Contents 60
Aircraft Technical 8
Gemair Cessna 402C
Airline Pilot 10 12 13 14 15 16
Disappearance of MH 370 Safran not to increase LEAP engine airBaltic orders 60 Bombardier CS300 JetSuite launch When you lose a windshield Ethiopian 100th aircraft
64 66 67
WestBank Botswana International Airshow - Matsieng 2018 Newcastle airshow 2018 iRMT TAF unveils Sling TSi
Flying Cars 44 45 46
Astro Aerospace NASA, Uber to explore safety and efficiency Pipistrel reveals eVTOL concept
Commercial Pilot
Regulars
24
4 6 18 20 37 42 68 70 74 80 82 83 87
28 29 30
CAASA Commercial Aviation Symposium Bombardier Bellawings Global 6500 & 7500 Electric airplanes for FAA approval Gulfstream G500 and G600
Drone Pilot 32 34 35 36
DroneCon Exhibition and Conference 2018 Horsefly Airbus collaborates with Wilhelmsen Commercial Drones’ market
Competitions Letters Events Calendar Picture of the Month Fact File Names to Remember Accident Report Medical The Best of the Best Register Update Flying High Shop Window Subscription Form
Special Features Helicopter Pilot 48
22 38
Bell Helicopter
Cessna 195 A First World War Matchup
Military Pilot
Other
50 51 52 52
72 78
Diamond’s aerobatic DART-550 Ethiopia receives C-130 Hercules US Congress F-35 defects to be fixed UK’s HMS Queen Elizabeth
10
44
74
Decision making Magalies Gliding
Sport Pilot 54 58
PTAR 2018 Goodbye C9-EXA
distributed by
Contributors Athol Franz Divan Muller Charlie Hugo
Christine Brits Kevin Donnellan Fiona Hugo
Carlos Serodio Aidan Owen Rob Jonkers
Dr Nicholas Lee Christine Brits Charlie Marais
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copyright The views expressed in African Pilot are not necessary those of the editor, publisher, or staff writers. The editors and publishers cannot be held responsible for differences of opinion or statements published in good faith. No part of this magazine may be reproduced including advertisements produced by Wavelengths 10 (Pty) Ltd in any form without permission from the publisher. – South African copyright laws apply. distribution African Pilot is distributed by On the Dot throughout southern African countries to approximately 1 000 retail stores:CNA, Exclusive Books, Pick ‘n Pay, PNA, selected Spar stores, garage convenience shops, Checkers Hypermarkets, 7/11 stores, selected bookshops, Fascination and Incredible Books as well as to neighbourhood convenience shops. Own distribution to specialist pilot shops at airports as well as to key decision makers within the aviation industry. Back editions are distributed free of charge to African countries, airport lounges, charter companies, the South African Air Force and selected flight schools. Altogether 6 500 copies of African Pilot are printed each month. The magazine also has online readers from all over the world. The first ten pages of African Pilot may be downloaded free of charge by visiting www.africanpilot.co.za
July 2018
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Editorial 2018 Aviation Training This edition of African Pilot features an in-depth look at the value of training organisations in South Africa, with particular focus on the youth of our country who would like to become involved in the exciting world of aviation. This is the ideal time to present the ‘Aviation Training’ feature, because of the July school holidays and the fact that later in the year matric students will be preparing for their final examinations and they certainly don’t have time to focus on career options. The feature starts on page 22 of this edition.
to understand what is happening within the world of innovation, should make way for younger people who are not encumbered by historical aviation technology. I clearly understand that what I am writing here is an anathema to many of African Pilot’s readers, but we have to accept that the world of aviation is changing and will become very different to what we presently know in the not too distant future. So, what do you think? Picture of the month competition Sadly, due to a scarcity of good quality entries as well as the lack
Flying cars – disruptive technology African Pilot has also introduced a new chapter within the magazine entitled ‘Flying Cars’, part of the new exciting ‘disruptive technology’ that is presently being unfolded by many of the major aviation corporations in the world, including every one of the major players. UBER is by far the largest taxi organisation in the world, but the company does not own a single taxi. Through continuous innovation as well as exciting drone technology, we will be seeing new city transport ideas develop, but what is clearly understood by all regulators is the fact that they are not ready for this new technology and frankly most regulators throughout the world do not know how to deal with ‘disruptive technology.’
of a dedicated sponsor for this monthly competition, African Pilot has taken the decision to discontinue the ‘Picture of the Month’ photographic competition. However, in its place we will be publishing a double page spread of the cover article being the main feature article for the particular month. Cessna 195 ZS BFW – cover story Archie Kemp’s beautiful Cessna 195, one of only two in South Africa, is this month’s feature and the picture published was taken from my new shared Cessna 182 overhead Tedderfield airpark on Monday 11 June. Turning 70 years of age this year, the Cessna 195 was the first strutless high wing that Cessna produced post
Perhaps the time has come for The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to include a group of young professionals, within its organisation, who understand this new technology, so that new innovations will be embraced in the future. In order for aviation to advance within all spheres of society, we need people who are clear thinkers, whilst those regulators who do not wish
World War ll. Known as the Businessliner, this particular Cessna
Editor Athol Franz 082 552 2940 editor@africanpilot.co.za
Publisher / Production Wavelengths 10 (Pty) Ltd
Marketing Lara Bayliss 079 880 4359 marketing@africanpilot.co.za
Durban correspondent Pete van der Spek
Copy reader Gordon Dyne
gdyne@global.co.za
Designers Maria Leader maria@africanpilot.co.za Creshenda Maraba-Haffejee creshenda@africanpilot.co.za Website and digital Johan Botes
johan@africanpilot.co.za
Accounts Manager Helena Kurland
admin@africanpilot.co.za
Admin / Subscriptions Paulinah Motlhabi
subscribe@africanpilot.co.za
Transport Ephraim Ndlovu
195 has been a popular visitor to EAA fly-ins and aviation events throughout South Africa over many years. Until next month please enjoy the cold, but clear weather for flying. Athol Franz - Editor
Cape Town correspondent Irene McCullagh Printing Business Print
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website: www.africanpilot.co.za July 2018
African Pilot
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Competitions Total value of the competitions in this edition is R1 800
Cover Cessna 195 Businessliner ZS BFW
July Cover Competition
Total value R1 800 This month African Pilot will be giving away 10 annual electronic magazine subscriptions to the first 10 correct entries received via e-mail to info@africanpilot.co.za. Questions 1) How many years has African Pilot been publishing? 2) How do you receive your FREE copy of APAnews every week? 3) Do you prefer the digital edition of the paper edition of the monthly magazine? June Cover Competition Winner Congratulations to Ruhan Breed who has won a scenic flight for two people on a SkyClass aircraft This Month’s Cover Competition Entries to be submitted to the following e-mail only: info@africanpilot.co.za One entry per person please. Entries sent to other African Pilot e-mails will automatically be disqualified.
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This month’s cover picture of Archie Kemp’s beautiful Cessna 195 was taken by Athol Franz from his newly acquired shared Cessna 182 using his Canon EOS 1 Mk4 camera fitted with a 28 to 105 mm Canon image stabilised lens. This Cessna 195 is one of only two examples on the African continent and the aircraft is in concourse condition.
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Hello Athol, My son and I (Race 23) almost crossed the finish line first on Saturday, but were just pipped by the winning Bonanza. However, 2nd over the line was still very exciting and a great achievement for us. You took a very nice picture of us, which I would love you to send me. A high resolution copy would be great if possible please. However, it appears we snatched defeat from the jaws of victory because on the Saturday night I was informed by the race director that the committee had decided to seriously change my handicap and we were penalised 10 places for improving our performance! Very strange race! From 2nd down to 11th and the only crime was our great performance? I sent a protest to the SAPFA chairman and if you are interested I can send you a copy? I am expecting to be fobbed off if I receive a reply, but I am so angry I have to at least vent some frustration. The PTAR is going to fizzle out very soon due to this ‘precision nav rally in disguise’ attitude. Regards, Arthur de Kock Dear Arthur, Thank you for your e-mail. As a member of the aviation media, I have supported and reported on the PTAR for the past 16 years and I have also received complaints about the way handicaps were allocated. Therefore your complaint is not surprising. It seems that the PTAR is still plagued with a handicapping controversy that will not go away and perhaps the poor turnout this year is a direct result of a system that is fundamentally flawed. This together with inappropriate comments made by certain race officials to competitors including directly to me on the Saturday is ruining what should be a very exciting weekend. Conversely, the Race for Rhinos in Botswana has capped entries at 120 participants and the organisers have an additional 25 on the waiting list, which means they must be doing something right. As you saw there were only two aviation media people present at New Tempe and African Pilot was the only print aviation magazine present. This should also tell the organisers something about the manner in which they have been handling the media, who after all are the very people that photograph and write about aviation events.
Needless to say, we could not achieve this handicap and it was not adjusted as promised. At the same time an insinuation was made that I was a CHEAT! On day two at the finishing line - I aimed to cross at between 4700 and 4800 feet - a voice came on the radio which said: “Race 61 at the finishing line DON’T CLIMB we are just above you!” The pilot said it twice. Needless to say, we did not climb; in fact we may even have descended a little. At the gala evening, we were told that we had flown too low over the finishing line and were disqualified! In fact we were hit with a 2.45-hour penalty. I pleaded with the Race Director to verify my version of why I had to fly so low with the aircraft which made the DONT CLIMB call, which happened to be a Bonanza flown by the very experienced Lex Erasmus. However, the Director flatly refused to speak to Lex! Now on that score: 1) The QNH had apparently changed by 4 MBs which equals 120 feet 2) At best the logger is only accurate up to 70 feet and that is in level flight 3) The logger in Lex’s Bonanza, shows he was at 170 feet, which he disputes. On the handicap situation, please may I just finish off by relating Phill Waykleys story, I think he was race 52; He has completed a few races and was given a handicap of around 153 knots which he also says is not easily achievable in his older Cessna 210. Phill had asked Mary de Klerk to navigate with him because Mary is one of South Africa’s finest rally navigators as she read the winds aloft so well. On the Friday, Phill and Mary beat their handicap by a few knots, thanks to Mary. The race committee rewards Phill and Mary by penalising their plane with an increased handicap! I would have thought the whole object was to try and beat one’s handicap. The mind boggles at the logic. The PTAR is such a lovely event, but it will fail unless something is done to fix the handicap formula, because many aircraft are being handicapped out of the competition. Yours sincerely, Thys van der Merwe (Race No.61)
Yes, you are correct. This was a ‘strange race’ with lots of unnecessary politics and like most things in life, people will vote with their feet and this is why the PTAR is in a serious decline. However, the very people responsible for the decline are wearing ‘blinkers’ and they just don’t see that they are directly responsible for the decline in entries. I have attached two re-sized pictures for you. Should you wish to have the full size pictures, I can send them to you one at a time. Regards, Athol
Hi Athol, This is my take on the PTAR. In a nut shell, we were assured by the Race Director prior to entering that we would be given and I quote: ‘a handicap with which you will be happy;’ with the rider that if incorrect, it would be adjusted up or down after day one. When we arrived at Bloemfontein, we were given an impossible handicap which was impossible for the aircraft type. I begged the handicap committee to test fly my plane and I even offered to put a large amount of money on the table, if the test flight proved me wrong. This offer was not taken up! In the end I accepted the handicap given, but with the understanding the committee would look at it after day one.
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Dear Thys, Thank you for your e-mail. Yes, your criticisms and those of several competitors in previous races and those who took part in this year’s PTAR have certainly caused participants to vote with their feet. This is the main reason why the PTAR is on a serious downwards slope. As I said in my answer to Arthur de Kock (see adjoining letter) on this subject, the manner in which participants have been treated in the past and now again this year is disgraceful. To say to you: “we have seen cheats before” is simply not appropriate, especially from an experienced ‘race director.’ Fundamentally, there will always only be one happy team and that is the winners! However, it seems that the more accurate handicapping system applied to aircraft participating in the Race for Rhinos in Botswana and the overall ambiance at this event has proved very popular with many South African pilots and this is where most will be headed in the future, to the detriment of the PTAR. The organisers of the PTAR need to take a long hard look at why interest is waning in the PTAR and get their house in order well before next year’s PTAR in Saldana Bay. Regards, Athol.
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C 2 0 4 a n s s e C r i a m Ge refurbishment Gemair is the leading interior and exterior refurbishment facility t. on the African continen e successfully s divisions of Gemair hav Over the years the var iou Ce ssn a, Bo ein g, suc h as Be ech cra ft, ref urb ish ed aircra ft obal, Gulfstream , Learjet, Pilates, Gl Piper, Fokker, Falcon d like jewels to and interiors are treate and others. Exter iors ir quest to fulfil alised per fection. In the be polished to person po ssi ble care is ir wil l ens ure tha t eve ry you r eve ry nee d, Ge ma l or cos me tic for uirem ent , be it tec hn ica tak en for the spe cific req fes sio nal s tak es r aircra ft. A tea m of pro the ref urb ish me nt of you of the pro ces s. you throu gh eve ry ste p ishment of a on the complete refurb Cemair recently took s completel y interior. The aircraft wa Cessna 402C, paint and par pre ation for or and engines in str ipped of its interi at Wonderboom ines we re sent to APCO refurbishment. The eng for com ple te ove rha ul.
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Whilst the engines were away the entire airframe was paint stripped and prepared for a new undercoat and the final paint as seen in the pictures. The interior was completely re-furbished with new leather seats and new carpets. Gemair also attended to the upgrade of the avionics’ suite with new Garmin avionics and a new panel. Once the engines were returned they were re-installed together with new propellers making this an excellent zero-time light twin aircraft that will be used within Gemair’s own charter fleet.
For further information on Gemair, including the charter of this delightful Cessna 402C please contact Andries Venter 082 905 5760 or e-mail: andries@gemair.co.za
July 2018
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Disappearance of
Search for MH370 aircraft
Australian Transport Safety Bureau search team
A panel of aviation experts put together by 60 Minutes Australia, in an attempt to resolve the world’s greatest aviation mystery, agreed that flight MH370 was deliberately flown off course. The main point of debate was whether the Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 hit the sea in an uncontrolled dive or a controlled landing. If it was controlled that could explain why only a few pieces of debris from the missing plane have ever been found and could mean it hit the sea outside the area where the search for it has been carried out. The flight with 12 crew and 227 passengers on board, left Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia early in the morning of 8 March 2014. Less than 40 minutes into the flight; around the point where Malaysian air traffic control was to hand over to the Vietnamese, the plane’s transponder and other ground communications were turned off and the flight disappeared from traffic control screens. Despite ‘dropping off ’ civilian radar, MH370 was tracked by Malaysian military radar, which showed the plane almost turning around and heading back across the Malaysian mainland. After Penang, in northwest Malaysia, the plane turned to the northwest, across the Malacca Straits. Ten days after the plane vanished, a UK company Inmarsat reported that one of its satellites had picked up a series of faint data signals from an aircraft’s engines. Those signals were meant for the engines’
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Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 flight MH370
manufacturer to monitor them in flight, not to show where the plane was, but calculations gave an area where the plane could be located. They indicated the plane’s final location was somewhere in an arc that went as far north as Kazakhstan and south deep into the Indian Ocean. A final calculation showed the plane had flown south. Simon Hardy, one of the panel members and a 777 pilot and instructor, said he believed the plane had initially avoided detection by military radar after turning around by flying along the border between Malaysia and Thailand. “As the aircraft went across Thailand and Malaysia, it runs down the border, which is wiggling underneath. It means it is going in and out of those two countries; so, neither of the controllers is bothered about this mysterious aircraft, because: “Oh! It’s gone. It’s not in our airspace anymore!” Hardy said it was ‘accurate flying’ and if he was told to make a 777 disappear he would have done the same thing. At Penang Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah had dipped his wing to see his home-town.
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It might be a long emotional goodbye, or a short emotional goodbye, to his home-town.
Martin Dolan, former head of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), who led the search for MH370, discounted the possibility the disappearance was carried out by terrorists, saying no one had sought to claim credit for it. “This was planned. This was deliberate and it was done over an extended period of time.” Commenting on why nothing was heard from the plane once it went off course, Canadian air crash investigator Larry Vance said: “The thing that gets discussed the most is that at the point where the pilot turned the transponder off, he depressurised the airplane, which would have disabled the crew and passengers. There is no reason not to believe that this was what the pilot did, because that would be consistent with everything else that the pilot did. Had the plane not been depressurised there would have been an opportunity for people on the plane to try to make contact with people on the ground. “In my opinion, that’s probably what happened,” Vance said. “The Captain was killing himself. Unfortunately, he was killing everyone else on board as well. He did it deliberately.” Hardy said he thought someone was controlling the aircraft to the point it hit the ocean. It was “a mission by one of the crew to hide the aircraft as far away from civilisation as possible.” In an aircraft simulator, shown on the programme, Simon Hardy pulled out of a so-called ‘death dive.’ “So now we are just a huge glider flying without any engines,” he said. In this scenario it took nine minutes to reach the ocean, putting the plane outside the area which had been searched.
Martin Dolan was not convinced. “I still think the weight of the evidence is that for whatever reason, it is unlikely there were controlled inputs at the end of the flight and therefore the aircraft spiralled into the water,” he said. However, the ATSB always accepted that there was a possibility the plane was controlled right into the sea. “If that was the case finding the wreckage would be almost impossible and with the resources likely to be available, it would be impossible”. If it was thought a pilot was controlling the plane at the end, the search area would have been different.
Vance said the captain of the flight had wanted the plane to disappear. “The fuselage of the aircraft on the bottom of the sea is virtually in one piece. The left wing is still intact. The right wing may have broken off and the engines will have separated from the wings. However, you basically have four pieces of airplane down there. It is not scattered all over the bottom of the ocean,” he said. US air safety expert John Cox said the idea had merit, but “this ditching would not be something that would be carried out easily.” The 3-4 metre waves in the ocean at that time would have done a lot of damage to the aircraft. Search zone
MH370 debris found on a Renunion Island beach
Blaine Alan Gibson found a part from Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 while combing beaches in Madagascar Australian ship searches for MH370 Wing flap that washed ashore on island off Tanzania belongs to missing MH370
The piece of the plane originally found on Réunion has been identified as a “flaperon.” July 2018
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Airbus LEAP engine
Despite Airbus demand, Safran will not increase LEAP engine output Safran’s CEO Philippe Petitcolin reasserted the fact that the production objectives for the LEAP engine (co-created with General Electric) would remain the same, despite Airbus asking for an increased output.The objective of 1,100 LEAP engines delivered in 2018, 1,800 in 2019 and 2,000 in 2020 was reaffirmed by Petitcolin during a meeting with the AJPAE aerospace media association. “I want to be virtually certain about the robustness of the supply chain before committing to higher production,” Safran’s CEO said.
During the meeting, Petitcolin also commented on the takeover of Zodiac, a French aerospace group, by Safran in February 2018. Zodiac is specialised in cabin equipment such as seats. The company saw its profit growing since the beginning of the century because of an increased demand in aircraft. It became the leader in passenger seats in 2011, in front of its U.S. rival B/E Aerospace. However, in 2014, several manufacturers including Airbus and Boeing complained of delays in deliveries and quality defects.
On 10 April 2018, La Tribune reported that Airbus sent a letter to its suppliers, confirming its decision to increase the A320neo output from 50 to 63 aircraft produced per month around April 2019, with a final objective of 70 to 75 by 2021. If most of Airbus’ partners were in capacity to follow that increase, Safran expressed doubt about the feasibility. CFM International (the joint company of Safran and General Electric) already has a high output (12 LEAPs per week for Airbus, 14 for Boeing), way superior to its rival Pratt & Whitney who is also equipping the A320neo with its GTF engine, as Boeing also uses the LEAP engine to power its B737 MAX. If Boeing were to align on Airbus’ increased input, CFM could see the demand exceeding its capacities, especially as its former generation engine, the CFM56, still has pending deliveries until 2020.
The crisis severely harmed the company’s reputation which saw its orders decrease in the following years. Safran bought out the company in an attempt to repair the damages. However, Petitcolin informed the journalists that it might take some time.
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“There are a lot of improvements to do on an operational and structural level if we want achieve the level expected by our customers, which is an average level regarding the market”, he commented, adding that it could take from 15 to 18 months to catch up with the current backlog.
AirBaltic Bombardier CS300 aircraft
airBaltic orders up to
60 Bombardier CS300 aircraft Bombardier Commercial Aircraft and Air Baltic Corporation AS (airBaltic) have executed a firm purchase agreement for the sale and purchase of 30 CS300 aircraft with options and purchase rights for an additional 30 aircraft of the same type. Based on the list price of the CS300 aircraft, the firm order is valued at approximately $2.9 billion. This amount would increase to nearly $5.9 billion should all 15 options and 15 purchase rights be exercised.
vital role in maintaining our operating cost at a low level. In 2017, we experienced outstanding growth and showed the world the unique capabilities and comfort of this innovative aircraft. We successfully executed our fleet modernisation strategy and are excited to further grow our fleet up to 80 CS300 aircraft whilst phasing out our other aircraft types in the next three years,” said Martin Gauss, Chief Executive Officer, airBaltic.
“As the C Series aircraft programme continues to gain market acceptance, this significant reorder from our CS300 launch operator is a strong testimony to the aircraft’s exceptional in-service performance”, said Fred Cromer, President, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “Furthermore, we are proud that the CS300 has helped airBaltic maintain its position as one of the world’s most punctual airlines. The C Series aircraft is at the forefront of the small singleaisle market and airBaltic played a key role in demonstrating its value. In the last 18 months, we have witnessed airBaltic’s growing leadership in the market and we wish the airline further success with its expanded CS300 fleet.”
“We are now commencing the implementation of our next business strategy – Destination 2025, which foresees airBaltic expanding the map of its operations. A critical part of this new strategy is the introduction of a larger and exclusive fleet of all-CS300 aircraft, which are the most suitable aircraft for the markets in which we operate,” he added. “2017 was the most successful year in the history of airBaltic during which the company achieved exceptional operational and financial results. This serves as solid proof of the success of the airline’s business strategy and operating model,” said Uldis Augulis, Minister of Transport, Republic of Latvia.
With this order, airBaltic becomes the largest European C Series customer and the second largest customer worldwide with 50 aircraft on firm order. The airline’s new business plan relies on significant expansion of routes from all three Baltic countries – Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania.
The new order is the largest investment in Latvia’s history and plays an important role in the development of the air infrastructure of the Baltic region with wide-ranging effects on exports, economy and jobs.
“As an early adopter of the C Series, we took a forward-looking decision on advanced technology to support our turnaround plan leading to sustainable profitability and today we are benefiting from the most fuel-efficient small single-aisle aircraft. With demonstrated fuel savings of more than 22 percent, the CS300 aircraft plays a
Deliveries pertaining to this new order are scheduled to commence in the fourth quarter of 2019. Prior to this order, airBaltic had ordered 20 CS300 aircraft. The airline is currently operating revenue service with eight CS300 aircraft.
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JetSuite launch company of
Boeing electric plane
S
mall US-based charter airline JetSuite will be the starting company of the Zunum, a twelve seat electric aircraft backed by Boeing. The company should eventually receive 100 planes in order to expand its operations. Zunum Aero should start the flight test of a prototype of the aircraft in 2019.
“We remain on track for flight testing in 2019 and continue to grow our technical leadership across power electronics, electric motors, propulsors and aircraft,� said CTO Matt Knapp in an official statement.
The company expects to receive airworthiness approval by 2022. The plane would then become the first electric-powered business aircraft. However, the delivery date is yet to be determined.
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The aircraft is powered by batteries fitted in the wings and twin electric engines at its tail. It will be fitted with a regular fuel engine as a backup. The first version of the plane, the ZA10, should have a range of 1,120 kms whilst the bigger version which will be introduced later on, the ZA50, could reach 1,600 kms. The company is currently looking into retrofitting an existing plane to test its engines. Airbus and NASA are studying similar designs, but so far the Boeing-backed Zunum has been ahead in the development race.
When you lose a windshield in mid-air On 14 May 2018, Sichuan Airlines Flight 3U8633 took off from Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport (CKG) in the southwestern municipality of Chongqing, China, bound for Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, around 1,500 miles west, when a cockpit windshield broke off mid-flight, forcing the aircraft to divert and make an emergency landing in the south western city of Chengdu, Sichuan province. The Airbus A319 had been flying for about half an hour and had just reached the cruising altitude at 32000 feet when the windshield on the right-hand side of the cockpit shattered and broke off, leaving the cockpit exposed and pulling the co-pilot partly through the window. “There was no warning sign. Suddenly, the windshield just cracked and made a loud bang,” the captain of the aircraft, Liu Chuanjian, told Chinese media following the incident. “The next thing I knew was my co-pilot had been sucked halfway out of the window.” According to the captain, the aircraft experienced a sudden loss of pressure and a drop-in temperature. “Everything in the cockpit was floating in the air. Most of the equipment malfunctioned and I couldn’t hear the radio. The plane was shaking so badly that I could not read the gauges,” he said. The co-pilot was wearing a seatbelt and was pulled back inside and the captain was forced to perform an emergency landing manually with a damaged flight control unit (FCU) as some of its parts had been sucked out through the window. The aircraft, carrying 119 passengers and nine crew members, landed
safely at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport about 45 minutes after the incident. None of the passengers onboard were injured. However, Sichuan Airlines said in a post on Weibo that 29 of the 119 passengers were sent to the hospital for examination and were later discharged, but the co-pilot and one other cabin crew member suffered minor injuries.
Why did the windshield break? Chinese media reported that an investigative team set up by the CAAC arrived in Chengdu on 16 May 2018. The CAAC has also said that the French organisation of safety investigations, BEA, as well as Airbus would send staff to China to examine the incident. Preliminary investigation found that the failed windshield was an original part of the aircraft and had no previous record of faults since the A319 (registration B-6419) entered into service with Sichuan Airlines in July 2011. The jet had accumulated 19,912 flight hours. The Chengdu-based Chinese regional carrier currently operates an all-Airbus fleet, consisting of 132 aircraft, with the average age of 5.6 years. The airline has not yet provided details on the cause of the windshield’s failure.
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Ethiopian marks African aviation history with th
100 aircraft in active service On 6 June, Ethiopian Airlines took delivery of its 100th aircraft, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, once again leading the way in fleet expansion and modernisation in Africa. As part of Ethiopian Corporate Social Responsibility commitments, the new aircraft has ferried medical equipment from the Seattle-based NGO, Direct Relief, to St. Paulos Hospital in Addis Ababa. The shipment includes surgical stools and other medical supplies to be used for both teaching and patient care. Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, Mr. Tewolde Gebre Mariam, remarked: “It is an immense honour for all of us at Ethiopian to reach the milestone of 100 aircraft. This milestone is a continuation of our historical aviation leadership role in Africa and a testimony of the successful implementation of our fast, profitable and sustainable growth plan, Vision 2025. Ethiopian was the first to avail itself of jet service in the continent back in 1962. It operated the first African B767 in 1984, the first African B777-200LR in 2010, the first African B787-800 Dreamliner and B777-200 freighter in 2012, the first African A350 in 2016 and the first African B787-9 aircraft in 2017. Ethiopian now operates one of the youngest and most modern 100 aircraft, with an average age of less than five years. Fleet modernisation and expansion is one of the four critical pillars of the airline’s Vision 2025 strategic roadmap, in support of its fast expanding network, which has now reached over 110 international destinations covering five continents.
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The new fleet composed of B787s and A350s offers unparalleled on-board comfort to its passengers and offers the best possible connections when travelling within Africa and between the continent and the rest of the world. This 100-fleet milestone compels the airline to revise its plans with a view to phase in more aircraft and further expand its network so as to meet the growing travel needs of the African continent and support its economic development and integration by facilitating the flow of investment, trade and tourism. Over the years, Ethiopian has been investing heavily in fleet modernisation and expansion, which is one of the pillars of Vision 2025. Ethiopian was the first African Airline and second only to Japan to operate the B787 Dreamliner in 2012 and the first carrier in Africa to place the Airbus A350 XWB in service in 2016.
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Event
2018
Venue
Contact
28 June to 1 July
Race for Rhinos
Sua Pan, Botswana
Chris Briers E-mail: chris@briersgroup.com Cell: 082 568 7988
13 to 15 July
Taildraggers Fly-in
Nylstroom
Richard Nicholson Cell: 082 490 6227 E-mail: Richard.nicholson1963@gmail.com
14 to 15 July
SAC Nationals Coastal
TBA
Annie Boon E-mail: chunge@mweb.co.za
16 to 22 July
Farnborough International Airshow
Farnborough Airport, United Kingdom
Michelle Clover Website: www.farnboroughairshow.com E-mail: michelle.clover@farnborough.com
20 July
73rd CAASA Annual General Meeting
CAASA House Lanseria International Airport
Office@caasa.co.za Tel: 011 659 2345 Time: 09h30 for 10h00
SAPFA Hoedspruit Fun Rally
Hoedspruit Civil Airfield
Frank Eckard E-mail:frank.eckard@mweb.co.za Cell: 083 269 1516 or Wynand Uys E-mail: waynand@ottersden.co.za
21 July
23 to 29 July
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh
Wisconsin, USA
Camping on the airfield contact Neil Bowden E-mail: neil1@telkomsa.net Hotels in Appleton contact Calvin Fabig E-mail: calvin@designer.co.za
1 to 5 August
SAC National Championships
Tempe Bloemfontein
Annie Boon E-mail: chunge@mweb.co.za
5 to 11 August
SAPFA World Rally Flying Competition
Dubnicac Slovakia
Website: www.akdubnica.sk
9 August
Women’s day fly-in at Stellenbosch Flying Club (Thursday)
Stellenbosch
Alison 082 728 7386 or Louise 083 454 1104
16 to 26 August
SAC Advanced World Championships
Romania
Annie Boon E-mail chunge@mweb.co.za
Rand Airport
Stuart Coetzee E-mail: manager@randairport.co.za Tel: 011 827 8884
19 August
Rand Airshow (Sunday)
Airshow organisers: African Pilot annual airshow award details on our website: www.africanpilot.co.za Local 0861 001130 International +27 11 466 8524 Pre & post publicity: E-mail: editor@africanpilot.co.za Website: www.africanpilot.co.za Details are published in the magazine, the African Pilot weekly Newsletter and the African Pilot Website. They serve to remind aviation enthusiasts of forthcoming events during the week running up to the event. Capital Sounds for sound and broadcast: Brian Emmenis 057 388 2351 E-mail: capital@icon.co.za ASSA - Air Show South Africa Website: www.airshowsa.org.za. To reserve an airshow or fly-in please book on-line: www.airshowsa.org.za Louise Hofmeyer 083 454 1104 E-mail: louise@airshowsa.org.za Management & Airshow Authorisation: Tania van den Berg RAASA 011 082 1000 E-mail: tania@raasa.co.za Website: www.raasa.co.za
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African Pilot
July 2018
July 2018
African Pilot
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Cessna 195 ZS BFW overhead Tedderfield Airpark south of Johannesburg taken by Athol Franz
Sadly, due to a scarcity of good quality entries as well as the lack of a dedicated sponsor for this monthly competition, African Pilot has taken the decision to discontinue the ‘Picture of the Month’ photographic competition. However, in its place we will be publishing a double page spread of the cover article being the main feature article for the particular month.
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African Pilot
July 2018
Tedderfield Airpark (FATA) July 2018
African Pilot
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