END OF AN ERA SPORT PILOT CHANGES HANDS - BOARD NOMINATIONS OPEN - Australian Sport Pilot Magazine
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RECREATIONAL AVIATION AUSTRALIA / JUNE 2018 VOL 82 [6]
END OF AN ERA
SPORT PILOT CHANGES HANDS
RRP $8.80 inc GST
BOARD NOMINATIONS OPEN CELEBRATING WOMEN OF THE ATA RAAUS SMS BECOMES AN ASMS
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ON THE COVER
13 END OF AN ERA
RAAus chooses new
magazine supplier
“ M and M Media will
commence production
of the magazine in
July 2018”
Brad Shephard’s beautiful
Jabiru at Bathurst airport after
arriving from west of Forbes. He
does the trip ones a week.
Photo: Brad Shephard
Tickets on sale for AirVenture
14 40 Climbing on the roof
REGULARS Australia 2018 L EI G H TAY LO R
7 Chairman’s report 15 New product Runwaymap app 54 Insidious EDA
8 Calendar of events 15 PDPs going strong PE T E RO B ER T S
11 Letters to the Editor
66 Happy Landings FEATURE STORIES FLY-INS
18 A viper with fangs 16 Grafton Wings and Wheels
COLUMNISTS B RI A N B I G G KE V IN WIL S O N
Editor’s choice
42 22 The evolution of aerofoils Part 1
B RI A N B I G G
44 Pilot talk
DAV ID H O U STO N EXTRAS
28 Eager for the air 15 Digital directions
T HE O P S T E A M A L A N B E T T ERID G E 34 Poster Dawn Patrol
45 Professor Avius 33 RAAus launches ASMS G A RY M C A R T H U R
52 Home builder PHIL IP FOX , N AT I O N A L 55 Aviation Classifieds
DAV E ED M U ND S S A F E T Y M A N AG ER 62 Where is CAGIT?
33 On the ground and running RO D WA RD
BOARD ELECTIONS T RE VO R B A N G E 65 Quiz
46 Information pack for nominees 37 Flying the Monlas
51 Nomination form RO B KNI G H T
NEWS READER STORIES
12 Improvements across the board 21 Professional isolation
MI C H A EL L INKE , C EO R A L PH B U RNE T T
13 New era for Sport Pilot 25 A trip into the wrong airspace
MI C H A EL L INKE , C EO NEIL D E A RB ERG
13 Clifton to Wellcamp on again 27 Being a better communicator
KE V IN M C G R AT H G REG O’ S H A NNE S SY
Sport Pilot Magazine is an official publication of
Recreational Aviation Australia Ltd.
EDITOR
Brian Bigg
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3 / SPORT PILOT
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RECREATIONAL
AVIATION AUSTRAL
IA / JUNE 2018
VOL 82 [6]
TECHNICAL MANAGER
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EN D OF AN ER A techmgr@raa.asn.au
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especially those pertaining to CASA and RAAus. NOTE: All aircraft featured in the magazine are registered and legally permitted to fly. However, photographs of them
may be altered without notice for editorial purposes. The Editor’s Choice column is designed to draw attention to potential safety issues through exaggeration and
humour and is not meant to be historically accurate.
4 / SPORT PILOT
CH AIRMAN ’ S REPORT
Waiting for the comet
BY MIC HAEL MONC K
I
F I stood in front of a crowd of aviators and declared that avia- tion at all and nor is the mentality we seem to employ to promote
tion was thriving, I would no doubt get shouted down. ourselves.
It’s a ludicrous statement, right? If I instead announced that I often hear arguments that we need to unite as an industry. In-
aviation was dying, I would probably get a much better reception. deed, I made the very same argument some years ago, which is how
That’s how Trump got elected. It’s controversial, eye raising and at- AirVenture came to be. We do need to unite. The problem I also see is
tention-grabbing stuff. We are wired to pay attention to things which the way we conduct ourselves is very different to what we say and we
might adversely affect us, so we stand and take notice of these forget the old adage that our actions speak louder than our words.
types of comments. In my view we should have a fly-in somewhere in Australia every
RAAus grew by eight per cent over the past year. RAAus has been single weekend. An aviation event should be going on and we should
getting safer over the past five years. RAAus has created more than participate in it. It doesn’t matter whether it is a large or small gath-
10,000 aviators in the past 10 years. These are all very impressive ering, an Avalon or a Wings Over Illawarra style event, as long as it
numbers if you ask me. Not exactly riveting material and certainly happens. What also matters is that we support each other and not
not the sort of thing that creates headlines. It is just the plain and try to win at all costs, to the detriment of others in our industry. It’s
simple truth. the reason I worked with fellow aviators to start AirVenture and the
But despite this good news, we seem to be obsessed with the same reason we relinquished control of it.
falsehood that we are dying. We’re convinced someone is killing us The structure of AirVenture is such that no single entity can con-
and that someone is CASA. We’re told GA in the US is thriving be- trol it. It is a legal entity in its own right and has multiple beneficiar-
cause of its different regulatory environment. None of that is true. ies, of which RAAus is only one. In other words, we have a strong
We tend to give it more emphasis due to our natural tendency to interest in seeing it succeed, but we do not control it. It is, by design,
try and protect ourselves. Let’s start with the US and get the real an event for aviators by aviators. If it doesn’t succeed then you, as
picture. an aviator, lose. All aviators lose.
In Australia, most general aviation is conducted by piston pow- Despite us stepping back from having an RAAus centric event
ered aircraft. Sure, we have turbo props and so forth, but these are and putting aviation as a whole before our own organisation, some
fairly small in comparison to the rest of the fleet. Of course, this people seem determined to undermine it. This is what is causing
changes when you consider commercial ops, but the share for GA aviation grief in Australia. It has nothing to do with people moving on
is fairly small. from the proverbial horse and cart and into something new. If it did,
The number of aircraft in the US which fall into this category we’re all going to be shocked when personal aerial vehicles such as
peaked in 1984 at 197,442, according to AOPA. Its data, which is those being developed by Lilium, Kitty Hawk, Volocopter, SureFly,
freely available on its website, then shows a steady decline from etc. become mainstream. Because there’s going to be another shift.
that year on. The latest published figures show the total number of We need to stop pointing fingers and focus on real issues. If we
piston aircraft at 155,180. That’s a decline of 21 per cent. In abso- don’t get to the root cause of our problems and start to understand
lute terms, the fall in numbers is more than 42,000 aircraft. that the industry has to accept a role in its own destiny, then we
To put that into context, at the time of writing this there were truly are doomed. Crying foul at the regulator and blaming it for all
15,518 aircraft on the CASA register and a further 3,500 on the our problems is like a kid jumping up and down crying ‘it isn’t fair’.
RAAus register. So the US market shrunk by more than twice the The kid is right in that regulation does cost us money and life is not
size of the entire Australian fleet. If we shrunk by that much we fair, but that is only half the story. GA businesses recently revealed
would have minus 23,000 planes in Australia! If we were to base that aviation agencies, of which CASA is just one, account for just
our arguments on this, we would conclude that the US market is four per cent of their operational expenses. There are clearly other
struggling not thriving. And it doesn’t end there. things going on and the current approach won’t succeed at fixing
In 1984, the same year piston powered aircraft numbers reached them if we ignore them. It’s a not a smart strategy.
their peak, the ‘Experimental’ and ‘Other’ categories totalled only A steady handed approach, with some rational thinking and argu-
6,275 aircraft. Now it sits at 37,610 aircraft and I am sure this will ment, is the way to make progress. Understanding the real issues is
continue to grow. also key. We have seen many airports closing over the past decade.
So, adding the two categories together, the US has actually seen It’s creating access problems, cost pressures and other difficulties
a small decline of around 5,000 aircraft over the period. That’s which are, in my mind, more significant than the four per cent cost of
hardly thriving, but I don’t want to be a fear monger and suggest it regulation. Yet no one is doing much about that issue. There are also
is dying either! other significant challenges ahead and no one is paying attention.
What this says to me is that the landscape is changing. ‘Exper- Things need to change.
imental’ and ‘Other’ includes LSA aircraft, home built and so on. Next time you’re in a forum, at the local club or just chatting
‘Other’, on its own, is a category growing strongly. It has doubled with other aviators and something controversial is said about our
in the period for which AOPA publishes data. While it isn’t as pro- passion, ask that person what their view is based on. What is their
nounced as the transition from the horse and cart to the motor car, background? Why are they qualified to make that statement? Where
it is certainly a transformation which is impossible to deny. So why is the evidence? Is it just a rumour which is distracting us from the
do we believe the rumours about the US thriving and Australian avia- real issues or is it really something worth worrying about? If it is the
tion dying? Because we are only hearing one side of the story. Why? former and it damages things like AirVenture, then question it and
I honestly don’t know. The important thing though, is that if we all push back. After all, if we don’t stand up for an event for aviators,
run around telling people that aviation is a dinosaur and that the by aviators, then who will? And if you stand by and let someone
comet is about to hit, it is a sure-fire way to turn aviation into a destroy aviation, then we will all be dinosaurs, waiting for the comet
dinosaur and cause the sky to fall in. It is not in the interests of avia- to hit.
7 / SPORT PILOT
CA LEN D AR OF EVEN TS
A . 9-10 JUNE
RV FLY-IN
Temora Flyers will host a fly-in for Vans RV
type aircraft. This is a not for profit event. For
more information, Frank Lovell 0400 365
650 or franklovell.00@gmail.com.
B. 22-24 JUNE
WHITSUNDAY AIRPORT SHUTE
HARBOUR FLY-IN
Aviation enthusiasts are invited to fly in
to Whitsunday Airport Shute Harbour for
organised activities. Stunning locations, an
amazing dinner, relaxation or action packed
few days - you choose. For more information,
www.whitsundayairport.com.au.
C. 11 AUGUST
MARYBOROUGH AERO
CLUB WINGS AND WHEELS
Maryborough Aero Club in conjunction
with Ford Motor Club will hold a fly-in
and motor show for lovers of machines
which travel through the air and along
the ground. For more information,
secretary@mayrboroughaeroclub.com or
0417 730 539.
D. 19-31 AUGUST
OUTBACK AIR RACE
The race, which starts in Archerfield,
near Brisbane and finishes in Broome,
WA, is a GPS-based navigation time trial
throughout the outback. 100 competitors
in 42 aircraft, in which pilots nominate an
elapsed time between two visual waypoints,
receiving points for both time and location
accuracy. Since 1996 competitors and
spectators have raised over $2.1 million for
the Royal Flying Doctor Service. For more
information, www.outbackairrace.com.au.
8 / SPORT PILOT
CA LEN D AR OF EVEN TS
E. 29 AUGUST-3
SEPTEMBER B
BIRDSVILLE RACES
C
The Airport Services Group Ballina D
Aero Club will operate the airport E
during the races weekend. Hundreds
of aviators will gather at Birdsville F
to experience the outback. Funds A
G
raised go to aviation charities.
For more information, www.
ballinaaeroclub.org.au/birdsville.
F. 8 SEPTEMBER
60TH ANNIVERSARY
Hastings District Flying Club, Port
Macquarie, is reaching out to all ex
members to provide contact details so
they can be informed of the many planned
activities of the anniversary celebration.
The main event will be a reunion dinner
on September 8. For more information,
president@hdfc.com.au, Rod Davison 0419
632 477 or www.hdfc.com.au.
G. 6-7 OCTOBER
TUMUT VALLEY FLY-IN
Moved from the last weekend in August.
Feature event planned and Saturday
dinner. 24/7 fuel. For more information,
Rod Blundell 0419 135 249 or secretary@
tumutaeroclub.org.au.
9 / SPORT PILOT
Aeroprakt A32 Vixxen
www.foxbat.com.au
Cruise 115+ knots
Stall 27 knots
Carry 210+ kgs after full fuel
Average under 20 litres an hour
Search for Aeroprakt A32 Believe it!L E T T ERS TO TH E ED ITOR
Left to Right, back row: Scott Crew, Cat Attard
(refresher), Mark McLachlan (refresher),
Peter Brookman, David Vreugdenburg, Rob Stewa
rt, Greg Honeychurch
Front row: Kev MacNally, Peter Campbell, Brett
Gilmour, Shane Neaves, Ewold de Wilde and our
host ….Larry J
A worst case situation occurred, as I can’t be moved after landing it on the ground,
ROTAX COURSES remember, to a low hour student doing a because the air is too thin. Conversely, with
ARE POPULAR solo flight in a Bell 47 model helicopter north
of Maroochydore airport. It seems he was
a normal drag max weight load under the
chopper, I have been blown up at 2,000ft per
The 38th WM/Rotax Maintenance course was caught in the downdraught from the large, min with no power going to the main rotor,
held at Strathalbyn in South Australia over the steep nearby hill, crashed and did not survive. which is windmilling - which normally results
weekend of April 14 and 15. in a 1,500 ft/min rate of descent. This while
But I’m sure many an aviator has experienced
A mixture of both local and Interstate, HGFA the opposite effect as well, and not from flying at almost sling load VNE (80kts, max
and RAAus members attended. Thank you to a thermal. The classic example being the drag), while transiting a deep, steep gorge in
Larry from Adelaide AirSports for opening up Morning Glory roll cloud on the eastern coast VMC with a high overcast! I did not see a bird
his hangar and facilities once again and for the of Cape York, which enables gliders to fly airborne in such extreme conditions - another
Southern Districts Flying Club for allowing us to long distances in an almost a straight line at reason to avoid tiger country in light fixed
use their clubrooms. the same altitude using the coastal clouds’ wings, when possible.
We had two refreshers this time, with nine first updraught. There was another great article by Alan
time attendees, and were due to hold another I used a similar updraft, many years ago, Betteridge in the last edition about batteries.
course two weeks later because of an influx when ferry flying at 60kts in Bell 47s, from May I just mention one other caution?
of people wishing to attend. We must also Cairns to Bankstown along uninhabited I would suggest removing any conductor
give a big thank you to Greg for trailering in his coastlines, where I gained up to 5kts using from your fingers or uncovered wrists when
Airborne XT-912 in for the 4-stroke practicals, the updraft from sand dunes, even with only working near uninsulated battery terminals. I
after the weather turned and he was unable to light winds, when flying at a very low level - once almost ruined a good metal watchband
fly in for the course. having a low level endorsement. by momentarily shorting it to earth from a
CAROLE AND KEV MCNALLY And I am sure that other aviators, especially battery terminal - which also produced a lot
when flying at legal max weight, high drag of heat.
ON BIRDS AND BATTERIES underslung loads in tropical mountain areas,
find the only way to achieve the height
And as for wearing finger rings while working
on machinery - I had to hacksaw a finger to
I thought Dave Tonks’ great article about required to reach a destination is to find the bone to free a worker hanging by his ring
watching birds fly was excellent (Sport Pilot rising air. I have even had to abort a flight from a P&W R985 engine on a Beech 18.
April 2018). But may I add another aspect when a max weight load could not be reduced This is why I have never worn a ring of any sort
about the vertical movement of air with and an updraft was not found to take me and know of people who have lost a finger to
respect to mountain flying - even in relatively above 12,000ft density altitude to reach my snagged rings, whereas having your watch
flat Australia. destination in the PNG highlands. ripped off while loading or unloading freight,
The lee side of any hill or valley has trapped In other cases, when flying sling loads from usually only damages the band attaching pin.
many an aviator if there is a wind blowing. sea level to a much higher altitude, the load PHIL LATZ
11 / SPORT PILOTIN TH E N EW S
IMPROVEMENTS ACROSS THE BOARD
BY MIC HAEL LINKE, C EO
S
INCE 2014, macro change has resulted in dramatic improve-
ments in the accident rate, the financial stability and the govern-
ance of RAAus.
We have had improvements in the governance space with RAAus
now a company limited by guarantee with seven Directors responsible
for strategy and policy. We have implemented an overarching govern-
ance framework which is publicly available on our website.
In terms of financial stability, the Board of Directors and I have made
significant changes to our business model to create sustainability and
ensure RAAus has a bright future. We still run a frugal budget, but
structural changes to our resources and service models have aided in
creating positive cash flows and a surplus budget.
With regard to our accident rate, some headline figures are quite de-
monstrative of real improvements. In 2013, our rate of fatal accidents
per 100,000 hours was 5. In 2014 this rate had reduced to 2.65. Today
the rate runs at just over one fatality per 100,000 hours. The graph guidance for decision making.
below depicts this data and we have noted the significant increase • Since its introduction in October 2015 the OMS has received over
in hours recorded. Since 2017, RAAus introduced digital reporting of 800 reports from members and we continue to see an increasing will-
hours (prior to 2017 we relied on paper reports from members) to re- ingness to report.
cord hours within our data base. We have greater confidence in this • Provided improved visibility of accident and incident reports and out-
figure than the earlier figures because we have captured more member comes to RAAus members via our website https://www.raa.asn.au/
data than in prior years. A direct comparison between fatal accidents safety/accident-and-defect-summaries/
for RAAus and the GA sector in 2017 would reveal RAAus to be safer • Worked strategically with aircraft importers and manufacturers on
when directly compared. safety related improvements and defect reporting.
• Formally trained key personnel in the accident investigations, audit,
Calendar Year Normalised Fatality Data and safety management systems through SouthPac and the ATSB.
Year Fatalities Hours Fatals per 100,000 hours • Developed a range of safety education and promotional campaigns,
including Safety Month, the annual Safety Booklet, quarterly safety
2017 4 379,646 1.05 enews communications and regular presentations at member forums.
2016 6 207,893 2.88 • Established a formal safety committee which meets each quarter to
2015 9 211,431 4 review progress and develop strategies to continually improve safety
within RAAus.
2014 6 226,364 2.65 • Developed a completely new Complaints Handling and Disciplinary
2013 11 243,637 5 Framework to ensure RAAus and members have a clear and simple
process available.
The chart below shows the rolling quarterly fatality rate, which has • Finalised development of a risk framework, including establishment
dropped from four per quarter in 2014 to less than one per quarter of a Board level Risk and Audit Committee, development of a Risk Ap-
today. petite and associated risk policies.
• Developed a Safety Policy and Safety Objectives, which embodies our
prime directive of an open and fair reporting culture.
• Developed an Emergency Response Plan to place RAAus at the fore-
front of accident investigations.
• Since 2015 fatal accidents involving RAAus aircraft have not pro-
gressed to an inquest as a result of our detailed, comprehensive and
professional coronial reports.
During 2018 RAAus is rolling out the final pillar of our SMS and en-
gaging with our schools to put in place the necessary tools and resourc-
es to ensure organisational adherence with an SMS.
Outside of our safety portfolio we have made significant improve-
ments to our operations and technical areas. This has included:
• The delivery of two CFI conferences in 2015 and 2016.
In terms of non-fatal accidents, the chart (top right) shows the num- • The delivery of professional development seminars across the coun-
ber of accidents recorded since 2013-2014 financial year. try in 2018.
The sustained and dramatic improvements in our accident and fa- • The revision and rewriting of our core manuals.
tality rates have not come about by accident. Since 2014 RAAus has • The creation of the first RAAus Flight Instructor Reference Manual
introduced a combination of strategies and developed a raft of prod- with standardised briefings.
ucts that have aided in this improvement. • A significant increase in the number of new RAAus schools which are
In the Safety Portfolio these actions have included: existing CASA approved schools.
• Developed an SMS implementation plan and schedule, including identi- • The roll out of an online L1 training tool, which is being augmented by
fying key personnel and development of an SMS gap analysis. a practical tool in 2018.
• Developed a purpose-built occurrence management system (OMS) • The creation of a technical advisory panel.
and associated reporting and measurement of occurrences to provide • The creation of a range of online training tools and videos.
12 / SPORT PILOTIN TH E N EW S
NEW ERA FOR SPORT PILOT BY MIC HAEL LINKE, C EO
R
AAUS recently took a decision to change the editorial con- d. Experience - have tenderers demonstrated they have the
tract attached to the publication of Sport Pilot magazine. track record to reliably deliver the quality we need?
For 82 issues, Stampils Ltd, headed by Brian Bigg, has e. Innovation - are tenderers offering anything new we might
delivered an interesting, engaging and thought provoking maga- value?
zine. Initial tenders, of which there were six, were measured against
Brian has worked directly with me since 2014 as RAAus changed these criteria. Four applications were excluded and the two re-
the fundamental delivery model of the magazine. In 2015, as we maining applicants were invited to provide further details. The five
did recently, RAAus undertook a due diligence exercise and offered member committee met again and addressed the additional de-
the magazine up for tender. It was a challenging change and Brian tails provided.
did an outstanding job working with us as we made critical chang- From these two applicants, a contract was offered to M and M
es to ensure both RAAus’ future, but also the magazine’s. Media.
As Brian and his team secured the three-year contract in 2015, The committee formed the view that M and M Media was best
this year we were required to go through a new tender process. placed to meet our requirements for Sport Pilot in the short to me-
We called for tenders in early 2018 and received six applica- dium term. M and M Media will commence production of the maga-
tions. A sub-committee of the Board and staff, comprising five zine shortly with July 2018 its first issue.
people, then assessed each tender based on a number of criteria, Members are encouraged to continue to submit stories and let-
including: ters and we look forward to offering new and interesting content.
a. Cost I would like to express enormous and sincere thanks to Brian
b. Capability - have tenderers demonstrated they have the nec- and his team for his carriage of Sport Pilot for so many years. They
essary understanding of our requirements and the skills to deliver have certainly been wonderful stewards of our key communication
what we need? tool. Thank you.
c. Capacity - have tenderers demonstrated they have the neces- Going forward, we have some exciting plans in the digital space
sary resources to deliver what we need? and we look forward to sharing those with members shortly.
CLIF TON TO WELLCAMP ON AGAIN BY KE VIN
MC GR ATH
THE fourth annual Clifton to Wellcamp fly-in will hap-
pen again on July 28.
Last year, a record 22 aircraft lined up and de-
parted for 20 to 30-minute flight from Clifton air-
strip, over six pretty little towns, to Brisbane West
Wellcamp, a regional international airport, now four
years old.
Pilots took off 500m apart and arrived at Well-
camp in a continuous stream, again 500m apart. The
runway is almost three kilometres long and so wide
that a STOL aircraft could land across it if it. The taxi-
ways are wider than a lot of strips at other airfields.
As usual, pilots must register beforehand at Clift-
on before setting off on the 23nm trip.
The start time will be about 11.30 and return
about 2pm to give all comers a chance to fly in and
back the same day. You can instead bunk overnight
in our club rooms if you’d rather.
Wellcamp Airport was built and is owned and oper-
ated by the Wagner family. They are a great bunch of
people, who bring on extra staff for us, and who no
doubt carry a financial loss on the event, so everyone
come and show them we appreciate their help.
For more information call me 0407 627 751 or
Trevor Bange 0429 378 370.
13 / SPORT PILOTIN TH E N EW S
BOARD NOMINATIONS
PU T YOU R HAND U P
SE E PAGE 4 6 FOR DE TAIL S
TICKETS ON
SALE FOR
AIRVENTURE
E
ARLY bird tickets have gone on sale for AirVenture Aus-
tralia, the premier event for light sport, recreational and
GA enthusiasts.
The fly-in airshow will take place this year at Cessnock Aero-
drome, north of Sydney, and will run from September 20 - 22.
This year’s event will feature two trade days, designed for
members of RAAus and other aviation bodies, such as the Aus-
tralian Parachute Federation, warbirds, sports and amateur
built aircraft. In addition to static displays of aircraft, everything
associated with maintaining, designing, building, flying, train-
ing and teaching will be on show. More than 50 seminars are
planned on the Thursday and Friday.
The event will culminate in a fantastic airshow on Saturday
afternoon.
Exhibitor, sponsorship and display enquiries are also now
open. Contact RAAus for more information.
Tickets include entry to all three days and when bought
online are $35 each and $70 per family. As a major partner
RAAus members will be able to pre-purchase tickets for $15.
Gate prices will be $50 each and $100 per family. For more
information, visit www.airventureaustralia.com.au.
DIGITAL There are many ways to interact
DIRECTIONS with RAAus these days.
Website: www.raa.asn.au
Member portal: www.members.raa.asn.au/login
Lodge an occurrence: www.oms.raa.asn.au/lodge
Back issues of Sport Pilot: www.raa.asn.au/sport-pilot-magazine
Subscribe to printed Sport Pilot: www.raa.asn.au/sport-pilot-magazine-application
RAAus shop: www.shop.raa.asn.au
Sport Pilot online: www.raa.asn.au/sport-pilot-magazine
ENewsletter: www.raa.asn.au/become-a-member/member-benefits/e-news
14 / SPORT PILOTIN TH E N EW S
NEW PRODUCT RUNWAYMAP APP
A MOBILE app and community for pilots, Runway- conditions. Restaurants, public transportation, car
Map, has become available in Australia. rental and hotels near the airport are listed too. Pi-
The app combines information on 20,000 air- lots can flag and save airports of interest, as well
ports worldwide with reports and experiences of as add personal notes. The RunwayMap app com-
the pilot community. plements moving maps such as OzRunways and
Daniel Saxer, founder of RunwayMap, first Garmin Pilot.
launched the app in Europe last year. “Tips from other pilots about landing conditions
“As a private pilot, I found it was a huge hassle or particularities at the airfield are very helpful —
to gather all the information about new flight desti- especially when flying to a new destination,” says
nations, so I had the idea to put everything in one Daniel. For each airport, the app shows which pi-
app for easy access.” lots from the community have already flown or want
RunwayMap lets pilots view aviation weather, to fly there. Pilots can share their experiences with
webcams and frequencies at a glance. 3-D and videos, reviews and photos from their excursions.
satellite views of the airport and surrounding area RunwayMap is available free for iPhone, iPad
give pilots helpful information about the landing and Android users.
PDPS GOING STRONG PROFESSI AL
DEVELOPMENT ON
PROGRAM
THE RAAus Professional Development Pro- Registration is free. Members can access DATES AND LOCATIONS
gram seminars being rolled out across the more information as well as the registration
country continue to draw good numbers but form through the Members’ portal. RAAus
14-JUN Bindoon PDP
time is running out if you want to attend one. encourages all CFIs, instructors, maintain-
The programs are structured to include ers and members to take advantage of these 15-JUN Serpentine PDP
important information on flight training prac- sessions. 16-JUN Serpentine PDP
tices, school management, maintenance and If you can’t make the seminar, at least turn
airworthiness, along with introducing staged up for the BBQ and a chat with the RAAus 27-JUN Townsville PDP
integrated Safety Management Systems for team (register for catering purposes). 28-JUN Townsville PDP
flight school operations. Full details at https://members.raa.asn.
Part of each seminar includes a forum. au/e-learning. 30-JUN Rockhampton PDP
15 / SPORT PILOTFLY -IN S
Grafton ho pi ng fo
16 / SPORT PILOTFLY -IN S
or bett er wea th er
BY KE VIN WIL SON PRE SIDE N T G R AF TON AE RO C LU B
G
RAFTON Aero Club will host its 6th annual Wings and There will also be exhibitors and demonstrations of stationary
Wheels Open day on August 12. engines, blacksmiths and various things from the Men’s Shed.
Last year, gale force winds along the coast put paid The aerodrome is managed and operated by the hangar own-
to any aircraft arriving other than one from Coffs Harbour, so we ers and has been steadily improved over the past two and a half
are hoping for better conditions. years with grass runways on either side of the main sealed run-
As with previous events, there will be a variety of clubs and way. We now also have gliders operating several times a month.
individuals exhibiting their winged or wheeled pride and joy. The event is, as always, free for exhibitors and the public.
These range from hot rods, classic, vintage, sports, touring For more information, graftonaeroclub.com/wings-and-
and race cars, plus go-karts, motorcycles, model aircraft, etc. wheels.A I RC RAFT FEATU RE
VIPER SD4
FANGS
A SLOVAK WITH
BY BRIAN BIGG
18 / SPORT PILOTA I RC RAFT FEATU RE
I
T’S a story common to many of the European ultralight
manufacturers.
Slovakian company, Tomark, began life making parts
for other people. It earned its stripes engineering metal and
composites for cars, then moved to aviation in the late 1990s.
The company started design work on the Viper SD4 in
2004, the first flight took place just two years later and the
aircraft was offered for sale in Europe, primarily as a trainer
for the French market and tow plane, in 2008. The company
went through the exhausting and expensive process of get-
ting approval for the US LSA market two years ago and is now
offering the 600kgs max weight Viper to all comers. So far
its sold about 30 of them, not surprisingly, most in
Slovakia. The company was reported to be con-
sidering bolstering US sales by setting up a
factory in Texas.
“The fit and The Viper is metal, with aluminium
skin. Composite materials are used for
finish of the the tips of the flying surfaces, the fuse-
lage upper decking, engine cowling and
Viper is wheel fairings. The wings have constant
chord and curved, slightly upswept tips.
superb” They are built around one main and one
auxiliary spar. The short span ailerons
move on piano-type hinges, with slotted
flaps on the rest of the trailing edges. The low-
mounted horizontal tail is also of constant chord
apart from a cut-out for rudder movement; the starboard
elevator carries a flight adjustable trim tab. Fin and rudder
are straight-edged, but swept.
The aircraft can handle either an 80 or 100hp Rotax 912.
The undercarriage legs are cantilevered springs. The main
wheels and nosewheels are faired. The mains are fitted with
hydraulic brakes; the nose has steering as an option. A ballis-
tic parachute is also an option. It has a wide variety of choices
for avionics (no point fitting it out with the latest nav stuff if
it’s only going to go round and round the local area, is there?)
and it does come with electric flaps, electric trim and optional
autopilot.
Tomark says the Viper SD4 is also one of the few planes in
its category to have successfully passed elasticity tests on all
its parts, the so-called flutter tests. It has also demonstrated
spins as required by the EASA.
Like nearly all European ultralights, the fit and finish of the
Viper, as with the high winged version called the Skyper GT9,
is superb. It’s not going to go across the country as quickly
as some (with only 70 litres in the tanks) but it’s a roomy and
comfortable machine for training or towing.
Tomark is looking for an Australian distributor. For more
information, www.tomarkaero.com.
SPECIFICATIONS
CRUISE SPEED ....... 108kts WINGSPAN ............... 8.40m
STALL SPEED ............ 35kts EMPTY WEIGHT ...... 292kgs
flaps down GROSS WEIGHT ... 472.5kgs
RANGE ..................... 405nm FUEL CAPACITY ............. 70L
RATE OF CLIMB ... 1,181 ft/ PROPELLER .......... 3-bladed
min at sea level Peszke Aero Technologies
LENGTH ..................... 6.40m constant speed
19 / SPORT PILOTNow available in Australia in
kit build or factory build
Affordable | Simplistic | Rugged | Quality LSA | Fun
Contact: info@gap.aero, t 1300 659 228 / c +61 400 639 388
Join us at the "Oz-Kosh" Aviation airshow in Naromine, 19-21 Oct 2017R EAD ER STORY
Brumby 24-8554
making a short-field
take-off on grass at
Narrikup WA. With
half flap, and positive
elevator input, the
nosewheel lifts quickly.
Professional isolation
BY R ALPH BURNE T T
O
NE of the downsides of being an in- being away for a period of about six months, he
structor in a remote location, and at a began his navexs in the J160. He completed
single aircraft school, is professional
isolation. Of the 180 or so flying schools under
three, but did not really meet solo navex stand-
ards. Then, a period of 13 months elapsed be- It’s likely that you
RAAus, my guesstimate is that half of them
are remote and single instructor. Back in my
fore he re-appeared. By now, we had acquired
our Brumby 610 and so we needed to refresh
are the problem
past agricultural science life, it was a very real is- old skills and learn new procedures. Much to
sue for a country-based consultant. The medical both our frustration, he was unable to adapt to unfriendly from June to September. Progress
profession, being larger and better funded, has the Brumby. After 8-10 hours, including a short was slow, and the hours clicked by. Gaps of up
worked on this and runs many meetings, semi- navex, I was still unable to solo him and start his to three weeks were a feature of training in that
nars and conferences for country GPs. solo exercises. My other instructor, with around spring as the weather stymied every planned
At a larger school, it’s simple to discuss in- 6,000 hours of GA instruction, then took on my lesson. We get serious crosswinds on both run-
structing issues and there’s always the CFI, or failure. Everything went like clockwork. The stu- ways because they were built for length, but are
even a PE, around to bounce queries off. And, if dent was off solo in an hour and completed his 45 degrees off the strongest winds. More hours
you seem to be making very slow progress with navexs within a week. He then went on to an RPL clicked by and she had by now settled on a learn-
a student, it’s possible to have them fly with an- with the same instructor, purchased an RV7A, ing plateau.
other instructor – because it’s very likely you are which I easily endorsed him onto, and he’s been Then, a distant CFI booked a BFR with me,
the learning obstacle. Slow student progress is happily flying ever since. Moral: it’s likely that you so I sought his advice. In fact, I begged him to
a recurring issue on flying forums and often the are the problem, and the student needs a fresh fly with my frustrated student. He returned after
student-instructor interface is blamed. We know instructor. an hour and said ‘she’s really ready for solo, you
there are many other contributing causes but, My most recent case of slow progress was a know’.
in today’s society, it seems someone has to be professional lady, who admitted to having been Within a couple days she had indeed exceed-
blamed. a very slow learner driver in her younger years. ed herself and went solo. Then, within a couple
Let me describe two such events I’ve experi- Her theory was excellent and her enthusiasm of weeks, we completed her restricted and her
enced in the past three years. was contagious. But, unforeseen events were passenger carrying in one hit. She never looked
A middle-aged male student, who held a to conspire against her progress. After she had back.
responsible role in a state government depart- completed around 10-12 hours, the Brumby was Lesson: sometimes you can’t resolve student
ment, had completed his restricted Certificate taken off-line for some factory rectifications – learning issues by yourself, no matter how many
with me in a J160 over a 10-month period when and it wasn’t back for three months. By now it thousand hours experience you have. Make use
he had around 30 hours total time. Then, after was mid-winter and the weather here is rather of nearby SIs and CFIs.
21 / SPORT PILOTF EATU RE STORY
The evolution of aerofoils
- PART 1 -
BY DAVID HOUSTON
A
VIATORS have always looked for
the best performance from their Reynolds Number
wings. This depends, among
other things, on the wing cross section.
Re is a function of =
This was appreciated even before the (speed x chord length)
Wright brothers started their experi-
ments. The Wright brothers built their
kinematic viscosity
own wind tunnel to test their wing de-
signs before they built them.
The early wings were fabric covered
and favoured single surface sections like So a tunnel model Re with air
kites; then as weights increased, more speed at 50ft/sec and chord
structure was required, and a lower fabric length 10cms = 100,000.
surface was added. But the section was A light aircraft Re with air
made as thin as possible, because this speed at 80kts and chord
was thought to reduce the drag. Before 1914, most aircraft designs were length 1.2m = 3,020,000.
made by private owner builders. They had few resources available for basic An airliner at take-off Re with air speed at 200kts and
aerodynamic research, so wing sections often looked like RAF 15 (Fig 1). chord length 6m = 38,000,000. This meant the early
These thin wings required some form of wire bracing because they were wind tunnel results did not scale up at all well. It was
not thick enough to contain spars with sufficient bending strength. When also difficult to overcome turbulence and theoretical
warplanes needed maximum manoeuvrability with higher ‘g’ loadings, a adjustments were needed to correct the results for the
wire braced biplane layout was favoured. In fact the British authorities re- presence of the tunnel walls. Higher Re can be achieved
fused to consider monoplane designs for the RAF until late in the 1920s. by compressing the air in the tunnel to increase its
density, and therefore its viscosity; but Compressed Air
WIND TUNNEL PROBLEMS Tunnels (CAT) came later and only government research
Although some wind tunnel testing was done, early wind tunnels had small institutions like NACA in the US (the predecessor of
working sections using small models and low airspeeds. This meant they NASA) could afford to build and operate them.
operated at low Reynolds Numbers (Re).
A Reynolds Number is a non-dimensional number relating
the inertial forces to the viscous forces in the airstream,
in much the same way as Mach Number is a non-
dimensional number relating the airspeed with the local
speed of sound. Just as testing high speed, transonic
or supersonic models at the wrong Mach No. will give
misleading results, so testing lower speed models at
the wrong Reynolds Number can also give misleading Fig. 1: RAF 15
results. To get representative results, it is important to
run tests at Re somewhere near full scale, because tests DETAILS (RAF15-IL) RAF 15 AIRFOIL
at different Re, especially at very low Re, can give quite RAF-15 airfoil
different results. Max thickness 6.5% at 15% chord
Max camber 2.6% at 30% chord
22 / SPORT PILOTF EATU RE STORY
0 1,0
Fig. 2
WORLD WAR ONE
Thousands of aircraft were built during the First World War, but basic re-
search was limited. The Germans started to look critically at wing sections
and Gottingen University found that thicker sections had better stalling
characteristics, without a serious drag penalty. Their work resulted in the
Fokker D VII with a thicker wing section, which caused the Allies consider-
able grief when it came into use in 1918. After the war, there was a great
surplus of unwanted aircraft. After a few years, the potential for high speed Fig. 3
airmail provided a need for improved designs in US and the possibilities for
passenger transport in Europe, although subsidised provided the incentive had a higher maximum lift coefficient (CL), they also had higher drag and
for governments to fund more research a very powerful pitching moment, which was an embarassment. Testing in
this wind tunnel at various Reynolds Numbers also showed that the drag of
NACA REPORT 460 bracing wires was out of proportion to their frontal area. So the combina-
It was realised that the wing sections in use up to the end of WW 1 were em- tion of thicker wing sections, able to contain all necessary structure with
pirical designs, and nobody really knew whether there were other shapes the realisation of the significant drag penalty caused by the bracing wires,
which might give better results. The only way to check and compare wing signalled the end of biplanes, except for aerobatics. In the UK this marked
sections at that time was by testing in a wind tunnel, so researchers per- the rise of Miles and Percival light aircraft in preference to the De Havilland
suaded their governments to build larger and more elaborate tunnels to run Moth series.
at higher speeds and at Reynolds Numbers closer to those experienced The speed range of an aircraft reflects the CL range of the wing sec-
in flight. The NACA report No. 460 published in 1933 gave the results of tion and the cruise performance is usually tied to the CL area of high Lift /
testing a family of 78 different aerofoil sections in a CAT at up to 10 at- Drag (L/D) ratio, so comprehensive accurate information on the compara-
mospheres pressure and achieving Reynolds Numbers of between 3 and tive performance of a wide range of wing sections measured at relevant
9 million. The sections all had a related streamline shape, scaled to give Reynolds Numbers was a real boon to designers.
the desired maximum thickness. The shape was set out about a curved Some of the more common sections tested by NACA were also tested
centreline with varying maximum camber and varying chordwise position of with a 20% split flap deflected 60o. As aircraft in the 1930’s were flying fast-
maximum camber, so that NACA 2415 section for instance (Fig 2), had 2% er, the designers looked for ways to extend the range of CL values to reduce
maximum camber located at 40% chord and with a maximum thickness of the size of the wing, without increasing the landing speed, so information on
15% chord. This very comprehensive study showed that some of the best the performance of flaps was timely. The practice before the introduction of
flaps was to sideslip to wash off excess speed on the approach, but without
the ‘built-in headwind’ of all the bracing wires, the extra drag of flaps was
very welcome.
NACA 5 FIGURE AEROFOILS
It was noticed aerofoils with maximum camber well forward had higher CL
max, so another series of sections was devised with this feature and test-
ed. The results confirmed that the CL max was indeed higher, but the down-
side was that the stall, when it came, was more violent. This was okay for
aircraft like airliners, which were usually operated well away from the stall
sections then in use were in fact quite competitive (Fig 3). It also showed (with wheelie landings), but was less attractive for training and recreational
there were no odd-ball sections significantly better than the best sections designs where benign stall characteristics were sought after. The develop-
currently in use. ment of these sections continues to the present.
NACA had tested sections with the maximum camber as far back as
70% chord. These behaved like a wing with flaps down and, although they NEXT MONTH Laminar flow sections and drag
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www.sportaircraftsales.com.auR EAD ER STORY
A trip into the wrong airspace
BY NEIL DE ARBERG
“A
IRCRAFT approximately three miles north of Fernvale at
3,500ft, this is Brisbane Central”.
Moments passed. No one answered. Then a feeling of ‘oh no,
is that me?’ squeezed the gastric juices. I knew where I was alright, right
where Brisbane Central said I was. I knew that. The gastrics got worse.
“Um, I think that’s us Pete”, I told my passenger. Pete looked at me with
the blank expression you give someone when they say they just saw Elvis.
With an air of bewilderment, I called, “Brisbane Central, this is Sling
8515. Are you calling me?”
“Switch to Amberley Approach on 126.2”, came the response.
That seemed friendly enough, so I did. Nonetheless, I wondered why
they would be calling me.
The Flight Lieutenant told me, in a nice way, that I had encroached on
RAAF Amberley air space. Really? I was in the process of turning north-east
to Dayboro. How could I be in their air space?
Then, to my horror, he asked me to switch my transponder to a particu-
lar code. I’d done it in the Cessna with four buttons. This one only had one.
“How do I do that?” I quietly asked, hoping he would ignore me because
I had no idea. He didn’t know either. After a couple of transmissions to
adjust the transponder, he gave up trying to help me. He told me to stay at
3,500ft and report when clear of CTA. Then, soon afterwards, he told me I
was clear of the CTA. Nice guy, I thought. Then he also asked for my phone
number and flying school. Uh oh. Is this going to finish nice?
As I flew home, now OCTA, I checked my chart. There was that little
corner in the red circle but restrictions didn’t start until 8,500ft and I was
“It’s my responsibilit y to know
3,500ft – no problem, right?
When we arrived back at the flying school, the CFI was on the
phone, so I couldn’t fess up right away. It didn’t matter. It was the
how ever ything in the aeroplane
Amberley man he was talking to. When he hung up, I got the look.
“OK, let’s look at the chart Neil. Follow the red circle around and
down, see the section further down on the left where it says D612A
works before I take of f”
SFC/1500 and R625A 1500/8500? Those are the bits you ignored
in your flight planning.” Oops, I hadn’t seen those, only the R625D
8500/FL210.
“What about the transponder thing”, I asked which earned me
another look. Yep, I knew the hijacker code and the no radio code. An EFB is not a replacement for in-flight nav checks or pre-flight plan-
But someone had forgotten to show me how to actually change codes on ning. It just ain’t.
the device and someone else (me) had not thought to ask. Out to the plane Air traffic controllers seem genuinely caring, helpful and willing. They
we went and a lot of button pushing later, I knew how to do it. A bit late encourage us to ask, rather than blunder along and screw things up. So if
admittedly. the weather turns against you, you get temporarily misplaced or something
Will there be other consequences, I asked? Not from me, the CFI said. unforeseen happens, seek permission first, because forgiveness may or
“Just an educational phase for this one”. Cool, good lesson. may not happen.
On the way home Pete and I stopped for a Thai lunch. The phone rang. It Flying schools and instructors have a responsibility and duty of care to
was the Amberley man. Uh oh. But he was ever so nice. “Just an education students. It is too easy to overlook basic instrument operation or rush el-
call Neil, no prosecution or jail this time”. Gulp. ementary matters. Schools turn out PICs, so safety over dollars matters.
“We get lots of incursions from pilots who don’t plan correctly, don’t And when you are told “No further action required”, don’t believe it.
read their charts correctly or who rely on their EFB and stray off course. CASA wants a report; RAAus Ops wants a report; RAAus Admin wants a
Too many. Would you like me to email you our quarterly safety report which report; Santa Claus wants a report, to know if you’ve been good. The only
shows how and why pilots do it, which might help you in the future?” Great ones who don’t are the people whose airspace you infringed. Then you find
idea. Yes please, I’m a new pilot and need to learn. you’re up for a flight review with an RAAus assessor – again, nice educa-
“I can also send you the ADF ‘Visual Navigation Manual’ which has sec- tion, not prosecution. Then, the Ops manager asks you to write an article
tions on navigation principles, flight planning and visual navigation. They’re for Sport Pilot. All this for five inadvertent minutes in CTA.
designed for the defence force but you’ll find them very helpful.” That would Crickey, I dread to think of the consequences of a major incursion with
be wonderful, yes, and thanks. Lunch wasn’t so relaxing after that. jets scrambled, mid-air collision, commercial aircraft diversion or forced
So, what’s this story really about? landing.
New or old pilots must read the charts with care, not complacency. But you know, the life of a recreational pilot would be a lot safer and
Sometimes they are confusing. Everyone knows this corner of Amberley’s more enjoyable if there was a proper program of CTA instruction and cer-
CTA is confusing and was due to be changed in the May update. But as pilot tification. Why not teach the stuff, rather than have inexperienced pilots
in command it was my job to get it right. No excuses. blunder away and ‘hope for the best’? Nothing beats proper instruction,
As PIC it’s also my responsibility to know how every instrument and assessment and certification. The skies would be safer. And certainly a
‘thing’ in the aeroplane works before I take off. And to ask if I don’t. controller’s job would be much easier.
25 / SPORT PILOTYou can also read
