drainage, electricity andsewage). Many years of neglect mean that

portion is now used as an access taxiway.Sapphire Aviation, who had been

operating an FBO facility using threehangars in the south east corner of theairfield, having been unable to secure anearby plot withdrew from the airfield on31 Dec 2013 but have indicated that anew plan may be forthcoming.

All in all 2014 is set to be a busy year;the expectation is that over the next fewmonths we will see:� Licensing and the establishment of an

ATZ� Re-tendering of Airfield Operator

contract� Resurfacing of runway 05/23� Opening of a new £12m Engineering

College for Aviation, Aerospace andMarine Sectors

� Relocation of existing aviation tenants totemporary hangars on the West Side.

� Creation of new serviced plots foraviation investment on East side(currently being marketed, contact LFAfor details)

� Construction of a new main access roadto Argus Gate on the South Side

� Construction of a new Innovation Centrefor Aviation, Aerospace and MarineSectors

ContactsLee Flying AssociationLFA is happy to assist anyone wanting to locatean aircraft or business at Lee on Solent. Theirwebsite contains much information about theairfield, including Visiting Pilot Notes and theAerodrome Manual.Website www.eghf.co.uke-mail [email protected] (Jon Butts)

Fly BN LtdFly BN is the Aerodrome Operator, Control TowerTel 02392 551714

Jones Lang LaSalleJones Lang LaSalle are marketing land on theairfield for aviation and marine businessesContact: Michael GreenLead Director – SouthamptonJones Lang LaSalleLatimer House5-7 Cumberland PlaceSouthampton SO15 2BHT: +44 (0)238 038 5613M: +44 (0)7976 [email protected]

Solent Enterprise Zoneat Daedalushttp://solentez.co.uk/site/hca/home �

the old wartime infrastructure has becomeunusable, with many areas of the airfieldhaving no electricity, water, or sanitation.The provision of new mains infrastructureis essential to the proposed developments.

The development funding applied fornaturally comes with strings, notablydeadlines for the completion ofconstruction. One of the projects is theconstruction of a new Innovation Centre forAviation, Aerospace and Marine sectors,containing starter units for smallbusinesses which will be built at the southeast corner of the airfield, near to the newmain road access.

The site owners are currently inconsultation with existing and prospectivetenants regarding the creation of newserviced plots on the east side, where mostof the privately owned aircraft are currentlyhoused. The plan is to build temporaryhangars on the west side so these userscan be relocated to allow demolition of theold hangars on the east side and theinstallation of mains services to servicedplots that will be created for new build,principally around the North Apron.

At the same time plans are advanced forresurfacing of the main (23/05) runway in2014. This work is expected to takeseveral weeks so the currently disused17/35 will be patched to allow it to bebrought into temporary use while 23/05 isresurfaced and repainted. The thirdrunway (10/28) of the old three-runwaylayout is permanently out of use – MCAbuilt a new hangar for their SARhelicopters alongside it and the western


Right: Beech Staggerwing NC16S ‘The RedRockette’ piloted by owner Capt Bill Charneyover Lee on Solent in 2013. This aircraftserved in the Fleet Air Arm as Beech TravellerMk1 FT466 in the Second World War.Photo: Karl Drage/LFA

Founders of Lee Flying Association DavidSkertchly (left) and Malcolm Barton (right)receive an AOPA Award on behalf of LFA withcurrent Chairman Jon Butts in 2013.Photo: Debbie Butts/LFA

lee rrr:GA 17/1/14 16:12 Page 19

Further to the article in GeneralAviation (April 2012) on Stobart’splans for Southend, a lot has changed

in the last two years. There is now an ILSon each runway, an extension to the newterminal, new fire engines, improvedsecurity around the whole airport, a verysmart VIP executive area in the oldterminal, and the airport is being broughtinto the 21st century with the new controltower and radar.There is now a Holiday Inn on site, and

another hotel on the North Side where theowner hopes to convert some HS748s intoa restaurant, bar and wedding chapel. Theairport and terminal is very popular withthe passengers – from arrival in theterminal to getting into the departurelounge is normally 20 minutes, whiledisembarking from the Airbus 319/320 orATR to being outside the terminal and onthe way home can only take 30 minutes.Where does this leave the GA pilot?

Southend Council, who own the freehold,put into the lease agreement a requirementthat the owners were to support GA. Localpilots have had varying experiences whilstinbound or outbound. Air Traffic has had asteep learning curve on integrating CAT andGA, but generally things are settling down.The website www.southendairport.com

will ensure that if you time your arrival anddeparture correctly you will not be delayed.With 1799m of tarmac, there is plenty ofroom.The three flying clubs on site are still

there, providing every flying fixed wing andhelicopter course from trial lessons toinstrument ratings and commercial flighttraining, including FAA. Of course there isthe excellent weather record, envied by mostother airports. Due to the new terminal beingbuilt, Seawing Flying Club, a CorporateAOPA member, had to move premises fromthe Eastern perimeter road to close to theCharlie hold near the 06 threshold. TheFlight Centre beside the Vulcan will have tomove in due course. Southend Flying Club,the oldest established Club on the field, hashad some parking restrictions put in place.Due to the security fence now surroundingthe clubs, pilots access their aircraftaccompanied by approved staff. There is talkof a barrier on the main terminal road tocharge passengers when being dropped offor picked up. If this goes ahead, it willimpact on one of the clubs’ membersseeking access to their club. The clubs haverequested better signage to their facilities,but this has been denied.Security for the airport has changed the

way GA pilots operate from the airfield,having now to go through scanners, producelicenses and passports, wearing hig-visjackets… it can all be a little troublesome. Ifyou time it right you meet the airline pilotsand cabin crew doing the same thing.

provides very useful information to thevisiting GA pilot. Fuel is only £1.9114 perlitre plus VAT, and there can be delays ingetting fuel if a commercial aircraftrequires fuelling at the same time. Landingfees for a C152 or C172 are £24 plus VAT.If you want to practice ILSs, radar vectoredor procedural, it’s £17.50 plus VAT.Parking fees have recently been introducedfor anyone staying more than two hours –it’s £8 for up to four hours, £13 for four toeight hours, and £15 for every 24 hourperiod, plus of course the VAT. Privateowners, of which there are only one or twoleft on the Northern Apron, are paying£191 plus VAT per month. Priorpermission is required (PPR) for flightsonly between 2300-0630 local time, andfor instrument approach training, circuitdetails and qualifying cross country flightsat any time. For PPR and notification ofstudent flights, call 01702 538420.Unfortunately the café in the old

terminal is now closed – for refreshments itmeans exiting the airport and walking tothe new terminal five minutes away – orthe beach and famous seafront are 10minutes away in a taxi. Air traffic are stillas friendly as they always were, although alot busier during the commercialdepartures. A quick look on the website


Playingwith thebig boys – part 2

Playingwith thebig boys – part 2

GA and CAT still co-exist at Southend,but there are problems, as George Capon reports

southend rrr:GA 17/1/14 16:35 Page 20

Apparently this is necessary as you walkonto the apron close to the commercialaircraft, which take precedence. There isdiscussion going on regarding provision oftransport to visiting GA.Traffic reduced markedly after the

Olympics, but visiting aircraft and trainingare returning to the levels they were beforethe Games. With the improvement of theeconomy the clubs are reporting a smallincrease in business, but unfortunately thenumber of privately owned aircraft hasreduced dramatically due to the reduction inavailable parking and the new parking fees.When trying to talk to the accountsdepartment, instead of them being availableduring working hours you can only speak tothem after 2pm.Commercial operations have yet to settle

down fully, too. A record 970,167passengers passed through the airport inthe calendar year 2013, well ahead of2012. The main commercial operator,easyJet, is to drop two of its routes thisyear, the seasonal Newquay operation andits daily Edinburgh service, from 14 June.Belfast was recently withdrawn. Tenerifehas been introduced last Friday with strongforward bookings. easyJet currently offers

14 European destinations. Aer Lingus hasthree daily return services to Dublin, wheretravellers are able to take advantage ofsimplified transatlantic connections to theUSA. Stobart Group plc has spent £120mon upgrades and is ploughing in another£10m to almost double terminal capacity.Consultation on the new airspace finished

just before Christmas. The airport is trying tocontrol the airspace in generic terms bydrawing a line from Clacton to Brentwood toRochester and Detling to the east of the Isleof Sheppey around the Thames Array windturbines, outside the D136 complex and tothe north of Clacton, with varying altitudes.Thank you to all those in the GA communitywho submitted comments via theconsultative website. AOPA opposed the sizeof the proposed area and its impact on theGA community – the post-consultationpaper is to be produced in the near future.We await it with interest.In summary, operations have changed at

Southend over the last two years – a few forthe better and some for the worse. Theflying clubs are still there and surviving –unfortunately it is becoming more difficult tooperate. I hope that the airport ownersintend to follow the operational philosophyof the USA and a few airports in the UK –GA and CAT can operate easily together. Itmust be remembered that GA has alwaysbeen at Southend, and always operated inharmony with CAT. �


The GlobalShow for General Aviation

EDNY: N 47 40.3 E 009 30.7

April 9 – 12, 2014 Messe Friedrichshafen, Germany

www.aero-expo.comGold-Sponsor:

• AERO Conferences

• Engine Area

• Avionics Avenue

• UAS/RPAS Expo

• AEROCareer

• e-flight expo

Left: Southend’s new extended runway hasILS at both endsRight: author George Capon is an experiencedinstructor at ‘London’ Southend

southend rrr:GA 17/1/14 16:35 Page 21

There’s something compelling aboutflying in convoy, lining up for take-off,listening to each other on the radio,

getting the heads-up on unpronounceablereporting points (as long as you’re not inthe lead), waiting for the last aircraft toland and taxi to join the row on the grass –all safely down – and then the stories, thelaughs and the satisfaction of having madeit without easyJetSo there we were, six couples, six Aero

Commanders in loose formation, clatteringdown the Dalmatian coast picking outnecklaces of islands through the haze –Hvar, Korcula, Mljet – destination Dubrovnikand the whole purpose of the rally, threenights at the Hotel Villa Dubrovnik.They say you should never go back, but

that’s exactly what some of us were doing.Eight years ago we’d flown a couple ofCommanders to Vienna and from there toDubrovnik where we discovered the hotelby chance. It was, back then, a modernistgem tucked into the cliffs south of the city.

was we’d just come from the HotelKempinski Palace in Portoroz, Slovenia.Now if you have the good fortune to

land at Portoroz you’ll be met by a cheery‘Follow Me’ scooter and a glass of plumbrandy at reception. Portoroz is good news.So is the Kempinski Palace Hotel – fadedgrandeur on the outside, brand newmakeover on the inside. It was an old spahotel. The swimming pool is medicinallysalted as part of the cure. It stings youreyes, but for people who are convincedthey can’t float it’s a revelation. Breakfaston the terrace of the Crystal Ballroom isalso a revelation, especially on a sunnySeptember morning.From Portoroz you can walk to Piran, a

little fishing village just up the coast. Ifyou’re there betweenMay and October it’squite likely you’ll come

across three Mexicans in badly fitting suitswho’ll sing to you. They tour therestaurants and bars during the season andhead back to Mexico for the winter. Theysing mournfully and specialise in holdingvery high notes for a very long time. Forthis reason they didn’t much take to beingasked to do “Guantanamera” but actually itwould help lift their CD which costs 10euros. It’s easy to get carried away.The other thing you can do from

Portoroz is a day trip to Venice – a thirtyminute flight to the grass airfield on theLido and then an easy water taxi ride intotown. This is a classy thing to do. And ifyou can wait for your ice cream until youget back to Slovenia, it’s half the price andjust as nice. The other good thing aboutPortoroz is it’s a fabulous launching pad forCroatia, which is just next door and whichis what we did.Well, if Hotel Villa Dubrovnik had

changed, Dubrovnik ATC and airport hadnot. They were as brilliant as before. We’dwarned them in advance and were madeto feel as special as Roman Abramovich

It had terraces of oleanders and jasmine,its own rocky beach and a private boat totake you across the bay to town. Everyroom had a sea view and swifts performeda spellbinding flypast at dawn and again atdusk.Well, fast forward to 2013, the beach,

the boat, the sea views and the swifts areall still there but the rest is gone, rebuiltand turned into something resembling aBUPA clinic. It’s lost its soul but if youdidn’t know it before, it’s still special andyou certainly can’t fault the staff for effort.The trouble is it now comes with a Russianprice tag. And the other big trouble for us


Commanderson tourCommanderson tour

Sukey Perry tells the story ofan Aero Commander rallyfrom Guernsey to Dubrovnik Top left: travelling in

convoy – our sixCommanders lined up onthe grassLeft: the rally route mapBelow: One of RomanAbramovich’s private jetson the apron at DubrovnikBottom left: Commanderrefuelling at Portoroz, thejumping-off point forDubrovnik

Commanders rrr:GA 17/1/14 15:59 Page 22

whose private Boeing was parked on thetarmac beside us. We got the full treatment– a bus to the terminal and fast trackthrough passport control. The only glitchwas the fuel tanker, which broke down, sowe had to postpone refuelling untildeparture. It then took forever and involveda great deal of paperwork but this turnedout to be a piece of cake compared withwhat was waiting for us at our next stop.From Dubrovnik we made the shortest

sea crossing to Italy, coasting in at Anconaand then over the hills to Lucca. Now, ifyou have the misfortune to refuel at Lucca

you’ll be stung with an eye-watering bill –50% tax – but before that it’s quite likelyyou’ll be asked to orbit for half an hourbecause of parachuting taking place milesaway. You might also be told you’reNumber One when actually you’re NumberTwo but not to worry, it’s just a detail. Andbe prepared for serious form filling and acolossal amount of paperwork involving alot of people in uniforms and a lot of time.Apart from that the walled city of Lucca

is a lovely place. By chance we were there


Top left: rooms with a view – seascapeoutside the Hotel Villa DubrovnikLeft: Venice Lido, the GA grass strip justacross the lagoon from the cityBelow: a privileged view of Venice, with StMarks Campanile prominent at centre


for the Luminara di Santa Croce, theFestival of Lights when the town is entirelylit with candles and a four-hour medievalprocession makes its way to the cathedral.If you’re lucky and can find a restaurant onthe route you’ll get a seven course Luccesespecial to see you through.The other good thing about Lucca is

when you leave to head west you fly outover the marble-topped mountains ofCarrara to reach the Mediterranean coastand from there you can make your waylow level all the way along the Italian andFrench Rivieras. When we did it theweather was kind, the visibility at athousand feet was perfect and the viewsspectacular – from Genoa to San Remo,the stinkpots of Monte Carlo and Cannesand then on to Marseilles where wewatched the French Navy at play and liftedflamingos off the flats of the Carmargue.So on to our last stop, Beziers, for lunch

and fuel before striking north for home. Ithad been a great rally. We’d had a goodtime, eaten a lot, drunk a lot, laughed a lot

and had just the right amount of minortension in the air to make landing evensweeter – sporting squalls on approach atCannes, interesting ATC at Ancona (“youcannot enter my aria, make one eighty”)and even more interesting ATC at Lucca,but nothing really heart stopping. And we’dhad no call on the spares we’d broughtalong: tyres, spark plugs, undercarriageseals, inner tubes, a big bag of tools and abig jack (we’d learned the hard way onanother Commander rally in Moroccowhen a burst tyre had meant doing abalancing act on a pile of bricks. Not good.But that’s another story).So we approached rally’s end cheerful

and intact. We’d had a good run, almosttoo good, so there was a certaininevitability about the big fat cold front that

plonked itself firmly between us and home.There’s a strange quietness in the cockpit

when you’re in thick cloud, just the enginedroning on and the sound of rain hitting thewindscreen. Occasionally the pilots talkedto each other as we bounced our way overthe Massif Central. “What’s it like at4,500?” “Patchy” (pilot-speak for can’t seea thing). And ‘patchy’ it stayed until justbefore Rennes when the cloud thinned –time to break out the Werthers Originals -and by Dinard it was time for the RayBans. “We have the island in sight.”*Sukey Perry is married to Mike Perry,CFI Commander High Performance SchoolEuropewww.commanderflying.co.uk �

24

Above: the marble mountains of Carrara,climbing out of Lucca to the westLeft: Commander commanders and theirfellow travellers see the sightsBelow: Monte Carlo, as seen from low levelover the Mediterranean


pp 25:GA 17/1/14 16:22 Page 1

In the unexpected morning sunshine theEclipse presented a fine sight as DavidHayman, single-handedly and without

undue effort, pulled N843TE out from thevery neat and tidy hangar on the west sideof Dunkeswell airfield. Manufactured usinga technique called ‘friction stir weld’ thewings and fuselage are almost completelyfree of rivets, which not only appeals to theeye but of course reduces drag, andperhaps more importantly it also makes fora structure which is very strong, very lightand quick and easy to produce.The Eclipse is slightly smaller than the

Citation Mustang which I had flown beforebut it looked very similar apart from itsdistinctive, rather bulbous fuselage.Looking into the cabin through to two-piece up/down door I noted two seats atthe rear of the cabin with a small baggagespace behind – David pointed out that

I was to fly in the right-hand seat, whichactually suited me well as it meant that Iwould have the side control-stick, which Ihad rarely used before, in my right handand the throttles in my left; the PrimaryFlight Display (PFD) on the right-hand sidecan of course display all the informationthat is available on the left-hand side. Inbetween these two was the much widerMulti-Function Display (MFD) which coulddisplay a mass of information in variouswell-presented formats. Once we wereboth settled in the cockpit and David hadbriefed me on the layout, his fingerstweaked and twiddled various buttons andswitches with the result that in momentswe had both engines running, hadcalculated the mass and balance, enteredthe flight plan and calculated the take-offperformance. The checklist was a double-sided A5 card which he used to confirmactions rather than as an ‘action list’. Theplan was to fly across to Guernsey to makean instrument approach, land and pick upfuel followed by a return to Dunkeswell,with a flight time of around 20 minutes

there could be two further seats fittedahead of these, the only drawback beingthat the nearer one of these would makeentry to the cabin somewhat awkward.However, today there were just the two ofus so we were only concerned with gettinginto the pilots’ seats and, despite the smallspace, this was achieved by the simpleexpedient of adjusting the seat positions toallow for easier access.Once settled in the very comfortable seat

it proved easy to adjust for my medium-sized frame, and glancing around theinstrument panel I was immediately struckby the simplicity and neatness of thelayout – dominated by the three screens ofthe Avio 2.0 system. I was already familiarwith the Garmin 1000 system and hadbeen much impressed by its capability andfunctionality, so I was looking forward toseeing how the Avio compared.


Total EclipseTotal EclipseSole survivor of the evaporated VLJ market, the Eclipse isa truly impressive personal jet, says Terry Earl

eclipse rrr:GA 17/1/14 16:06 Page 26

each way – somewhat quicker than myusual routine in a light twin or single!We were taking off with half tanks,

sufficient for an hour and a half airborne,and this put us some 1000 lbs below themaximum take-off mass of 6000 lbs. Aftertaxying out in what seemed like acomplete absence of sound from theengines, David lined the little jet up onDunkeswell’s runway 22 and after a finalcheck around the cockpit pushed thepower levers firmly forward – and in less

than 10 seconds we had accelerated to thecalculated rotate speed of 85 knots andwere airborne within about 200 metres.Gear and flaps were quickly retracted andwe were soon climbing at just over 3,000fpm with the speed increasing through150 knots before settling at 200 knots aswe climbed towards our initial level of


Top: smooth and quiet in the cruise, theEclipse is ‘a very easy aircraft to fly’Left: Eclipse comes with two Pratt & Whitney610F turbofansAbove: David Hayman lends scale to the TotalEclipse in the hangar at DunkeswellAbove right: Clamshell door with integratedsteps makes access easy

Photos:Peter

RM

arch


FL60. Exeter Radar handed us over toLondon Control who cleared us to FL170routing via Berry Head and on towardsGuernsey. Once at our cruising level wehad a TAS of 330 knots and were using300 lbs of fuel a side – clearly not asefficient as if we had been at FL370 butwe would soon be descending for ourapproach to Guernsey. Up to this pointeverything had been as smooth and quietas one could wish, with David able to shedmuch of the high work-load in the climb tothe autopilot while he handled the radioand monitored aircraft performance andnavigation. However, our tranquility wasdisturbed by a brief encounter with somecumulus build-ups during which it wasevident that the Eclipse can give a ratherfirm ride through turbulence. Happily wewere in the clear again soon andcommencing our descent for the approachto Guernsey’s runway 27, with the radarcontroller judging our descent rate nicelyand placing us on a good interceptheading for the localiser. At this point Iaccepted David’s offer to hand-fly theaircraft, with the speed reducing to around150 knots ready for the gear and first stageof flap to be selected. The aircraft wasalready nicely in trim and I only needed tomake slight adjustments as we re-configured, reducing the speed to 120 fordescent at the final approach fix. Onceestablished on the final approach and withlanding clearance being given at four milesI flew the rest of the approach visually,keeping in mind the reported touch-downwind of 240/16. The Vref for the approachwas 93 knots so I kept the speed just over100 until close in, then let the speed

reduce to 93 over the threshold at thesame time closing the throttles. TakingDavid’s guidance that only a slight flarewas needed I checked back gently on theside-stick and the aircraft settled smoothlyonto the runway with no apparent drift.We parked the aircraft on the visitors’

apron outside the ASG hangars and tooktime out for a coffee while the aircraft wasrefuelled. I admitted to David that I wasmore impressed with the Eclipse than Ihad expected, given all the problems it had


Top: Avio 2.0 glass cockpit will suit thosestepping up from high-performance singlesAbove: Much of the conversion courseconcentrates on learning the systemsRight: Presentation is clear andcomprehensive – once you get the hang of it


had in the past. This particular aircraft,although built as a 500 series had beenupgraded almost to the standard of thelatest 550 series, the only significantdifference being the lack of anti-skidbraking. From a handling point of view itcertainly compared well with the Mustang,and I found the Avio 2.0 FMS at least asgood and in some ways better than theGarmin 1000. David made it clear thatEclipse took the type rating training veryseriously – at present this can only bedone in Florida, with the course involving40 hours of simulator training and then arequirement for 25 hours of flying with anapproved mentor before an unrestrictedtype rating is issued. Interestingly, prior tothe simulator training trainees have tocomplete a four hour ‘upset’ familiarisation

the preferred method of operation,particularly in the climb where things arehappening much more quickly than theaverage GA pilot is accustomed to, is touse the auto-flight system to take thestrain. And this is the main purpose of thetraining regime, to ensure that Eclipsepilots can fully exploit all that the FMSoffers – and that in itself takes time toabsorb. The other key aspect of thetraining is to learn to cope with systemmalfunctions, remembering that single-pilot IFR is challenging enough in a highperformance aircraft even when everythingis working as it should.Less than 20 minutes from brakes-off

we were approaching Dunkeswell to joinvisually down-wind for runway 22. I wasagain hand-flying the aircraft, this time

course in an Extra 400. Once qualified ontype a two-day recurrent training coursehas to be completed every year.Refuelling complete and coffee downed

we boarded the aircraft for the flight backto Dunkeswell, and it probably took aslong to copy the ATIS and our ATCclearance as it did to start the engines andcomplete the pre-taxi checks! Arriving atthe holding point we were ready fordeparture and soon lined up for take-off. Iwas to fly from the start this time and Ifound the whole process of getting airborneand settling into the departure and climbprofile delightfully straightforward, hand-flying the aircraft up to FL180, admittedlywith David looking after the radio. I didthis to confirm my earlier impression thatthe Eclipse is a very easy aircraft to fly –


The Eclipse was conceived in a bygone era when the economywas powering ahead, money was there for the asking and

everyone thought it would go on forever. The visionaries lookedahead to a 21st century in which the sky was black with VLJs,while regulators everywhere looked on in consternation,wondering how on earth they would be able to put a stop to it.Then we woke up.Eclipse Aviation Corporation was set up in 1998 by Vern

Raburn, who’d made his pile with Microsoft, and it aimed tobring to market a small twinjet that could be flown by areasonably competent private pilot and would cost less than $1million. Lots went wrong – the original Williams engines weren’tpowerful enough so they had to redesign the plane to takePW610F turbofans, and one way and another they didn’t get FAAcertification until 2006, just in time for the global economy todive headfirst into the toilet.Eclipse fought on gamely for two years and collapsed into

bankruptcy in 2008. The company’s assets were bought bybusinessmen who nursed them back to life as Eclipse AerospaceInc, offering support services to some 260 Eclipse aircraft alreadysold while upgrading existing 500s to 550 spec, which meantadding systems redundancy, auto-throttles and anti-skid brakes,among other things. Sikorsky bought a substantial minority stake,injecting confidence into wavering buyers and providing Eclipsewith supply chain support that give it real potential.And while the monkey at the zoo can tell you that the private

jet business remains a buyer’s market, today’s Eclipse is abeguiling package that has a sector to itself – especially so nowthat Cessna has stopped making the Mustang. Filling the tanksleaves 650 lbs for passengers, and it’ll take you 1125 nm inthree hours with IFR reserve. Fuel burn can be got down to 320lbs per hour with the aircraft doing 325 knots true at FL410,going up to around 420 pph at 360 kt. That makes her faster

than a Mustangon about two thirds of the fuel; given the comparative prices ofavgas and avtur, it can work out to be cheaper on fuel than aCessna 172.N843TE is a 500 Total Eclipse, which is to say it was stripped,

refurbished and upgraded by the new Eclipse company. It wasone of 1,400 ordered by the ambitious air charter start-up DayJetand repossessed when they went over the weir. She costs $2.25million, while the new 550 costs $2.89 million. Now that theMustang is off the table, her nearest competition is the EmbraerPhenom 100 at $4.4 million. Even the TBM850 – slower, noisier,unable to fly at same high altitudes and with higher vibrationlevels – costs $3.5 million.Insurance is around £10,000 a year, while maintenance costs

come in at around £20,000. (Cardiff Aviation is currently toolingup to do the work and will be operating by the end of March.) Fora typical long distance trip; fuel burn is around 600 lbs for thefirst hour, 500 lbs for the second, 400 lbs for the third. TheEclipse qualifies for the lowest Eurocontrol charges at around£60 an hour. All in, direct operating costs are between £450 and£600 an hour.Almost 80 percent of Eclipses are owned by private individuals,

most of whom do their own flying. The majority have stepped upfrom the Cirrus, and while it’s a big jump it’s not out of sightgiven the rigour of the Eclipse training courses. Anyone who isfamiliar with a high performance pressurised single with a glasscockpit could look on the Eclipse as the next logical step. Notonly can it be looked on as an entry-level jet, but it could so thework of larger private jets; some 80 percent of private jetmovements in Europe carry four or fewer people, and a similarpercentage are of less than two hours duration, which meansthat the Eclipse could be used for 80% of all jet flights in Europeat a fraction of the cost of the bigger jets.

Troubled past,bright futureTroubled past,bright future


taking the gear down just below thelimiting speed of 200 knots to help reduceto a reasonable speed for the circuit.Turning on to base leg with one stage offlap and at around 110 knots I confirmedthat there was no-one ahead of us on theapproach and then positioned us on finalapproach at about two miles out, watchingcarefully for the displaced threshold whichis a particular feature when landing on thisalready short runway. Reducing to lessthan 100 knots on late finals I was overthe numbers just below our Vref of 95knots to ensure minimum float beforeanother smooth touch-down. David wasvery complimentary about my landings,but in truth this is a really easy aircraft toland.I hope it is already evident that I very

much enjoyed flying the Eclipse and wasimpressed with the whole package. It issmaller than the Mustang and thereforecan carry less, but in all other respects itappears to out-performCessna’s smallest jet.However, now that theMustang is no longer beingproduced the competition isthe Embraer Phenom – theperformance of which mayexceed the Eclipse in mostareas, but only atsignificantly greater cost. Asfor the ease with which atypical GA pilot, saysomeone with experience ofa Cirrus or the like, couldsuccessfully convert tooperating the Eclipse safely Ican only reiterate what Imentioned earlier – single-

pilot operation in IFR can present a realchallenge, particularly in a high-performance aircraft in congested airspace.The ability to absorb training, to adapt todifferent procedures and to think quicklyare probably all pre-requisites for thebudding Eclipse pilot – as is the need to

judged landing which resulted in damageto the aircraft but no injury to itsoccupants.In closing I would simply say that if any

of my rich friends should decide to buy anEclipse I would be more than pleased toplay a part in its operation... �

accept that the training course is verydemanding for the simple reason that to alarge extent the future reputation of theEclipse rests firmly on the shoulders of itspilots. I understand that so far there hasonly been one accident in some 200,000hours of operation, and that was a poorly


Top: Creature comforts – seat configurationsallow for four or six occupantsAbove: in the climb, much of the workloadwas shed to the autopilotLeft: Vref for the approach was 93 knots, andonly a slight flare was neededBelow: Smaller than the Mustang, the Eclipsehas a ‘distinctive, rather bulbous’ profile



Also in our basement is a self-

contained seminar/meeting room

which can accommodate up to 25

people for seminars and 16

people for meetings.

Both the shop and the meeting

room are ‘win wins’ for AOPA

members as not only do they get

5% discount on shop purchases

but all profits from the shop and

meeting room are ploughed back

into your association.

We look forward to seeing you, so

when you’re next in town pay us a

visit, there’s free flowing coffee

and free WiFi available.�

The Pilot Store is located at 50a Cambridge Street

London SW1V 4QQ, and if that’s a familiar address

to you, it’s the head office of AOPA UK.

There is an extensive range of products available

from PPL starter kits to top of the range headsets,

navigation equipment, a wide range of books for

aviation enthusiasts and much much more...

By early 2014 you will also be able to make your

purchases online at www.aopa.co.uk.

A PC flight simulator has been set up in our newly

refurbished basement where you can practice flying

most aircraft.

London’s Premier Pilot Shop. . . �

You can find us at the corner of

Cambridge Street and Warwick Way.�

From Victoria Station take the exit

adjacent to platform one, which will

bring you out onto Bridge Place, then

follow red arrows on the map.�

pp 45:GA 17/1/14 16:17 Page 1

“It’s the only place in the UK that Iknow of now where you canactually make a proper noise. The

numpties and nimbies at (a certainpopular British town) are so objectionableabout noise that God forbid the wind’sblowing the wrong way, or you can’t hearthe band.”It is an almost hot day in June and rock

star Bruce Dickinson is waxing lyricalabout Castle Donington – the venue for hisgig that night at the ‘Download’ festival.Musician, airline pilot and entrepreneur,

Guardian. Here is a special place for heavymetal. Not just metal per se, but every kindof alternative rock that doesn’t like to dressup and live in Starbucks. Download is aninclusive festival for anyone who wants tomake a really great sounding racket. Itcovers everything except tennis.”It would take something special to appeal

to a man with as much drive as Dickinsonhas, and FSDP meets that bill. He becameinvolved with the charity when flying for thenow defunct airline Astraeus. The carrierhad a contract to fly for British Midland to –as he describes – “all the nicest places.Sierra Leone, Kazakhstan etc. Warzones areus.” The charity’s medical officer EleanorIvory also flies for BM’s current incarnationflyBMI, and the pair met in the crew roomat Heathrow. She persuaded him to goalong to the annual FSDP selection processat Cranwell, where he met one of herprotégés, Nathan Doidge – the self-professed “world’s most disabled pilot.”Dickinson says: “Nathan is one of the mostprofoundly disabled people I’ve ever met,and also one of naughtiest. He is bothcheeky and flies better than some peoplewith all four limbs working. He is anincredible character, and I was soimpressed with him. Since then I’ve got tosee the most extraordinary footage wheredisabled people get themselves intocockpits and do advanced level aerobatics.”Indeed, it would be impossible not to be

impressed by Doidge. His blog opens withthe words: “‘Put him in a home, forgetabout him and have another baby.’ That’swhat the doctor told my parents when I wasborn with cerebral palsy. My disability hasmeant, throughout my life, I’ve been told Iwouldn’t be able to do things but I’vealways enjoyed proving people wrong.”Doidge won his pilot’s licence in August2012. DJ Chris Evans was equally takenwith him, so much so that he filmed apiece about him for the BBC’s “The OneShow.” Last year Doidge earned the ‘Aviatorof the Year’ sword, which was presented tohim by Buzz Aldrin at the annual Aviators’Ball. He was recently spotted (along withDickinson) at the Royal International AirTattoo hovering around a bunch of fellowadrenaline junkies planning to fly aroundthe world in a microlight.Doidge is exceptional even among

exceptional folk. He writes: “My hope is allthis will enable me to continue challengingpeople’s perceptions, able-bodied orotherwise, of disabled people and whatthey can and can’t do – show, contrary towhat most media conveys, a disabledperson’s life isn’t all about ‘coping’ withtheir disability. In fact, for most, it’s a verysmall consideration next to all the usualfactors involved in not just leading a‘normal’ life but living it to the full.”

he is also a thoroughly good egg who istaking time out of a wildly busy scheduleto promote the charity for which he hasjust become vice patron – “FlyingScholarships for the Disabled (FSDP).”As ever, he is highly entertaining. He

continues: “In Hyde Park you can’t rustle acrisp bag just so as not to annoy a coupleof ancient dowagers who live in millionpound apartment blocks round the corner.So really what’s left? This is actually it.You’ve got Glastonbury, but you can’tmove for yurts and discarded copies of the


Left: Bruce at his day job, fronting heavymetal monsters Iron Maiden

Pilots like youFlyin’ maiden Liz Moscrop meets Bruce Dickinsonin his new role as vice president of Flying Scholarshipsfor Disabled People

Dickinson rr:GA 17/1/14 16:03 Page 32

Fellow scholar and this year’s “WingsAround the World” trophy winner MaryDoyle shares his sentiments. The cup goesto the female scholar who is judged tohave achieved most from the flight trainingexperience. Doyle has cerebral palsy andcame to FSDP after a bout of severedepression. She says: “It’s not about flying.Obviously flying is massive, and such abig achievement to go solo, which wouldchallenge most people, let alone someonewith a disability.”Dickinson adds: “People think FSDP is

just about helping people that have adisability to fly. It is far more than that.The flying bit is almost incidental. I went

motorcycle accident, who had retrained asan engineer and seems to have overcomehis disability completely. The man wasunsuccessful. Dickinson explains: “He wasquite jovial about it and completelyunderstood. Another lady said, ‘You knowwhat, I’ve been a failure in just abouteverything in my life, and if I could tell mykids that I could fly an aeroplane it wouldmake me think they’d see there’s somethingI can be good at.’ There is someone whohas got a need that can be fulfilled by ascholarship.”Now an ambassador and mentor to

incoming scholars, Mary Doyle’s life hascompletely turned around, largely thanks to

down to a three-day selection at Cranwell,which the RAF is happy to be involvedwith, and helps out an awful lot. I wasastonished at the depth gone into selectingcandidates. Rightly so as it costs quite afew thousand quid to give someone thescholarship.” He cites the example of anapplicant who had lost a leg in a


Above: relaxed ahead of his Donington concert,Bruce discusses his aviation passionsAbove right: giving it his all, Iron Maiden’sfront man rocks DoningtonBelow: Winners all, from left, Liz Fox, SeanAllerton, Bruce Dickinson, Mary Doyle, LukeDelahunty, Eleanor Ivory


her involvement with the charity. After herdivorce she wanted to expand herhorizons, and plucked up the courage toapply. She says: “I applied 20 years ago,and bottled the appointment. This time itwas amazing. Even going to Cranwell,which is iconic, was fantastic. I was soawestruck when I visited that on the longdriveway to the door, I nearly threw my caroff the road.”The scholars form strong bonds with

each other. Doyle is particularly pally withprevious winners Luke Delahunty andSean Allerton, both ex-soldiers, and thecharity’s version of a funnier-and-foulermouthed Ant and Dec when they’re flyingthe FSDP flag. Delahunty, who isparalysed from the chest down, works as avolunteer at Stoke Mandeville Hospital,where he was treated after his accident.Now he teaches wheelchair skills to otherpeople with spinal injuries, and helpsthem rebuild their lives. He explains, “Imet with a friend who had got ascholarship who thought he had a job forme. When he told me what he was doing Isaid, ‘Screw the job, I want to go flying’. Iended up getting a scholarship in 2009.”He went to South Africa to learn, which hesays was extra challenging, not onlybecause of his disabilities (in terms of thephysical aspects of international travel),but also since he was lumped in withregular students in their early twenties,who sailed through the exams.Before his accident, he was stationed at

RAF Honington near Bury St Edmunds.Ironically Allerton, too, too is former RAFgunner. He is also no shirker when itcomes to helping others conquerdepression after a life changing injury. Heacquired his disabilities also after amotorcycle accident, when he was a

couldn’t let the team down.” She is nowcompleting her PPL using her own funds.The FSDP crowd are brimming with

enthusiasm for the evening’s entertainment.Dickinson has given them VIP backstagepasses for the show and they are deckedout in Iron Maiden T-shirts and raring to go– unlike the man himself, who has spentthe last two days resting having caught anasty bug in Frankfurt on tour. He hascancelled all his other interviews for the lasttwo days, but is determined to rock up topromote the charity, so is sitting in the semisunshine sipping tea, and obligingly posingfor photos with the scholars.He is most unstarry – until he starts to

describe his evening job, and youremember the enormous field of thousandsof people you drove past earlier, sluicingaround drenched from the morning’sdownpour, all waiting to hear him sing in afew hours’ time. There’s a glint in his eyewhen he starts talking. “This is the Alamotour. I’m really looking forward to it. It’s abig anniversary – 25 years. We’ve got anabsolutely cracking show, and lots of fanshave never seen any of this stuff the firsttime round. The band is now bigger than itever has been at any stage in its history.Clearly many of those people are not peoplemy age, or even close. They discovered usin 2000 when they were 15 years old. Nowall those new people come. This is the waywe’ve survived and got bigger, not just byclinging onto 50-year old fans. We reinventourselves for 16 year olds every five to tenyears. Most bands of our vintage are playingthe vaudeville circuit, and we certainly arenot, so we look down. And looking down atthe audience of 16 years olds gives us theimpression we may still be that old. Ofcourse the following morning I phone up Dr.Eleanor and say ‘Dr. Eleanor, I’m not 16 anymore am I?’ We get aches and pains withthe jumping around. Actually we shouldhave a sponsorship with Nurofen.”Witty and creative though he is,

Dickinson also has a sharp eye for thebusiness end of the music business, andhis entrepreneurial streak shows. Hecontinues: “We operate on the basis wetend to do an old set for a certaingeneration, then offer an alternative with anew album. We did a new album a coupleof years ago, and toured America with thisproduction. Now we are bringing it toEurope. It is not a recreation, but areinvention of the set we did in 1988 hereat Donington, complete with icebergs andeverything else. However, technology hasmoved on, so we’ve got huge screens andpyrotechnics – stuff big enough to take yourhair off.”(In fact the band’s party piece that night

was to fly a Spitfire over the crowd. It is no

pillion passenger. Inspired by theProclaimers hit ‘(I’m gonna be) 500 miles’,Allerton embarked on his own personalodyssey this year to raise funds for thecharities that have supported him, the‘Push 500 Wheelchair Challenge.’ Thefeeling is mutual. The Proclaimers – Craigand Charlie Reid – say on his blog: “Seanis an inspiring figure and his work forcharity is something we support and we’dhope others do likewise.” To date Allertonhas completed two 500-mile rounds, andhas just started on the ‘Push 1,000’version.Anther ex-scholar worthy of mention is

Pauline Gallagher, a 2004 graduate, whois organising ‘The Freedom of Flight RelayChallenge’ next summer to raise funds forFSDP and Aerobility. The goal is to land atan airfield in each county in the UK, witheach leg flown by a disabled pilot, or oneunder instruction. The idea is to raiseawareness of disabled flying in the UK.Pauline also administers Aerobility

operations at Prestwick Flying Club, herlocal field. She has been involved in theRAF Air Cadets since she was a teenagerand is now an officer, working with a localAir Cadet squadron. In April 2011, Paulineflew her first solo flight and continuesworking toward a PPL.The pilots feed off each other’s energy

and are positive about what they can dowith their lives after going through theFSDP process. Doyle enthuses: “They areall seriously cool nice people. Dr Eleanor isso encouraging. She never has doubtsabout our abilities and says things aredoable. Having the 20 hours flying withAerobility at Blackbushe meant that Icould take it as far as I wanted to. I flewevery day and went as far as I could go.On my last day I went solo. I knew I


Left: Bruce Dickinson with Spitfire at Duxford– unfortunately, he says, he can’t afford one(Picture: Mathys & Squire)


wonder they’re a huge hit with the aviationcommunity).Dickinson is off to Brazil, Rio, Paraguay

and Chile in September, playing to crowdsof up to 90,000 people. But right now hishead is very much in his role as vicepatron. He would like to see morecooperation between all the aviationcharities that help disabled people to fly.FSDP works closely with Aerobility as itstraining partner. Dickinson believes therecould be still stronger links.His inner entrepreneur comes to the

fore. “There seem to be two or threecharities that all duplicate certain things,which seems crazy – adding layers ofbureaucracy. We should be poolingresources. The charities could help moredisabled people, and become more viablein terms of funding themselves. We shouldtake the best of each. We have great linkswith the RAF, and top-drawer medicalcapabilities. We should glue everythingtogether and use resources. We could alsoreach out to traditional pilots to fly ourplanes and make money that goes straightback to fund the charity.”Eleanor Ivory agrees. “We have close

links with other charities, although wedon’t tend to do joint fundraising, a bitmore overlap there would be beneficial.Whatever it takes to help more people. Wedon’t want to lose the core of what FSDP is– we wouldn’t want to lose that essence.We would like to send more people abroadand offer more training hours.”She became involved with the charity

when she stood in for someone at theselection board. She was hooked from thestart. She explains, “I was overwhelminglyinspired and learned things I never thoughtI’d learn even after 25 years as a doctor.I’ve learned so much about human beings.I have a massive passion for flying, andthe charity connects the two together. Onthe medical side we have fairly minimalinput. We don’t want to remind people

minutes of usual consultations as a GP isjust bliss.”One of the things an amalgamated

charity could perhaps help with is lifebeyond the licence. It is hard to find hand-controlled aircraft, although the installationand certification is relatively simple onclub aircraft, such as a PA28. The beautyis that the lever can easily be removedwhen required. Delahunty tried topersuade a local flying club to add one toa club aircraft, but was met with stonysilence. He says: “The ops manager theresaid, ‘No, we cannot adapt a plane for youto fly because nobody else can fly it.’People’s attitudes are another big barrier.”Doidge says: “I’d also like to show that

everyone in the world, not just disabledpeople, is in one minority group or anotherand it’s okay to be different, no matterwhat that difference is.”In Dickinson, FSDP could have the right

man at the helm to tackle such issues.http://www.fsfdp.org.uk �

about their medical problems, rather wefocus on flying and getting to know eachother.”Both she and Dr Liz Fox have to make

judgements about safety of the pilotsdepending on their physical abilities. Themedical team need to assess people’slikelihood of becoming incapacitated, sothey don’t become a danger to themselves.She says: “My horizons have expanded bymy involvement just as much as some ofthe recipients.” Ex-Air Force doctor Foxsays: “Cranwell feels like going home. Italso helps from an educational point ofview. I’ve learned so much aboutconditions which I’d only briefly come intocontact with before. I’m more confidentdealing with people with spinal injuries. Itis really humbling. I spend at least an hourwith every candidate, which after ten

Below: Mary Doyle, this year’s Wings Aroundthe World winner

Right: If you can’t be a pilot, there are otherways of making a living – Bruce on stage


The e-Go, the first aircraft in decadesto be designed and built in Britain,looks to have a secure future after

more than £500,000 was raised viacrowdfunding in less than a month tosupport the project.

The online crowdfunding platformSyndicateRoom, though which individualsinvest relatively small amounts in start-upsseeking capital, has reported that interestin the e-Go is ahead of expectations and

investors have been piling in.The e-Go – the first flight of which was

reported in the last issue of GeneralAviation – is also backed by serialtechnology investors Herman Hauser andMarshalls of Cambridge. The aircraftconforms to regulatory specifications whichmean it requires no certification. Based ata farm strip near Cambridge, the designersplan to begin production early in 2015.

e-Go Aeroplanes’ team of engineers has

Briefings� � � � � � � ��


£500,000 for e-Go

designed a low-cost, ultra-efficient singleseat aircraft for the private pilot market.The company is led by Malcolm Bird, aformer director of the global silicon chipproducer ARM.

Bird said after the half-million milestonewas reached: “We are very pleased to havealmost all of our existing investors standingby us, and it is equally encouraging to be

welcoming new investorsinto the company. Theseare not easy times for fundraising, so it is good tohave such broad supportas we head towards ourtarget. Interest in helpingrebuild Britain’s aviationpresence is strong, andwe plan to be a part ofthis.”

The e-Go will initially goon sale in the UK and USwith a price tag of around£50,000 plus VAT.

With a minimuminvestment of just £500,SyndicateRoom is theUK’s first crowdfundingplatform to allow amateurinvestors to investalongside seasonedinvestors, known asbusiness “angels”.

Gonçalo deVasconcelos, founder andCEO of SyndicateRoom,says: “Few companiesbetter epitomise the

creative brilliance of British engineeringthan e-Go. Who else could take FormulaOne racing car technology, adapt it into abeautiful and groundbreaking aircraftdesign, and then build and test it on afarm in Cambridgeshire?

“The e-Go aircraft is in the final stages ofdevelopment, and when it goes on sale itscompetitive price and remarkable fueleconomy will make it a hugely attractiveproposition to recreational pilots. A panelof successful professional investors hasinvested in it already; now everyone can.”

See www.syndicateroom.com andwww.e-Go.me �

briefings revised for changes 2:GA 17/1/14 15:39 Page 36


Pilot opportunitiesCTC Aviation, one of the world’s largest pilot trainingorganisations, says the world will need to find over 235,000new pilots between now and 2020 to meet demand for airtravel. CTC, which channels students into more than 50airlines, says there are currently some 150,000 professionalpilots in the world, but retirements and air travel expansion

mean many morewill be neededsoon. Around theworld there are22,000commercial jets,and this is forecastto grow to 40,000by 2030.

How much ofthis is evidence-based and howmuch is conjectureis not clear. CTC,which has received64,800 pilottrainingapplications in the

last ten years, is embarking on a student recruitment drive.It puts the financial investment in the cadet course at£89,800 over two years, including training andaccommodation. Salaries, it says, start at between £30,000and £50,000.

V

A V I A T I O N F I N A N C E , O N L Y

F A S T E R

With rapid responses, onsite visits from our

aviation specialists and fully tailored terms, isn’t

it time to talk to Shawbrook?

W W W. S H AW B RO O K A S S E T F I N A N C E . C O. U K

O U R A V I A T I O N F I N A N C E S P E C I A L I S T S

TOBY CRAMPTON T 07831 624 680

[email protected]

GREG VIVIERS T 07885 096 071

[email protected]

briefings revised for changes 2:GA 17/1/14 15:40 Page 37

I’m fınally in Alaska, the pilot’sdreamland, to fly the skiplanes that I’vedreamed about all my life and to land

on the otherwise unreachable glaciers ofMount McKinley, at 20,320 feet thehighest point in America, where the windsregularly top 100mph. The mountain is setin the six-million-acre Denali NationalPark, a vast wilderness of jagged peaksand glaciers where aviation is just aboutthe only feasible form of transport.Talkeetna, the starting point of flights to

Mount McKinley, is a small community of800 Alaskans. The skiplane flight trainingschool, Alaska Floats and Skis, sits byLake Christiansen, five kilometres from thevillage. This heavenly lake serves as arunway for seaplanes in summer, andwhen it’s covered with ice during winter itturns into a perfect runway for skiplanes.But we don’t begin with the flying.

Founder, owner and Senior FlightInstructor Don Lee sets aside the first dayfor survivor training, introducing thesurvival tools and equipment that is beingused by all planes flying in this region. Hecontinued with a demonstration of how touse snowshoes, moving on to how tomake an igloo and snow tunnel. This is aserious business. As I am to discover, youdon’t treat the Alaskan winter lightly.Don also provided me with some useful

information on what I might come acrossand what to do at minus 40 degreescelsius. The essential things to do after anaccident or landing in these severeweather conditions are to try to stay calm,light a fire, make water out of ice. Thesurvival equipment that must be present inall skiplanes in this region are – twosleeping bags suitable for minus 40degrees celsius, two sets of snowshoes,dried food for a minimum of seven days,portable stove, extra polar clothing, signal

rockets, axe, first aid kit, fishhook,compass, four or five lighters, non-wetmatches and naturally the top essentialson this list – a gun and ammunition.According to Don, search and rescuehelicopters based at Anchorage-Elmendorf

airbase arrive at Talkeetna within an hourof an accident. In summer, the maindanger is wild animals – pilots keep gunswith them at all times.The second day of training is all about

getting to know the skiplane that I’ll be


Top: slow reduction of power brings the aircraftround in a wide arcAbove: vital equipment on every Alaskan flightincludes sleeping bags and snowshoesAbove right: here the snowshoes are lashed tothe struts rather than being carried in the plane

Flying on skisin AlaskaFlying on skisin AlaskaIf you need a new challenge, how about landingon a glacier? Tufan Sevincel describes the experience

ski rrr:GA 17/1/14 16:31 Page 38

flying. The wings of 135 hp Piper Tripacer(PA22) are edged with vortex generators toimprove flight performance. My firstimportant job is to clean the snow off theplane with a brush. Even a small piece ofsnow would adversely affect the stall

cowling to warm the oil. It took two hoursof warming before he was satisfied.Alaskan pilots used to empty the engine oilfirst, warm it up and then load it back intothe engine.As part of the pre-flight the skiplane pilot

performance of the plane. It’s not an easytask at minus 30 degrees, but there wasn’ta particle of snow left on the plane afterhalf an hour.While I was clearing the snow, Don

placed a hairdryer under the engine


Author Tufan (left) with Don Lee and Piper PA-22 in an Alaskan snowfield

ski rrr:GA 17/1/14 16:31 Page 39

has to shake the plane forward andbackward by holding the wings struts toensure the skis have not stuck to the ice.After starting the engine and making sureit was properly warmed up – a processwhich cannot be rushed – I held the stickback and applied full power, and the planestarted moving forward. It took quite a lotof power – if you don’t add enough, theplane will not move at all. But you must becareful to reduce power as soon as shestarts moving, and to use no more than isnecessary. Too little and you get stuck, toomuch and you lose control.Having identified the wind direction I

started taxiing towards the end of the lake.Taxying the Tripacer was much easier thanI thought – you should merely concentrateon ‘energy management’, but to begin withit takes all your concentration. Facing intowind, I applied 10 degrees of flap, appliedfull power and kept the plane straight. Theplane slid over the snow with no apparentresistance and lifted off in no distance,climbing over the pine forest in front of us.We flew towards the Susitna River, wheremy training was to take place. First, wehad to identify the condition of the snowand the ice on the river by practising touchand goes with the skis. This is called‘laying tracks’, or trial landings, and is avery significant process for skiplanes whichmust be learned extremely well. When youdo not what’s under the snow and youattempt to land without first testing it, youcould well be committing suicide. Flatlighting because of overcast skies orintermittent sunlight distorts perception ofaltitude and increases risk. Seaplane pilotsare familiar with glassy water landings,where height cannot easily be judged –skiplane pilots have similar difficulties. Atouch and go leaves ski marks in the snow,and that becomes your runway. Apart fromperception and terrain issues, the mostimportant point to take into consideration

means a cancelled flight – it’s toodangerous to fly in these mountains withouteveryone being aware of what you’re up to.Apart from rescue considerations, there canbe up to 30 tourist skiplanes over the RuthGlacier at one time.You simply cannot get enough of this

stunning scenery. February is not the touristseason in Alaska, and I felt all alone withmy plane, engine and radio. There was adanger that I could fall into daydreaming,but Don’s voice, talking about the terrain orthe meteorology, makes me focus.The weather can be extraordinary. It

changes from hour to hour, and from valleyto valley. Snowstorms or sudden clouds canambush you. Having flown over the glacier,we found ourselves in a dusty snowstormfor a very short period, possibly the result ofa rapid pressure change. I can assure youthis was one of the most scary anddangerous moments for me in Alaska. Thebest response is a 180 degree turn, so youneed to create your own safe zone bydeciding which way you’re going to turnand leaving plenty of room in the valley todo so.My instructor emphasised the importance

of maintaining the same altitude at all

on landing is to keep taxiing with fullpower so that the plane never stops untilyou want it to.After learning how the plane behaves on

snow and feeling confident with it Iprogressed to the second stage of training.One thing I’d point out here is that youneed long hours of flying experience inorder to get anything out of glacier flyingtraining; I would suggest a minimum of500 hours. Glacier landings are dangerous,especially for the novice. If you get stuckyou may have to wait for days for rescue,or even longer. Furthermore, it’s very hardto estimate wind strength and direction –they can change extremely rapidly.The first thing to do is to fly over the

glacier to determine wind direction, thencreate a runway with a couple of touchand gos. We began flying towards thefamous Ruth Glacier of Mt. McKinley,which is 15 km long and 1,000 metresdeep.After taking off from Lake Christiansen I

gave the tower my position and flight plan.In this region, you must always reportwhere you’re planning to go, how you’ll getthere and back, and what you intend todo, and give details. A radio problem


ski rrr:GA 17/1/14 16:31 Page 40

times. The human eye can easily bedeceived when it comes to snow, ice andairspeed and objects on the ground maybe closer than they appear! Therefore, youmust always keep a close eye on thealtimeter.We had to finish glacier training earlier

than we intended because of strong windsat our altitude. On our way back, we flewover the cabin of legendary bush pilot DonSheldon, who pioneered glacier landings inthis area in the 1950s. I was thrilled whenmy instructor told me that we would touchand go on the frozen Susitna River, andpractice flying in the narrow SusitnaCanyon which stretched out before us likea snake. As we began descending I saw ahuge moose moving rapidly on the ice;when he heard the sound of our plane, hestarted running away.First I flew over my intended landing

area at low altitude to check the hazardsand terrain conditions. Wherever I felt safeand convenient, I touched the skiscarefully onto the ice. My first touch left aslightly vague trace on the ice, my seconda more obvious indentation. On the thirdpass I completed my landing, following myprevious tracks. I taxied with full power fora couple of hundred meters before bringingthe plane to a halt. You have to bear inmind that the short blast of power mayturn the aircraft downwind – but whenturning into the wind, keep moving andturn in a wide arc. Trying to turn toosharply can cause the ski to dig in,resulting in a groundloop or nose-over.The next stage of training includes flying

in the canyon, the most joyful experience

special boots since I wasn’t going to bewalking in snow, so I put on my trekkingboots instead. What an unforgivablemistake! I strongly recommend these bootsto all pilots who will be travelling innorthern regions.“Don, I guess my toes are frozen,” I said

to my instructor. With no hesitation, Dontook off his left bunny boot and gave it tome. What a relief, in just ten minutes! Afterthe flight was over, I noticed that my toe hadturned white, a sign of the last stage beforefrostbite. A moment of neglect could havecause serious results.My next flight was over the Swiftsure

glacier, the first glacier I was to land on. Themain problem was to determine the winddirection, but I was lucky in that theconditions were relatively calm. The glacierlay at 7,500 feet, and my first task was tolay tracks as a visual reference. Cominground again I saw the long, clear mark I hadmade and set up a final approach using fullflaps for minimum ground run. I approachedthe ‘runway’ only marginally above stallspeed for the altitude and made my firstglacier landing successfully.Now I look forward to going back to

Alaska to complete more advanced stages offlight training in these unique andexceptional surroundings. �

of my time in Alaska. The skis are allcovered by snow, and it feels like the planeis touching the frozen river all the way.Flying slowly and with maximum co-ordination, I had to pay close attention tothe possibility of a stall. The canyon beganto narrow to the point where I began toworry, but soon thereafter it widened outagain, and I climbed to a safer altitude.I was due to land on two glaciers on two

glaciers next day, but there was no flyingbecause of intense snow. This had notbeen forecast in the TAFs – unreliableforecasting is a major problem in Alaska,with its unique and unpredictablemeteorology. The surprise heavy snowmeant we hadn’t put the plane in thehangar, so it was my job to clean half ametre of snow off the plane next day. Assoon as the engine warmed up, we beganrolling with full power on a strip which hadbeen packed snow when I first flew, butwas now covered with half a metre of newsnow. the plane started going forward withfull power. After taxiing for a couple ofhundred meters, the plane’s take-off runwas longer, but even so it lifted off quitereadily in calm weather. At 1500 feet, Iheaded the plane north west towards theTalkeetna mountain range, climbing slowlyto 10,000 feet. Now I became aware ofpain in the toes of my left foot, an initialsign of frostbite. It became worse andworse, and I got more and more angrywith myself. Most Alaskan people wearspecially designed boots called ‘bunnyboots’ which have an internal layer of airso your feet stay warm at extremely coldtemperatures. Bunny boots are used by theUS army in colder climates and have airrelief valves to empty the expanded air athigh altitudes. I thought I wouldn’t need


Above left: pilot’s eye view of the SusitnaRiver canyon snaking through the mountainsAbove: it’s vital to leave enough room on oneside to facilitate a quick 180-degree turnLeft: Cessna 180 operating off LakeChristiansen in a blizzard of its own making

Right: after a first taste of glacier flying, Tufanswears he’ll be back for more

ski rrr:GA 17/1/14 16:31 Page 41


R22 pilot David Monkshas a ‘life-changingmoment’ as he is offereda chance to fly theRed Bull Cobra

Flying theRed BullCobra

Flying theRed BullCobra

Cobra rrr 4 pages:GA 17/1/14 15:56 Page 42

Hangar 7 at Wolfgang AmadeusMozart International Airport inSalzburg is home to the Flying

Bulls, Red Bull’s eclectic and fascinating‘air force’, a collection which includeseverything from a Corsair, some Alphajetsand a Mitchell bomber to a BristolSycamore, a P-38 Lightning and a suck ’n’blow Cessna 337 – and most of theaircraft are kept in flying condition.The problem on walking into the hangar

is knowing where to look first. To the rightin there were two or three actual FormulaOne cars; the capsule Felix Baumgartnerjumped from as close to the moon as hecould get; and the world’s mostimmaculate DC-6, with carpet so deep itlooks like you’re not wearing shoes. Therewas also the world’s most expensive modelcar, worth a cool five million pounds – itwas a replica Lamborghini about a foot or

world’s mostimmaculatehangar. Thiscollection ofhardware isuniversallyrespected,admired andregarded as one

of the world’s premier assemblages of fixed-wing and rotary aircraft. Each and everyaircraft is immaculately presented, polishedto perfection and clearly adored by all whoare fortunate enough to work with them.This is home to Blackie Schwarz, Chief

Helicopter Pilot at the Flying Bulls. Hepresides over the helicopter component ofthis priceless collection, flies all of them,loops some of them and loves each andevery one of them. He is the epitome ofcalm, a man you want on your side in an

so long and encrusted in diamonds andother precious stones.There are so many aircraft packed in its

hard to see them all – the Bell Cobra, theSycamore, an R22, the B105s, a Bell 47,even a hidden Falcon 900 buried at theback amongst the treasures; on it goes.The golden age of aviation, captured in the


Far left: Blacky Schwarz putthe Cobra through its pacesat ScalariaLeft: the author flies theCobra down the Salzburgrunway at 120 knotsAbove: Brenda Nicoll withthe immaculate Red BullDC-6 in the company hangar atSalzburgAbove left: David’s R22 G-ZAPY in impressivecompany in the Red Bull hangarRight: the notice board in the Red Bull hangarsays it all


aircraft when the chips are down.When we met he was a busy man,

operationally, gearing up for the ‘Scalaria’show at Wolfgangsee which would see himfly the EC135, the Cobra and the B105.Scalaria started life in 1924 when AustrianAir Traffic AG, the parent company ofAustrian Airlines, began flying from Viennato Lake Wolfgang in a Junkers F13Wseaplane. It developed into the largestseaplane meet in the world and reallyharks back to the golden age of aviation,when flying boats were de rigueur andeveryone dressed up for no real reason; it’sstill as glamorous but it’s now the ScalariaAir Challenge.If you were a location scout looking for a

venue you’d seriously think you were doinga good job finding Lake Wolfgang. It ispicture perfect – mirror flat, with the Alpsgenerously providing the mountainousback drop. If you ever get the chance to flyhere, take it without hesitation – thecountryside is utterly spectacular. Scalariais staged on the shores of the lake, wherethere is a building with a unique feature –the roof panels move to let the Red Bullparachute team land inside the building.There’s a floating champagne bar out onthe lake accessible from the shore, theworld’s only airworthy Dornier DA-24ATTseaplane is moored on the banks, and onthis occasion it was also the WorldPremiere of the Red Bulls Anthem, written

glamorous affair from start to finish. Thesun was shining, there was the proverbialarmy of staff looking after your every need,there were air displays, parachuting, wingwalking, helicopters, water skiing – the RedBull toybox is apparenrly bottomless. TheWorld Premier of the Red Bulls Anthem wasto take place with the musicians on the topwing of the Dornier while Blacky loopedand performed in the B105 above the lake.On the Saturday morning I flew fromWolfgangsee back to Salzburg in a CessnaCaravan seaplane. This was indeed a firstfor me, as helicopter pilots have a clearaversion to aircraft being anywhere near thewater, let alone in the stuff. We landed backat Red Bull to have a look round thehangar. What happened next was amazingas well as being a totally unexpected.It’s clearly the aircraft Blackie has a soft

spot for the Bell Cobra, and it was soonwheeled out of the hangar. With me in thefront and him in the back, we took off forsome mountain flying. My brain was stillreeling as we hammered up the runway at120 knots. The Cobra is the hooligan of thecollection, a 150-knot speed machine witha mind-blowing rate of climb. It’s officially aTAH IF built by Bell, rebuilt in 2002 by FXHelicopters in the USA, and this is anexperimental version flown on the Americanregister. Once it was the backbone ofAmerican military in Vietnam, before it wasousted by the AH-64 – it’s a real legend in

for Blackie by his chum Harold Faltemeyerwith Steve Stevens on guitar. (They won aGrammy 25 years ago for the Top Guntheme tune and were both scheduled topremiere the new anthem on the Saturdayevening at the Flying Circus.) The dresscode was fierce (think white tie, tail coatharking back to the Great Gatsby era, noplace for hoodies here!), the event themedspecifically to 1924 – an entirely


Top: the world’s only airworthyDornier DA-24 on Lake Wolfgang for ScalariaAbove: Top Gun musiciansHarold Faltemeyer and Steve Stevenspremiered the Red Bull themeBelow: Scalaria Air Challenge provides somefantastic tableaux, including the flying opera.The finale to the flying opera provides anunforgettable spectacle


the terms of military hardware, andits twin-engined sister is still used bythe Marines. This particular aircraftwas scrapped and demilitarised butwas found by Chuck Aaron, anAmerican helicopter pilot, and wascompletely rebuilt. It’s been a TV starwith celebrity status in its day on arake of American TV shows flown byChuck.It first appeared on Red Bulls’ radar

in 2004. They quite simply set theirheart on and endured the lengthyprocedures required to extract it fromthe USA. The Pentagon holds all thecards when it comes to selling off allAmerican ex-military aircraft, makingthe acquisition of any piece of theirhardware a major task. It finally landed atits new home in Salzburg in 2005.The ‘F’ version was the last of the single

engine Cobras built, and this is the lastairworthy single engine Cobra left inEurope. Blackie mainly flies it in air showsand to frighten the life out of R22 pilots ona sunny Saturday in July. It’s clearly thejewel in the crown of the helicopter fleet.As an R22 pilot, I didn’t find it as

daunting as you may think. The aircraft isconfigured as a trainer with dual controlsin the front, presented as joysticks on the

informed by Blackie that if I did try tooverride his inputs he would just leanforward and hit me – all verystraightforward really.Yaw control on the pedals is

uneventful, the Cobra displaying greattail rotor authority due to the length ofthe fuselage and some of the 1800shaft horsepower available from theengine. Vne of 190 knots was

demonstrated in a fairly reasonabledescent, more commonly referred to as adive. The descent was uneventful, if notbrilliant – but it did make you feel like youwere in a fighter jet!It was an unexpected pleasure to be

flying in the front of a Cobra at 8,000 feetover the spectacular mountains and glaciersof Austria, in a machine with the ability totransition from forward flight at themountain to vertical climb over themountain. It gave the lasting impressionthat nothing would stop it – a tamedhooligan in the right hands. �

left and right as opposed to theconventional cyclic stick and floor-mountedcollective lever. Initially I thought thesewould be alien to operate but turned out tobe far more intuitive than I imagined. I hadexpected to feel very little feedback fromthe rotor system – something like theB206 with hydraulic assist – but there isfar more feedback. Small movements areeasy as your arm is resting on the side ofthe cockpit, allowing you to manoeuvre thejoystick full and free. Incidentally, a forceof 3000 lbs can be applied through thecontrols to override the student, but I was


Red Bull Bell CobraRegistration: N11FXManufacturer: FX Helicopters USAYear of manufacturer: 2002 (rebuilt/overhauled)Serial number: 003Length: 13.69 mHeight: 4.24 mMax Takeoff weight: 4536kgFuel consumption: 400 litre/hourHorsepower: 1200HPMax speed: 352 km/hCruising speed: 396 km/hMax endurance: 2 hrs 15 minutesEngine: Lycoming T53-L-703

Above: happy in his work, BlackySchwarz at the controls of the Red BullCobraLeft: Cobra pilots David Monks (left)and Red Bull’sBlacky Schwarz


Insurance Technical services

Tuition

PlaneweighsLimited

Aircraft weighing & technical services

PIPER CUB toBOEING 747

Load/Trim sheet designCAA approval A1/8538/79

Engineers throughout the UK

Tel: 44+ (0) 1792 310566 Fax 310584Mobile: 07798 662 939

email: [email protected]

Aircraft protection

For Household insuranceContact

Hayward Aviation LtdTel 0207 902 7800

www.haywards.net/aopa

Authorised and regulated by Financial Conduct AuthorityHAL/0513/1043

Overhaul, repair, exchange& sale of aircraft &

helicopter instrumentsapproval no EASA.UK.145.00478

tel +44 (0) 1484 [email protected] www.aircraftinstrumentsltd.co.uk

C ASSIFIEDL


Classified advertsContact David Impey(T)+44 (0) 207 834 5631, (M)+44 (0) 7742 605 338(W) www.aopa.co.uk (W) www.airsoc.com

Cambrai CoversSpecialist Covers Since 1979

email: [email protected]

+44 (0)1377 267426

www.cambraicovers.com

• Reduce Aircraft Deterioration• Reduce Pre-Flight Time• Improve Engine Starting• Reduce Maintenance Costs• 400 Patterns in Stock!

Cambrai Covers- Home and Dry

classified rrr:classified 4 column 17/1/14 15:53 Page 2


Aviation supplies

C ASSIFIEDL

Propellers

FOR SALE

Fully renovated, new interior and panelincluding Garmin GNS430. Mode S.De-iced. Was on UK register. New permit.Very low time engines and props.Serious economical transport or [email protected] 07860728529

PA30B 1967

1/5 equal equity share in the new-to-Sherburn TB20 G-PEKT. 1987 build(number 535), 140hr old engine, 140hr oldtriple blade prop. 1650hr total airframe.Recently re-trimmed interior to anexceptional standard including head lining.Garmin 530, 3 axis auto-pilot. 155kt bookspeed at 14 US per hour. Friendly groupand lots of availability. Online bookingsystem etc. Due to be repainted (costreflects this) to a modern paint scheme.Full IFR kit, Bose connectors. Carry 4people and luggage comfortably.Recommended 5 hours differences trainingusually done in 2 or 3 (undercarriage andconstant speed prop). Offers around£14,500. £135 pcm and £135 per hour(wet). Share being sold reluctantly butstudying ATPLs. Call Lee 07850 353825,[email protected] www.g-pekt.co.uk

TB20

For further information contact:

offer a professional, friendly & individually tailored service to bothbusiness & private clients to suit your specific requirements & budget

DERRICK INGS AIRCRAFT SALESPO Box 1559, Gillingham, Dorset, SP8 4WB, UK.

Tel: +44 (0)1747 825378 Mobile: +44 7836 708564 Email: [email protected]

www.derrickings.com

CHECK WEB SITE FOR LATEST LISTING - WHICH CAN CHANGE ATSHORT NOTICE - IF YOU ARE A SELLER –

DON’T FORGET TO CHECK THE WANTED PAGE ON THE WEB SITE.

Piper Panther Navajo (12/2001 Panther conversion) 1979 GBP £ 200,000 + VATPiper Seneca V (Garmin/S-TEC, Full Deice) 2000 EUR € 270,000 No VATPiper Seneca V (Garmin GNS530W, Full Deice) 1998 EUR € 225,000 + VATPiper Seneca II (For Parts) 1978 GBP £ 16,000 + VATPiper Seneca II 1977 GBP £ 52,500 + VATPiper Twin Comanche A 1963 GBP £ 44,950 No VATPiper Arrow - Modern version w/Avidyne Glass 2005 Euro €188,000 No VATCherokee Arrow 1969 GBP £ 37,500 No VATBeech BE76 Duchess - Fabulous example 1979 EUR € 79,500 + VATCessna 310R 1978 GBP £ 61,000 + VATCessna 172N Skyhawk 1977 GBP £ 31,950 + VATCessna F172G – Skyhawk – Reims built 1973 GBP £ 20,995 No VATCessna F172G – Skyhawk – Reims built 1966 GBP £ 23,950 No VATCessna FRA150M Aerobat – Reims built 1975 GBP £ 21,950 + VATDiamond DA20-A1 Katana 1997 GBP £ 38,900 + VATDyn’Aero MCR-01 CLUB Banbi 2003 Euro €55,000 NoVATRobin HR200/120B 2000 GBP £ 35,000 + VATRobin HR200/120B – low engine hours 1995 GBP £ 45,000 + VATNOTE: Special offer on the two Robin HR200/120B’s -

Buy both for a total of £70,000, thus saving £10,000.Schweizer 300C Helicopter 2007 GBP £ 205,000 + VATSchwiezer 269C-1 Helicopter (converted to a 300CBI)1996 Euro €115,000 + VATSocata TB20 Trinidad 1996 Euro €140,000 No VAT

AIRCRAFT AVAILABLE

Phot

o-M

rLes

Rick

man

SCHWEIZER 300 HELICOPER - TWO AVAILABLE (2007 AND 1996)

1996 269C-1 G-RHCB (Converted to 300CBi)£115,000 + VAT Engine 405.1 Remaining MR Blades 5078.7 Remaining

2007 300C G-FCBI£205,000 + VAT Engine 1164.3 Remaining MR Blades 4664.3 Remaining

Manufactured 1977, Total Hours Airframe8802. Total Hours Engine & Prop 840.Bendix King KX155 Nav/Com, Narco MK12DNav/Com. Narco AT150 Transponder (modeC). Narco ADF141 NDB, 1off VOR with GS,1off VOR with GS and DME. Garmin GPS100McMurdo Fastfind MAX (with GPS). 3 LifeJackets, 2 spare headsets.Share Price £4850, £70 per calendar month,£90 per tacho hour wet. Excellent availability,with web-based booking system.Southwood Flying Group is efficiently runand financially sound, with a ring-fencedengine fund. Aircraft is EASA Part Mmaintained by Aero Anglia at Elmsett.Contact Peter FitzGerald, [email protected],01284 810723 or 07773 254153, Or VernonNott, [email protected], 01787269141 or 07836 513101

Piper PA28 Warrior Mk2Earls Colne based

1/6 share for sale

£6000 Share in Cessna 172P (1982 model year)based at Denham. £140/month. £85/hour (wet).Separate engine fund (mature) building.Airframe 4200 hrs.1850 hrs on Hobbs. Garmin GNS430 radio/GPScombination with 2nd NAV/COM,ADF/Glideslope; good for training, touring andIMC. Lifejackets. PLB. Spare DC headsets forpax. Traditional Cessna paint scheme, renewedfull leather upholstery, linings etc. Aircraftmaintained by Brinkley’s to give trouble freeflying. Excellent availability via internet booking.Call Frank on 07774 652121 for further details.

Cessna 172P

Very good condition with full panel – 2 radios,RNAV, ADF, Mode S, disc brakes, RecentAnnual and ARC. Always hangared (DraycottFarm) Corrosion proof. £22,000. Contact JimGray, 07886 347622

Rallye 220hp

classified rrr:classified 4 column 17/1/14 15:53 Page 3

As far back as I can remember,training organisations have beenpursuing what can only be described

as the Holy Grail of a new functionalpractical training aeroplane with lowoperating costs to replace the dependencyon yesteryear’s technology evident in thefleet of Cessnas and Pipers that continue tobe the backbone of PPL training in the UK.It’s true that Piper particularly have

modernised their aeroplanes. But in real

to be worth what you paid for it in 5 or 10years time whereas, if you buy into thenew genre of training aircraft there is noestablished second hand market.We all know that kit-built aeroplanes are

starting to dominate the PPL market in

terms engine technology has not movedforward. With the price of fuel continuingto rise it forms an ever larger proportion ofthe operating costs. There have been anumber of attempts to break the mould, asit were, but success has been limitedmainly by the capital financial implicationsof making the change.If you buy a Cessna 152 or PA28,

depending upon the number of hours onthe engine, the airframe is probably going


Above: PS28’s name arose from an earliercollaboration with Piper AircraftBelow: conventionally built, but presenting asleek, modern image

New trainer on the blockNew trainer on the block

The modern, low-cost PS28 looks good and flies well,but can it supplant the PA28, asks Geoffrey Boot

PS28 rrr:GA 17/1/14 16:28 Page 48

terms of after-training sales. You get a lotmore bang for your bucks and are notrestricted when it comes to fitting newtechnology such as autopilots and glasscockpits.Enter the PS28 Cruiser, produced by

Czech Sport Aircraft, which comes fromthe kit genre and will be known to anumber of kit plane advocates, but nowcomes as a certified factory built trainer.Apparently the company worked with

Piper Aircraft initially in a collaborativeproject to produce a cheaper, lowmaintenance, low operating cost trainerbut for one reason or another they partedcompany. Perhaps a bit tongue in cheekthe Cruiser is now branded as a PS28 andcomes as type certified for VFR dayoperations under EASA LSA regulations,which means it can be used in a trainingenvironment for NPPL/LAPL/PPL training.The aeroplane is conventionally

constructed of alloy and presents a sleek,modern image. Furthermore it can bedelivered, as is the aircraft we looked at,with a full glass cockpit, something thatmore and more private owners are havingfitted in kit aeroplanes. This is undoubtedlyan aeroplane for training the newgeneration of PPL pilots, who willeventually fly kit airplanes complete withglass cockpits.The aeroplane I flew is the UK

demonstrator and was kindly proffered byCompton Abbas Airfield Principal CliveHughes. Clive said he would like to breakaway from the PA28s that he presentlyuses for training and provide somethingwith a more modern feel to it, with low

blustery crosswind over Compton Abbas’sgrass runway which led to careful taxiing asthe aircraft has a free castering nosewheel.This was followed by a testing take off andreturn to the field for a couple of landings.However, the aeroplane coped well and myoverall impression was of excellent visibilitywith a nice modern feel to it. But as alwayswith the lighter aeroplanes, it is somewhatmore frisky and certainly demands moreattention than the PA28.However, experience indicates that

training on more demanding aircraft canlead to better future piloting skills. Certainly

maintenance and fuel requirements.Its early days yet but fuel consumption

and cost is certainly substantially less thana PA28 as the aircraft will run on avgas ormogas and typically burns around 17 to18 litres an hour.To get acceptable performance from a

100 horsepower engine the aircraft iscompact but the cockpit is surprisinglyroomy and the glass cockpit confirms themodernity and looks to the future ratherthan the past. I didn’t carry out a full flighttest programme but experienced theaircraft in trying conditions, with a strong


Top right: more and more owners are optingfor the full glass cockpitBottom right: cockpit is surprisingly roomy foran aircraft this sizeBelow: PS28 and PA28 operate side by sideat Compton Abbas

PS28 rrr:GA 17/1/14 16:28 Page 49

anyone who learns to fly on this aircraftwill find it an easy transition to kit-builtaeroplanes or indeed taildraggers wherethere is a requirement to use your feet onthe rudder.The technical specifications are listed

below, but what are the practicalities interms of modern appealto the pilot, operatingcosts and robustness asfar as flying trainingorganisations areconcerned? It is a moredemanding aeroplaneto fly, but firstimpressions are good,the aeroplane looksmodern and functional.The glass cockpit is aplus, but it can besupplied withconventionalinstrumentation. Enginemanagement is fareasier, with the provenRotax 912. Getting inand out could be easier,but once in there is plenty of space withadjustable rudder pedals having enoughrange to accommodate a good range ofsizes and heights.When it comes to operating costs, this is

where the aeroplane will score. It’s alreadyoperated by a number of flight training

PA28 along side the PS28, and it will beinteresting in five years to have a look atthe logistics.In overall summation. It’s a sporty little

aircraft that will undoubtedly attract anaudience, and worth a look if you are inthe market for new training aircraft. �

organisations in Europe so weak points arebeing exposed and addressed. Thenosewheel, for instance, has recently beenreinforced – always a suspect part intraining aircraft.However, reverting to my earlier

comments, unknown deprecation on theairframe at present to acertain extent countersthe reduced fuelconsumption.Clive hopes to

market the aircraftworking alongsideKairos Aviation whoare based at Comptonoffering a one-stopsupply and supportresource. They haveprepared all thenecessary manuals,check lists etc fortraining purposes andcan offer the aircraftflight line ready,including livery etc.The aeroplane is

capable of operating off both hard andgrass runways and is in the short fieldcategory, landing and taking off in around350 meters.I guess like most things the proof of the

pudding will be in the eating. Clivecontinues to operate his conventional


SportCruiser

Specifications(Data from Kitplanes Magazine)

Seats: TwoLength: 23.3 feet (7.17 metres)Wingspan: 28.1 feet (8.65 metres)Wing area: 131.3 sq ft (13.6 sq metres)Empty weight: 740 lb (335 kg)Loaded weight: 1320 lb (600 kg)Useful load: 580 lb (263 kg)Max. takeoff weight: 1320 lb (600 kg)Powerplant: Rotax 912ULS fixed pitch,

100 hp

PerformanceCruise speed: 133 mph (214 km/h)Stall speed: 34 mph (55 km/h)Range: 630 sm (1020 km)Rate of climb: 1200 ft/min (6.15 m/s)Wing loading: 10.05 lb/sq ft (44.12 kg/sq m)Power/mass: 13.2 lb/hp (120 W/kg)Price: Circa £80,000 – plus VAT

depending on spec (ie glass cockpit).

Your SkyDemon subscription is now accessible on PC, iPad, Web Android and our own GPS unit.

PS28 rrr:GA 17/1/14 16:28 Page 50

Continental Motors

W W W . C E N T U R I O N . A E R OCENTURION 2.0 AND 2.0S: JET FUEL FOR CESSNA 172, PIPER PA28, ROBIN DR400, DIAMOND DA40 & DA42

More than 2,600 CENTURION turbo charged piston engines operated in various aircraft all over the world have accumulated more than 3.75 million flight hours to date. So, benefit from the experience of the market leader: decide for a CENTURION 2.0 or 2.0s piston engine to operate your aircraft with the standard aviation fuel Jet A. Less consumption, less noise and pollutant

emission as well as safe and simple operational handling come with the environmental friendly engine of General Aviation: the Centurion is best choice for your Cessna 172!

Contact: [email protected] is a brand of Continental Motors Group: www.continentalmotors.aero

Make your Cessna a Diesel Aircraft

pp IBC:GA 16/1/14 18:27 Page 1

No one knows your factory engine better than the factory that built it in the fi rst place.Only Lycoming can rebuild your engine to factory-new specifi cations that come with a zero-time

log book, a two-year factory warranty, and increases to your airplane’s value.There is no comparison.

Visit your local distributor or call Lycoming at 1-800-258-3279 and ask how you can save up to $5,000 on a rebuilt engine*. Learn more at Lycoming.com

*Certain restrictions apply. Exchange engine core requirements will be dependent upon the selected offer. Contact your distributor or visit Lycoming.com for more details. Offer subject to change or end at any time.© 2014 Avco Corporation. All rights reserved.

pp OBC:GA 17/1/14 10:22 Page 2

Documents

PDF version here