Flyer Magazine June 2020

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06

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Editorial

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Ed Hicks

Editorial Telephone +44 (0)1225 481440 Email editor@seager.aero Website www.flyer.co.uk Seager Publishing, 9 Riverside Court, Lower Bristol Road, Bath BA2 3DZ

I

EDITOR Ed Hicks ed.hicks@seager.aero

Stay safe, fly later…

t’s another CAVOK day, but there’s no flying going on. Hard to imagine a few months ago, but that was before coronavirus. Now, things are different. In the days following lockdown, the ‘Flight Radar 24 police’ were on duty, quick to point fingers at any activity they thought suspect.

Elsewhere, Jeremy Clarkson ranted on Twitter, “Quick question. Why are light aircraft enthusiasts still allowed to poison our lives with their noise?

Stay at home.”

Fortunately, someone who knew what they were talking about replied to remind Clarkson that it was the MOD paradropping at Weston on the Green using a Skyvan. I guess that happens when you buy a house near an airfield…

As I write this, the rules remain simple, if you’re complying with current government lockdown guidance on coronavirus, then you’re not going out to fly for fun. Unlike other European countries, where there are specific bans on VFR GA flying, the UK is fortunate not to have something similar – it will surely help us all return to flight when the far more important issues show signs of being more under control.

Our sport inhabits a slightly volatile universe where there are plenty of people – Clarkson is an extreme example – who like raising ire about the activities of light aviation. Right now it’s time to concentrate on what you can do, not what you can’t or would like to do. By sticking to the rules, we will in future be able to enjoy our flying responsibly, and without finger pointing.

In some good news, it’s congratulations to Dan Johnson from Basingstoke, Hampshire, who has been drawn as the winner of our Flying Start competition in partnership with Garmin. Dan, a FISO with London Information, got his PPL in 1997 aged 17, and has since spent 500 hours-plus flying mainly in PA28’s.

Dan told us, “I’m going to use the money towards a twin rating, as I’ve been wanting to do one for years. I’m not sure where yet, but I think I’ll support one of the smaller schools, especially right now in these tough times.”

Nice one Dan! FLYER looks forward to hearing how you get on.

NEWS EDITOR Dave Calderwood dave.calderwood@seager.aero PRODUCTION EDITOR Lizi Brown lizi.brown@seager.aero ART EDITOR Ollie Alderton ollie.alderton@seager.aero CONTRIBUTORS Mark Hales, Ed Bellamy James Ketchell, Dave Hirschman Steve Kinross, Yayeri van Baarsen FLIGHT SAFETY EDITOR Joe Fournier joe.fournier@seager.aero PUBLISHER & MANAGING DIRECTOR Ian Seager ics@seager.aero PRODUCTION MANAGER Nick Powell nick.powell@seager.aero SUBSCRIPTIONS MANAGER Kirstie May kirstie.may@seager.aero ADVERTISING ACCOUNT MANAGER Zoe Yeo zoe.yeo@seager.aero EXHIBITION MANAGERS Darran Ward darran.ward@seager.aero Paul Yates paul.yates@seager.aero MARKETING COORDINATOR Joanna Woronowicz joanna.woronowicz@seager.aero EXHIBITION & EVENTS MANAGER Aimee Janes aimee.janes@seager.aero ACCOUNTS MANAGER Stuart Dobson stuart.dobson@seager.aero FINANCIAL DIRECTOR Martine Teissier martine.teissier@seager.aero

ed.hicks@seager.aero

PRINTING William Gibbons & Sons West Midlands

Left Dan Johnson, winner of our Flying Start competition

CIRCULATION Newstrade Distribution UK and Rest of the World by Seymour

© Seager Publishing 2020

Mark Mitchell

At FLYER we aim to produce the best possible magazine for our readers. All correspondence is welcome and will be read, but we can’t guarantee a written reply. We welcome contributions from readers, and guidelines are available from us. We take great care to ensure what we publish is accurate, but cannot accept any responsibility for any misprints or mistakes. Our reviews examine what we believe to be a product’s most important points, but readers are advised to check a product suits their needs before purchasing. No part of this publication may be produced in any form without permission.

June 2020 | FLYER | 3

Contents June 2020

Features 18 I Get Paid for This…

Mike Dentith

Mike Dentith has notched up 3,500 hours flying passengers strapped to his Stearman…

26 Flight Test Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter

A legendary type no longer in production, Ian Seager discovers that fitting floats to a Pilatus Turbo Porter adds a whole new kind of awesome to an already amazing aircraft

36 My First Solo Kathan Dudhela

After his first solo, Kathan Dudhela, the UK’s youngest flight instructor, was so relieved that he kissed the ground…

38 Special Feature Virtual AERO

While AERO Friedrichshafen was cancelled, there was still some news to report…

46 Accident Analysis Be prepared for heights

Operating at higher altitude can bring performance rewards, but it also brings risks that must be controlled, as Joe Fournier reports

52 Flying Adventure Stuff of dreams…

James Ketchell had always wanted to learn to fly. And when he did, he set off on an around the world trip in his gyro…

Turbo Porter

26

62 Top Gear Classic jacket customised…

Creating a customised WWII-style A-2 flying jacket with a modern twist

Regulars 3 Editorial 6 News 14 Pilot Careers 21 Dave Hirschman 23 Mark Hales

25 Ian Seager 48 Accident Reports 64 By Association 66 That Worst Day 74 QSY

SIX Free Landings!

18

38

52

68 SAVE £58

Six great airfields to visit!

n Audley End n Crosland Moor n Eshott

n Fife n Peterborough Sibson n Sherburn-in-Elmet PLUS Win a print or digital Pooleys UK Flight Guide July 2016 | FLYER | 5

Take-off

Aviation news from around the world – for the latest visit www.flyer.co.uk

CAA issues 7-month exemption for selfdeclared medicals The CAA has issued a 7-month exemption to allow UK EASA PPL and LAPL holders to continue to operate UKregistered EASA aircraft, having made a medical selfdeclaration.

Pilots must have made their medical self-declaration by 8 April 2020. It did not apply to holders of UK National or NPPL licences as FLYER went to press.

The exemption and its details are in ORSA No.1370 (link right). The CAA says it has done this to reduce demand on AeroMedical Examiners (AMEs) during the coronavirus outbreak.

The exemption applies to holders of: ■ Light Aircraft Pilot’s Licence for aeroplanes, LAPL(A) ■ Light Aircraft Pilot’s Licence for helicopters, LAPL(H) ■ Private Pilot’s Licence for aeroplanes, PPL(A) Private Pilot’s Licence for helicopters, PPL(H).

It is subject to the following conditions: ■ The licences must have been issued by the CAA ■ Licence holders must have made a medical declaration on or before 8

April 2020.

Licence holders must only operate flights: ■ In a United Kingdom (G) registered EASA aircraft ■ Within the United Kingdom or with the permission of the relevant authority within a Crown

Dependency

Visual Flight Rules (‘VFR’).

And which are not: ■ Commercial operation flights ■ Pilot training flights ■ Introductory flights ■ Cost-sharing flights.

CAA Orsa No. 1370: https://bit.ly/2XcY78z CAA Pilot Medical Declaration https://bit.ly/2whCrNj

‘Don’t fly’, says DfT Meanwhile, the Department for Transport has also issued advice for private flying while the coronavirus emergency is in place: don’t fly.

However, it has stopped short of a ban on VFR flights as seen in some other European countries.

“The message we are receiving from the GA community is that they fully appreciate the need for these restrictions, and observing them is being widely encouraged throughout the community,” says the government guidance.

The advice does not apply to search and rescue operations, or where it absolutely necessary to fly to, or for, work. Workshops carrying out essential maintenance are entitled to continue in line with guidance regarding car workshops.

Piper’s C-19 mask

Events cancelled

Several aviation companies have

Dozens of aviation events have

stepped up to help battle C-19

been cancelled because of the

including Piper Aircraft which

crisis, including AERO

designed, prototyped and received

Friedrichshafen (see p38), Sun

approval for a face shield for workers

‘n Fun, Popham Microlight Fair,

at its local hospital. The Florida OEM

AeroExpo at Wycombe,

has set up a production line to make

Farnborough Airshow, RIAT

thousands of the masks.

and GASCo Safety Evenings.

6 | FLYER | June 2020

■ In day or night

Take-off

Sala crash pilot ‘probably suffering from CO poisoning’

CAA approves EscapeTime for UK’s first SET-IMC charters Charter flights in all weathers operated by single-engine turbine aircraft will soon start in the UK. Such flights are known as SET-IMC (Single Engine Turbine in Instrument Meteorological Conditions).

The UK CAA has awarded the first Single Engine Turbine Air Operator Certificate (AOC) to charter provider Heli Air, which will operate flights under the title EscapeTime. Heli Air and EscapeTime are both part of British European Aviation (BEA), the UK Piper agent based at Wycombe Air Park.

EscapeTime will be flying the first Piper M600 in the UK, the latest in the turbine Piper M-Class range.

“At last, business users can enjoy the true benefits of private air charter at a reasonable cost without a reduction in comfort, quality or

safety,” said EscapeTime’s Sean Brown.

“EscapeTime’s aircraft can take four or five passengers in luxury from London Wycombe Air Park to Paris, on their own time schedule, in under one hour, for as little as £599 each.

“The service cuts out hours of waiting at major airports and is offered to hundreds of destinations around the UK and Europe.”

The Piper PA-46 M600 is capable of full IFR operations flying at 28,000ft with a max speed of 275kt.

The launch of the SET-IMC operations is a major change for General Aviation and coincides with the launch of the CAA’s ‘Fly Legal’ campaign.

The campaign, supported by the British Business and General Aviation Association (BBGA), aims to stamp out ‘grey’ or illegal charter flights.

The pilot of the Piper aircraft that crashed off Guernsey killing footballer Emiliano Sala in January 2019 was probably affected by carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.

Sala, aged 28, was being flown from Nantes, France to Cardiff by pilot David Ibbotson, 59, from Lincolnshire, in a PA-46 Malibu.

The flight was an illegal ‘grey’ charter with neither the aircraft nor the pilot operating under the Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) required for commercial flights.

These and other facts are contained in the final report of the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) which was released in March.

The investigation identified the following factors: • The pilot lost control of the aircraft during a manually-flown turn, which was probably initiated to remain in or regain Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC) • The aircraft subsequently suffered an in-flight break-up while manoeuvring at an airspeed significantly in excess of its design manoeuvring speed • The pilot was probably affected by carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.

The report says the flight was operated under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) at night in poor weather conditions despite the pilot having no training in night flying and a lack of recent practice in instrument flying.

The AAIB has made five recommendations concerning flight crew licensing records, carriage of CO detectors and inspections of exhaust systems. The CAA is investigating whether any offences were committed.

No merger…

Aeros award

Merger discussions between the

Ultimate Aerobatics, with Total

Light Aircraft Association (LAA) and

UK Aviation Fuels, is offering an

British Microlight Aircraft

aerobatics rating scholarship for

Association (BMAA) are on hold.

two pilots. It includes five

“We’ll keep working together in

hours of aerobatics and results

areas where BMAA and LAA can

in an EASA Aerobatic Rating, so

jointly promote our passion for flying

they can compete in events.

for fun,” said the LAA’s Steve Slater.

www.ultimateaerobatics.co.uk

June 2020 | FLYER | 7

Take-off Main and inset New Evo Speed fairing for Minifox enhances looks and keeps draughts out of the cabin, for just 20kg additional weight

Blackbushe and the new Class D

Under £23,000!

Minifox Evo Speed’s first UK flight Under £23,000 for a fully-enclosed brand-new aircraft? You must think we’re kidding, but no.

The Minifox Evo Speed is a single seater meeting SSDR requirements. It recently had its first flight in the UK in the hands of David Broom, the UK agent, who runs Airplay Aviation at Sutton Meadows Airfield, Cambs.

David said, “With a recent gap in the unflyable weather (and before the current coronavirus lockdown), I finally managed to take our new Minifox demonstrator for its maiden flight.

“G-MFUX is the first Minifox in the UK with the Evo Speed enclosed cabin option. The cabin is supplied as a single pre-formed composite structure that nestles snugly over the existing Minifox frame. A polycarbonate screen is sealed securely from inside and supported by twin gas struts during entry.

“A hatch in the starboard side allows access to the fuel tank and the new composite luggage shelf, which is ideal for storage of more bulky items such as camping gear.

“The entire package only adds around 20kg weight and is retro-fittable to existing aircraft. No draughts were evident during the flight and I was comfortable with only a thin jumper in the middle of winter. I’ll most likely fit an air vent for summer flying.

“Take-off and climb performance is little affected by the extra weight. In fact, the aircraft is noticeably more efficient, requiring a good 300-400rpm less in the cruise than the open-air version. Hands-off trim speed was a little high at 75mph for this initial testflight. I will make some changes to slow it down for subsequent flights.

“Of course, flying purists will miss the feel of the wind in their face, and those extra kilos might not suit heavier pilots, but it’s nice to have the choice.”

See David’s video here: https://youtu.be/OUdnkmqK3EY

Blackbushe Airport is on the edge of the new Farnborough Class D airspace which came into effect in February and is a busy GA hub. So, before the C-19 lockdown, the airport manager reported on how things went during the first week of operation: “We’ve handled 481 movements this week, which is above average for the time of year. We’ve had four infringements of the CTR reported to us. All of these have been very small infringements at the end of the downwind leg for Runway 25.

“It became apparent that some aircraft were not setting their Squawk to 7010 when rejoining Blackbushe. The rules will be updated to make this explicit and FISOs will include the Squawk in the aerodrome information when departing or rejoining.”

Blackbushe has FAQs and Briefing Materials on its website: www.blackbusheairport.co.uk

Other airfield news:

Bicester Motion, the company behind Bicester Heritage at the famous Oxfordshire WWI airfield, has confirmed that it will continue to operate the airfield despite the gliding club based there moving out.

Bicester Motion wants to continue to develop the airfield as a public venue, as well as expanding the classic car technical areas.

Fairoaks Garden Village has withdrawn its planning application to build 1,000 houses on the site of Fairoaks Airport.

Unity Land, a consortium with local experience of the airport and aviation, has come up with an alternative development plan which was due to have been discussed in March. However, the C-19 lockdown put paid to that. www.unitylandllp.com

Alsim’s Diamond

Sky’s the limit

French flight simulator

A consultation on legalising

manufacturer Alsim has launched a

skytyping and skywriting was

brand new simulator, the AL40,

launched in March by the DfT,

which is an exact replica of a

closing on 29 March. Both

Diamond DA40 NG complete with

activities involve aircraft

Garmin G1000 NXI flight-deck,

leaving a smoke trail. Find the

including autopilot and flight

consultation here:

director. www.alsim.com

https://bit.ly/skytypingDfT

8 | FLYER | June 2020

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Take-off

VoltAero starts flight tests with electrichybrid Cassio French company VoltAero has started flight testing its hybrid-electric powered Cassio aircraft at its HQ at the Aérodrome de Royan-Médis.

The Cassio is based on the fuselage of a Cessna 337, which has two engines mounted front and aft on the centreline. VoltAero has fitted two electric motors facing forward on the wing, removed the front piston engine and retained the pusher engine at the rear.

The two electric motors are from French aerospace company Safran Electrical & Power. VoltAero plans to replace the rear piston engine with its own hybrid power module, currently being tested on the ground in an ‘Ironbird’ rig. This combines 300kW of internal combustion engine with three electric motors of 60kW each, giving a total of 480kW. “I am very pleased with the testing as we accumulate time aloft and open up the aircraft’s flight envelope,” said Jean Botti, VoltAero’s CEO and Chief Technical Officer.

“The current test phase is with the powertrain for our six-seat Cassio version, to be followed by validation of the final aerodynamic and powertrain configurations on both the four and nine-seat Cassio versions.”

VoltAero’s test pilot is its Technical Director Didier Esteyne. He said, “Flying on the power of Safran’s ENGINeUS motors is truly remarkable, with no vibration and extremely low noise levels,” said Esteyne. “It confirms that our Cassio aircraft will bring an entirely new experience to aviation.”

VoltAero envisages a family of aeroplanes with four to nine seats, tailored for operation by private owners, air taxi/ charter companies, in commercial flights for point-to-point regional travel and in various utility-category applications.

A video of the Cassio flying is here: https://youtu.be/X5mUGg6DFw4

New generation Dornier Seastar completes first flight

Main Spot the electric motors at the front of the twin tail booms Inset top Hybrid power module combines 300kW with three 60kW electric motors and will replace conventional rearmounted piston aero engine Inset top Front’mounted engine is now removed, and an aerodynamic fairing fitted in its place

German manufacturer Dornier Seawings is continuing to develop the New Generation Seastar amphibious aircraft with its third prototype, SN1003, making its first flight in March.

Wolfram Cornelius, Chief Test Pilot, said afterwards, “First flight was completed successfully and confirmed the nice handling qualities of the Seastar.

All systems functioned correctly. The advanced avionics system reflects the state-of-the-art in cockpit design and is a good baseline for future development.”

The New Generation Seastar has significant changes from the original Seastar designed and developed by Claudius Dornier Jr in the 1980s.

It is equipped with a state-of-the-art full digital glass cockpit, new highly efficient propellers, new operating systems and a corrosion-resistant composite structure.

It has two Pratt & Whitney PT6A-135A turboprop engines mounted fore and aft along the aircraft’s centreline. They provide 1,300hp flat-rated, giving a take-off run of 2,244ft/684m on land and 3,445ft/1,050m on water.

The Seastar’s role is short to medium haul on a variety of missions, including cargo, VIP, passenger and special missions such as air ambulance. Max cruise speed is 180ktas. It’s a big aeroplane, with a maximum take-off weight of 5,100kg, wingspan 17.74m and overall height 4.73m.

ForeFlight goes 3D

NASA’s final X-57

ForeFlight has released the latest

NASA has released images of the final

version of its flight planning and

configuration of its Tecnam P2008-

navigation software, which includes

based all-electric experimental X-plane,

3D visuals to help brief an

the X-57 Maxwell. It has two cruise

instrument approach. Other

motors with 60in diameter props on the

upgrades include Mountain Passes

wingtips, and 12 smaller motors

and Quick-Access Airspace

mounted along the wing which operate

Frequencies. www.foreflight.com

during take-off and landing

10 | FLYER | June 2020

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Instant Expert

Cost sharing and remuneration What can a PPL do? Ed Bellamy explains the current rules

M

ost private pilots will know that transporting people for money is not within the privileges of their licence, but whenever discussions that involve money changing hands come about, there is sometimes confusion as to what exactly is permitted.

It is worth separating two concepts – whether the pilot receives remuneration and whether the operation itself is ‘commercial’. The two often go together, but not always. For example, a commercial operation might be one in which a member of the public has paid someone else for a flight to take place. Just because the pilot may not receive any remuneration does not mean the operation is not commercial, nor does it entitle the pilot to fly the flight. Whoever the operator is they would still likely need an Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC).

On the other hand, there are scenarios in which a pilot might be paid by a private operator to fly a flight which is not considered commercial – the pilot would still need a commercial licence to be paid, but the operator (for example a private owner) may not need an AOC. The precise distinction between the two scenarios is beyond the scope of this article, but let’s look at what a PPL can actually do. Note, that while the EASA and ANO rules are similar, there are restrictions around using Permit to Fly aircraft when money is changing hands, which are also outside the scope here.

Receiving remuneration

The EASA Aircrew Regulation, and specifically Part-FCL, defines: ‘private pilot’ as: ‘a pilot who holds a licence which prohibits the piloting of aircraft in operations for which remuneration is given, with the exclusion of instruction or examination activities, as established in this Part’.

Now there is various detail around what instruction a PPL holder can conduct, but generally speaking instruction and examination are the only circumstances in which a PPL holder can receive remuneration.

Commercial Operations

It is also made clear in the detailed privileges of a PPL that they can only fly on non-commercial operations. ‘Commercial Operation’ is a term that came in with EASA. It has subsequently been removed from the latest version of the EASA Basic Regulation, but it still lives on in the EASA ruleset as the line between commercial and non-commercial operations. It has a sister definition ‘Commercial Air Transport’, which is ‘an aircraft operation to transport passengers, cargo or mail for remuneration or other valuable consideration’. If an operator wishes to do so, an AOC is required.

Now, there are some exceptions (derogations as known in EU law) in the EASA Air Operations regulation that allow certain GA activity to take place, which might otherwise be caught by the commercial or commercial air transport definitions. This means the flights can take place under EASA Part-NCO, as any other non-commercial flight would.

Cost sharing

The direct costs of the flight can be shared between all occupants of the aircraft, including the pilot, up to a maximum of six persons.

When the EASA rules were published in 2014, the limit of persons onboard the aircraft went up from the previous four under the ANO, and there was no longer an explicit need for the pilot to pay a proportionate share or any restriction on the advertising of the flight.

The CAA has extensive guidance covering ‘cost sharing’ and some 12 | FLYER | June 2020

“The direct costs of the flight must be shared between all occupants of the aircraft, including the pilot” web-based sharing platforms have signed up to an EASA charter that covers principles such as explaining to passengers that GA flying is not as safe as normal commercial air transport.

Introductory Flights, sailplane towing

Training organisations or other non-profit aeroclubs can use their aircraft for conducting ‘Introductory Flights’, sailplane towing, parachute dropping or aerobatic flights, without needing an AOC or having to comply with the Specialised Operations rules that commercial organisations would.

Introductory Flights were a concept from Europe – the idea being that aeroclubs could offer members of the public, on a limited basis, short leisure flights with the aim of promoting GA. The flights can be conducted by PPL holders, but they are not instructional, and the pilot cannot receive any remuneration for the flight, even if the organisation does. A similar principle applies for non-commercial parachute and glider clubs – payment for a flight may be taken by the organisation but if the pilot of the parachute or tow flight is just a PPL holder, they cannot personally receive any remuneration.

Competition flying

Competition flights or flying displays are allowed on the condition that the remuneration or any valuable consideration given for such flights is limited to recovery of direct costs and a proportionate contribution to annual costs, as well as prizes of no more than a value specified by the competent authority. In the UK, this would be specified by the CAA and the normal limit is £500. Effectively, receiving such a prize is the only actual ‘payment’ that a PPL holder can receive, beyond instruction as mentioned earlier.

Charity flights

Flights offered as prizes in a raffle or similar, on behalf of a charity, are permitted to be flown by PPLs, but any payment given for the flight must go to the charity concerned. Note the rules around this assume that the charity is not the operator of the flight – registered charities that are offering flights as an operator will likely have additional compliance considerations.

More info: Caa.co.uk/ga Caa.co.uk/cap1589 (cost sharing)

Pilot Careers www.pilotcareernews.com The definitive source for pilot training, career and industry news

In Brief Skyborne Airline Academy has created an online ‘Open Day’ to help potential students who can’t travel to its Glos Airport HQ during the current lockdown. Catch it here: https://tinyurl.com/ SkyborneOpenDay. Skyborne has also launched refresher training for graduate pilots to maintain currency and skills.

CAE has launched its second edition of the CAE Women in Flight scholarship with Southwest Airlines in the US. One outstanding candidate will be selected and awarded the scholarship to train with CAE. Other airline partners will be announced in the upcoming months. https://tinyurl.com/CAEwif ATPL theory publisher, Padpilot, has released a free digital guide for trainee or aspiring pilots. The Padpilot Guide To Distance Learning can be downloaded from the Apple Books store onto iPad, iPhone or Mac. “Get your medical done in good time,” says Dr Chris King, an aeromedical examiner and speaker at Pilot Careers Live events. “Only about half of applicants get their medical certificate on the day as often additional investigations and reports are required.” Read more sound advice from Dr King here: https://tinyurl.com/ KingMedical

Don’t let Coronavirus wreck your dreams of an airline career What do you do if you are a student pilot working towards your ATPL, watching coronavirus wrecking the airline industry? Your course is probably affected, flight training put on hold, will there be a job in the future?

It may not be as bad as you think. Bristol Ground School (BGS) has this advice: BGS is discussing with exam authorities about conducting examinations in different ways and is developing methods to help students continue with distance learning.

The UK CAA has announced a partial easing of the rule that requires candidates to complete all their

examinations within 18 months, and Austro Control has announced an automatic extension to 21 months. Both have promised to review the regulations as the crisis unfolds.

Clearly the coronavirus crisis is going to have a major and long-lasting impact on the airline industry. It’s likely ATOs and airlines, which are highly geared and/or do not have either cash reserves or access to finance, will cease operations.

Of course, all this has an immediate effect on commercial pilot employment.

While this may prove to be the biggest shock to the industry in living memory, it is not the first, so those who have been around for a while know what to

“Pilots will be sought after when the crisis is over and the airlines start ramping up again”

expect. The implications for trainee pilots depends on their stage of training.

Newly started pilots

Employers will be talking with their staff about reduced working. Airlines do not like to lose pilots in a recession and will offer either partremunerated or unpaid furlough or sabbaticals. This can be financially challenging, but at least there is a job waiting to go back to if the employer weathers the storm.

The more hours a pilot has, the more employable they are.

With a type rating under their belt, especially with a few hundred hours, a pilot is in a fundamentally different category to new graduates from flight schools.

Even if their employer does not survive, pilots will be sought after when the crisis is over and the airlines start ramping up again. And ramp up they will.

While they will have eaten into their cash reserves and/or used up available credit, airlines will

Training organisation CATS Aviation has launched CATS TV. It started broadcasting at 1000 UTC on 23 March and will include live and catch-up video streams of In-House, Distance Learning Brush-Up, and Key Facts lectures. www.catsaviation.com Spanish flight school One Air Aviation has added two new aircraft, a Diamond DA20 and Cirrus SR20, bringing its Malaga-based fleet up to 15 with 12 Diamond and three Cirrus. www.grupooneair.com

14 | FLYER | June 2020

Above It may be a while before pilot training returns to the classroom but many ATOs are offering virtual solutions, and aviation authorities extending exam deadlines. It’s important to stay motivated and current!

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Pilot Careers be keen to grab the more profitable routes vacated by competitors who do not make it through the recession.

In the middle of the crisis, especially if a pilot loses their job, it might seem as if the bottom has dropped out of the world. However, a few years later the crisis will be a blip on a graph. The blue line on the graph below shows passenger miles flown since 1945. Both 9/11 and the 2008 recession only show as a short pause in the continuing growth.

Job seekers

Those who have graduated from pilot training and are waiting to start are hardest hit.

Recruitment has ceased and it’s not realistic to expect any significant movement in the recruitment market for many

months, perhaps not until the end of 2021.

However, it will not last forever. There will eventually be jobs available again. The focus of pilots in this category should be on remaining current and motivated. When airlines start looking for pilots again, they will be competing with experienced pilots as well as other low-hour pilots who have graduated in the meantime.

When the employers get around to looking at flight school graduates, to have a chance of success, applicants need to be competitive. It is important to try and maintain flying currency, both in simulators and aircraft.

Recruiters love determination and grit. Pilots in this situation are going to have the opportunity to demonstrate their

“Recruiters love determination and grit. Pilots in this situation are going to have the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment!”

commitment! As well as flying, it’s important to network as well as seek and give mutual support.

Motivation is key and need not come entirely from within.

Trainee pilots

Depending on their stage of training, trainee pilots are in a less perilous position. Their graduation is likely to be delayed as the training industry and examiners may be unable to offer the services needed to progress, but in employment terms that may be no bad thing.

It is hard to predict when the job market will pick up again.

If this crisis is comparable to the 2008 recession, then history suggests it will be around two years. The decisions facing trainee pilots are whether to call a temporary halt to their training or whether to reschedule it to delay graduation.

There are several factors: ■ The personal financial impact of delaying or stopping training ■ The ability of flight schools to offer training ■ Opportunities for other work ■ The stage of training.

In an ideal world, pilots will want to keep flying current, and progress at a gentler pace, aiming to graduate shortly after the job market improves. Pilots who have not done their CPL/

Above The disruption to airline travel and flight training caused by the pandemic may seem calamitous right now but history shows aviation will return and grow. Red line shows economic activity. Blue airline traffic 16 | FLYER | June 2020

MEIR and/or APS-MCC and intend to do the former fulltime, could consider delaying their training.

Another option might be to do a part-time CPL/MEIR. Normally we do not advise that, as it can drag on for a long time and/or require increased training. However, in these circumstances that might be desirable and would serve to keep the pilot current while delaying graduation.

Those on integrated courses do not have this sort of flexibility. During the last recession, many in these circumstances switched to a modular path to give them more control over their own destiny.

Just starting out

Perversely, this might be a good time to start training.

During the last major recession, many people who had been considering a career change for a while found themselves unemployed and seized the opportunity to train, graduating just as the job market picked up.

The strategy paid off for many. The trick is in the timing, and right now we have no real idea of when the job market is likely to pick up again.

Our best guess is that it will be a while, so it might be best not to rush through training and end up as another unemployed graduate. Rather, for new starters to take their time and commit to full-time CPL/ MEIR, then APS-MCC only when there are signs of recruitment again. Those two courses generally take four to six months.

In boom times there may be substantial waiting lists for CPL/MEIR courses, especially at the better schools, but those are likely to fall off in the coming months, so a pilot might be able to pick their moment.

BGS has a website page with dates and deadlines affected.

You can find out much more information by paying a visit to the website: www.bristol.gs/ covid-19-update/

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Pilot Careers

I Get Paid for This…

Mike Dentith Wingwalk display pilot Mike Dentith takes members of the public up on his Stearman. Interview by Yayeri van Baarsen

How did you get into flying?

I’ve always wanted to fly, so when my income tax bill miraculously was less than I expected, I used the money that I’d put aside towards getting my PPL at Biggin Hill in the 1970s. Afterwards, I joined the Tiger Club at Redhill, which specialised in the type of flying I loved – proper vintage tailwheel aircraft.

Tell us about your job?

I’m the chief pilot at Wingwalk Buzz. Based at Dunkeswell Airfield, we offer members of the public the opportunity to try wingwalking. Before strapping them onto the rig, we give them a full Flying CV briefing and get them into a flying suit. Then we Having flown more than 3,500 flights do some low-level zooming, 200-300ft above with someone standing atop his ground at 80 to 90mph. During the 10-minute aircraft, Wingwalk Buzz chief pilot Mike flight, the only way to communicate is via a hand Dentith is the world’s most experienced signal. Two thumbs down means ‘Take me back to wingwalk display pilot. the ground’. I can’t recall when this last happened, Started: November 2019 Now flying: Boeing Stearman PT-17 Kaydet most people wave their arms or punch the air.

Favourite: Concorde. “It’s the most If they really like it, on their second turn we beautiful bird ever to have flown. Sadly, I can do a loop and a stall turn. For the never got a chance to fly in it.” unexperienced the wind pressure can be quite Hours at job start: Approx. 1,200 Hours now: Approx. 5,205 intense as we climb to a minimum of 1,700ft, hit 135mph on the dive in and pull about 4g in the loop. I’ve never had anyone throw up though – it’s almost physically impossible to open your mouth at that speed. practice at RAF Scampton. Being a passenger in one of their Hawk jets is I fly from the back seat looking up. Concentration is important since we already a rarity and the privilege of getting to fly in the back seat during a fly VFR and low-level in different weather conditions. The Stearman is whole display is even rarer. It was super-exciting to be part of the team, sturdy, strong and stable. If anything, it’s a bit heavy on the ailerons, but even if it was just for one flight. you get used to that. Because the rig is in the middle of the aircraft, having someone on the wing doesn’t affect trim, only performance. It causes a And your favourite airfield? huge drag, but the Stearman has 300hp so after taking off it only affects Breighton Aerodrome in Yorkshire, where we regularly operate from. energy management.

Home of The Real Aeroplane Company, it has the most fantastic My work is great. Our customers get a real buzz, as often wingwalking collection of vintage aircraft there, some dating back to the 1930s. will have been on their bucket list for ages.

Breighton is a unique place with a great club atmosphere.

“For the unexperienced, the wind pressure can be quite intense”

What training did you have?

Having learned to fly Tiger Moths at the Tiger Club, I flew airshows as an amateur. At the time I owned a Druine Turbulent in which I learned formation flying and became part of the famous Turbulent formation team. In 1986 I turned professional and flew displays all over the world with the Skyhawks. In 1991 I joined a team specialising in wingwalking and performed with them until I started my own business in 2009. Last year I sold it to Wingwalk Buzz and became their chief pilot.

Currently, I’m one of only 12 wingwalk pilots in the UK, as well as a Display Authorised Evaluator. To become a wingwalk pilot, taildragger experience is vital. I wouldn’t want anyone with less than 1,000 flying hours, including lots of training on the particular bi-plane they’re flying.

What’s been your favourite flight?

In the early 2000s, I got to fly with the Red Arrows in a full display 18 | FLYER | June 2020

Do you get to fly much outside of work?

Yes, I own a Fournier RF-4, a small motor glider that I keep at a grass airstrip near my home. It’s the only motor glider that has ever crossed the Atlantic, which was in 1968. I bought it from the widow of the original owner. In summer, I fly it purely for leisure at least once a week, and I often fly down to Dunkeswell instead of driving.

What’s the most valuable career advice you’ve had?

The saying, ‘there are old pilots, and there are bold pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots’! Whenever you’re about to be a bit gung-ho, remember those words. In my flying, the most threatening thing is bad weather. I learned early on in my career that when in doubt, it’s always better to play it safe and turn back. Even if there’s commercial pressure. Even if the weather isn’t downright bad, but only average. It’s just not worth it.

For more info: www.wingwalk.buzz .

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Column

Unusual Attitude Dave Hirschman

L

Across the lake…

ake Michigan was as calm and reflective as a meditating monk on this tranquil summer morning. My assignment was to ferry a PA-18 Super Cub on amphibious floats from Wisconsin to Maryland, a task made even more interesting and enjoyable by the presence of my first seaplane student. AOPA colleague Janet Davidson was joining me on this trip. She’s a skilled and seasoned aviator and, somewhat miraculously, her former career as an airline pilot hasn’t diminished her enthusiasm for flying – especially unstructured, low and slow trips like this one. Our 600nm journey would take us across Lake Michigan, a corner of Lake Erie and the Appalachian Mountains.

I’d been a CFII (Certified Flight Instructor-Instrument) for years and, relatively recently, got a seaplane rating. That new certificate is the only thing required for Certified Flight Instructors to teach other pilots to fly on and off the water – and I had all the fervour of a new convert. We took off from Wittman Regional Airport (KOSH), retracted all four wheels and headed east to nearby Lake Winnebago.

Conditions were so sublime that I couldn’t resist talking Janet through a few water landings on the placid lake. We touched down next to ‘Warbird Island’, the final aerial checkpoint for warbird and turbine aircraft pilots inbound for the EAA’s annual pilgrimage. On this serene morning, pelicans were the only fliers there, and most of them had waddled ashore. We taxied close to the island and hundreds of pelicans were roosting there as well as other water birds.

There was no indication that the placid island is the scene of so much aerial excitement during one magical week each year.

Next, we continued east to Lake Michigan where the mirrorsmooth surface was more like a gelatinous skin than the world’s fifth largest lake.

A direct GPS course to our destination would take us directly across the massive lake, an expanse of about 60nm. I was reluctant to make the crossing because a rough sea state can make it unlandable, even for seaplanes. Waves of about two feet are all the Super Cub’s amphibious floats can handle, and the choppy swells on Lake Michigan are normally higher than that. Better to set a cautious example for my student and take a scenic detour south next to the majestic Chicago skyline.

We turned south along the western edge of the lake and droned along for a time, but the draw of a mid-lake crossing was too strong to ignore. We had a long day of flying in front of us, and we wanted to make as much progress on this idyllic morning as possible. We

were both wearing inflatable life vests, and I had a satellite messenger and a personal locator beacon in my vest pocket. If the 160hp Lycoming engine gave out over the water, our odds of making it back to shore still seemed excellent.

I asked Janet to turn straight east and fly directly to the Michigan dunes on the opposite shore.

“How high would you like to fly?” she asked in her distinctive Scottish brogue. Even though, from my vantage point in the Cub’s back seat, I could see only the back of Janet’s head, I could sense mischief in her voice.

“As low as you want,” I replied. “We’re going to be so far out of gliding distance from the shoreline anyway, it’s really not going to matter.”

She descended to the point that the Super Cub’s humble 85kt speed actually felt fast over the water.

The lake surface was largely barren until the middle of the lake where a pair of freighters churned south towards Chicago. I was

Mark Mitchell

“We’re going to be so far out of gliding distance from the shoreline anyway, it’s really not going to matter”

23 | FLYER | February 2020 |

tempted to ask Janet to land at the geographic centre of the lake, just for the pure novelty of it. But I resisted the urge to suggest it.

At the centre of the lake, about 30 miles from the Michigan coast, the water’s surface became slightly rippled, then wavy.

Within a few minutes wave heights reached two feet, and then more. A stiff wind was blowing from the south-west, and before long there were whitecaps in all directions. I was astonished at how rapidly and dramatically conditions had changed.

A fishing boat trolling for salmon bobbed on the water nearby. I guessed the boat was about 25 feet long.

“That’s a pretty small boat to be all the way out here,” Janet said.

The fishermen in it must have regarded our Super Cub in exactly the same way. That’s a pretty small aircraft to be all the way out here.

A few long minutes later, the Michigan shoreline came into view, and then I was relieved to be over land again. The entire crossing had taken just 45 minutes, and conditions had been ideal for half of that time. But the last 20 minutes were long enough to make me realise the scenic route would have been the wiser one. Next time, Chicago will be my kind of town.

RV-4 pilot, ATP/CFII, specialising in tailwheel and aerobatic instruction dave.hirschman@flyer.co.uk June 2020 | FLYER | 21

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Column

Full Throttle

Mark Hales

I

Gapping the plug

t’s a fact that the slightly heavier light aeroplanes we know and love haven’t been made for a while. Most of them were built in the 1960s and 1970s, as were the American engines usually found in their noses. That the airframes and systems have survived and functioned so well for so long (especially in a certified environment) is part testament to a continuing ready supply of spare parts, many of which are generic, like filters, pulleys, pumps, rod-ends, brakes, generators, starters and the like. Airframes were also hand-built in relatively small numbers so the original build process is generally easier to replicate when it comes to repairs. Steel tubes can always be welded, sheets of aluminium riveted, and wood glued and covered with fabric.

Engines are obviously not so simple but the two major American manufacturers are still in business – and thanks to enlightenment in the US – the FAA’s Parts Manufacturing Authority has allowed much to be replicated without prior permission (think Superior). Almost everything is available here within days, albeit at a price. That’s for American engines, which were made in large quantities (Lycoming were making 700 engines per month in the 1960s) so it’s worth making parts for them, but it’s not the case for old British engines like Gipsy and Cirrus whose manufacturers are long gone. In the 1930s and up to WWII, de Havilland built some 14,000 Gipsy Majors and Blackburn around 700 Blackburn Cirruses, a tiny number in total compared with Lycoming and Continental’s output, which also began in the 1930s but continues today. Fortunately, for Miles owners like me and Stu Blanchard, there are so few Blackburns actually in service, the supply of bigger bits (like cylinders) is enough to be going on with. That’s not true of Gipsies because there are a fair few still powering Chipmunks and Tiger Moths. All of which brings me to spark plugs… You know, those fit and forget items that only need cleaning once a year come annual time.

An oft-overlooked detail about spark plugs is that they have a finite life, whether you use them or not. Most, if not all, the plugs that you find in boxes of spares feature a mica insulator and that degrades all on its own until it loses the capacity to insulate. Since most of them were made in the 1940s and 1950s, you can sift through a fair few until you find a set which has survived and you won’t know until you get them properly hot. That’s true of all plugs, but the 18mm variety fitted to American engines are still readily available from the usual sources at about £30 each, which is bad enough. The 14mm plug favoured by the British makers is also available… at £52 a go. My schoolboy maths says that’s £500 quid a set. Then, the screw-on collars for the ignition harness won’t fit. Those too are available from a regular source, at just under £2,000… It would be the ‘right way’ to do it, but rather than be led by the nose into penury, I decided to do what many others have already

done, and fit a set of car plugs which are available at £1.39 each. Easy if I say it fast enough, but as it turned out, rather more difficult to accomplish.

I’ve read as much of the ‘I wouldn’t use one of those in my aircraft/ car/boat/lawnmower’ stuff as I can be bothered with, but while an aviation plug is undoubtedly robust, I note that hundreds of thousands of car plugs last for tens of thousands of miles at high revs, fed by a high energy ignition system and at compression ratios of 12:1, so I’m not expecting immediate meltdown in the face of 2,000rpm and 5:1. Simply screwing one in though is the easy part, the much bigger problem is the aforementioned connection between magneto and plug top. The Blackburn/BTH/Plessey harness fitted to my Messenger is predictably heavy duty, with a coiled aluminium tube screwed by collars and glands to a screened box on the back of the magneto, all intended to shield the

Mark Mitchell

“An oft-overlooked detail about spark plugs is that they have a finite life, whether you use them or not”

22 | FLYER | February 2020

radios from the RF interference generated by the ignition system, a task that was much easier in the 1950s when we only had 360 channel spacing, let alone 8.33. I tested the car plug concept using a set of carbon leads and resistor caps intended for a VW Golf, sourced from the internet for £11. Starting was instant (great), misfire gone (even better), radio nigh on unusable (less good). Fixing the latter has since occupied a great deal of head scratching, more surfing of the internet than is good for me and several attempts – I think I’m now on the Mk4 version. Key to it was the discovery of a set of plug caps intended for a dirt bike which feature a metal shroud that slides down to the metal plug body. Some are made in China, some in Germany and some are better than others, but all have a resistor which I didn’t want, but would have to accept. I chopped up several sets of old harnesses, sheathed all the gaps with copper braided insulation and tacked it all with shrink wrap.

The Blackburn now starts easily and runs well, but… when I did eventually get to fly, I found the radio interference hadn’t completely gone. Much better, but not eliminated, and it is worse on frequencies with a lower number, something I’ve noticed before, and which makes me think it’s not entirely a Blackburn problem. Before I start on the Mk4B, or even the Mk5, I suppose I’d better investigate the P-leads, and the dynamo and regulator. Virus-restrictions permitting, hopefully I might be able to let you know around September…

Vintage aircraft and cars make Mark particularly happy mark.hales@seager.aero June 2020 | FLYER | 23

Column

Squawks Ian Seager

I

Gotta love ’plane English. Not.

don’t think I’m particularly stupid or hard of understanding, but I do have a bit of a soft spot for things that are communicated simply and clearly, particularly when those things are related to the safety of flight. I also prefer having all relevant information in the same place at the same time, references to other bits of legislation slow down the process at best or, make people throw up their hands and walk away at worst.

I wouldn’t be surprised if there are some creators of these complex documents already rolling their collective eyes and thinking mildly uncharitable thoughts, but there’s no escaping the fact that they’re creating important stuff that mere mortals like me, may struggle to absorb and understand.

Two things prompted my reaction. The CAA communicated a General Exemption relating to the Manchester Low Level Route by way of what’s known as an ORS (Official Record Series) and the UK Aeronautical Information Service (AIS) issued a briefing on the same subject.

As I plan to fly to Manchester Barton (see last month’s column) at some point in the future, I thought I’d do some reading now.

First out of the blocks, by a day, was the CAA’s ORS. In this five-point, two-page document there are two references to EU regulations, one reference to the UK AIP and three references to parts of the Standard European Rules of the Air (SERA). They all made reading the document (unless you’re a lawyer) harder than it needed to be, and none of them were handily hyperlinked.

To add another level of minor complexity, paragraph one referred to conditions in paragraph two, paragraph two referred to conditions in paragraph four, paragraph three also referenced paragraph four and paragraph four referred back to paragraphs two and three. Paragraph five was blissfully reference free, but to make up for that, the reference in paras one and four sent you to a part of the UK AIP that had yet to be updated with the necessary information. To be fair, there were five explanatory notes that followed the five regulatory paragraphs, but they contained five references to SERA, one to the UK AIP and another to the UK’s ANO. Maybe the NATS briefing sheet referred to in a notam would be better? It does make a half-decent start by explaining that this change is necessary because the UK’s exemption to ‘SERA’s Class D VMC Criteria’ would run out at 2359 on 25 March. It also, helpfully, published a table with the new VFR minima in Class D airspace (the bit that applies to the LLR requires you to be 1,500m horizontally and 1,000ft vertically from cloud). It then

goes on to reproduce the new UK AIP text that will apply to the Manchester LLR (once it’s updated).

Unhelpfully it describes the Manchester LLR by listing eight lat and long references. Nobody plots that stuff by hand in 2020, and although there is a chart referenced, the link to that is not mentioned for another eight paragraphs, and then it’s in a form that defies my Googling skills. There are a further 750-odd words that talk about the conditions for SVFR entry into the LLR and the use of listening squawks. The ORS and the AIP are official documents, and will probably remain hard work for most, but there’s a gaping hole that a responsible regulator should be filling!

How about something like…This applies to the Manchester LLR only, not the rest of Manchester or Liverpool’s controlled airspace. The LLR is easy to find on SkyDemon, it’s to the east of Liverpool and the west of Manchester. It extends from the ground to 1,300ft AMSL on the Manchester QNH (ATIS is on 128.180). There are no good line features, so use a GPS. VFR conditions mean you need 5km visibility, and in Class D airspace you should stay 1,000ft vertically from cloud, so a cloud base of 1,500ft will have you at 500ft to stay legal. If the cloud is lower you can enter the LLR (and only the LLR!) without requesting a Special VFR clearance, BUT,

Mark Mitchell

“If information is important enough to communicate, it should be important enough to communicate clearly” only during the day, only if you remain clear of cloud and in sight of the surface, only if you have 5km visibility, only if you fly at 140kt IAS or less and only if you squawk 7364 while listening out on 118.580. You’ll get no separation from other traffic, so keeping a good lookout is down to you.

If you haven’t got 5km visibility, you’ll need to call Manchester for a ‘proper’ SVFR clearance, even in the LLR, in which case the viz will only need to be a minimum of 1,500m. Although it’s not a legal requirement, you’d be a bit of a numpty not to use the available listening squawks for Liverpool or Manchester if you are so equipped, and if you don’t have a transponder (really, in 2020?) dial up the appropriate frequency anyway.

I’m not an instructor or an airspace expert, and this isn’t the definitive plain English text, it’s just an example of style, and yes, that’s a disclaimer. If the information is important enough to communicate, it’s important enough to communicate clearly.

Airspace is serious stuff, and the CAA should be doing a better job by promulgating important information simply and understandably. I’ve got no idea why it doesn’t.

Publisher, pre C-19 often found flying something new and interesting ics@seager.aero June 2020 | FLYER | 25

FLIGHT TEST | Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter

Big Bird 26 | FLYER | June 2020

A legend when it comes to hauling lots of kit in and out of challenging spots, there are no longer any Turbo Porters rolling off the Pilatus production line. Fitting one with floats just adds more awesome to an amazing machine…

WORDS Ian Seager PHOTOGRAPHY Ed Hicks

June 2020 | FLYER | 27

Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter

“The PC-6 Turbo Porter is Big, Tall, Square and very Yellow. It’s so friggin ugly it’s beautiful, so intimidating it pulls you in”

28 | FLYER | June 2020

T Opposite No surprise that the big wing and huge floats lead to suburban roll rates Above Prop spinner forces a few curves in a world of straight lines…

Left A lot of effort is put into warning the pilot of gear position with lights, audio and, on this aircraft, external cameras too Below Engine and prop often in different time zone to occupants

here’s nothing actually wrong with a two-seat, Rotax-powered, side by side aeroplane. The odd one or two are a bit offensive, but they’re mostly ‘Tim, nice but dim’. Spot a few of them together and they look OK, add in a few flexwings and you can almost feel the three axis ‘real’ aeroplanes sit a bit taller, but put something that’s only the size of a PA28 or C172 anywhere near them and the best they can hope for is cute. Put them in the presence of a Porter on amphibious floats and they, along with anything like a PA28 or similar, become instantly invisible. The PC-6 Turbo Porter is Big, Tall, Square and very Yellow. It’s so friggin ugly it’s beautiful, so intimidating it pulls you in.

When this thing lands people come out to watch, and linemen rush out in golf carts like maître d’s fawning over an A-list movie star with a big appetite. If you don’t love a Porter you have no aviation soul, and if that’s the case, then even in these tough times I want you to cancel your subscription to FLYER and think about taking up cross stitching instead.

The first Porters came off the production line in Switzerland in 1959 and were powered by a big, gear-driven 340hp Lycoming piston engine. The last of the company’s stock of curves were presumably used up on the cowlings, as the rest of the airframe had to make do with straight lines and sharp angles, a design, if that’s not stretching the meaning of the word too far, that’s stuck with every one of the 600 or so airframes that have been built. It wasn’t too long before the piston engine was replaced by a turbine, initially a French Astazou II, then a Garrett and eventually in May 1964 the engine to which all runways seem to lead, at least in smaller turboprops, the Pratt & Whitney PT6A.

Vietnam War

The airframe/engine wing combination was designed to carry cargo or people in and out of short, rough strips with ease, a role in which it has excelled in pretty much every corner of the world.

It did make a brief appearance in the Vietnam War, where models built under licence by Fairchild in the US were equipped with a Gatling gun, four underwing pylons and a fuselage hard point for external ordnance. Thus equipped, and presumably without a trace of irony, it entered military service named the Peacemaker. It seems that low, slow and without protective armour was not a winning combination, and after a year in theatre all 15 aircraft went back to the US and were eventually sold to Thailand.

It’s not just the STOL capability of the airframe, engine and wing combination that has created the Porter legend, but the versatility. Want skis? No problem, you can have June 2020 | FLYER | 29

Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter

“Landing an amphib with the wheels down is worse than hot starting and over torquing the turbine. It will spoil your day or maybe more” hydraulic retractable skis. Want to be able to drop parachutists? Yep, have a big sliding door on each side. Want to be able to chuck other stuff out? There’s an optional hatch in the floor for that (very 007). Stuff it full of cargo? Easy.

Cram it full of people? Yep, some have been configured for up to 11. Want to carry heavy loads? Erm, well yes, but the useful loads are not quite as generous as some of the competition, are they? Yes sir, although that’s something it seems may have been overlooked once, twice or hundreds of times in the field. Allegedly. And then there’s a version with floats, available as straight floats (no wheels, cheaper and lighter with roughly half the weight penalty) or amphibious floats (with wheels, more expensive, heavier but with so much more versatility).

N66JL is one of three aircraft operated for humanitarian purposes by the Dieter Morszeck Foundation, and was most recently used to airlift injured people and bring in medical personnel, drinking water and food during Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas. It’s one of the last PC-6s to be built

Record holder Over the years the Porter has acquired quite a few records, some impressive, some that raise an eyebrow and some that leave you wondering… WTF? By far the most impressive was the highest landing for a fixed-wing aircraft when a ski-equipped, piston-powered PC-6 nicknamed Yeti landed at 18,864ft on the Dhaulagiri glacier in Nepal. You might wonder why it doesn’t also have the record for the highest take-off? The departures didn’t go quite so well, and a mishap means that the damaged aeroplane remains in situ to this day.

Then there’s the 1969 record in which an Astazou engined PC-6 was flown to over 44,000ft, and while we’re discussing heights, an Australian pilot set the ‘distance in a straight line’ record for the category by flying a Porter at 27,000ft at -41°C, covering 2,102nm.

The Porter also holds the record for the most take-offs and landings in 24 hours, with Tom Bishop racking up 424 in 21 hours.

30 | FLYER | June 2020

before Pilatus closed the production line in 2019. It had the amphibious floats, which is just as well as we’d arranged to meet at Bartow, an airfield with a concrete runway rather than a lake or river. Thanks to its magnetic bulk and seductive ugliness, on landing the aeroplane drew the usual small crowd: linemen, maintenance people, pilots, hangerson and a mysterious chap interested in perhaps buying it.

Mr Mystery was taking an interest in whether it had NATO standard hard points under the wing, not something you often see in potential General Aviation aeroplane buyers.

While the recently assembled group chatted about who knows what, I wandered up to the aeroplane for a bit of a closer look.

Yellow behemoth

Quite a few years ago I’d joined a pilot on a PC-6 ferry flight from Cyprus to Switzerland with the intention of writing about the aircraft. The pilot, who had a strange fascination and passion for handguns, would only let me fly in the cruise. Say what you like about the PC-6, but hand flying while in an airway and on oxygen at FL170 is both cold and tedious. I never did write about the trip, but I don’t remember the aeroplane, which was on wheels, being anywhere near as big as the yellow behemoth in front of me.

The big Wipaire 6100s lift the whole thing a couple of feet or more into the air, they feel big enough to be used as lifeboats on a cruise ship and they’re capable of displacing something like two and a half metric tonnes of fresh water.

Built from aluminium, each float has a baggage locker capable of taking another 50lb of baggage. Floats, amphibious or otherwise, are split into different sections, each of which can – and usually do – end up with some water in it. That’s pumped out at the start of the day or before each flight depending on their leakiness – 66LJ’s were dry, so no pumping required.

I thought it might be a bit rude to climb all over the aeroplane unaccompanied, so diplomatically suggested to the group that it was perhaps time to fly. Mr Mystery was keen to come along for the ride, so we settled on a shortish first flight with some water landings, after which we would drop Mr M back at the airport before heading out again.

I was going to be flying with Dave Hensch, a local seaplane instructor who runs Florida Seaplanes, and often works with the Pilatus’ owners. We talked through the exterior check, looked at the flying wires that tensioned the eight struts it takes to keep the floats and fuselage together while riding the waves, made sure the float hatches were

Above Water handling was deceptively easy with ideal conditions and a big lake Right That’s what 620shp of turbine loveliness looks like when it’s half naked Left Prominence of emergency trim is a clue to the seriousness of getting it wrong Below right The ‘Horizontal Sump’ is a Swiss yoga move developed in the 60s Below Left Use with care, magic or pain on tap

June 2020 | FLYER | 31

Turbine Maule Grumman Widgeon M-7-420AC

Above First stage of flap down, gear definitely up, turning final for the lake Left End of the line – This Porter was the penultimate example to leave the Pilatus production line Below Porter’s cabin is a big box that can be loaded through two big side doors, and can be configured in a multitude of ways

32 | FLYER | June 2020

secure and then took a look at the oil. Given the engine’s way out in front and probably 10ft off the ground, this is a bit of a precarious horizontal stretch, and one that I decided I didn’t need to experience first hand.

You board the aeroplane by first climbing onto the floats, and as if to emphasise the height, there’s not one but two cut-outs to help you get up there. Once on the float, two more steps take you high enough to get in through the front cockpit door, or the rear sliding door. This particular Porter is equipped with a stretcher and two seats, but the configuration can be changed fairly quickly. What goes in the back and how it’s arranged is all very interesting if you’re trying to figure out how to make money from your expensive asset, but let’s face it, we’re really interested in the cockpit and going flying.

Sitting in the cockpit there’s no doubt that this is a utilitarian aeroplane. There’s no plush Alcantara, no deep pile carpets, no cup holders, what you get is what you need and not a lot more. The PC-6 is the only aeroplane I know to have what looks like a small, flat parcel shelf in front of the two cockpit seats. It’s home to the throttle quadrant, the emergency trim, pens, iPad, charging leads etc. Unusually the stick sits under this ‘shelf’ so when you’re flying, most of the time it’s out of sight, which is a bit strange. Avionics is a Garmin G950, which is basically a G1000 without the integrated GFC700 autopilot or audio panel. This aircraft also had a Bendix King ADF and a S-TEC autopilot fitted, but I managed to avoid touching either, preserving them for their overdue display in an avionics museum somewhere.

Once we’d briefed the normal stuff (such as, how to get out in a hurry, don’t fall, it will surely hurt) it was time to clear the area and get the engine started, which basically

Turbine Maule M-7-420AC

involves lighting and sustaining a fire inside the turbine engine. This is accomplished by the starter blowing large quantities of air through the engine, turning on ignitors and introducing fuel in two stages. Done correctly, and you get a self-sustaining flame surrounded by a protective sheath of air that’s ready to power your aviating dreams. Get it wrong, and you get very big invoices and maybe an email that’ll only be powering your CV writing skills. Once everything’s up and running and the prop lever is set forwards, and the fuel condition lever set to low or high idle, you’re left with just the throttle to worry about. I continue to be surprised that expensive and sophisticated engines like this aren’t FADEC controlled and therefore protected, but they’re not and it seems to work, so clearly I need to get with the plan.

Dave’s main concern was that I’d put in too much throttle and over-torque the engine (with potentially similar results to a start done wrong), so I made sure that the torque meter didn’t get close to the 47.3psi max.

The parking brake…

The plan was to go and do a few splash-and-goes on a local lake, but both Bartow and our chosen lake sit in Class D airspace. A quick chat with the controller got us permission to fly as many ‘patterns’ at the lake as we wanted if we kept it below 500ft. Time to taxi, so off with the parking brake. Ah, yes, the parking brake. Here we are in this 620hp beast with a max take off weight of nearly three tonnes and the parking brake is operated by pulling what is little more than a piece of cable you’d worry about if you were using it to hang a small painting on the wall. Fearful of breaking the cable I delegated the task to FO Dave and headed for the runway.

My right hand’s on the throttle and my left on the invisible

stick grip under the shelf. In stark contrast to the parking brake wire, the stick top grip is huge and my thumb is at a bit of a stretch to get to and operate the stick top trim. I don’t know if Swiss pilots have large hands, or if someone mistakenly ordered giant stick tops, but blimey…

The front wheels are fully castoring, so differential brake is needed to get a turn started, plus a bit of anticipation is needed to get the aeroplane to come out roughly on a desired heading. Forward visibility is great, although with the long nose protruding for about half a mile, I guess it might be possible to lose sight of something under the aeroplane.

There’s no engine run up with a turbine, but we did pay particular attention to the trim position. The fact that there’s a bloody big emergency trim and a big emergency trim disconnect right in front of you should be a hint that the PC-6’s trim is more than powerful enough to spoil your day, should you take off grossly out of trim. That and the emergency brief taken care of, I line up, set the flaps and gently advance the throttle, keeping one eye on the runway, one on the ASI – and another on the torque gauge. This was a gentle departure, and somewhere around 50kt I rotated and let the aeroplane accelerate to climb at about 80kt with the gear and flaps up.

My immediate impression was that the huge floats and perhaps the optional and full external fuel tanks were making the handling a bit, erm, steady. I’ve flown a couple of aeroplanes that had me wondering if the stick was connected to the ailerons by a few strands of tired elastic, the Porter had none of that vagueness. Things happened when you asked for them, and they happened straight away, it’s just that the rate of change wasn’t overly fast, at least without getting a bit aggressive with the controls, and a few hundred

Above It’s not a traditional beauty, but is very definitely a case of function over form.

Note the pairs of ‘flow energisers’ on the outboard wings leading edges, the vortex generators on the fin, and the ventral fin – just some of the aerodynamic tweaks added for the float installation

June 2020 | FLYER | 33

Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter

Top Getting things up on the step is a case of full available power and stick all the way back Above Well, who wants to be up the creek with no paddle?

Left Swiss watch meets Swiss aircraft, scaled up…Evidence of the Porter’s robust build can be found all over the airframe…

Below Fully castoring nosewheel steering means a pretty tight turning circle, but those wingtips are a long way out, so take care!

34 | FLYER | June 2020

feet off the ground and seconds into my first flight wasn’t really the time or place. We head straight for the lake and orbit a couple of times, partly to get a feel for the aeroplane but also to have a scout for wind direction, wire hazards, boaters, ‘gators and fisherman. Dave demos a landing, and hands back as we turn crosswind. The plan is to approach at 75 to 80kt, land (or should that be water), climb away and do it again as many times as we can in the length of the lake.

Downwind we check the wheels are up. Landing an amphib on water wheels down is worse than hot starting and over-torquing. It will spoil your day or maybe more.

As it happened, conditions were great, the PC-6 was stable and easy to fly, and I managed to fit in four splashand-goes in the length of the lake.

The next would be the water equivalent of a stop-and-go, except on the water that’s more like a land, drift-a-bit-and-go.

When the floats touch the water, bringing the power fully to idle and the stick all the way back gives a fairly rapid deceleration, then a lever between the seats drops the water rudders and that gives you much better control. We had light winds so feigning accuracy wasn’t too difficult, but in a decent breeze I imagine that more skill than I currently have would be required to dock with any precision.

Taking off, the all important trims and undercarriage position are checked, power is set (taking care not to over-torque), the stick held fully back and the water rudders retracted. Once the nose has finished rising the stick comes forward a bit to get on the step, then a combination of light back pressure and perhaps slightly lifting one float gets you unstuck and climbing away. The combination of excess power, a light breeze and a long lake conspire to make me think that I’m half competent and we head back to the hard runway to drop off Mr Mystery. This time we definitely want the gear down (it’s a wheel-shaped handle underneath the PFD), but best not leave it too late as the extension speed is much, much slower than the aeroplane’s roll rate. All four wheels are eventually confirmed down by the gear lights and by a voice continually saying ‘gear down for runway

TECH SPECS

Pilatus Turbo Porter Legendary single turbine load-lifter

Turbo Porter may not be beautiful, but it’s extremely capable…

Performance landing’ and I approach at, yep, 75-80kt. I had a bit of a crosswind for landing, and although there’s a big slab-sided fuselage and a couple of humongous floats, the four landing gear and six tyres made it a lot easier than it would have been in the tailwheel version.

With our ride-along ‘interested party’ offloaded, we headed out to an even larger lake for some photos and some more water work. The second flight is always easier than the first, by now my thumb had become used to stretching for the trim and my brain no longer needed three eyes to keep everything in its place. It would be silly to say that after one short flight I was completely comfortable, but what had started out as a big, beautifully ugly yellow beast had got just a little bit smaller.

Extraordinary feats

A 15 minute flight to get to the lake was enough time for me to figure out that if you’re going to cruise at low level you can expect to get about 100kt IAS for a fuel burn of about 50 (yes FIFTY!) US gallons per hour. The higher you fly the better it gets, and you can choose between keeping the same indicated airspeed and burning about 35 gallons up at 10,000ft or keeping the same fuel flow and seeing about 140kt IAS. No, you’re right, this aeroplane isn’t about going a long way fast, it’s about going a fair distance (and if you top off all of the tanks, including the underwings you’ve got close to 300usg), and then performing extraordinary feats when it gets there.

Sadly, with the PC-6 now just a Pilatus production memory, if you want one you’re going to have to look through the classifieds. You could probably pick this one up for just north of $2m, and you’d have a very capable and almost brand new aeroplane. Although the fuel and maintenance costs are going to be punchier than your average LAA Permit aircraft, the really frustrating part would be having a gloriously brilliant amphibious aircraft in a country that’s so anal about aeroplanes landing and taking off from water. If I had one in my hangar it would either have to be on wheels, or I’d find a country with a broader outlook.

Max speed (Vne) 151kias Max cruise speed 139kt @ 10,000ft Stall speed (clean/full flap) 53kt/49kt Take-off distance water 1,240m Landing distance water 825m Rate of climb 965fpm Range It depends!

Fuel burn 190 litres/hour @ sea level @ 100ktas

Weights & loading

Seats Up to 11 Max take-off 2,772kg Empty 1,801kg Payload 971kg Payload with 3hr fuel 562kg Baggage Lots and lots and lots…

Fuel capacity 390usg with optional underwing tanks

Dimensions

Wingspan 15.875m Wing area 30.1sqm Length 10.92m Height 5.1m

Spec

Airframe Aluminium Engine Pratt & Whitney PT6A-27 Max power 620shp Prop 101in diameter, three-blade Hartzell aluminium, fully reversible Avionics Garmin G950 Undercarriage Wipaire 6100 amphibious floats

Manufacturer

Pilatus Aircraft,Switzerland www.pilatus-aircraft.com

UK agent

Oriens Aviation www.oriensaviation.com

Price

It varies, the example flown would probably cost $2.1m, but older wheel versions are significantly less

More info

www.pc-6.com

Above It might have retractable gear, but the Porter’s not short of drag!

June 2020 | FLYER | 35

My First Solo

Kathan Dudhela After his first solo, Kathan Dudhela, the UK’s youngest flight instructor, was so relieved that he kissed the ground…

Words by Yayeri van Baarsen Solo stats Just 19 years old, Kathan Dudhela is the UK’s youngest flight instructor.

When: 2 February 2017 Where: Elstree Aerodrome Aircraft: Cessna 152 Hours at solo: 14 Hours now: 590

How did you get into aviation?

Back when we lived in India my dad took me to the airport – watching aeroplanes, I wondered how they managed to fly. By the age of five, I already knew I wanted to become a pilot. I had my first lesson when I was 14 years old and in the Air Cadets and didn’t expect to actually be given the controls. However, the instructor let me fly the aircraft which was amazing. The 20-minute flight literally flew by and felt like only two minutes!

How did your flight training go?

I started in 2017 at Elstree Aerodrome where everyone was very helpful. They let me sit up in the tower to improve my radio skills. The basic controls of the aeroplane weren’t that hard as I used to practise a lot in a simulator.

However, I found navigation very difficult, especially because we were only allowed paper charts. Alongside my flight training I was doing my A-levels, so I had to be switched on the entire time. My morning newspaper rounds paid for one flying lesson a week and my parents funded the other one.

Was your first solo a surprise?

Yes, when my instructor opened the door and wished me good luck I was confused. I almost said, “No, I’m not ready” – but then decided to taxi to the runway and take it from there.

During taxying I pretended my instructor was still there, but just before take-off I looked at the empty seat and realised he wasn’t. The

flight was nerve-wracking. After landing, which was actually one of my best landings, I got out and kissed the ground – I was so relieved to have made it out alive.

Why did you decide to become a flight instructor?

I’m doing the modular way, so after obtaining my PPL and Night Rating, I could either get my CPL or my Instructor Rating. Becoming an instructor would mean I wouldn’t just get to fly regularly and gain experience, I’d also have some income. It’s great: when the weather is good, I get to fly.

At school, you get pushed to do your A-levels, go to university and then find a career. But if you already know what you want in life, why not work directly towards it? You don’t need a university degree to become a pilot. Just do your research and ask commercial pilots about their experience, which nowadays can be easily done via social media. Once every two weeks I still go to Heathrow Airport to ask pilots for tips, about what route they’ve taken or how I can progress from this stage onwards to the next. My main advice to youngsters wanting a career in aviation, though, would be to stay motivated whatever happens.

Has your age ever been an issue when instructing?

It occasionally is during trial flights. Last summer, a student said to me, ‘You look like you’re 12’ and wanted to see my licence before

“My morning newspaper rounds paid for one flying lesson a week” 36 | FLYER | June 2020

he got into the aircraft with me. He enjoyed his flight very much though. With my regular students it sometimes feels a bit weird when I tell them off, as they’re twice my age. I’m quite strict in the cockpit, there’s no unnecessary talking. Before and afterwards, we can be mates again and chat, but during that one hour lesson, for which they’re paying £200, I want them to concentrate and learn as much as possible.

Was it more stressful to go solo yourself or to send your first student solo?

Sending my first student solo. This is because of the immense responsibility. I’m the one sending them up, so I have to be 110 per cent sure they’re capable of dealing with any situation they might encounter. I try to calm them down beforehand and make it sound easy, but everyone knows flying solo isn’t.

Then, when my students are calm and ready, I go to the control tower where I watch their every move.

What are your plans for the future?

I want to get into air racing and eventually represent India in the sport, if I can finance it.

I’ll do my Aerobatics Rating this year, followed by lots of training and competitions. Aerobatics is the best feeling! During my first trial lesson in an Extra 200, I asked the instructor, “What can I do?”, to which he replied “Anything you want.” So I moved the stick to the left and we rolled twice in three seconds, just like that.

What do you love most about flying?

Being up in the air, looking down and enjoying the view. It’s really nice when instructing, as we fly over Milton Keynes, which is a beautiful area, and when the weather is good we can climb to 5,500ft. I also love flying by myself though. Alone in the aeroplane, I almost get a feeling of being outside this world.

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A Virtual AERO

While the annual AERO show in Friedrichshafen, Germany was cancelled, there was still news to report…

Elixir: certified to EASA CS-23

A brand new aircraft, the Elixir, designed, developed and built in France, has been type certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency.

The two-seat Elixir is a clean-sheet design, constructed as a one-piece carbon fibre moulding using the OneShot technology learned in the yachting industry. It has been certified in EASA’s new ‘lighter touch’ CS-23 airworthiness regulations for VFR flight.

Arthur Léopold-Léger, CEO of Elixir Aircraft, said, “On 20 March, 2020 the Elixir in its 100hp VFR version received its type certificate in the queen of all categories: CS-23, under the most recent amendment (5), which reflects the highest level of safety possible today.

“Although it is hard to rejoice when our entire planet is fighting an invisible enemy, we should look back to fully appreciate how far we have come since our first meeting with the team at the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in charge of the certification on 24 January 2017, only three years ago.

“The Elixir, to our knowledge, is the only modern light aircraft in the world designed from a blank sheet of paper to have obtained its certification following the latest amendment of the most rigorous category, CS-23, and doing this with safety objectives regularly exceeding the certification objectives!

“On a personal note, I would like to congratulate all of those who made this possible: members of Elixir Aircraft, close advisers and consultants of course, but also the EASA team, our investors, our customers, our banks, our design and production subcontractors, the administrations and of course our families, whose support and encouragement are irreplaceable. Bravo and thank you!

“Two other excellent pieces of news. Production of the first four aircraft has recently started, and work on the future Elixir Aircraft plant at La Rochelle Airport began in December 2019.

The delivery of this 2,300sqm facility dedicated to the production and assembly of the Elixir was initially scheduled for the end of May 2020.”

When C-19 restrictions were imposed in France, like most companies, Elixir had to introduce different ways of working.

“The production team was put on short-term working leave and the engineers and sales staff were switched to home office as soon as the first containment order was issued,” said Arthur. “It is therefore at a distance from each other that we received the huge reward for which we fought so hard!”

The OneShot way of construction is to design and manufacture complex parts such as a wing as one-piece, rather than a collection of sub-assemblies which have to be drilled, rivetted or glued. The fuselage, canopy arch, ailerons, flaps and fin are also made this way. Elixir says the entire airframe comprises just eight parts.

“Fewer parts and fewer assemblies mean fewer failures, less maintenance and therefore lower costs,” says Elixir.

“At the same time, safety is enhanced by the simplicity of the structure and performance is improved by the reduced weight.”

The company claims operating costs of €40-45 per hour, covering maintenance and fuel over 2,000 hours up to the engine TBO. Fuel burn is 12.5 litres/hour. Elixir is offering the aircraft under a rental scheme to flying clubs at €70 per hour, which includes maintenance and insurance, and is based on 30 flying hours a month (360 pa), typical for French flying clubs.

Spec includes Garmin G3X Touch avionics, centrally mounted on the panel, with a selection of traditional analogue instruments in front of the pilot. There’s a BRS emergency whole aircraft parachute as standard. Cruise speed of the certified aircraft fitted with a 100hp Rotax 912iS is 130kt at 75 per cent power setting, with an endurance of 6 hours. Stall speed is 45kt, Vne 157kt. Max take-off weight is 544kg.

A more powerful version fitted with a 141hp Rotax 915iS is in the works, along with an IFR version and a glider tug.

38 | FLYER | June 2020

Virtual Show Report

June 2020 | FLYER | 39

VIRTUAL AERO 01

Sonaca’s push for production, short take-off, quiet and NG models Just because you have an aircraft that’s in demand doesn’t mean you can stand still, and Belgian manufacturer Sonaca Aircraft is pushing ahead on several fronts.

Production of its existing Sonaca 200 VFR trainer moved into a brand new 2,000sqm facility at Namur Aerodrome last September. Sonaca started then with one production line but in February this year, added a second. That means it can now assemble eight aircraft simultaneously.

“The goal is to deliver two aircraft per month very soon, and three aircraft per month by the end of this year,” Sonaca’s Pierre Van Wetter told FLYER. “Next year we plan to produce four aircraft a month. We expect to deliver 30 aircraft this year.”

Sonaca manufactures all airframe parts itself, contracting those to its parent company, Sonaca Group, a well-known aerospace engineering supplier. It takes roughly nine months from cutting metal to rolling a complete aircraft out of the factory door with just two months spent on the production line.

40 | FLYER | June 2020

Fifteen aircraft have been delivered so far, all to flying schools in Belgium, France, UK and Turkey. A new customer, Aero Locarno, in Switzerland has just ordered five.

So far, 70 per cent of sales are for the Sonaca 200 Trainer Pro equipped with a Garmin glass cockpit. However, there’s a substantial 30 per cent who still prefer analogue instruments.

That’s led Sonaca to develop a New Generation model.

“We still have lots of customers who want analogue instruments for basic training,” continued Pierre. “We want to continue to offer this but with more modern instruments. We only want TSO certified instruments in the aircraft so we waited for the new Garmin GI 275 so we could to replace the analogue Attitude Indicator and CDI with digital ones. A big advantage is that no vacuum pump is required.”

Another new derivative Sonaca will shortly introduce is a short take-off aircraft, achieved with a new coarser pitch propeller, that will also meet Germany’s strict noise limits.

Virtual Show Report

02

03 “We are working on this right now,” said Pierre. “There are two goals: to have a short take-off for grass runways and for high altitudes, and to decrease the noise below 65db.

“We will decrease the noise with new exhausts and also the shorter take-off distance means we will be at a higher altitude when the noise measurement is taken. We expect this to be available by July or August, depending on paperwork.”

01 Sonaca’s new production hall at Namur Aerodrome in Belgium, with two production lines running side by side 02 Some flight schools prefer to teach basic training using round instruments, so Sonaca will be one of the first OEMs to install two of Garmin’s new GI 275 digital instruments 03 The Trainer 200 Pro has a Garmin G500 TXi main display, GTN 650 for navigation, JPI engine instruments, Honeywell KI 300 back-up EFIS, Garmin transponder. The Full Monty!

June 2020 | FLYER | 41

VIRTUAL AERO 01

Bristell’s double launch Czech light aircraft maker Bristell was due to launch two new aircraft at AERO, aimed at different parts of General Aviation.

They are the B23, an all-new, low-wing aircraft that is due to receive a full type certificate from EASA very soon under the new CS-23 airworthiness regulations, and the B8, the first high-wing aircraft Bristell has ever made. The B8 will be a new entry into the new 600kg microlight class.

The B23 is a major step up for Bristell. Originally the company was planning another 600kg light sport aircraft (LSA) certified for night VFR. That was three years ago before the new ‘lighter touch’ CS-23 regs were announced. But after talking to EASA, engineers there persuaded Bristell founder Milan Bristela and his son Martin to aim higher than LSA and go for the 750kg weight limit under CS-23 – which would also be a straight drop-in for the USA’s FAR-23 regs.

“We decided this would be much better,” Martin told FLYER. “So, we have an aircraft with an empty weight around 435kg, maximum take-off weight of 750kg, and full of 120 litres of fuel – that’s 91kg. So, if you have full fuel, you still have 224kg for people.

“One big difference between CS-23 aircraft and a RTC (Restricted Type Certificate) LSA is flight testing, with much higher forces. So we decided to build a completely new construction including wing, the fuselage is longer, aluminium fittings are bigger, and the tail is bigger for the stability test.”

Bristell went to renowned Swiss test pilot Damian Hischier to conduct the test flights.

“So, Damian flew the aeroplane and he said it is absolutely without problem, certifiable,” said Martin. “But it could be better if you want to make the best aircraft? We said, ‘Yes’ 42 | FLYER | June 2020

because we don’t want to produce a compromised aircraft needing vortex generators or other aerodynamic fixes. We want to produce just the best. We ended up flying 88 test flight hours before EASA’s pilot flew it and said he thought it would be a very good trainer.”

The B23 also fulfills Bristell’s other criteria: to be able to fly night VFR, to have a ballistic emergency whole aircraft parachute, and to burn mogas, rather than avgas. For that, Bristell has stuck with the proven and certified 100hp Rotax 912S3 engine fitted with a constant-speed three-blade MTV prop. Base price of the aircraft is €199,000.

Bristell’s other new model, the B8, is expected to start flight tests in early summer, with first deliveries expected by autumn.

It came about after being asked at Oshkosh if a high-wing model was in the works. It wasn’t, the good reason being that Milan Bristela is not a fan of the compromises required, usually struts on the wing and cable-operated controls.

“But then he remembered making a balsa wood model of a Cessna Cardinal when he was 20 years old, which had no struts,” explained Martin. Plus, as every good businessman knows, it pays to have an alternative product... just in case.

Bristela’s reasoning for not liking cable controls is safety.

“It’s OK for a professional maintenance company to set up cable controls properly but it’s very difficult to instruct LSA owners how to do it.”

01 Straight out of the paint shop and looking very pretty – Bristell’s new B23, which will be certified to CS-23 02 B23 has a full panel with dual Garmin G3X displays 03/04 Bristell’s first high-wing, the B8, in the LSA category

Virtual Show Report

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03

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June 2020 | FLYER | 43

VIRTUAL AERO

Magni Gyro holds back Italian gyrocopter manufacturer Magni Gyro was planning to launch its all-new M26 at AERO but with C-19 affecting Italy so severely, it made the only sensible choice, which was to delay the launch. All we know is that the M26 is a clean-sheet design built around the latest 141hp Rotax 915iS. Meanwhile the first 915iS-equipped ‘Plus’ series are being

delivered or, in the case of the two M24 Plus models, pictured above, heading for UK owners, stuck at the factory until travel restrictions are lifted. The extra power of the 915iS is a boon for gyrocopters and Magni is equipping the existing M16 Tandem Trainer, the M24 Voyager and fully-enclosed M24 Orion.

Flight Design CT tweaked Looking just a bit more muscular, Flight Design’s 2020 CTLS has a re-shaped and longer cowling with integrated landing light and extra air intake. There’s also new landing gear with redesigned wheel fairings, and new Blackfin prop and spinner.

Reduced drag and higher top speed are claimed. Flight Design has also settled on all Garmin avionics: G3X flight-deck, GMC 507 autopilot and ‘pilot assist’, and GMA 245 audio panel. Flight Design is also producing a version of the CTLS to meet the new 600kg ‘opt-out’ microlight category.

Meanwhile, the all-new F2 announced a year ago will be available as an LSA from June and as a 600kg microlight from October. Flight Design is also pursuing EASA CS-23 certification with the F2, and has November this year as its target, complete with a CO2 offset scheme. If that wasn’t enough for the German manufacturer, it’s also working on a fully electric F2e that it expects to go into production with a two-hour range and CS-23 certification in December 2021 - the same month as its F4 four-seater. Phew!

Kit for all budgets…

This is the latest from Czech company Zlin Aviation which makes Super Cub-style aircraft under the name Savage. It’s called the Norden, an identifier for Nordic and Scandinavian countries including Denmark, to promote its bush-flying credentials. It’s an all-new aircraft, with a bigger fuselage and new metal wing complete with a retractable electric slat system and manual slotted flaps to give both short take-off and landing as well as a reasonable cruise speed. Special attention has been paid to the windscreen to improve the view forward in STOL ops while angling it backwards to reduce drag. Empty weight is under 360kg so it will be available as an LSA in the USA and in the new 600kg microlight class in Europe. Standard power unit is a 100hp Rotax 912 but Zlin says a 141hp 915iS will follow and also a 300hp experimental-only version using an Edge EPeX300Ti engine. Other options include several sizes of fuel tank, cargo area, tundra tyres, 18 colour options for the new carbon seats and a similar number for the panel finish.

44 | FLYER | June 2020

Safety Accident Analysis

Be prepared for heights…

F

lying an aircraft which can climb to an altitude that requires oxygen opens up a world of options. Terrain, ice, turbulence and the general chaos of lower airspace often just disappear in exchange for some ‘time in the climb’ – and a bit of faff with a mask or cannula. But the risks aren’t to be taken lightly. The line between smooth cruise flight and hypoxia can be precariously thin.

Accident 1

The pilot of a Cessna 208B aircraft was contracted to ferry the aeroplane from Jandakot Airport, Australia, to the US. The aircraft left Jandakot Airport and landed in Alice Springs. Late the next morning, the aircraft left Alice Springs for Weipa, Queensland, where the pilot refuelled and stayed overnight.

The following morning, the pilot conducted a one-hour flight to Horn Island, Queensland. About an hour later, the aircraft departed Horn Island with the planned destination of Guam, Micronesia. While en route, the pilot sent a message to the aircraft operator advising that he would not land in Guam, but would continue another 118nm to Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands.

The next morning the pilot refuelled the aircraft and detected damage to the propeller anti-ice boot. The aircraft was delayed for more than a week while an engineer travelled to Saipan and replaced the anti-ice boot. About an hour after departure, the aircraft levelled out at flight level FL220. Once in the cruise, the pilot sent a message that he was at 22,000ft, had a tailwind and the weather was clear. This was followed by a message at 0010 that he

was at FL220, with a true airspeed of 167kt and fuel flow of 288lb/hr. At 0121, while overhead reporting point TEGOD, the pilot contacted Tokyo Radio flight information service on HF radio. The pilot was next due to report when the aircraft reached reporting point SAGOP, which the pilot estimated would occur at 0244. GPS recorded track showed that the aircraft passed SAGOP at 0241, but the pilot did not contact Tokyo Radio as expected. At 0249, Tokyo Radio made several attempts to communicate with the pilot on two different HF frequencies, but did not receive a response. Tokyo Radio made further attempts to contact the pilot between 0249 and 0251, as well as at 0341, 0351 and 0405.

About 4.5 hours after the pilot’s last communication, two Japan Air Self-Defense Force ( JASDF) aircraft intercepted the aircraft. The pilot did not respond to the intercept in accordance with international intercept protocols, either by rocking the aircraft wings or turning, and the aircraft continued to track at FL220 on its planned flight route. The JASDF pilots were unable to see into the cockpit to determine whether the pilot was in his seat or whether there was any indication that he was incapacitated. The JASDF pilots flew around the aircraft for about 30 minutes, until it descended into cloud. At 0626 UTC, the aircraft’’s GPS tracker stopped reporting, with the last recorded position at FL220, about 54nm off the Japanese coast and 318nm short of the destination airport.

Radar data showed that the aircraft descended rapidly from this point and collided with water about two minutes later.

The Japanese authorities launched a search and rescue mission and within two hours, searchers found the aircraft’s rear passenger

“The pilot didn’t respond to the intercept according to international protocols” 46 | FLYER | June 2020

door. The search continued until the next day when a typhoon passed through the area, and the search was suspended for two days. After resuming, the search continued for nearly a month with no further parts of the aircraft found. The pilot was not located.

The aircraft was fitted with an oxygen system with a 3.3 cubic metre capacity oxygen cylinder located in the fuselage tail cone. The cylinder had been tested and maintained in accordance with requirements, was within its 15-year life limit and had been filled with aviator breathing oxygen (ABO), prior to the aircraft’s departure from Jandakot.

Oxygen from the cylinder was first reduced to 70 psi by a pressure regulator and then by two altitude-compensating regulators located between the pressure regulator and oxygen supply lines, which automatically varied the flow of oxygen to the masks with changes in altitude. A remote shut-off valve in the overhead console was used to shut off the supply of oxygen to the system when not in use.

A microphone-equipped mask with a vinyl plastic hose and flow indicator was stored under the pilot’s seat. It was observed to be in its packaging (unused) when the aircraft was in Saipan. The pilot had a battery-operated Mountain High (MH) Pulse-Demand Electronic Delivery System (EDS). The EDS unit supplied a measured pulse of oxygen at the beginning of each inhalation and was oxygen-compensating (increasing flow with altitude).

The pilot preferred to use a nasal cannula for oxygen delivery, and he intended to use it for the ferry flight. This was consistent with the supplied oxygen mask being unused before departing Saipan, despite two previous sectors above 18,000ft. The pilot had also sent a message on the previous sector, indicating that he was using the cannula at 19,000ft.

The EDS was required to be operated with an oxygen inlet pressure between 16-20 psi, which could be achieved with an in-line regulator. The manual included the warning that higher pressure ‘will not only compromise the performance of the EDS, but is likely to damage the internal

Mark Mitchell

Operating at higher altitude can bring performance rewards, but it is imperative to remember that it also brings risks that must be controlled and considered, as Joe Fournier reports

breathing sensor, rendering the EDS unit inoperable’. The pilot did not have an in-line regulator for the flight. At altitudes above 17,000ft, the aircraft’s system provided oxygen at 21.55 psi, which was higher than the EDS inlet pressure range. At 20,000ft, this increased 24.45 psi.

Accident 2

A Piper PA-31 aircraft was deployed to the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada, for survey activities, consisting of flying over selected areas at 3,600ft above the highest terrain at a ground speed of 150kt. For each flight, a survey equipment technician sat in the cabin of the aircraft and operated the various pieces of equipment for the survey, and the pilot sat in the front left seat of the cockpit. Each survey mission averaged six hours of flight time.

The aircraft departed Penticton Airport (CYYF), BC, with full fuel and began survey operations, to the east of CYYF. The survey portion of the flight lasted for two hours, with the aircraft being flown at 10,000ft for the final hour. Once the survey was completed, the pilot air-filed an instrument flight rules flight plan to Calgary/Springbank Airport (CYBW), Alberta. Air traffic control (ATC) issued a clearance for the pilot to climb to and maintain an altitude of 15,000ft and to proceed directly to the IGVEP waypoint.

During the climb through 11,000ft, the autopilot was selected ON, and the pilot switched the fuel selectors from INBOARD to OUTBOARD. Shortly after the aircraft reached 15,000ft, at 1256, the pilot selected the fuel pumps ON, in accordance with the aircraft flight manual (AFM), and left them ON for the rest of the flight. The autopilot altitude hold (ALT) mode was selected.

The pilot then assisted the survey technician in activating the portable oxygen system. Two minutes later, the pilot put an oxygen mask up to his face, and, a few seconds later, he put it down.

At 1328, the autopilot ALT mode disengaged. Over the following 47 seconds, the aircraft started to climb from an altitude of 15,000ft, assigned by ATC, to 15,400ft. It then began a descent, reaching a peak vertical speed of 3200fpm and an acceleration of 0.5g. After nine seconds of descent, the pilot levelled off at 15,000ft (with an acceleration of 1.7g) and engaged the ALT mode.

At 1330:55, ATC instructed the pilot to descend to 14,000ft. At 1331, the pilot switched the fuel tanks from the OUTBOARD to the INBOARD position, in accordance with the AFM, selected pitch mode on the autopilot and began the descent to 14,000ft. The aircraft entered cloud during the descent and levelled off at

“The airspeed reached 91 KIAS, and the stall horn began to sound intermittently” 14,000ft 90 seconds later, at which point ALT mode was selected.

At 1333, ATC asked the pilot for his indicated airspeed (IAS), but the pilot read back the altitude of 14,000ft. ATC, once again, asked for the IAS, but this time the pilot read back the ground speed of 170kt instead – the actual IAS was 140kt.

ATC then asked the pilot to slow to 150kt indicated airspeed (KIAS) and to descend to 13,000ft. A few seconds later, the manifold pressure (MP) on both engines decreased, which resulted in the left-hand MP gauge indicating an MP of 18 inches of mercury (inHg) and a fuel flow of 22 US gallons per hour, and the right-hand engine indicating an MP of 15 inHg and a fuel flow of 14 US gallons per hour.

After the power reduction, the autopilot ALT mode disengaged. The navigation and pitch mode, as well as the flight director mode, remained ON. The aircraft’s airspeed decreased to below the singleengine inoperative best rate-of-climb speed (Vyse) of 97 KIAS, and the aircraft maintained an altitude of 13,900ft.

The airspeed reached 91 KIAS, and the stall horn began to sound intermittently. The IAS began to increase as the MP for the left engine increased to 34 inHg with a fuel flow of 38 US gallons per hour. At the same time, the right MP gauge

indicated 20 inHg and a fuel flow of less than 10 US gallons per hour.

The aircraft began a brief descent, and the airspeed increased to 100 KIAS. At 1334:40 the aircraft deviated to the right of the intended track and its altitude decreased to 13,500ft. It then began to climb and the IAS began to decrease below VYSE again.

At 1335:43, ATC called the pilot to confirm that he was going to the IGVEP waypoint.

The stall warning horn was sounding continuously. The pilot replied that there was a problem with the right engine. Shortly afterwards, the airspeed decreased to 71 KIAS, and the aircraft departed controlled flight and went into a right-hand spin.

As the aircraft descended through 11,500ft, ATC asked the pilot to report his situation. The pilot declared an emergency.

The aircraft kept spinning and, during the spin, the pilot occasionally input full left and partial right aileron on the control column.

The aircraft did not recover from the spin. It completed 7.5 revolutions before colliding with terrain at 10,000ft.

The pilot didn’t continuously use oxygen above 13,000ft and likely became hypoxic as he climbed to/and maintained an altitude of 13,000ft. The pilot didn’t identify his symptoms or take action to restore his oxygen supply, resulting in degradation of his ability to manage normal flying tasks.

Fournier’s analysis If you had to choose one thing about hypoxia that commands attention, then for me it would be the sheer speed at which you can transition from normal operations to incapacitation.

In the first accident, there is evidence or at least a plausible suggestion that the oxygen system malfunctioned. In this case, it appears that the malfunction was of the pilot’s own making, by operating the oxygen system outside of its design criteria. It’s also noteworthy that this pilot chose to operate at FL220. The time of useful consciousness decreases rapidly as one climbs, going from more than 30 minutes at FL150 to just a few minutes at FL250.

This reduction makes detection and mitigation of any failures in the oxygen system much more difficult.

The second accident highlights the fact that you can’t reliably expect to detect your need for oxygen just based on how you feel. You may feel some symptoms of hypoxia setting in or your ability to perceive them might be diminished before they are noticed and you can take action. A few puffs of oxygen now and again won’t cut it. Had these pilots been monitoring their oxygen saturation with an inexpensive pulse oximeter, it is possible that they would have been alerted to the hazard well before it reached the point where it incapacitated them.

Flying at altitudes where oxygen is necessary can be useful and rewarding, but it is essential to remember that it brings risks that must be considered and managed. Just because your aircraft can climb to FL250 doesn’t mean it is a good idea.

June 2020 | FLYER | 47

Safety Accident Reports

No time to dither…

Joe Fournier summarises and comments on accident reports from around the world and recommends that anyone who flies an aircraft which has weather radar, should check out the app from Radar Performance

Look, decide, execute Cessna 152 G-BMXA Bridge of Earn, Perthshire Injuries: None

The aircraft departed Perth on a training flight and the plan was to route to Edinburgh and then return to Perth.

Approximately 15 minutes after take-off, thick white smoke began to enter the cabin through the heating vents.

The instructor took control from the student and began the checklist drills for an engine fire. He retarded the fuel mixture lever to idle cut-off and accelerated to VNE. However, he quickly realised that there were no signs of flames, only smoke. Therefore, he re-advanced the fuel mixture to fully rich to keep the engine running. He made a Mayday call to Perth Radio, appraised them of the situation and informed them of his intention to make a precautionary forced landing.

The instructor then told the student to liaise with ATC. The student entered the emergency code, 7700, on the transponder and kept ATC updated on the aircraft’s position. The instructor selected a field for landing and positioned the aircraft for the forced landing.

At approximately 400ft AGL, when sure of reaching the chosen field and of its suitability, the instructor selected full flap and shut down the engine. The aircraft landed in a field of recently planted crops, and the crew vacated and moved upwind taking the fire extinguisher with them.

Neither crew member was injured, and the aircraft suffered no damage.

After leaving the aircraft, the crew could see that there was oil streaking down the left side of the aircraft and dripping to the ground from beneath the

engine cowling. A subsequent examination of the engine revealed a crack in the engine crankcase.

AAIB Analysis The crack in the engine crankcase caused a significant oil leak, and this was the source of the smoke entering the cockpit. The instructor recognised there were no flames and decided to keep the engine running until he was certain of achieving a landing in his chosen field.

Given the scale of the leak, it is unlikely the engine would have kept running sufficiently long enough for the aircraft to reach an airfield. The field landing was an appropriate choice and was well executed.

Comment Early decision making and prompt action made the execution of a safe forced landing look easy. Had this pilot dithered and waited, a power-off forced landing would have been the likely outcome, making the execution much more difficult.

Seemed or was?

Cessna TU206 N6588X

Torn up

Regina, New Mexico, USA

Extra 330SC

Injuries: None

OO-SDJ

The pilot reported that before take-off from a 1,700ft-long dirt airstrip with a 9,200ft density altitude, he set the flaps to 20°, held the brakes and ran the engine up to full power. He released the brakes, pulled back on the yoke and the aircraft accelerated. The pilot reported that the take-off roll ‘seemed longer and slower than usual’ and that, about two-thirds of the way down the runway, the airspeed was 45kt. Near the end of the runway, the aeroplane momentarily became airborne and reached about 15ft above ground level and then drifted right and settled

Wickenby Aerodrome, Lincolnshire

“The crew could see that there was oil streaking down the left side of the aircraft” 48 | FLYER | June 2020

back onto the ground. The aeroplane struck a bush and skidded left, the left landing gear collapsed and the left wing impacted terrain.

The pilot stated that the aeroplane was heavily loaded but was under the maximum allowable gross weight. He added that he believed the loss of control occurred because ‘the density altitude was high, the strip is very short and (the aeroplane) was heavily loaded’. He further stated that the aeroplane did not accelerate as quickly on the dirt as it did on the hard surfaces that he was used to using for take-offs.

NTSB Probable cause The pilot’s improper pre-flight performance planning for a high-density altitude take-off from a short, dirt airstrip, which resulted in impact with terrain.

Comment If something doesn’t seem right, pressing on isn’t likely to resolve the situation. Establish a firm ‘go’/‘no go’ point, make a decision and stick to it.

Injuries: None

The pilot was performing an aerobatic flight overhead of Wickenby Aerodrome, Lincolnshire. Approximately 10 minutes into the flight, while performing a vertical climb manoeuvre, he felt a significant vibration in the left rudder pedal. He immediately aborted the manoeuvre and bought the aircraft into level flight. He reduced the speed and monitored the level of vibration, which did not significantly diminish. Therefore he decided to land the aircraft.

After landing the pilot found the fabric that covered the rear fuselage had ripped and that the loose fabric had been flapping in the airflow around the left side of the fuselage, inducing the rudder vibration.

The pilot had completed normal pre-flight inspections and did not identify any damage to the fabric prior to the flight.

The Ceconite 102 fabric was removed from the aircraft and sent to the AAIB for

Safety Accident Reports further examination. This identified that the failure was likely to have initiated at the front of the fabric panel adjacent to the right lower stringer which runs along the tubular steel space frame rear fuselage.

Initially, a lateral and axial tear is likely to have occurred, which would have progressed rearward along the stringer, until it met the skin surrounding the tail cone. The cause for the initial material failure could not be positively identified.

AAIB Comment In this instance the loose fabric caused sufficient aerodynamic disruption to be felt by the pilot through the rudder pedals. With the loose fabric exposed to the airflow it is likely that further tearing would have occurred, leading to possible entanglement with the control surfaces.

The prompt action by the pilot in aborting the flight showed positive and timely decision making in light of an abnormal aircraft characteristic.

Comment A great illustration of, if something feels different or strange, a prompt landing is never a bad decision.

Crossed signals Diamond DA 40 N4119S Mesa, Arizona, USA Injuries: None

The pilot reported that he intended to do touch-and-goes in the local traffic pattern. While on the downwind leg, the air traffic controller cleared him to land.

During the landing roll, past the halfway point on the runway, he increased the engine power to full for take-off and told the controller that he was doing a ‘go-around’.

The controller immediately instructed him to exit the runway onto the last taxiway so the pilot ‘cut the entire power’, applied brakes and full right rudder, but the aeroplane skidded, exited the runway and impacted a concrete barrier.

The pilot added that he wanted to do touch-and-goes but did not accurately communicate his intentions to the air traffic controller.

NTSB Probable cause The pilot’s decision to abort a go-around with insufficient runway remaining to safely stop the aeroplane, which resulted in a loss of control, runway excursion and impact with a concrete barrier.

Comment While it is always best to share the same expectations as air traffic control, the overriding constraint has to be to remain in control of the aircraft. If ATC throws you a curveball that you aren’t sure about, even if it is of your 50 | FLYER | June 2020

“The loose fabric had been flapping in the airflow around the left side of the fuselage” own making, there is only one correct answer: ‘unable’.

Lapse to remember Piper PA44 N2204X Centralia, Illinois, USA Injuries: None

The flight instructor in the twin-engine aeroplane reported that, during a simulated single-engine failure approach, the pilot under instruction reduced the left engine power setting to 12 inches of manifold pressure, which activated the landing gear warning horn.

Then, on downwind to land, the student performed the pre-landing checks and asked the instructor if he should deploy the landing gear. The instructor told the student to delay the action and deploy the landing gear during the final landing checks because the student was struggling to maintain altitude.

Shortly after turning to final, the student performed the final landing checks and provided verbal cues of completion but did not include the landing gear check.

The instructor said he was distracted and focused on corrections because the student was struggling to maintain altitude and the runway centreline during the final approach. The instructor did not verify that the gear was extended.

During the landing flare, the instructor realised that the landing gear was not extended, and he immediately took the controls. He levelled the aeroplane and landed on the runway with the gear retracted.

NTSB Probable cause The pilot receiving instruction failed to extend the landing gear and the flight instructor failed to verify that the landing gear was extended before landing. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action and distraction.

Comment Deferring an action past its usual moment, such as waiting to extend the gear, opens the way to a ‘lapse’.

If circumstances dictate that an action must wait, you would be well served by putting a barrier up to help you catch the lapse before it turns into an accident.

In this case, that might be keeping one hand on the gear selector until it is extended.

Safety kit Radar Performance $0 | pohperformance.com

Airborne weather radar equipment isn’t always easy to use. It requires a good bit of knowledge on theory of operation, an understanding of the maths behind getting the beam to look where you want it and then, of course, the art of operating and interpreting the radar while flying the aeroplane. The Radar Performance app does all of the maths and helps you visualise what is happening. It

has value in the cockpit when using the radar as well as a teaching tool to illustrate concepts while learning the basics on the ground.

It comes with the basic parameters of popular radars defined, or alternatively, a generic beam width can be entered. For anyone who flies an aircraft that has weather radar, an app well worth looking at.

For the best results, train with the best people – Bristol Groundschool.

Jamie Dickson, easyJet First Officer

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FLYING ADVENTURE

James Ketchell had always wanted to learn to fly.

And when he did, he set off on an around the world adventure of a lifetime in his gyroplane…

The stuff of dreams

52 | FLYER | June 2020

F

lying from Greenland to Iceland covers 400nm of the Atlantic Ocean. The weather had deteriorated to well below minimum visual flight rules (VFR) conditions – and I was 100ft above the water with practically zero visibility, flying off instruments and suffering with a headache from hell…

Rewind two-and-half years – and I was learning to fly gyroplanes at my local airfield at Popham (EGHP) in Hampshire, England. It was a sunny day and I mentioned to my instructor, Steve Boxall, that I was thinking about flying around the world. The look on his face was priceless!

“You’d better book some more lessons then,” he replied. So I did. The idea of flying around the world had been in my head for a while. Ironically, it wasn’t the flying that I craved, more the adventure.

Ever since I was young I’d had an interest in flying, but always thought it was for the super intelligent and wealthy elite – and I fell a long way short.

Notwithstanding all that, I decided I was going to find a way to learn to fly. Anyone who has seen a gyroplane might worry about its sturdiness, plus the fact it’s open to the elements, so why opt for a gyro at all then? Despite a few attempts nobody had ever successfully flown around the world in a gyro. After all, there are plenty of people who have flown around the world in helicopters and fixed-wing aeroplanes, but I wanted to do something a little bit different.

Just getting to the ‘start line’ and raising the funding I needed was by far the hardest part of preparing for the trip. I was not in a position to self-fund it so had no choice but to raise sponsorship if I was to make the whole thing happen.

The aircraft I chose was the Italian-made Magni M16 tandem trainer. I had learned to fly in this aircraft, and it’s incredibly stable and known for its fantastic reliability. The Magni family were extremely kind and supportive about my plans to fly around the world.

Despite having many setbacks, the most frustrating was securing a sponsor, enabling me to buy the aircraft, only then having them pull out. But it was all part and parcel of the project… However, I managed to acquire the aircraft in the summer of 2018 and paid for it up front, which meant that the trip was now on. But had I bitten off more than I could chew? Quite possibly. But my motivation for the trip was at an all-time high.

As with all of my other adventures I had more than a single motivation for completing this circumnavigation.

This wasn’t solely about proclaiming ‘look at me’ and being able to fulfil my own dreams of being a British adventurer doing ‘another’ challenge. As well as my other challenges I also do a lot of work with young people, plus I am an ambassador for the Scouts.

My main mission was to inspire one million young people around the world to pursue their own goals and dreams. I planned to achieve this by giving talks in schools en route, using my YouTube channel, as well as June 2020 | FLYER | 53

Flying Adventure

Previous page Provideniya Bay in Russia Above Rain and cloud in the mountains of Russia do not make for a good combination Right Selfie above the clouds Below left Having fun while speaking to students in Russia Below right First Russian gift!

54 | FLYER | June 2020

the mainstream media in a bid to achieve this one million figure.

I was due to depart from Popham in October 2018, but as some people were suggesting that I didn’t have enough flying experience I then decided to take the gyro to the South of France as a training flight. However, I got stuck in bad weather and had my first real scare. I flew over a small mountain and on the other side I got caught in a strong downdraught. It was the first time that I had felt out of control. The ground was fast coming up at me and I had to quickly increase power. The incident was a reality check for me and I realised that I wasn’t yet ready to fly around the world. I arrived home thinking, ‘I’m really not sure I can do this’.

It was the first time I actually contemplated ‘how can I get out of it?’ But I knew this was my ‘brain’ talking and not my heart, although I was well aware it was never going to be easy. By this point I had built a fantastic support network around me, with some highly experienced people and sponsors assisting and guiding me – not to mention thousands of young people who were already following my progress. I was at my first real testing point. I started flying as much as possible to build hours, and would be in the aircraft at every opportunity.

So with some more flying hours under my belt, 180 hours in total, and feeling confident, I finally took off from Popham on 31 March 2019.

Complex planning

Planning the route around the world was a complicated task. I wanted to route through Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Pakistan, Thailand, Japan, Singapore, then up into Russia – but Pakistan had shut all its airspace down a month before I was due to go. There was no way around. Going north would take me through the Himalayas, and I didn’t have the range to go from Dubai to India. In short, it forced me to look at alternative options. Russia was opening its space to general aviation and it became an option to cut out all the tricky countries and fly through Europe. With the help of

“Planning the route around the world was a complicated task, I wanted to route through Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Pakistan, Thailand, Japan, Singapore, then up into Russia – but Pakistan had shut all its airspace down a month before I was due to go” Left Flying over the Moscow skyline

June 2020 | FLYER | 55

Flying Adventure

Above The impressive final mountain range before the Bering Sea Right Bering Sea Far right Flying over Poland Below Navigating through thunderstorms in Russia

56 | FLYER | June 2020

General Aviation Services Egypt and MAC Aviation we were able to route the whole way through Russia. This was a complete game changer for me and without their help I would not have been able to fly around the world.

Yes, I was the man in the seat, but there were people in the background who made it happen and to whom I will be forever grateful.

I was joined in Moscow by a friend, Norman Surplus, who was in his own aircraft and had tried to fly through Russia during a previous attempt to fly around the world some years earlier. This was an opportunity for him to finally get the chance to fly through the country which had stopped him completing his own circumnavigation.

For a lot of Russia we were outside radio coverage, so I was relaying to airliners. I was at the end of the world in Siberia but talking to a British Airways pilot, relaying my position to air traffic controllers. When I was below them I could hear their transmissions. I was anxious about the procedures in Russia, mainly the radio work, but it turned out to be very straightforward in the end.

We were the two luckiest gyro pilots… Seeing Russia from above was an inspiring sight. We flew over thousands of miles of forests and eventually through the coldest place on Earth, Oymyakon, where the temperature falls to an average of -50˚C. Once we reached the US, and after flying for two months together and a whole lot of fun, Norman had finished and I was on my own.

In order to set an official FAI (Fédération Aéronautique Internationale) record for my circumnavigation I needed to fly a certain number of miles (19,870nm), which is the equivalent distance of the Tropic of Cancer. The FAI governs all aviation records so it was critical that my flight complied with all the rules set out.

If I had flown straight across the US from the West Coast to the East Coast, I would have arrived home short of mileage. As it happened I have a soft spot for the US, as I had already cycled across the country twice. So I decided to set myself a goal of landing in every mainland

state – 49 of them to be precise. I managed to achieve this and in doing so met some wonderful people. The kindness and generosity that was lavished on me was incredible. I’ll be repaying favours for the rest of my life.

I was now homeward bound on the last big hurdle. I still needed to get back across the Atlantic, which could be achieved by flying from Canada to Greenland, Iceland, Faroe Islands and Scotland. I literally raced around America to ensure that I was able to come back across the Atlantic before the early winter weather started to roll in. I was regularly flying back-to-back 500nm days in the US, and it had started to take its toll on me.

The hardest thing for me was dealing with the workload. Once my flying days had finished, I was editing videos to get them up on YouTube, interacting with children from schools, and where possible I was speaking at events so as to fulfil sponsorship commitments.

The accumulative fatigue was starting to take its toll, which meant I was lethargic and tired all the time. Now that I had bigger, longer flights coming up over vast stretches of water I was slightly nervous.

When I was actually flying these legs I had a lot of adrenaline running through me, which was great for flying as it kept me alert and awake. However, as soon as I landed and the excitement wore off, I could hardly keep my eyes open.

The actual flying of the aircraft from A to B was the easiest part of the project – it was on the ground that it was tricky. Every time I landed I needed to tell the same story again and again, often so that I could get the support of the ground handlers to ensure that a hangar could be secured for the aircraft and that my needs were met with fuel, transfers and so on. The entire process was a long one. It was not uncommon to still be at the airport trying to sort things out two hours after landing. By far, the easiest country to fly through was the US, it is organised really well to accommodate General Aviation.

Almost as if someone was looking down on me, I got Left Big Diomede and Little Diomede taken from the Russian side

June 2020 | FLYER | 57

Flying Adventure

Above Selfie while passing the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco Left Approaching Nome, Alaska, five minutes from landing Below Circling the Statue of Liberty in New York

an amazing weather window and flew back-to-back days from Canada to Iceland. The weather was not so kind flying from Kulusuk (Greenland) to Reykjavik, as it had deteriorated, but I managed to make it to Iceland, and I have never been so pleased to see land.

That was the only flight around the world where I felt out of my comfort zone. My friend and helicopter pilot, Peter Wilson, who flew around the world in a Robinson R66 in 2017, had been working with Eddie at GASE to monitor the weather over these difficult stretches. When he called me and said ‘well done you’re almost home’, it began to feel like a point in the trip where I thought I might actually manage to do this!

Engine noise…

Due to the weather I took two days off in Reykjavik and managed to get some much-needed rest. The next stop was Vagar in the Faroe Islands and another lengthy

Journey details Longest flight Iqaluit (Canada) to Nuuk (Greenland) 497nm via Frobisher Bay Highest flight Preston (Idaho USA) to Rock Springs (Wyoming USA) 11,000ft AMSL Fuel used Mostly avgas but mogas where possible Total flying miles for trip 24,000nm Total flying 375 hours Kit used: ■ Garmin 795 ■ iPad mini, with Runway HD and Garmin Pilot ■ Helmet: Alpha Eagle ■ Tracking device: Garmin InReach Mini ■ Sat Phone: Iridium Go

58 | FLYER | June 2020

Flying Adventure

“On 22 September 2019, 175 days after setting off, I was escorted into Popham by a helicopter and a couple of gyrocopters to cheering crowds who were waiting below”

Left Popham arrival

Andrew Wilkinson

water crossing. Apart from monitoring 121.500 on the radio there was really nobody to talk to, so to take my mind off the engine noise I used audiobooks and ended up listening to Elon Musk’s autobiography during the entire Atlantic crossing.

I found myself stuck in Vagar for a week as Hurricane Doreen passed through. When I eventually departed it was only two-and-a-half hours later before I found myself looking at the Scottish coast… It was quite a surreal feeling to be back in the UK. By this point I was very comfortable flying over water, my Magni M16 was incredibly reliable, in fact the only tech issue I had was a puncture in Warsaw.

A few days later on 22 September 2019, 175 days after setting off, I was escorted into Popham by a helicopter and a couple of gyrocopters to cheering crowds who were waiting below.

The whole way around the world, I had been wondering what it would be like to fly back into Popham. On the day I arrived it was raining hard, but many people had come out to see my arrival despite the poor forecast. Popham had never looked so good. Seeing all my friends and family really was a magical moment, the stress and pressure suddenly disappeared and was replaced with an overwhelming feeling of happiness.

I had completed my mission AND set an official FAI World Record: The first speed record around the world.

This project taught me that if you really believe in something and you never give up, it’s highly likely that you will succeed.

The one flying moment that will stick with me forever was flying the New York VFR corridor along the Hudson River. Flying around the Statue of Liberty, looking down at all the tourists, I could see them looking up at me, probably thinking ‘what on Earth is that thing?’ – I circled the statue four times.

Then I headed up the Hudson River looking up at the famous skyline. It really was a day that I had to pinch myself, was this really happening? It sure was…

June 2020 | FLYER | 59

Flying Adventure

Left Cheers!

Middle Media interview at Popham Bottom Team Magni at the finish

The other moment of the trip that I will never forget was visiting a school in Siberia. The school building itself looked dilapidated like an abandoned building.

I walked in with the Education Minister for the city, and there were puddles of water on the floor and even electricity cables running along the ground and floors.

We walked through a wooden door and there was a group of school children sitting quietly reading.

They were incredibly polite and respectful. I gave a talk to them through a translator and I remember one little girl who had the biggest smile on her face for the whole talk.

I will never see her again but I hope she remembers the crazy British man who shared stories of fun and adventure with them.

An eventful six years…

2010 Solo row across the Atlantic from La Gomera to Antigua, 3,000 miles taking 110 days.

2011 Successfully climbed Mount Everest reaching the summit at 0830 local time on 16 May. 2012:Cycled across America from San Diego (California) to St Augustine (Florida).

2013 Completed an unsupported cycle around the world in six months, covering 18,000 miles 2015 Attempted to row across the Indian Ocean from Western Australia to Mauritius. Rescued after the boat capsized.

2016 Attempted to pedalo across the Atlantic Ocean from Gran Canaria to Antigua. Rescued half-way across due to partner becoming unwell and needing medical evacuation.

2016 Attempted to row solo around Great Britain, attempt abandoned after one week due to illness.

2016 Cycled around the coast of Great Britain.

Just some of the stops…

9

10

6 11

4 1

2

3

5

8

1 Popham 2 Friedrichshafen 3 Warsaw

60 | FLYER | June 2020

4 Tartu 5 Moscow 6 Nome

7 Anchorage 8 USA - Every state 9 Kulusuk, Greenland

10 Reykjavík, Iceland 11 Vagar, Faroe Islands 1 Popham

7

Top Gear

The latest aviation kit, impartially tested and evaluated

Creating a customised A-2 pilot jacket

Main Completed jacket with desired artwork Above Enrique Sifuentes designed the jacket Left and below From black and white to glorious technicolour, the artwork takes shape

W

hen it comes to the aviators’ wardrobe, there are a few key items that complete the look.

Aviator-style sunglasses, a big watch, and even if it’s summer, a pilot’s jacket! Who can forget Maverick after the volleyball game in Top Gun? For me, I’ve always loved the look of the aircrew jackets from WWII with painted art on the back.

Inspired, I decided to get a personalised jacket for myself.

Early aircraft, with their open cockpits were cold places to be. Jackets were a necessity to protect pilots from cold temperatures, wind and the oil flying back from the engine!

There are several types of aviation jackets and materials used. Styles changed following the evolution of aviation, from open cockpits to high altitude flights, from radials to the jet era, from leather to nylon. But if you can only have one jacket in your wardrobe, you want the iconic A-2.

The Type A-2 flying jacket was standardised by the US Army Air Corps as a successor to the A-1 (Charles Lindbergh was wearing one during the first solo transatlantic flight in 1927). The US Army Air Forces Class 13 Catalogue listed the A-2 as ‘Jacket, Flying, Type A-2’, with Spec. No. 94-3040. It also describes the jacket material as ‘seal brown

62 | FLYER | June 2020

horsehide leather, knitted wristlets and waistband (skirt)’. Sizes were listed in even numbers from 32 to 54.

It was designed for the average American man from the 1930s. A slim, tight fit with a relaxed shoulder line – and short, to complement the high waisted trousers of that era.

The back is cut from a single piece of leather, as are the two front pieces, and the sleeves are cut into just two pieces. It was lined with pure silk, and the uppers were cut from vegetable-tanned or chrome-tanned horsehide. The original colour of the leather was called ‘seal brown’, but contracts to produce the A-2s were awarded to different factories, which resulted in minor differences in shades and detail, such as the collars or the zips.

Changing times

With the start of WWII, the demand for horsehide increased and silk was reserved for parachutes. Consequently, the Type A-2 jacket specifications were adapted to also accept leather from goats and cotton linings.

Flight crews received jackets after completing their basic flight training. Worn with pride, many would personalise them to match the nose art on their aircraft. The sizeable one-piece back was the perfect canvas for such artwork.

In 1943, the production of the A-2 jacket was discontinued, replaced by the B-10 and B-15 fabric jackets. While the A-2 jacket was only in production from 1931 to 1943, it became a classic for pilots.

I confess, I am one of those pilots who like to look the part, and I’m also a big collector of WWII memorabilia. I own several jackets from that period. Like the pilots in WWII, I wanted to personalise my Eastman A-2 (one of the best reproductions you can buy which is correct down to the last detail).

When it was time to decorate my A-2, I knew the elements I wanted on it. My 1952 Cessna 170B is nicknamed Lady Jade in honour of my daughter, so of course I wanted her as part of the art on my back! The inspiration to combine all these elements came from the beautiful posters created every year for La Ferte Alais Airshow by artist Romain Hugualt.

Available as an eBook

“Enrique combines classic and modern techniques in his designs, starting with pen and ink and finishing the details on a computer” Having a clear idea in my mind for the design, I looked for the artists who could make it real. Without a doubt I knew who was going to be the designer – Enrique Sifuentes. A ‘citizen of the world’, he was born in Torreon Coahuila, Mexico, from Spanish grandparents.

From an early age he was fascinated with aircraft and design, and like so many of us, radio control models were part of his childhood. Trained in industrial design, Enrique lives in Austin, Texas. While his full-time work is still industrial design, he now spends his afternoons drawing and painting aircraft for several clients around the world.

Enrique combines classic and modern techniques in his designs, starting with pen and ink and finishing the details on a computer. I sent him several photos of my aeroplane and daughter. He was very patient as we exchanged multiple messages and emails adjusting the details until he perfectly captured the idea I had in my mind.

Spirit of the artists

With Enrique’s design ready, it was then time to find an artist to paint the jacket. I spent several weeks surfing the net – there is no lack of talent out there. I wanted an artist with an old soul, with the same spirit of the artists painting the jackets for pilots during WWII. One day I spotted a fantastic jacket by an artist called Rocka on Facebook. Rocka had just the perfect style.

Adelja Rockas was born in northern Germany, and lived in London during the 1990s. She used to attend the Rockabilly festival in Hemsby on the English coast (her artist name Rocka is short for Rockabilly). Hot Rodders wore painted jackets, she got hooked with the vibe and wanted one for herself. After collecting books about pin-up girls, nose art and flight jackets, she still couldn’t find anyone who wanted to paint her jacket. So, she decided to pick up her own brush and give it a

try. Initially, she just painted for her friends, but soon the demand to have jackets painted by her grew and she is kept busy painting for customers.

Adelja told me, “Most of the time, customers come up with a specific idea of how the painting should look on the jacket. If not, we look at books together searching for inspiration. I paint history and stories.”

After chatting via email, Adelja agreed to paint my jacket, but told me there was a waiting period of several weeks. I wasn’t surprised. I ordered a new Eastman A-2 jacket from Eastman Leather in England for delivery to Adelja – then patiently waited my turn.

Her technique includes regular brushes, flexible acrylic paints from different manufacturers, plus lots of creativity. When the work is finished, it is sealed, making the final art weatherproof and durable. With wear and use, like a Polaroid over time, the vintage effect of an authentic, historical flight jacket develops.

So after several months working on this project, exchanging emails from Hong Kong to Texas and Frankfurt, my jacket arrived. I couldn’t be more pleased with the results.

I am sure that the art created by Enrique and Adelja would get a thumbs up from any WWII flight crew member.

Leonardo Correa Luna

More info Adelja

A View from the Hover My Life inAviation

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T

he first digital version of British aviation icon John Farley’s acclaimed autobiography is now available for download from Amazon for the Kindle, and from Apple’s iBooks store, in an enhanced version featuring exclusive introductory videos and vintage footage.

This thrilling, career-spanning autobiography of one of the world’s most respected test pilots, notably on the Harrier, is full of insider knowledge, real-life flying stories and hard-won technical advice, plus exclusive introductory videos and vintage footage galore.

This book features his incredibly valuable thoughts about and explanations of a range of traditionally tricky subjects, from aerodynamics to the Private Pilot’s Licence syllabus.

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June 2020 | FLYER | 63

By Association Looking after General Aviation The UK’s flying associations at work

AOPA Supporting GA during COVID-19 crisis AOPA has been looking at what the government’s recent announcements may mean for General Aviation businesses, as far as we understand it.

High level announcements often lack important details that everyone can relate to.

The requirement is to stay at home – only going out for essential reasons. Flying GA aircraft, no matter how passionate you are, will not be considered essential unless you are involved in a mission to save lives. So, do your bit to save lives – stay at home and follow the government’s advice. The reason why this message is often repeated is down to the fact

that many people continue to ignore it. Some pilots think flying on their own is the same as self-isolating, but it isn’t. They ignore the fact that should an incident occur they may require the services of the NHS and emergency services, at a time when decisions are being made in hospitals about which individual gets a bed.

The regulators (CAA /EASA/FAA) are aware of the problems and I believe that they will offer some solutions eventually. AOPA has written to the CAA about suspending all of their charges, not just extending the period in which they will increase them.

We understand that the CAA is funded by

the users and the downturn in activity will put pressure on their income – they need direct government support too. The Secretary of State for Transport, an aircraft owner and pilot, is best placed to address this matter, and is ‘the right man at the right time’. However, these are unprecedented times and we should all exercise patience. Be safe. Martin Robinson

Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association www.aopa.co.uk

BMAA Keep the wheels turning Due to the unprecedented health problems, at least within my lifetime, we had to postpone the BMAA AGM until some time later in the year when we are on the other side of coronavirus.

Council elections will take place electronically, together with the proposals that would have been put to the AGM in person.

Missing out on a formal presentation in May will be our BMAA award winners. The Keith Negal Trophy ‘For getting things done’ going to Allan Gilruth, and the Brian Cosgrove Award ‘Awarded to the sport’s

unsung hero or heroine’ going to James Clewer.

Well done to Allan and James.

We have now received the applications for the BMAA Young Person’s Flight Training Bursary for 2020. We will be reviewing each against criteria, including enthusiasm for microlight flying. Several of the 2019 winners are already licensed and flying. We like to encourage the young in an attempt to dilute the average hair colour to a little less grey.

Continuing with our youth involvement we have awarded Benenden School in Kent a second ‘New Horizons’ Build-a-Plane project.

This is our fifth aircraft built by youngsters.

Like the Flight Training Bursary, the Build-aPlane project has already encouraged young builders to take up microlight flying and we are sure that our investment is a good one.

As almost everyone is now working from home, hopefully it won’t be long until we can commute again! Geoff Weighell

British Microlight Aircraft Association www.bmaa.org

LAA After COVID-19…

It is hard to comprehend the scale and the tragedy of the global COVID-19 pandemic. In some respects, in comparison with stemming the tide of the disease, leisure flying pales into insignificance. However, our whole flying community is going to face significant challenges once the ‘lockdown’ comes to an end.

Planning in preparation for that has included discussion with the CAA on extending licensing and medical deadlines.

There is likely to be a shortfall of instructors and examiners to validate licences and of AMEs to catch up with a backlog of out-of-

date medicals, once restrictions are lifted.

Sensible extensions would allow pilots to maintain a valid licence and hence proficiency.

There would be a minimal safety loss and a significant safety benefit in reducing the loss of flying continuity and currency and, most important of all, keep us flying.

There is a good precedent. CASA in Australia have announced that if a private pilot’s current flight review or proficiency check expires after 1 March 2020, they will be able to continue to use all the privileges of their licence for a further three months after it expires. If, after these three months a further extension is required, these arrangements could be

extended, by application, perhaps under an instructor’s counter-signature, for a further three months.

In the meantime, let’s make sure we all keep in touch with our flying, and maybe ex-flying friends, offering help and support to those who might need to be isolated. Let’s look after ourselves, our friends and fellow flyers. Stay safe. Steve Slater

Light Aircraft Association www.lightaircraftassociation.co.uk

Aviation associations Got something to say? You’re welcome to contribute to this page, email editor@seager.aero 64 | FLYER | June 2020

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That Worst Day

Spa day treat?

As X splashed the cash on a ‘spa’ for his beloved aircraft, he decided to do the same for his wife – who always referred to his TB20 as ‘the mistress’.

But he almost lost both his beloveds in the process…

Words Steve Kinross

W

hy not? X thought. After a long winter X spotted an advert for the detailing crew. Their pitch was simple. For a few hundred pounds, they’d turn up and make your aircraft sparkle. X was even willing to pay more, where they promised to ‘clay bar’ the paint and apply a ‘ceramic paint treatment’. X was sold on the idea of making the paint look like new again. It sounded like quite a spa day for his TB20. X smiled when he thought about what the aircraft’s spa day was costing and his wife’s name for it – ‘the mistress’. Feeling a need to head off any spousal/aircraft jealousy, X planned a spa weekend in France for his wife, too. So, the TB20’s ‘spa’ would finish at noon on Thursday, and they’d depart on Friday.

During the week, X was impressed by the detail that went into such a job.

But, it became clear that ‘Thursday midday’ was an aspirational goal. X wasn’t surprised that on Thursday evening he found the crew working late.

Even so, when X and his wife turned up the next morning ready to go, the last cleaner was already there, trying to finish up.

He and X worked around each other, cleaning and loading etc. Soon enough, X and the Mrs were calling for engine start in possibly the shiniest TB20 in all of Blighty.

The day brought an 800ft ceiling and a bit of mist and drizzle. X felt a bit guilty taking the aircraft out into the weather as it looked so lovely. But eager to keep the peace between wife and ‘mistress’, the only correct answer was to be on his way – rain or not. X wasn’t at all bothered by the weather. The freezing level was plenty high, and with the EFIS, WAAS GPS and autopilot that X had upgraded a few years ago, he was confident in his equipment. Soon enough X was at the holding point, warmed up, route programmed into the GPS and ready to depart.

X lined up on the runway, advanced power a bit, checked Ts and Ps, and then released the brakes. A moment after lifting off, X retracted the gear, checked that the flight director was set for a reasonable pitch attitude and in heading

mode and engaged the autopilot. Looking at the airspeed, X realised that something was wrong, it was much slower than it should be. The aeroplane felt just fine, but the airspeed was slowly unwinding. X knew the TB20 well and knew that pitch plus power equals performance, so X just held the attitude he had and kept climbing. After a moment, X realised that he not only was having trouble with his airspeed, but the altimeter was still showing field elevation.

X hadn’t even processed this thought when the autopilot disconnect tone sounded, and at the same time a red X replaced EFIS Airspeed, Altitude and Attitude. X looked at the unloved turn and bank in the corner of his instrument

never actually loaded the approach into the GPS. He knew where he was because of the waypoints displayed on the screen, but he hadn’t actually loaded the approach. X set to work on this, but managed to activate the approach from a waypoint behind the aircraft. X felt the flush of frustration and set to activating the proper waypoint. The faster X clicked buttons the more he got lost in menus. X was about to give up when he stumbled upon the ‘activate-vectors-tofinal’ option, which gave him just what he was looking for. He looked up to see the turn and bank buried hard over to the left and the wind noise growing. X rolled to level the wings and instinctively slapped the gear selector into the

“Looking at the airspeed, X realised that something was wrong, it was much slower than it should be”

66 | FLYER | June 2020

panel and realised it had been quite some time since he had thought about partial panel flying, let alone actually practised it. For a moment allowing the aircraft’s natural stability to sort out the pitch attitude and gingerly holding the wings more or less level by using the turn and bank seemed to be working. X declared a Mayday and requested vectors for a GPS approach.

X was flummoxed, this sort of failure wasn’t supposed to be possible. Using the GPS track, GPS altitude, the moving map and lots of help from the controller, X managed to get himself in a position to join the final approach. As the aircraft neared final it dawned on X that he had

down position. With a sickening whoosh, the gear came out of the wells and almost right away, X could hear the wind noise decrease noticeably.

Suddenly, the aeroplane popped into the clear and filled the windscreen with green fields.

X reflexively pulled back on the yoke, and the wing popped loudly in protest. X expected the wing to fail completely, but it held together.

Warily, he half scud ran, half shot the instrument approach he’d worked hard to load into the GPS. Rolling clear of the runway, X saw the ripples in the wing that weren’t there before and realised how close he was to losing his wife and ‘mistress’ on the same spa trip.

1 What happened to the instruments?

2 Why was the attitude indicator affected?

3 What single action would have resolved all the trouble?

Mark Mitchell

Questions

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Free Landings In association with

Here’s a great chance to visit a new airfield – for free! Simply hand in a voucher on arrival and enjoy a new destination. The vouchers are valid during June 2020, although not at an aircraft’s home field.

No jets. Please contact the airfield before setting off To use the Landing Fees from FLYER for iOS and Android, simply email a screenshot of these pages to freelandings@seager.aero. You’ll then be sent a PDF with your name on, to print and show at the airfields

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CROSLAND MOOR

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01799 510756 | www.vintagefabrics.co.uk Audley End is an 800m grass strip amid the rolling hills of Essex, just south of Audley End House and Estate, a short drive from Saffron Waldron. Visiting pilots are very welcome, but PPR by phone is required as it’s on the edge of Stansted CTR. Squawk 7010. Please don’t overfly the House or the local school. There’s always a cup of tea of available and plenty of parking. Visitors are welcome to take a look at the aircraft being restored by Vintage Fabrics.

Nearby attraction Audley End House and Gardens, and Saffron Waldron is just a mile’s walk away, with taxis available if required.

PPR 07803 581739 Radio Safetycom 135.480 / Essex Radar 120.625

01484 645784 | www.croslandmoor-airfield.co.uk Crosland Moor Airfield is a privately owned airfield built in the 1940s for David Brown (the DB in Aston Martin). Situated in the Pennines, the airfield has one runway, 07/25, which is part grass and part tarmac. The Terminal 2 building is a static caravan, offering tea and coffeemaking facilities, a comfortable arrival/ departure lounge, plus en suite bedroom if an overnight stay is needed. All aircraft welcome – PPR is essential – open seven days a week.

Nearby attractions the beautiful Pennines! Walking and bike trails are nearby, as is a cafe where pilots get a 10 per cent discount on food.

PPR 01484 645784 a/g 128.375 UL

A

M

Radio Accepts non-radio light aircraft, but PPR

68 | FLYER | June 2020

PPR Prior permission is required

Refreshments Including restaurants and cafes etc

Microlights are welcome

A

UL

Fuel Aviation fuel available A avgas, UL UL91, M mogas

While you’re there When you visit these six airfields, why not show your support by enjoying a meal in the cafe or filling up with fuel?

It’s good to support GA in the UK.

Free Landings

Fife (Glenrothes) is an unlicensed airfield with a hard 700x18m runway for daylight use, with limited overnight hangarage and the Tipsy Nipper bar/restaurant. Fife offers PPL training and trial lessons with experienced instructors.

Visiting pilots should obtain a local noise abatement briefing. Fuel available onsite.

Radio only, please. Please phone for PPR and to check local parachute ops.

Nearby attractions The glorious Highlands, with superb walking and climbing possibilities, are only 20 minutes away.

PPR 01592 610436 Radio 130.455

A

01832 280634 | www.peterboroughflyingschool.com Peterborough Sibson was established back in the 1960s and now offers visiting pilots a warm welcome. With two grass runways, which are longer than they look in Pooleys, there are a few considerations for visiting pilots but details are on the website. Avgas is available, as is good food, except Monday and Tuesday.

Microlights and helicopters are welcome but be aware of the parachute drop zone to the north. PPR required.

Nearby attractions include Nene Valley Railway, Peterborough Show Ground, Elton Hall and a selection of good local pubs.

PPR 01832 280634 Radio 120.330

A

Free Landing

Sherburn-in-Elmet

01977 682674 | EGCJ | www.sherburnaeroclub.com Sherburn Aero Club is open all year for visiting pilots. PPR isn’t required but check the circuit diagrams before your first visit. The cafe/bar is open daily, serving breakfasts, hot and cold snacks, and three-course meals. Avgas 100LL and Jet A1 available. Overnight parking available (bring your own tie-downs) for visitors who want to experience North Yorks’ scenery and history. Visitors are welcome to our summer events, see the website for details.

Nearby attractions The Yorkshire Dales and moors, York and Leeds, castles, abbeys and historic Houses PPR 01977 682674 (non-radio only) Radio 122.600

A

Win! A print or digital Pooleys UK Flight Guide QUESTION: What is the distance between Fife and Eshott in nautical miles?

To enter, post your answer, name, address and email details to Pooleys June Competition, FLYER, 9 Riverside Court, Lower Bristol Road, Bath BA2 3DZ, or send an email to competitions@seager.aero The closing date is 20 May 2020.

The winner’s name and address will be passed to Pooleys, then deleted from Seager’s database. Pooleys will send the winner their prize and, in order to do so, also offer to supply them with further information about the company’s products and services.

ESHOTT

Free Landing

Peterborough Sibson

FIFE

01592 753792 | EGPJ | www.fifeairport.co.uk

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4 3 26 5

Valid June 2020

A

PETERBOROUGH SIBSON

Nearby attractions include Burgham Park Golf & Leisure Club.

Alnwick Castle & Gardens and Newcastle city centre. Good B&Bs nearby.

Radio a/g 122.850

SHERBURN-IN-ELMET

Eshott Airfield, Northumberland’s regional airport, is situated eighteen miles north of Newcastle. It’s Northumberland’s main sport aviation centre, with two tarmac and one grass runways, and the ability to cater for all kinds of private aircraft, from microlights to twins, gyros and helicopters. Visitors receive a warm welcome, tea and coffee is always available and at weekends the clubhouse is bustling with members and visitors. PPR required.

1

The winner for April 2020 is: Robin Nichols, Staines, Middlesex.

June 2020 | FLYER | 69

Valid June 2020

01670 787881 | www.eshottairfield.co.uk

Valid June 2020

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Eshott

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QSY Imperial War Museum

For the funny, the weird, the wonderful and the just plane strange…

The Kamikaze aircraft that got away

A

s an air force pilot selected to fly an unusual new type of aircraft, one with a special wartime mission, you might give at least a thumbs up. But maybe not for the pilots of the Yokosuka MXY7 Ohka Model 11.

It’s a single-seat suicide attack aircraft – Kamikaze. The Ohka was deployed by Japan against Allied ships towards the end of WWII. It was powered by three solid fuel rocket motors and had a 1,200kg Ammonal warhead in the nose. The pilot simply flew it straight at a ship... and died.

It was designed to be air-launched by a Mitsubishi bomber, which strangely had the

Main The Okha was built around the warhead, the tiny cockpit, the rocket and fuel - and flew fast straight at its target ship Inset IWM’s restoration team had a major task on their hands

friendly name of Betty.

The Okha’s wings and tail are made entirely of wood and flying surfaces from fabriccovered plywood. The fuselage is aluminium. Approximately 755 of the Model 11 Ohka were built but not many survived – not surprising given the mission.

However, at least one did and it has been carefully restored by the Imperial War Museum (IWM) and is now hanging in the atrium of IWM London, alongside other WWII aircraft

including a Spitfire, Hurricane and V2 Rocket. It’s the first time the Okha has gone on display.

This aircraft was brought to the UK from the Far East shortly after the war for evaluation at the Royal Aircraft Establishment before making its way to the IWM. Restoration involved major structural work with the fuselage being completely disassembled, de-corroded, cleaned and then riveted back together.

Some missing components have been replicated by the IWM’s conservation team, including the rocket motor exhausts and bomb nose.

For more information visit: www.iwm.org.uk

Heroes & Villains HERO Paddy Elliott celebrated his 95th birthday in March – and is still flying. A director of South Warwickshire Flying School at Wellesbourne Aerodrome, Paddy holds a current aviation medical and has been in continuous employment since the age of 16. Paddy was a toolmaker for the Austin Motor Company when he first came into contact with aeroplanes as part of the war effort. Following a 50-year career, he retired from Rover Cars in 1988 and came to learn

to fly and take up his new job at Wellesbourne.

VILLAIN Henrietta Mitaire, 23, was found guilty of attacking a Swiss airline pilot after being told she could not take a buggy into the cabin. She was described as a ‘very angry woman’ at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court, where she was given a four-month sentence suspended for one year, after being convicted of assault.

HERO Extreme fundraiser Carl Thomas, right on a previous pull, from Manchester is

seeking to break the Guinness World Record and run a marathon while pulling a light aircraft at Elvington on 10 June (coronavirus restrictions permitting). The full runway and taxiways will be used to raise both funds for the charity Ollie’s Army and to raise awareness of Batten Disease. FLYER reader Andy Torkington is involved in organising the event and is asking the GA community to support this event and consider donating time and a suitable light aircraft. Contact Andy by email: ajt1973@hotmail.co.uk

Legal eagle says time to clip his wings…

Aviation lawyer Tim Scorer has received the Michael Wheatley award from the British Business Aviation Association (BBGA) for services to General Aviation, supporting OEMs, airlines, private flyers and the BBGA itself.

Tim has successfully combined a long legal career with a love of aviation and enjoyment of flying as a private pilot. He earned his PPL aged 30, at his local airfield in Ipswich training on a vintage Auster aircraft and ended up owning several other, more modern, aircraft.

Tim has a current PPL and flies from Earls Colne, near Colchester, but is conscious of his age and is considering ‘quitting while I am still ahead’.

Top Tim Scorer with fellow aviation lawyer Aoife O’Sullivan

That Worst Day answers (from p66)

1 What happened to the instruments? The cleaner had covered the static ports with tape.

2 Why was the attitude indicator affected? Some EFIS systems are dependent on airspeed to help determine attitude.

3 What single action would have resolved all the trouble?

Open the alternate static source.

Send your QSY submissions to QSY, 9 Riverside Court, Lower Bristol Road, Bath BA2 3DZ or to qsy@seager.aero 74 | FLYER | June 2020

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