CONTRAILS - Spring 2014

FLY YOUR PLANE ON A TRIP AROUND THE WORLD

A journey that takes you and your airplane to 27 countries and 36 total destinations

THE PRIVATE JET MAGAZINE

PROTECT YOUR ASSETS

Taking smart legal ownership of your aircraft

SPRING 2 014

HERE COMES THE HONDAJET A new jet approaches certification

CLOSE UP ON SIERRA INDUSTRIES

Older Citations get a major refurb

THE TRUTH ABOUT PRIST When you add it; when you don’t

REAL UPSET TRAINING Learn in a state-of-the-art jet fighter

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contents 04.14

FEATURES 12

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HONDAJET HA-420 AIR JOURNEY’S Aiming for the AMAZING FLIGHT owner-flown market.

AROUND THE

BY JAMES WYNBRANDT WORLD

It’s a 76-day, 25,000nm journey that takes you and your airplane to 27 countries and 36 total destinations.

BY JODI ANN CODY

Read the First Look review on the HondaJet HA-420 starting on page 12

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50

The seven best under $1 million.

Manufacturers don’t always get it right, straight out of the box.

An L-39 jet makes their UAT program as real as it gets.

BEST BARGAIN JETS

BY BILL COX

CESSNA EAGLE II CONVERSION

BY BILL COX

STALLION 51’S UNUSUAL ATTITUDE TRAINING

BY LYN FREEMAN

contents 04.14 SPRING 2014 VOLUME 1/ NUMBER 1

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DEPARTMENTS 8 LIFESTYLES

The best new gadgets available to pilots on display

AJ PUBLICATIONS STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Lyn Freeman MANAGING EDITOR

11 ONBOARD

Must-have products to make those cross-country trips more pleasant.

34 MIPAD

For emergency use only…not!

The best iPad apps (and accessories), Spring 2014

Michelle Carter SENIOR EDITOR

Bill Cox ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Hans Lubke EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS

William Henrys

BY JOHN D. RULEY CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

36 THE TRUTH ABOUT PRIST

Keeping contamination catastrophes from crystallizing

BY JAMES WYNBRANDT

Nina Harris, Paul Simington, Katrina Bradelaw, Paul Sanchez, Wayne Rash Jr. ART DIRECTOR

Robbie Destocki PHOTOGRAPHY

40 TAX TALK

Controlling Obamacare investment income tax with your Aircraft New Passive Activity Grouping Election Available.

BY JONATHAN LEVY

Paul Bowen, Mary Schwinn, James Lawrence, Lyn Freeman, Jodi Butler, Gregory L. Harris PUBLISHER

Thierry Pouille ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

Sophie Pouille

44 CJP AND CONTRAILS

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Owning and operating a Cessna Citation is a life-changing experience.

It allows you to go anywhere in the world on YOUR schedule.

PRODUCTION MANAGER, U.S.

BY EDWARD L. TURLEY, CHAIRMAN, CJP

Thierry Pouille, 561.452.1225 Brad Elliott, 561.841.1551

46 A PHENOMENAL EXPERIENCE

Owning a Phenom jet is nothing less than a phenomenal experience.

Learning it, flying it, enjoying it. Enhancing that experience is what the Phenom Jet Association is all about.

48 ECLIPSE 500 OWNERS CLUB (E5C)

If you are exploring all your options in the owner-flown twin-jet marketplace, then you will want to look at the Eclipse 500 and the Eclipse 550.

10

54 CENTERLINE

A tale of two pilots.

BY NEIL SINGER

Guillaume Fabry ADVERTISING SALES

AD SALES COORDINATOR

Anais Pouille, 561.841.1551 CORPORATE OFFICES

1931 Commerce Lane, Suite 5 Jupiter, FL 33458 Telephone: 561.841.1551 Fax: 954.252.3935 FOR SUBSCRIPTIONS, REPRINTS, BACK ISSUES

please log onto www.ContrailsMag.com CONTACT THE EDITOR:

Lyn@AJPublications.com CONTACT THE PUBLISHER:

Thierry@AJPublications.com ©2014 CONTRAILS Magazine is published quarterly.

All rights reserved. Reproduction in any form without written permission from the publisher is prohibited.

Please send comments to the attention of the publisher.

PRINTED IN THE USA.

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LifeStyles Binoculars and Then Some

Technology for Your Wrist Take a gander at the new Pebble, a wearable smart watch that talks to your smart phone, iPhone or Android, via a Bluetooth connection. Currently, there are more than 1,000 apps for the new device, including Pebble Canvas, which allows you to customize incoming info and design the look of your watch face with everything from weather to stock prices. You can even get notifications about incoming emails, calls and text messages on the device.

The Pebble is water-resistant down to 50 meters and, because of its lithium-ion polymer battery, you only need to charge your smart watch every five to seven days. The display is a 1.26-inch, 144-by-168-pixel Sharp memory LCD with an LED backlight. An onboard 3D accelerometer, a magnetometer and an ambient light sensor round out the device’s talents. It weighs only 38 grams. Get more information at GetPebble.com.

The rugged Celestron Cavalry 7 x 50 binoculars may be the most useful piece of equipment you can find. Engineered to withstand the elements, Cavalry is fully waterproof and nitrogen-purged to prevent internal fogging. The housing is protected by durable rubber armor, making the binoculars easy to grip while protecting them from hard use. The olive drab color offers concealment in the field.

As an optical instrument, Cavalry offers professional features including highgrade BaK-4 prisms and fully multi-coated optics for superb light transmission.

Besides providing a sharp, bright view, this pair of binoculars features an LCD screen that shows GPS coordinates, compass information, elevation, date and time. Click Celestron.com to view the entire line.

Garmin’s New Action Cam

LS Rock Your Hangar Flying stories can be entertainment enough, but nothing compares to adding a little music to the scene. Enter the new Marshall Stanmore, a compact Active Wireless Stereo Speaker that yields clean and precise sound throughout the audio spectrum. Its classic design is a throwback to the golden days of Rock’n’Roll!

With multiple connection sources, there are loads of ways to connect to your speaker. With multiple music options, you can connect to the Stanmore wirelessly via Bluetooth with APTX, or through of the three audio inputs (3.5mm, RCA, or Optical).

Inside the box are two 20W and one 40W speaker, as well as a ¾-inch tweeter and a 5¼-inch woofer.

The Marshall Stanmore comes with two standby modes, PowerSave and Standard, to minimize your speaker’s environmental impact when not actively in use. See the speakers in all their great colors at MarshallHeadphones. com/product/Stanmore.

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Garmin had the huevos to take on the then-mighty BendixKing more than 20 years ago, and now they’ve got plenty of steam to take on GoPro with the Virb. Among the top features of the new camera is a battery that lasts up to three hours and an included color viewfinder. Pilots can see exactly what the camera is seeing before hopping into the cockpit and creating aviation. The Garmin Virb can also go just about anywhere because of the rock-solid mount that comes with the camera.

And because it doesn’t come in a housing, the Virb is not susceptible to fogging like the GoPro. Image quality (at 1080P) in ultra high definition. Picture yourself with a new Virb by visiting Garmin.com.

Smartphone Wind Meter

Best Hydrogen Reactor You Can Get

You would undoubtedly be the coolest guy at your airport, charging your phone or other devices with hydrogen! You can do it with Brunton’s Hydrogen Reactor. A platinum catalyst in the fuel cell separates negatively charged electrons from positively charged hydrogen ions, and voila, there is a resulting electrical current. And because the hydrogen cells are solid-state, there’s no discharge, no chance for your own Three Mile Island. The device comes with two cores, each one good for six charges. Additional cores are $20 a piece from Brunton.com.

This wind meter turns your smart phone into a high-tech meteorological tool. Simply download the free Vaavud app and plug the wind meter into your ear phone jack. The app gives you a clear overview of average, actual and maximum wind speed, as well as a real time graph. The unit of measure can be changed on the fly by simply tapping the screen. (Available units: m/s, Kmh, mph, Kts and Bft.) The one piece, molded rotor and the low friction Teflon bearing makes this wind meter extremely durable. If sand or dirt gets inside the wind meter, it can easily be cleaned out with water.

Works with all iPhones from 4 and up, and all iPads from 2 and up, running on iOS 6 or 7, and the Samsung Galaxy S2, S3 and S4. Find the wind meter at Sportys.com.

Eyewear for Pilots Sunglasses can make or break the experience of flying. That’s why the Pilot Collection from Serengeti is remarkable. Made with world-class borosilicate optical glass from Corning, the eight models in this collection feature precision space-age hinges and adjustable silicone nose pads for the ultimate in long-wear comfort, designed specifically for aviation.

The Pilot Collection sunglasses are equipped with two distinct technologies to optimize common interactions with light, reduce eye strain and improve visual acuity: Photochromic (pioneered by Serengeti) which allows the lenses to adjust their tint to compensate for changing light conditions such as climbs and descents in and out of cloud cover, and Spectral Control, which manages specific colors to sharpen contrasts.

Serengeti is a member of Bushnell Eyewear headquartered in Suresnes, France. Find out more about the Pilot Collection at Serengeti-Eyewear.com.

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OnBoard

What if you never paid posted price?

Great Reads for on the Road

No One is Here Except All of Us

by Ramona Ausubel

An achingly lyrical tale of a Jewish village that chooses to reinventits entire world toprotect itself against the impending Nazi arrival. Ausubel’s novel is concerned with family history, communal memory and the power of the imagination and maintains an uncanny, sometimes troubling, aura of innocence throughout.

Gone Girl

The Yellow Birds

This tale of the aftermath of a woman gone missing will keep you up reading all night just so you can get to the very satisfying, very chilling ending.

One of the most critically acclaimed suspense writers of our time, New York Times bestseller Gillian Flynn takes that statement to its darkest place in this can’t-put-itdown masterpiece about a marriage gone terribly, terribly wrong.

A veteran of the Iraq war, Powers places that conflict at the center of his impressionistic first novel, about the connected but diverging fates of two young soldiers and the trouble one of them has readjusting to life at home. A young private and his platoon struggle through the war in Iraq but find no peace at home in this powerful and moving first novel about the frailty of man.

by Gillian Flynn

by Kevin Powers

Great Apps for on the Road

Words With Friends ($2.99)

Experience for yourself why millions of players are addicted to this game.

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FastCustomer

Star Chart

(FREE)

($2.99)

Hate waiting on hold for customer service?

They will call you when the wait is over.

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A virtual star chart in your pocket. Simply point to the sky and start gazing.

Behind the Beautiful Forevers

by Katherine Boo

This extraordinary moral inquiry into life in an Indian slum shows the human costs exacted by a brutal social Darwinism. This National Book Award-winning study of life in Annawadi, a Mumbai slum, is marked by reporting so rigorous it recalls the muckrakers, and characters so rich they evoke Dickens.

Must-Have Product QuietComfort 15 headphones feature exclusive Bose® advancements in noise reduction technology, making them our quietest yet. You hear even less noise and more of your music—with brilliant sound and a long-lasting comfortable fit. You won’t find this combination of benefits in any other headphone. Bose.com

Every time you use your aircraft, you are reminded that fuel is your highest variable operating cost. Do you feel you are getting the price you deserve? Don’t you deserve more than just posted rates?

Through the UVair® Fuel Program, you can enjoy discount fuel pricing with no minimal uplifts or annual fees. As a cardmember, you have access to 24/7 expert assistance, fuel estimates for over 4,000 locations worldwide, and additional savings through the UVair FBO Networksm.

It costs nothing to join. Start saving today at uvair.com/save.

Call us at N. America +1 (866) 864-8404 or Worldwide +1 (713) 378-2708, or visit uvair.com to learn more.

HondaJet HA-420

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK AIMING FOR THE OWNER-FLOWN MARKET

By James Wynbrandt

FIRST LOOK

When it receives expected FAA certification in Q1 2015, the HA-420 HondaJet will take top spot in the entry-level jet category for speed, service ceiling, fuel efficiency, cabin space and quietness. But the Honda Aircraft Co., based in Greensboro, N.C., is also aiming for “best owner-flown business jet” honors, and it’s now touting the HA-420’s capabilities to the buyer-flyer community.

“The HondaJet is ideal for the owner-pilot who uses aircraft for both business and personal use,” Michimasa Fujino, president and CEO of HondaJet, told Contrails.

While declining to say what percentage of HondaJet buyers intend to pilot the jet themselves, Fujino provided a thumbnail portrait of the group: “Our owner-pilot customers are tech-savvy individuals who seek the latest technology and modern amenities in a business jet,” he said, with flight experience spanning “a range of business aircraft including single and twin turboprops, to light- and mid-size business jets.”

According to industry data, about 25 percent of light-jet aircraft are operated by owner-pilots. With plans to produce some 80 to 90 HondaJets per year initially (the production line’s annual capacity is 100), the ranks of self-piloted HondaJet owners should grow quickly.

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HondaJet HA-420

would take three to four years. So, yes, it’s HondaJet History behind schedule, but look at where most of By the time the prototype of the HA-420 those other would-be jets are, consider the first flew — and Honda announced its results, and decide whether it’s been worth existence — in late 2003, Honda had been the wait. (At EBACE in Geneva last year, working on a light business jet for well Fujino noted few buyers had bailed on their over a decade. Its public debut came at the orders due to delivery delays and thanked VLJ-crazy 2005 EAA AirVenture Oshkosh customers for their patience.) air show. That same year at Oshkosh Eclipse Aviation affirmed progress toward building The HondaJet Outside and In 500 EA500 VLJs annually, while piston The HondaJet’s most distinctive feature is OEMs highlighted their turbine programs: its patented Over-The-Wing Engine Mount The D-Jet from Diamond, Piper’s PiperJet, (OTWEM), which positions the engine atop and the A700 AdamJet from Adam Aircraft.

(Cirrus would start taking $100,000 deposits a pylon extending above each wing, increasing fuel efficiency, reducing noise and allowfor The Jet at the following Oshkosh.) ing for a larger, more optimized cabin. But The Cessna Mustang also made its debut the jet’s livery vies for attention, too. In place appearance at Oshkosh ‘05, and Epic Air announced its twin-engine Epic Jet VLJ pro- of standard business aviation white, the forward portion of each HondaJet fuselage gram; Embraer had launched its Phenom is cloaked in a vibrant color — red, yellow, VLJ program that spring. blue, silver — ensuring the owner pilot and Though Fujino, who guided the Hondaaircraft will be noticed upon arrival.

Jet’s development and introduced it at The aluminum-skinned wings and even Oshkosh, told the press that Honda had the nose are Natural Laminar Flow (NLF) no plans to manufacture the aircraft, the appearance of a VLJ from a major auto com- airfoils, and the smooth aerodynamic contours of the composite fuselage reduce pany seemed to validate the market viability drag, all contributing to the HondaJet’s high of owner-flown jets. cruise speed and fuel economy.

Honda itself wasn’t immune to the Inside each pylon-mounted giddy optimism of the day. When the FIRST engine nacelle is a GE Honda HF120 team returned to Oshkosh in ’06 to LOOK turbofan, the first product from the announce a new Honda Aircraft Co. GE Honda Aero Engines partnerwould build and sell the jet, comship, formed to create powerplants pany officials estimated certification

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for this and other business jets. Development hiccups in the engine led to some of the aircraft’s delivery schedule setbacks.

Certified in December 2013, the HF120 has a wide-chord swept fan, two-stage low-pressure compressor, advanced reverse-flow combustor and fuel nozzles, and develops 2,050 pounds takeoff thrust, a better than 5:1 thrust-to-weight ratio.

Featuring dual-channel FADEC controls, the engine offers up to 17 percent improved fuel efficiency over others in its class, in addition to meeting or exceeding current and expected standards for emissions and noise levels. At MGTW (a figure yet to be determined), the engines can take the HondaJet airborne in less than 4,000 feet and climb at up to 3,990 fpm to a service ceiling of 43,000 feet. Top cruise speed is 420 knots at 30,000 feet, and range with four onboard is 1,180 nm with NBAA reserves, while less than 3,000 feet of runway is needed to land. The engine’s TBO is 5,000 hours.

Inside the aircraft, the six-place HA-420 boasts the largest and quietest cabin in its class. It’s the only entry-level jet with a fully enclosed aft lavatory (vanity standard, basin optional). Its 66 cubic feet of external cargo space is also first in class. Since last summer, the company has been showing off its fifth FAA-conforming HondaJet, which has a full production interior.

“Our customers have been very enthusi-

HondaJet HA-420 astic and impressed with the quality of the interior and the spaciousness of the cabin,” Fujino said.

Thanks to the spacious cabin — 5 feet wide, more than 4. 9” inches tall and almost 18 feet in length — the four multi-axis cabin seats lead the category in leg room, and the HondaJet incorporates features associated with larger aircraft, including electrochromatic window shades, and mobile device-controlled audio, lighting and environmental systems. But the luckiest owners, who will be turning left upon boarding, will likely be more concerned with what’s in the cockpit than the cabin.

“In consideration of the owner-pilot, the HondaJet cockpit was designed to be safe, simple, and fun to fly,” Fujino said. “It even has a push-button start for the engines.”

The HondaJet’s customized Garmin 3000 avionics suite features three 14-inch landscape display screens (two Primary Flight Displays and one Multi-Function Display), and dual touch-screen controllers, designed for simple, intuitive operation.

Indeed, turbine experience isn’t required to step up to a HondaJet, “but it’s recommended, and can make the transition less challenging,” Fujino said.

The HondaJet Transition If you don’t have turbine time in your logbook, Honda Aircraft is planning to offer an accelerated experience course along with the required high-altitude training course.

Whatever the buyer’s experience level, the company is putting what Fujino called “significant effort and investment into flight training for all HondaJet customers.”

FlightSafety International is developing a training program and flight simulator for the HondaJet. The training, included with aircraft purchase, will be conducted by Honda Aircraft.

“We will conduct the initial type flight training program for all customers,” Fujino said. “Type rating and recurrent HondaJet pilot training programs for both single and multi-crew operations will be provided.”

Highly qualified HondaJet instructors will also be available to perform Initial Operational Experience (IOE) for pilots who may have a Supervised Operating Experience (SOE) limitation to ensure they are fully prepared to operate the aircraft safely after initial training.

Honda Aircraft intends to deliver an airplane that’s not only fun to fly, but “a

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In consideration of the owner-pilot, the HondaJet cockpit was designed to be safe, simple, and fun to fly. It even has a push-button start for the engines. joy to own,” Fujino said, and will deliver exceptional customer service and product support. A recently established national dealer network is anchored by the company’s new Part 145 customer-service facility, which will provide heavy aircraft maintenance, major repair and overhaul services.

Going forward, observers expect to see the HondaJet family grow to include more models, though the company remains mum on future plans and steadfastly responds to questions about aircraft orders on hand with its stock answer of “more than 100.”

For potential buyers more challenged by the contents of their bankbook than concerns about their logbooks, Honda Aircraft Co. and American Honda Finance Corp. (AHFC) intend to offer term loan financing for HondaJet customers in the United States. “We are working with AHFC to develop the systems and infrastructure necessary to support the new aircraft finance program and anticipate having the capability in place prior to HondaJet entry into service,” Fujino said.

Meanwhile, the HondaJet’s economy and price ($4.5 million) may appeal to owner operators of larger jets certified for single-pilot operation (like Beechcraft’s Premier 1A and Cessna’s CitationJet series) who don’t need room for the eight passengers these aircraft typically seat.

Who knows, the HA-420’s performance and the comprehensive training and financial assistance the company offers might even prompt some non-pilots to buy and fly their own HondaJet. When Fujino first came to Oshkosh in ’05. he told me he hadn’t had time to learn to fly while working on the project (he’d put 19 years into it by that time), but hoped to begin taking lessons. While talking about these latest program developments, I asked him how far he’d progressed on that goal.

“I still very much want to learn when I have the time,” he told me. “After I deliver the first HondaJet, I am sure I will restart!”

HONDAJET HA-420 Performance Maximum cruise speed @ FL300: 420KTAS Maximum cruise altitude: FL430 Rate of Climb: 3,990 ft/min.

NBAA IFR range (four occupants): 1,180 nm Takeoff distance:

<4,000 ft.

Landing distance:

<3,000 ft.

Engines Manufacturer/Model: GE Honda/HF120 Output (uninstalled thrust): 2,050 lbf each

Derated from 2,095 each Bypass ratio: 2.9

External Dimensions Height: Wingspan: Length:

14.9 ft.

39.76 ft.

42.62 ft.

Interior Cabin Dimensions Height: Length: Width:

4.8 ft.

17.8 ft.

5.0 ft.

External Baggage Space Total: Within aft section: Within nose section:

66 cubic ft.

57 cubic ft.

9 cubic ft.

Configuration Typical configuration:

Alternate configuration:

1 crew + 5 pax (2 crew + 4 pax) 1 crew + 6 pax (2 crew + 5 pax)

For more information, contact

Honda Aircraft Company, 6430 Ballinger Rd., Greensboro, NC 27410.

Phone: 336-662-0246 (Main) 888-453-5937 (Sales) http://hondajet.honda.com All specifications are based on manufacturer’s calculations. All performance figures are based on standard day, standard atmosphere, sea level, maximum weight conditions unless otherwise noted.

travel & adventure

Nearly a century and a half ago, author Jules Verne imagined that a trip around the world could be done in as little as 80 days. Now, thanks to Air Journey, you can fly your own airplane around the world and still trim a few days from Verne’s legendary number.

“It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time,” said Air Journey’s Thierry Pouille. “Take people around the world.”

So at the Sun ‘n’ Fun Fly-In in 2007, Pouille offered the trip for the first time. “At the time I remember wondering if I was crazy. Then I started asking people to put down a $5,000 deposit, and I came back with $50,000 in my pocket.”

Since that time, interest in piloting oneself around the world has grown, and Air Journey’s Round the World trip sells almost strictly by word of mouth.

“It’s just one of those things that’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” pilot Steve Walenz said about the trip. “You just do it.”

TRAVEL PLANNER

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travel & adventure He took his wife Judy and son Brian and stays in constant contact. flew around the world with Air Journey. His A concierge travels a day or two ahead of the group to insure that hotels and activiTBM sports a flag decal from every country ties are as advertised and acceptable to Air he visited, but his favorite was Egypt. “I loved seeing the pyramids,” Walenz said. “It’s Journey’s requirements. On a recent trip, the concierge gave a hotel room the white-glove the place where civilization began.”

Pouille’s route around the world is similar test, and it came up short. After she pointed in many ways to the path described by Verne, out the room’s deficiencies, the hotel with adventurers leaving the east coast of changed out the carpet and steam-cleaned North America (Quebec City, Canada, to the room. The concierge met the group at be exact) and traveling across the Atlantic the airport the next day, and no one was to Europe. After spending the first 18 days ever the wiser that there had been an issue there, the group heads south to the Mediterwith one of the rooms.

Air Journey also spends a lot of time ranean Sea with stops at Marrakesh, Malta personalizing the trip for each airplane. For and Santorini. Next comes the Middle East, example, on one trip, a client was an avid ice with visits Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Dubai.

The subcontinent is next with stops in India skater so Pouille and the concierge arranged and Thailand then on to Malaysia, Singapore, visits to ice rinks along the way all the way Indonesia, Bali, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. around the world.

“It’s the coolest thing I’ve ever done,” said The group then turns north to Hong Kong, Citation Mustang pilot Doug Armstrong, Taipei, South Korea and finally Japan. The last who made the trip two years ago with his leg crosses part of Russia and the Kamchatka wife and three kids. Everyone had specific Peninsula and ends in Seattle, completing the jobs to make the trip successful, from pack76 days of Air Journey’s offering.

While flying is an important part of ing to readying the aircraft for each leg. Thirthe mission, it isn’t everything. The group teen-year old Megan Armstrong became spends two to three days in almost every a master of the right seat, easily handling location, resting, recreating and sightseeing. instrument clearances and frequency changAir Journey arranges the finest resorts and es after only about a week of experience.

Jules Verne would have unhotels along the way. Gourmet restaurants are the bill of fare, and there’s TRAVEL doubtedly been impressed with Air always time to take it easy.

PLANNER The success of these trips around the world is not left to chance. Air Journey operates a journey headquarters in Florida which tracks the group’s progress and serves as a clearinghouse for weather updates or unexpected circumstances that pop up along the way. Pouille

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travel & adventure

Advanced Type Rating Courses for Citation Aircraft PIC / SIC INITIAL, UPGRADE, AND RECURRENT TRAINING FOR: Journey’s technology along the way. Each Trips around the world are not without pilot carries an iPad that has been loaded their warts. Occasionally a plane has a mewith the day’s details, the SID, the STAR, chanical issue, but Air Journey is experience the expected approach, the weather and the at arranging service and support from the likely routings. And because of the limited major airframe and engine manufactures availability of 100LL Av Gas along the way, around the globe. Parts are overnighted, and Air Journey’s Round the World trip is limited the aircraft continues on its way.

Sometimes weather can be an issue. to jets, turboprop or pure jet.

Flying around the world had been on “We’re flying for our own enjoyment, so Armstrong’s radar for some time, but it was there’s no sense in scaring ourselves by flynot something he imagined in his immediing into harm’s way,” Pouille said. If anyone ate future. He had heard a lot of the excuses on the journey is uncomfortable with the people use to cheat themselves out of the weather, the flight is scrubbed for the day or 25,000nm ultimate around-the-world trip: until bluer skies prevail.

“I can’t be away from my business that long,” Air Journey handles most everything for the client pilot. In addition to the preflight or “I’m not going to live out of just one briefings and flight planning, they wade suitcase.” But when he sold his businesses, through the mound of paperwork Armstrong said he could find no real reason not to pack a single suitcase TRAVEL from the 27 different countries and go. “I don’t think anyone cared PLANNER enroute.

“The regs are about the same what they were wearing after the everywhere, but the paperwork is first week,” Armstrong said.

“You need to be at the top of your different in every country,” Walenz game,” Armstrong added. “If you’re not, said. “And trying to understand the contake an experienced co-pilot from Air Journey.” trollers over Pakistan was a big challenge.

The company even makes their Cessna When we got over to Hong Kong, I thought Mustang available along the way for pilots we’d died and gone back to the United Sates. who would like to fly a leg or two and build We had American controllers! I do a lot of some jet time. flying in the Caribbean, and that’s inter-

national. But it was definitely challenging sometimes, and the Air Journey guys are real pros.”

To say that there are only few giggles along the way would be unfair. “We went to this place in Thailand where they have fish that eat the dead skin off your feet. That was probably the craziest thing I’ve ever done in my life. It tickled my feet so much it was unbelievable!” Walenz said.

“Most little kids don’t get out of their home towns, but my kids have been all around the world and done all this amazing stuff. Their aperture is wide open now,” Armstrong said with some pride.

“There was a lot of satisfaction in flying the airplane in places like Japan and Russia.

It’s the kind of flying that 95 percent of pilots don’t get to do. You could throw a dart at a calendar and pick any day on that trip and I could tell you stories from that day. I have a story from every single day. It’s by far the coolest thing I’ve ever done!”

“It was just a blast,” Walenz said. “The whole trip was way above expectations. It was just fantastic, one of those deals you do once in a lifetime!”

The next trip leaves on May 12, 2014. And a 2015 version is looming on the horizon.

CE-500 Citation Series Type Rating CE-510 Citation Mustang Type Rating CE-525 CitationJet CJ Series Type Rating CE-650 Citation III, VI, VII Series Type Rating Aircraft Model Differences Training

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www.premierjettraining.com MAILING & HANGAR 2324 SE Liberator Lane, #104 Stuart, FL 34996

Corporate Office 2382 Curtis King Blvd.

Fort Pierce, FL 34946 22 I

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pre-owned jets

BEST BARGAIN JETS THE SEVEN BEST UNDER $1 MILLION

By Bill Cox

We know what you’re probably thinking. Sure, you can buy one of these jets for under $1 million, but what will it cost to run?

Certainly, that’s the catch. If you have to ask how much it costs to run…

Operating cost notwithstanding, it’s possible to buy a corporate jet for far less than you may have imagined. If you only shop primo examples of your chosen models, buy smart and have a comprehensive pre-buy performed, you may be able to avoid some of the major pitfalls.

Anyone familiar with the used corporate jet market knows several other twin-jets are available for less than our target price of $1 million. We’ve limited our search to what we regard as the least expensive airplanes to operate — seven jets that not only sell for less than our target figure but shouldn’t break the bank on maintenance, fuel costs and other expenses. in mid-2008. Holland and his investors acquired We’ve also considered only generic versions of the Eclipse for four cents on the dollar, re-established airplanes in question when, in most instances, a 7 UNDER production in Albuquerque, N.M., and began variety of different models had been enhanced with additional fuel, stretched cabin, $1 MILLION work completing the original model 500s and improving the aircraft to the Eclipse 550. higher service ceiling, etc. The pricing source Holland bought back as many of the initial was Aircraft Bluebook Price Digest, Winter Eclipses as he could and updated them as nec2013/2014, except for the North American essary, producing what he called the Total Eclipse Sabre, priced from reference to Controller.com.

Our selection deliberately excludes corporate 500. The finished airplane could deliver 360 knots at jets such as the 21-seat Gulfstream G2 and the four-enoptimum altitude on a good day, burning 500 pounds the gine Lockheed Jetstar, both available under our target first hour and 400 pounds per hour thereafter. Maximum price but hellaciously expensive airplanes to operate. ceiling was FL410 where the Eclipse could maintain an Happy shopping!

8,000-foot cabin altitude and true 320 knots. At that height, the P&W 610Fs would burn under 55 gph total, Eclipse 500 the lowest fuel consumption of any twin jet on the market.

By now, everyone knows the story of the Eclipse jet. Vern The Eclipse 500 may not be all Raeburn said it would be, but it’s the most modern pure turbine airplane you can Raeburn, a former Microsoft computer executive, brought buy with no example older than 2007. Prices range from the airplane to life with major investments by Paul Allen $750,000 to $850,000. and Bill Gates, and then drove the company into bankruptcy in 2007. Mason Holland and Mike Press breathed Beechjet 400A life into it and were responsible for reviving the dream of a Originally built by Mitsubishi of Japan as the Diamond relatively inexpensive light jet.

Though the airplane never approached the under $1 300B, the airplane employed a computer-designed, million base price promised by Raeburn, Eclipse Aviation supercritical wing and P&W JT15D engines. All rights did sell 261 airplanes before shutting down completely to this mid-sized jet were subsequently purchased by

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Beechjet 400A

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pre-owned jets

Citation 500/501/I SP

Beechcraft in 1985, and the model Today, the earliest Citation 500s 7 UNDER was initially rebranded the Beechjet $1 MILLION (1972) sell for $250,000 and the last Citation 1 S/Ps go for $800,000.

400. It was subsequently renamed the Hawker 400 to meld it into Learjet 23-24 Beechcraft’s Hawker line of corpoThough some pilots mistakenly believe rate turbines.

Along the way, the airplane saw service the Learjet was the first business jet (that as the T1A, a military tanker and transport honor belonged to the French Morane aircrew trainer. The model 400A benefitted Salnier MS-760), it was nevertheless one of from a major upgrade, including increased the best performing. Bill Lear converted a payload and ceiling (45,000 feet), a rear proposed Swiss military fighter, the P-16, to lavatory and slightly more speed. Max cruise a business jet and dubbed it the SAAC23.

By the standards of 1963, the Lear 23 was was touted as 443 knots, and max range was a pure hot rod, a lightweight, 12,499-pound about 1,500 nm.

Today, Hawker 400s built between 1991 airplane with 5,700 pounds of thrust. The and 1999 sell at $500,000-$1 million. result was a near-7,000 fpm climb and a cruise of 450 knots, the latter about the Citation 500/501/I SP same as that of most airliners of the day.

The first Citation 500s truly were iconic (The airplane was criticized for not having airplanes, the beginning of a long line of a Blue Room on board, to which Lear reCessna’s 500 series jets that has collectively sponded, “An airplane this fast doesn’t need become the most popular in the world. Foran onboard potty.”)

Eventually approved for cruise at FL450, get all those silly jokes about the Slowtation the Learjet was an iconic business jet that and bird strikes from the rear, Cessna wasn’t became something of a status symbol in striving for the fastest jet when they introthe 1960s. Today, Lear 23s and 24s are still duced the original Citation in 1972. Instead, flying, but they must have hush kits installed they hoped to create the most reliable and economical turbine airplane in the sky. They or they will be prohibited from operating inside the U.S. after Dec 31, 2015. succeeded admirably.

The straight-wing 500 could carry full Only a little more than 100 Lear 23s were seats and full fuel but demanded two pilots built, so they’re hard to find on the used unless you purchased the STC and took market, but Lear 24s are more common, the single-pilot certification test. The 501 some starting at prices as low as $150,000. A was certified for single pilot ops. Both of recent examination of the Controller used the initial models could cruise at 340 knots aircraft price listings suggested four model at FL350 with two pilots up front and six 24s for sale. According to ABPD, even the passengers in back. Fuel burn was about 800 last model Lear 24Fs typically cost less than pounds/hour. $300,000.

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Dassault Falcon 10 Despite its designation, the French Falcon 10 followed in the footsteps of the Falcon 20.

The model 10 was a slightly smaller airplane, a totally redesigned machine with a deliberately non-circular fuselage, an improved wing with slotted flaps and a pair of Garrett TFE731-2 turbofans rated for 3,230 pounds of thrust each. The first Falcon 10 premiered in 1973.

The result is an enthusiastic jet with almost military performance. John and Martha King, owner of King Schools in San Diego, Calif., have operated a Falcon 10 for the last 12 years, and their experience in the aircraft has been extensive.

“We had a Citation 500 before the Falcon, and the difference in performance is pretty amazing,” John King said. “In the Falcon, we climb at an initial 6,000 fpm, then drop the nose to 300 knots above 10,000 feet to about 26,000 feet and still see 3,000 fpm up. . . We’ll manage 430 knots TAS in the climb, and that’s a good 60 knots faster than the Citation 500 can cruise. Level at FL360, we regularly see 490 knots or about Mach .85.”

Late ‘70s vintage Falcon 10s cost about $600,000 to $800,000.

Westwind (Jet Commander) The Jet Commander was a signature, midwing, Ted Smith design that was first sold

by Commander Aircraft. The airplane was eventually purchased by North American-Rockwell whose production lines were already busy turning out Sabreliners.

Rockwell sold the type certificate to Israel

pre-owned jets

Westwind (Jet Commander)

SPECIFICATIONS & PERFORMANCE Aircraft Industries who marketed the model under the name Westwind I and II. IAI sold a number of Westwinds to the Israel IDF for maritime patrol as the Sea Scan, but the majority were sold as corporate aircraft.

The airplane started off as a seven-seater and was later stretched to accommodate as many as 12. Westwinds gained a reputation as unusually adaptable Medevac airplanes because of their low entry door and ovoid (rather than oval) cabin. The engines are positioned 13 feet aft of the aft cabin bulkhead, and that makes the airplane unusually quiet in flight.

The Westwind could cruise at 450 knots and was approved for operation at FL450.

With just under 1,100 gallons of fuel aboard, the airplane boasted a 2,800 nm range with the Garrett TFE731 engines installed.

Aircraft Bluebook suggests a typical price of $325,000 for a 1980 model to $675,000 for a 1987 vintage Westwind.

Sabreliner (North American-Rockwell) Like so many other early business jets, the

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Aircraft Model

Total Initial (lbs.)

Gross Weight (lbs.)

Seats

Max Crs (kts)

Max Alt

Initial Climb (fpm)

Eclipse 500

1800

5950

6

370

FL410

3424

Citation 500

4400

11,850

7

357

FL350

2719

Lear 23-24

5700

12,499

8

450

FL450

6900

Falcon 10

6460

18,740

10

492

FL450

6000

Beechjet 400

5800

16,100

11

443

FL450

3770

Sabreliner

6000

17,760

9

435

FL410+

4000+

Westwind

7400

23,500

12

390

FL450

5000

Sabreliner began life as a military reconIt was a fast, long-range aircraft, designed naissance and utility aircraft, the T-39, to span the Atlantic at speeds as high as 450 vaguely familiar as a spinoff of the F-86 knots. Pet Milk bought the first Sabre 40 in Sabre. The severely swept wings and tall tail 1963, and the type lasted through 1980 in were scaled-up versions of those used on a variety of configurations. Airshow pilot the fighter. The airplane was later upgraded Bob Hoover often flew a Sabreliner through to a corporate business aircraft with aerobatic routines, demonstrating the nine seats and, eventually, up to 12 airplaneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s speed and maneuverability.

7 UNDER buckets installed. $1 MILLION Controller recently listed a As a result of its military heritage, number of Sabres at prices ranging the Sabre was built like a flying tank, from $120,000 for a 1975 Sabre 80 to but performance was notably better. $825,000 for a 1981 Sabre 65.

sierra industries

CESSNA EAGLE II CONVERSION MANUFACTURERS DON’T ALWAYS GET IT RIGHT, STRAIGHT OUT OF THE BOX.

By Bill Cox The world is a very different place from 43,000 feet. It may be only 2,000 feet above the more normal FL410, but it’s an impressive height for a Citation 500.

Of course, the airplane that has me surrounded today isn’t your rich uncle’s first-generation Citation. It’s a Sierra Industries Eagle II conversion, with Williams FJ44-2A engines in place of the standard Pratt &Whitney JT15Ds. As I look down on the Grand Canyon slicing off the top of Arizona eight-and-a-half miles below, I can see Monument Valley

MOD SQUAD

to the east and Lake Mead to the west. Cowboy country unfolds below me as we transition north into Utah, and the Citation’s TAS hovers right at 350 knots, about 40 knots quicker than it has any right to be at this altitude.

OK, I can’t see the Earth’s curvature from this height, but I’m cruising well above many other corporate jets and virtually all airliners, and I’m doing so at a speed any Citation 500/501 owner would envy.

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sierra industries Since 1983, when Mark Huffstutler and his father started the company in Uvalde, Texas, Sierra’s mission has been to make a variety of early Citations fly faster and more efficiently.

“My” Eagle for the day is a demonstrator with most of the bells and whistles you can put on it. The airplane is almost antithetical to the traditional image of a business jet. It’s ridiculously simple to fly, with uncomplicated though not-quite-FADEC engine controls, a low landing ref speed, benign stall characteristics, improved short-field performance, gentle handling and an uncomplicated panel layout.

Such a forgiving configuration and flight manners are practically generic to Citations, but the Eagle II conversion also emphasizes performance and efficiency. Since 1983, when

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Mark Huffstutler and his father started the company in Uvalde, Texas, Sierra’s mission has been to make a variety of early Citations fly faster and more efficiently. They’ve acquired or created some 300 STC’d products over the last 30 years, everything from Robertson STOL and Dee Howard to Astec and Branson in addition to their own mods.

Today, Sierra holds more aviation STCs than any other company in America.

By far, Sierra’s most comprehensive product is the Eagle II conversion for the Citation 500 and 501. Huffstutler explains the rationale

of modifying those first Citation 500s and 501s. “The airplane is a modifier’s dream. The beauty of the Citation is that Cessna didn’t go to great lengths to tweak the airplane for max performance. They just wanted a cheap, easy jet (to fly). There’s a lot of room for improvement — paradise for a modifier.”

In its final production configuration, the basic Citation was a huge gamble for Cessna. The company spent $35 million on development and certification of its entry-level jet, and you have to remember, this was the late ‘60s. In those days, $35 million

was “real money,” about half the company’s net worth. Up until then, Cessna’s products were almost exclusively piston-powered.

Even the Conquest l and ll turboprops were still years away. If the Citation hadn’t caught on, Cessna could very well have folded.

At the time, the Lear was the jet of choice, the sexiest non-military aircraft in the sky.

In 1972, Cessna offered the first production Citation 500 for $625,000. In contrast, the comparable Lear 24 was listed at a base $854,000, nearly a quarter million dollars more expensive, but also possessing much improved performance.

Contrary to popular belief, the Citation 500 wasn’t Cessna’s first jet. In fact, the original Citation wasn’t even its own airplane.

It sprang from the company’s T-37 USAF trainer, nicknamed the Tweet because of its Continental jet engines’ high-pitched scream. The T-37 was the rough template for the company’s planned first corporate jet, the model 407, a four-seater with a proposed 400-knot cruise and a ceiling of 46,000 feet.

That concept never left the drawing boards, partly because Cessna wasn’t sure there was a market for a four-seat business jet. In retrospect, it may have been right.

To that end, Cessna’s originally named Fanjet 500 (changed to Citation 500 before production began) was an eight-seat, 350-knot model that finally premiered in 1972. The airplane has evolved through more than a dozen iterations since then, offering significantly more power, cruise performance approaching Mach 1.0, stretched cabins and half a rain forest of mahogany. For those critics who laughed at the original airplane’s bulbous nose and high dihedral, cruciform tail, Cessna can now lay claim to having built roughly a third of all the business jets on or above the planet. Better still, from Sierra’s point of view, the available matrix of 500s/501s is huge.

Hundreds of the original 500/501s are still available on the used market.

Sierra Industries begins the conversion process by removing the P&W JT15Ds and installing a pair of Williams FJ44-2A turbofans. Among the 689 early Citations produced, Sierra estimates some 450 are eligible for their power-up. The rest are already approved to FL410, and the performance improvement wouldn’t be as significant on those models.

The immediate result of the engine swap is a significant sea-level thrust increase that generates a major climb improvement. The original Citation 500 could manage about 2,700 fpm climb with a full load, adequate but not spectacular. After the conversion

$300,000, the Eagle II conversion price to the Williams engines, the airplane MOD of approximately $1.950 million seems ascends at more like 4,500 fpm, and SQUAD relatively inexpensive. The price is the FJ-44 turbines deliver 35 percent only approximate, because Sierra will more thrust than the Pratts at allow a trade-in value on your existing 41,000 feet. Better still, the stock 500 Pratt and Whitney JT15D engines, derequired about 80 minutes to step climb pending upon time and condition. up to 41,000 feet, whereas the Eagle II levels Sierra also sells a variety of other upat 43,000 feet in about 25 minutes.

The higher thrust level above 41,000 feet grades, from a full glass panel, to a custom also helps boost max cruise to about 390 leather interior and new paint. That means if knots, again roughly 40 knots better than you don’t change paint or avionics, you could the best efforts of the 500 and 501. be back in the sky with a near 400 knot, Sierra sells the engine conversion by eight-seat jet for less than $2.5 million. In itself as the Stallion, but the full Eagle II is contrast to new prices, nothing even comes by far the more popular mod. Between the close to the same performance at the same two models, Sierra has sold 50 of the basic price point. It’s tough to compare any used Citation conversions. jet to a new-generation CJ-2 with a full-glass The Eagle II includes a major change to panel and the latest avionics, but the new the inboard wing, specifically, the airfoil Citation model sells for $7.3 million.

In fact, however, the depressed market between the root and midspan. In flow-testfor legacy Citations has minimized deing the original wing, engineers discovered mand, encouraging folks with an interest that section was suffering a major drag rise in the Eagle II to search the used market during climb or any other high angle-of-atfor already-converted airplanes rather than tack attitude. This, in turn, was partially purchase an original 500/501 and convert inhibiting airflow through the aft-mounted it. This avoids the long downtime associated engines and reducing available thrust.

As a result, the inboard airfoil was with the structural wing mods and instalreshaped to provide more laminar flow and lation of the additional 900-pound fuel opbetter thrust recovery. This produced a notion. Those pilots interested in minimizing table hump in the inboard wing section, and time constraints might consider the Stallion Sierra uses that additional space to increase conversion, which swaps engines without fuel capacity from the 3,600 to 4,510 pounds. the other mods.

The extra fuel obviously has a major effect For that reason, the Stallion and Eagle II on range, and in combination with the high- aren’t Huffstutler’s only conversions. Sierra er thrust rating, allows the airplane to cover offers a mod on the stretched Citation 1,650 nm between pit stops. That makes one II (technically known as the model 550) stop, coast-to-coast trips possible in a single, called the Super II. This replaces the P&W fairly easy day. Considering that you can JT15D-4 turbine mills with the more powertravel on your own schedule in first-class ful, Williams FJ44-3A engines for the same comfort and be assured that your bags will price as the Eagle mod.

As with the Eagle II STC, this adds 2,000 arrive at the same time you do (and at no feet to service ceiling, plus a 25 percent inextra cost), that’s a major consideration.

While dealing with the wings, Sierra increase in range and about 30 knots to cruise. creases span by 19 inches a side, roughly the There’s also an optional aft-cabin fuel tank same as on the Citation 501. According to that boosts fuel capacity by 900 pounds and Huffstutler, the bottom line for Eagle II own- a gross weight increase of as much as 1,200 ers is not only better climb, speed, service pounds, depending upon serial number. So ceiling and range but improved efficiency. At far, Sierra has converted 12 Citation IIs to high cruise altitudes, the airplane delivers 35 what they call the Super II configuration. percent more thrust on 40 percent less fuel.

When you compare price, performance and He explained the improved fuel burn: operating costs of the Sierra conversions to “On the old airplanes, at top of climb, you’d more modern Citations, you can’t avoid the see about .30 nautical miles per pound conclusion that an STC’d model will probably of fuel burned. At the top of descent at a cost you less than 50 percent of the price of a lightweight, you’d see .35 to .38. The Eagle II new airplane with comparable performance.

Whatever your perspective on cost, levels off at .50 and … goes to .60 or better, Sierra’s Stallion, Eagle II and Super II conequivalent to a CJ-2.”

Considering that you can purchase a versions of the early Citations provide an decent Citation 500 or 501 for as little as interesting alternative to buying new.

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MiPad u ELECTRONICS

FOR EMERGENCY USE ONLY… NOT! THE BEST IPAD APPS (AND ACCESSORIES), SPRING 2014

By John D. Ruley

As pilots, we’re taught to keep a continuous watch for things that may not be working – and to plan for what we’ll do. During every BFR, at some point I can count on my instructor to pull the throttle, make me go through the engine-out checklist, and do at least a power-off approach. And it’s good practice on long legs to look out the window and think to yourself, “What would I do if…”

For this issue, we’re going to look at apps, accessories and, in one case, something most of us already have (a desktop computer and printer) that might just save you and your passengers

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some day.

Let’s start with that nightmare scenario – what if the engine quits? It’s not a huge risk for jet-prop pilots (the mean time between failures for the

PT-6 is 346,000 hours) but it can and does happen. If you don’t believe me, try a Google search of NTSB.gov for “engine failure” and your aircraft type.

If the engine quits in cruise, you’ll probably have time to think through what to do (and run the checklist) since it takes awhile to glide down from the flight levels… But engines have a nasty habit of failing right after takeoff. And even if it happens in cruise, what if the weather’s bad or it’s night and you’re flying over mountains? Wouldn’t it be nice to have a tool that would give you immediate guidance to the nearest runway?

That’s exactly what Xavion does. When I first saw it six months ago, I called it “handsdown, the most original app I’ve seen on an iPad,” and it has only gotten better since then. Austin Meyer (the brains behind the popular X-Plane flight simulator) has improved it, among other things eliminating the obnoxious “jitter” the first version had if used on an iPad that wasn’t solidly mounted.

Normally, Xavion functions as a portable PFD and Moving Map, working from its builtin world-wide database of runways, navaids, intersections, obstacles and terrain. Its real value, though, is what happens if you tap the red “emergency” button in the lower right corner of the display. Xavion immediately identifies the nearest airport in gliding range and

displays “highway in the sky” fly-through boxes for a flight path tailored to the glide performance of your airplane. Fly through those boxes, and you will find yourself lined up perfectly on the nearest runway (it will warn you if there isn’t one in range). I’ve tried it myself and can assure you it really works!

Xavion works best with an external GPS and attitude sensor, but it can get you down without them. It runs on both the iPad and iPhone. For $99.99, it has got to be one of the best bargains in safety equipment that you can buy! For more information (including a demo video that shows exactly how the app works), browse Xavion.com.

Of course, no iPad app can help you if you run out of battery power – and that can be a real problem for jet-prop pilots since turbine airplanes usually don’t have a 12-volt outlet on the flight deck. You may have an inverter and 110-volt outlet in the passenger cabin, but that’s not much help if you’re alone.

A friend (and fellow pilot) put me on to a handy solution: The $79 Mophie Powerstation. It’s a self-contained external battery with a 4000 milli-amp-hour (mAh) capacity. That’s not quite enough to fully charge a dead iPad, but it will get you about 80 percent of the way there – more than enough to finish even the longest of legs. You can charge it on the ground (or in the air if you do have an inverter in the cabin) and connect it to the iPad using a standard USB cable. You can buy one at any Ap-

Dual Port Tech&Go

ple store. For more information, browse Mophie.com/shop/ipad.

And while turboprops don’t usually have 12-volt outlets on the flight deck, it may be worth carrying a 12-volt USB charger anyway – because it will work in a crew car. Most Walgreens stores carry them. The dual port Tech&Go version shown in our photo will set you back all of $10.

Even with a full charge, iPads sometimes fail – as I found out last year, while on a for-real instrument approach to Crescent City, Calif. (KCEC). I had

just completed a procedure turn and was preparing to descend when my iPad decided to reset. Fortunately I was still in visual conditions.

I was able to bring ForeFlight Pro back up and get the plate on screen before entering the clouds, but the experience made me cautious. Since then I’ve made a point of carrying paper back- up approach plates whenever I expect to need them – and no, I am not paying an additional subscription fee. I print them off myself. Here’s how: Start whatever app you’re using to view plates, bring up the approach you expect to get for your destination and take a screen grab by pressing both the iPad’s sleep/wake button (on the upper right edge) and home button (on the lower bezel) simultaneously. The display will blink, and you’ll hear a camera shutter sound. Repeat that for all the plates you need (other approaches at your intended

destination – since ATC doesn’t always give us what we expect – and at your alternate and any SIDs/STARs you may need).

When you finish, use the sync cable to connect your iPad with any Windows-based desktop or notebook computer – it doesn’t have to be the one you usually use. Click on the Start menu’s Computer item to open the Computer window. At the bottom you’ll find an iPad icon.

Double click that and you’ll get a new window with an Internal Storage icon. Double click to open, and you’ll find a DCIM folder, and when you double-click that you’ll find one or more sub-folders. You’ll have to open each of those in turn to find the one that contains screen grabs – but once you do, scroll to the end and you’ll find the plates you just grabbed. Select all the ones you want to print (an easy way to do that is to hold down the left mouse button and drag a selection box).

You’ll have to copy the pictures before you can print them – so right click on the plates you selected and select Copy from the pop-up menu. Then open the Pictures window from the Start menu, right click between any pictures already there, and click Paste. You should now see the plates in the Pictures menu.

Now it’s time to print – select all the plates (exactly as you did when copying them from your iPad), right click and select Print. A “How do you want to Print your Pictures” dialog box will appear. The 5x7-inch option prints two plates on each page in almost exactly the size of standard plates.

Happy Landings! –JDR John D. Ruley is an instrument-rated pilot, freelance writer and recent graduate of the University of North Dakota Space Studies graduate program (Space. edu). He’s also a volunteer pilot with LigaInternational.org, which operates medical missions in northwest Mexico, and Angel Flight West (AngelFlight.org), which offers free air transportation to medical patients. You can reach him by email to jruley@ainet.com.

Mophie Powerstation

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maintenance

THE TRUTH ABOUT PRIST KEEPING CONTAMINATION CATASTROPHES FROM CRYSTALLIZING

By James Wynbrandt

All pilots are familiar with the pre-flight ritual of sumping fuel tanks to remove water. But step up to turbine-powered aircraft and you face a potentially catastrophic water-contamination problem that no amount of sumping can remove. That’s why we have Prist. But when the fuel truck pulls up and you see you’re going to have to pay a few extra cents a gallon for the stuff, you may be tempted ask yourself if Prist is really that important, and what happens if you don’t use it?

What is Prist?

Prist is a fuel-system icing inhibitor (FSII) that prevents ice from forming in fuel tanks and fuel lines. Jet fuel contains about one part per million dissolved water, and the consequent need for a de-icing fuel additive became apparent in the late 1950s as jet aircraft began

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carrying fuel to higher altitudes in colder temperatures for longer periods of time.

When sufficiently cooled, water will come out of solution, forming ice crystals that can disrupt fuel flow through fuel lines or filters.

In addition to crystallizing, some water coming out of solution can remain as a su-

per-cooled liquid that freezes FUEL on contact with anything UP solid — a filter or tubing — also potentially inhibiting or blocking fuel flow to the engine. The 1958 crash of a U.S. Air Force B-52 that lost power in five of its eight engines was attributed to such an icing situation and led the military to mandate FSIIs for its aircraft in the early 1960s.

Prist, made by Prist Aerospace Products of Conroe, Texas, is a trademarked name, but Prist is to FSIIs as Kleenex is to facial tissue.

The company holds the current contract to supply the military with Prist/FSII. There are major differences between Prist and its generic counterparts, according to Joe Mattingly, a veteran salesman at the company who goes by the name of “Joe Prist.”

“Prist is more than just a name,” Mattingly said, noting that Prist Aerospace uses only the highest quality raw materials, checked at delivery and during every step of the production. He added that Prist is shipped in extra-heavy-duty drums to prevent any exposure to air.

(FSIIs can absorb moisture from the air, hampering its effectiveness if improperly stored.) “Everything we have is to military spec,” Mattingly said. “We don’t sell any cheap stuff. This is what people learn to appreciate over 45 years.”

Today’s Prist formulation, introduced in the mid 1990s, is primarily a clear di-ethylene glycol monomethyl ether solution. It provides a higher flash point (the temperature at which it can vaporize) and fewer hazardous and toxic characteristics than the original Prist, a blue-colored ethylene glycol compound.

Prist works by lowering the freezing point of water. It has only limited solubility in jet fuel but is completely soluble in water. When dissolved water separates from fuel at low temperatures, Prist preferentially dissolves in the water, lowering its freezing point.

Why Use Prist?

We use Prist to avoid the problems that ice in the fuel system can cause. Engine shut down due to fuel starvation is the most likely but not the only problem ice in fuel can cause, as evidenced by the March 2009 fatal crash of a Pilatus PC-12 while maneuvering to land at Montana’s Bert Mooney Airport that claimed 14 lives – seven of them children.

Sales • Training • Delivery

Your Turbine Transition Specialists jetAVIVA is an authority on owner/operator flown turbine aircraft, offering acquisition and sales services backed with the experience of completing hundreds of transactions. Furthermore, we provide acceptance, delivery, and training services in all production light turbine aircraft. jetAVIVA is focused on providing Clients with comprehensive services to choose the right aircraft and operate it with maximum efficiency and safety.

Learn what jetAVIVA can do for you at www.jetAVIVA.com or contact us directly at contact@jetAVIVA.com or +1.702.551.2055

maintenance

NTSB investigators had no theories to the cause of the accident until they found a set of microchips from the PC-12’s safety warning system that revealed a fuel imbalance, leading investigators to the root of the accident: The pilot failed to add an FSII to the fuel that day, even though the Pilatus PC-12 flight manual mandates FSII usage for all flight operations in temperatures below 0 degrees Celsius. Ice formed in the left fuel tank and blocked the fuel line, leading to a left-wing heavy imbalance. In the low and slow traffic pattern environment, that imbalance caused an unrecoverable loss of control.

Dual flameouts on two different Beechjet 400As a little over a year apart (both operated

by Cleveland-based fractional Flight Options) represent less catastrophic outcomes to events presumed to result from ice developing in fuel systems. In July 2004, N455CW, 100 miles west of Sarasota, Fla., over the Gulf of Mexico with nine persons on board, lost both engines while descending from FL410 through FL390. The crew was finally able to restart the No. 2 engine at about 14,000 feet and diverted to Sarasota. In November the following year, N691TA experienced a dual flameout en route from Indianapolis to Marco Island, Fla., in clear air at FL380.

The pilots, the only souls onboard, were unable to restart the engines and deadsticked the Beechjet into Jacksonville International Airport with no injuries and little more than a blown tire on the jet. The crew subsequently told investigators they suspected ice in the fuel caused 1TA’s flameout. The NTSB later determined that N455CW had a below recommended concentration of FSII in its fuel.

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How Much Prist Do I Need?

As the NTSB’s findings regarding the dual flameout of the Beechjet over the Gulf of Mexico indicate, Prist must be used in the proper concentration — and blended into the fuel properly — to work effectively. The fuel should contain 0.10 to 0.15 percent Prist, evenly added during, not before or after, fueling. Fortunately, most pilots don’t need to concern themselves with the fine points of putting Prist into fuel; it’s usually added by the fueler at the fuel truck as the jet juice goes into the aircraft, and these line personnel “are becoming absolutely more aware” about Prist and its proper application, Mattingly said. “In the last seven or eight years, the fuel companies are doing a much better job of training and educating” their distributors and customers on its proper use and storage.

But in many parts of the world, aircraft operate in remote environments (even remote places in the United States), and Prist appliMore about those recommended concentracation is a do-it-yourself job. Prist offers both tions in a moment.

Lo Flo and Hi Flow products in aerosol cans, each designed to deliver the proper amount Must Every Aircraft Use Prist in of Prist into the fuel mixture for a given Freezing Conditions? fueling operation. Lo Flo is used for fuel flows Not all turbine aircraft operating in sub-freezof 6-25 gpm (such as when fuel is pumped ing conditions require Prist. Some aircraft by hand from drums). Hi Flow is for flows of are equipped with heated fuel systems that 40-65 gpm, as delivered by machine-driven maintain temperatures above freezing and pumps. A 3-foot tube that comes with the keep water safely in solution. These systems aerosol cans (instructions included) is clipped may consist of heating elements in the wings onto the end of the fuel-hose nozzle, and or fuel/oil heat exchangers that warm the fuel once the fuel flow starts, a trigger on the can while cooling oil. Such systems may obviate is deployed, dispensing Prist into the fuel as it the need for Prist, but manufacturers of some enters the tank, providing for even mixing. equipped aircraft still mandate use of an FSII “If you don’t need the (whole) can, shut it in below-freezing temperatures.

All manufacturers of turbine aircraft off, set it aside and use it again,” Mattingly said.

Unlike turbine drivers, piston-engine without fuel-heating systems mandate the pilots may need to be more hands-on in use of an FSII at specified temperatures, as their Pristing. Many FBOs only have Prist spelled out in the Pilot’s Operating Handavailable in their jet fuel and do not carry book or other manufacturer’s documentaPrist in its aerosol form. But whether the tion. Even when not mandated, Prist can aircraft is turbine- or piston-powered, or be used in all jet fuels (Jet A, Jet A-1, JP-5, the additive comes straight from the fuel JP-8) in all turbine-powered fixed- and truck or is sprayed in by a pilot, it’s importrotor-wing aircraft as a backup in the event ant to sump the fuel tanks on any aircraft the heating system fails. The U.S. military, using an FSII regularly. Though some for example, mandates the use of an FUEL is pulled through the fuel system FSII for all aircraft equipped with UP and burned in the engine, Prist-ladfuel-heating systems as a means of en water can also pool at the sumps, providing system redundancy.

AvGas has a lower dissolved-water and Prist can damage bladders and content than jet fuels, but nonetheless rubber seals over time.

There may be minor hassles or downsides experts recommend adding an FSII to all to its use, maybe a few more dollars you have grades of AvGas (80/87, 100/130 and 100LL) to leave at the fuel pump, but if you operate when fueling any aircraft operating in in conditions that mandate the use of Prist in extremely cold climates or in aircraft that are your aircraft, you should have a warm, fuzzy flying in freezing temperatures for extended feeling knowing its onboard. periods of time.

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TaxTalk u FINANCE

CONTROLLING OBAMACARE INVESTMENT INCOME TAX WITH YOUR AIRCRAFT NEW PASSIVE ACTIVITY GROUPING ELECTION AVAILABLE

By Jonathan Levy

A notable milestone in the cat-and-mouse game of individuals seeking to minimize their tax burden and Congress making new laws to end potential shelter activity is the Passive Activity Rule, which was originally enacted as part of the Tax Reform Act of 1986.

TAX TALK

Recent developments have brought it to the minds of tax advisors. In particular, an important one-time opportunity to avoid being trapped under this rule arises from new IRS regulations, issued in November, due to the new net-investment income tax passed as part of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare).

Without proper planning, the Passive Activity Rule threatens to deny taxpayers the ability to utilize deductions to which they are fully entitled.

The Passive Activity Rule Lawmakers consider the Passive Activity Rule necessary because of the way the tax law allows businesses to write off the cost of equipment: Each item is assigned a schedule (stated in terms of a percentage of the purchase price each year) for writing-off the cost of the property. This provides the business with a tax deduction, even though

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the business has not actually, in the year of the deduction, incurred any cash expense.

The theory in allowing the depreciation deduction is that it corresponds to the amount of value the property lost during the given year and, thus, the depreciation rules simply allow the business to accurately report its income by taking into account the loss in value that has occurred but that has not yet been reduced to a dollar amount and realized under the accounting rules.

However, as a further measure, Congress has chosen to encourage businesses to invest in equipment by allowing these write offs to be taken over an accelerated period. For example, a non-commercial business aircraft can generally be fully written off over a fiveyear period, even though its true economic useful life may be much longer.

However, in creating the Passive Activity Rule, Congress determined that the benefit of accelerated depreciation should not

be freely available to business equipment in all cases, but only under appropriate circumstances. The Senate Finance Committee, in enacting the Passive Activity Rule, wrote that, “in order for tax preferences to function as intended, their benefit must be directed primarily to taxpayers with a substantial and bona fide involvement in the activities to which the preferences relate.” (The provision for accelerated depreciation, discussed above, is the most prominent example of the “tax preferences” the committee refers to.) To accomplish the goal of restricting “tax preferences” to taxpayers who have “substantial and bona fide involvement” in the underlying activity, rules were established to divide items of income and expense into two categories — passive and non-passive (generally referred to as “active”).

The first essential concept in separating passive from non-passive is the concept of an “activity,” which is an abstract notion that can be thought of as the way a person might answer the question, “What business are you in?” Some people will have multiple answers to that question (if they engaged in more than one business). Some will have a single answer (for example, a W-2 employee who has no side businesses), and some

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TaxTalk u FINANCE The Passive Activity Rule, if not appropriately handled, has the potential to present an unpleasant surprise to many aircraft owners. by a different, though related, LLC. Is such a developer involved in a single activity of real estate development or is he involved in 10 different activities, one for each project?

The tax law largely permits the individual to decide the answer to that question, so long as the answer represents one of the various ways these entities can be carved up into appropriate economic units. Traditionally, the individual was not forced to declare to the IRS his chosen method of divvying up the entities into activities. Since 2011, however, taxpayers have had to disclose the chosen grouping to the IRS or be subject to a default rule that each LLC will be regarded as a separate activity.

will answer with none (a retiree). Each is a losses can be used to offset non-passive candidate for being considered an “activity” income, thus reducing net income and under the Passive Activity Rule. therefore tax. When passive activities gen Once the activity has been ascertained, it erate income, that income, starting in 2013, will be considered passive if either (1) the is subject to an additional 3.8 percent Net individual does not “materially participate” Investment Income Tax, on top of regular in the activity (based on a complicated income tax, if received by a high-income definition, but generally meaning more than taxpayer (starting at $250,000 per year for 500 hours of work in the given year), or (2) joint filers). the activity is a “rental” activity (another Defining an “activity” when complicated definition, but generally referbusiness entities are involved ring to activities that make money by selling The activities of an individual can include use of tangible property to others, such as a not only what he or she does personally, but leasing company); of course, various excepalso activities conducted through related tions apply.

When a passive activity incurs losses, business entities, whether they are partnerthose losses cannot be used as a tax deducship, LLCs, S corporations, or even certain tion against income from non-passive activC corporations. Once entities are involved, ities. Rather, the losses accumulate until defining an individual’s activities can either used to offset other passive be quite vague. Take, for example, a TAX income or until the passive activity real-estate developer who is engaged TALK is disposed of. At that time, the in developing 10 different properformerly passive activity becomes ties, with each property being, as non-passive, and the accumulated is common in the industry, owned

The consequences of treating entities separately or together Under the default rule of treating each entity as a separate activity, it is likely that at least some of the hypothetical development projects would be considered passive because it is unlikely that the developer “materially participates” in all 10 (which would require as much as 5,000 hours of work per year).

If the passive ones were generating losses, this would mean that those losses could not be used to offset income the developer has from other, active, sources. On the other hand, treating the LLCs as separate activities may make it easier to later convert accumulated passive losses to active ones because it will be easier to dispose of a single LLC (and therefore of an entire activity, which would convert its accumulated passive losses to non-passive) than it would be to dispose of the entire collective endeavor of 10 LLCs. Heightened impact to aircraft For numerous reasons, a common aircraft-industry practice is to purchase a business aircraft in a dedicated, special-purpose entity and then have that entity lease the aircraft to a related company for that company’s use in its trade or business. Typically, the aircraft-ownership entity will generate tax losses, due to depreciation, while the lessee/operator entity which conducts the main business may be very profitable. It is

extremely valuable for the principal in both related companies to be able to offset the income earned in the operating company with the losses generated in the aircraft-ownership company.

However, if the principal neglects to make an IRS grouping disclosure declaring that the two entities should be treated as part of the same activity, the two entities risk being treated as separate. The likely result of such treatment is that the aircraft entity will be deemed passive, either as a rental activity, or because the principal does not materially participate in it, in isolation.

The tax depreciation losses generated by the aircraft will not be usable to reduce the principal’s individual income taxes, unless he or she receives significant passive income, which usually is not the case.

This means it is essential for aircraft owners to properly submit the Passive-Activity grouping election to the IRS, which will generally require coordination between the individual’s 1040 tax preparer, and those who prepare the tax returns for each entity. This is true because the grouping election must be filed with the 1040 return, but depends on the nature of the activities carried out in business entities owned, in whole or in part, by the individual.

One-time opportunity to correct activity grouping Generally, once a taxpayer has declared his/her chosen grouping of activities, that decision is irrevocable unless changed conditions render it clearly inappropriate, in which case the taxpayer must file an explanatory statement with the IRS. However, in recent regulations, the IRS provides a onetime opportunity to make changes without providing justification.

Starting in 2013, the new Net Investment Income Tax raises the tax rate on passive income. Before this new tax, it was often desirable to treat income-generating activities as passive rather than active because this would mean that the income from them might be offset by other passive activities.

The fact that passive activities may now be subject to a higher tax rate radically changes this analysis.

Recognizing this unfairness, the IRS will allow a one-time regrouping of activities, without the need to show that the prior grouping was clearly inappropriate.

Complex eligibility criteria govern when a taxpayer is able to take advantage of this fresh-start, but it is generally available in the first year the taxpayer would (without the re-grouping) be required to pay Net Investment Income Tax.

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Advocate Consulting Legal Group, PLLC, is a law firm whose practice is limited to serving the needs of aircraft owners and operators relating to issues of income tax, sales tax, federal aviation regulations, and other related organizational and operational issues.

IRS Circular 230 Disclosure. New IRS rules impose requirements concerning any written federal tax advice from attorneys. To ensure compliance with those rules, we inform you that any U.S. federal tax advice contained in this communication (including any attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under federal tax laws, specifically including the Internal Revenue Code, or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein.

Jonathan Levy is the Legal Director of Advocate Consulting Legal Group, PLLC, a law firm that dedicates itself exclusively to the General Aviation industry, with particular focus on assisting aircraft owners and operators in legal compliance with federal and state taxes, FAA issues, audit defense, and business law. He can be reached at Jonl@advocatetax.com, or 239.643.6344.

Whether visiting for SIMCOM or Flight Safety Training, doing business in Orlando, or visiting our world famous attractions, Showalter Flying Service will treat you and your plane like a member of our family!* Call for great values on hangar, fuel, and rental cars at KORL! 800-894-7331 *Pictured above: Kim, Bob, Jenny & Sandy Showalter

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Conclusion The Passive Activity Rule, if not appropriately handled, has the potential to present an unpleasant surprise to many aircraft owners. There are numerous cases where simply filing a piece of paper (the grouping election) can make all the difference. Tax return 1040 preparers who are not versed in the subject matter should seek guidance before filing tax returns without such elections that may come back to haunt.

This article provides a basic introduction to a complex area, but only covers a small portion of the field. Always consult a qualified advisor.

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welcome u CITATION JET PILOTS

CJP AND CONTRAILS

By Edward L. Turley, Chairman, CJP

Owning and operating a Cessna Citation is a life-changing experience. It allows you to go anywhere in the world on YOUR schedule.

Whether you travel for business or pleasure, you want to operate and maintain your airplane to the highest standards possible. Safety is always the No. 1 priority of the Citation Jet Pilots/Owner Pilots Association (CJP).

Many fine training and service facilities are available to you, but one of the most important investments you can make is joining CJP. As a member, you will have access to a wealth of experience that our members are willing to share. They will become your network for all that is Citation!

The value of CJP membership is anchored around the network of contacts you will develop, but it does not stop there. CJP Partners, who are industry leaders, provide valuable financial benefits as well

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as serving as information resources. CJP regional events and our national convention will open the door to friendships that will last a lifetime.

Your $300 investment in annual dues will repay itself many times over, but more importantly, you will gain access to a network of contacts that money can’t buy.

CJP is also proud that the Russ Meyer Citation Library, which is currently under development, has the endorsement of the man who made it possible to own and fly a Citation. It will be a comprehensive, on-line library of safety information of value to every owner and pilot. “CJP is an increasingly valuable resource for our customers, and the Citation Library will further enhance its value,” Meyer said recently.

Congratulations to Thierry Pouille and his team on the launch of Contrails. It will become a valued publication for all jet operators.

Enjoy this inaugural issue.

For more see citationjetpilots.com or call 877.795.7810.

Don’t miss the next CJP convention Sept. 17-21 in White Sulfur Springs, W.V.

Many fine training and service facilities are available to you, but one of the most important investments you can make is joining CJP.

welcome u EMBRAER PHENOM •

• • •

•

Winter/spring mini-conferences at resort destination (Puerto Rico in 2013, Napa Valley, Calif., in 2014) Discounts on Phenom 100/300 products and services Phenom Jet Association-branded UVAir discount fuel card Opportunities to meet other Phenom owners and operators from the U.S. and internationally Worldwide adventure travel opportunities in your Phenom

myPhenom Flight-Planning App One of the great benefits of being a member of the Phenom Jet Association is free access to myPhenom from Apple’s App Store. With myPhenom on your iPad you can: •

•

•

Store weight-and-balance data for your Phenom 100 or 300 and see real-time graphical representation of CG envelope.

Calculate takeoff and landing MAC and interpolated takeoff and landing calculations based on POH data, includes world airport runway database, automatically populates airport weather data from most recent METAR, and calculates data for all POH- provided runway conditions.

Interpolate cruise performance calculations from POH data.

Provides specific-range calculations adjusted for winds aloft for all POH-provided cruise settings, allowing pilots to calculate maximum-range cruise speeds based on wind, altitude, SAT and weight.

www.Phenom.aero Explore the association’s website and its many information resources.

• The Library section in the Resources area of the website has detailed articles and discussions on training and mentoring, delivery experiences, operations and performance, airframe and engines, avionics and regulations, among others.

• Have some questions about Phenom pilot training, using the Prodigy system, or what the new ICAO equipment codes are for a Phenom 100? Put it out to the membership on one of 10 different Forum topics.

• Review technical presentations from Embraer, Pratt & Whitney, Garmin, and others from past conferences.

• Check out the photos, videos and narratives from exciting delivery flights and international adventure trips flown by members.

To take advantage of all that the Phenom Jet Association has to offer, go to Phenom.aero, click on the About tab at top right and follow the instructions for joining.

We’re confident that you will find the Phenom Jet Association the perfect option for getting the most out of Phenom 100 or 300 ownership.

And don’t miss the Phenom Jet Association convention Sept. 3-8 in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

A PHENOMENAL EXPERIENCE Owning a Phenom jet is nothing less than a phenomenal experience. Learning it, flying it, enjoying it. Enhancing that experience is what the Phenom Jet Association is all about.

How? By providing Phenom 100 and 300 owners, operators and type-rated pilots with continuing education focused on: • • • •

Flying the airplane safely, efficiently and confidently Caring for it properly Upgrading it intelligently Using it to its full potential

It’s also about interacting with other Phenom owners and operators online and at our members-only conferences.

The Phenom Jet Association is dedicated to helping make your Phenom experience a phenomenal one.

History In March 2010, a small group of early-delivery Phenom 100 and 300 owners met to determine if there was sufficient interest in an informal Phenom type club to exchange information about owning and operating these two exciting models from a manufacturer new to the General Aviation jet market.

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They also thought it would be beneficial for members of such a group to get together periodically in nice places to compare notes, learn something new and enjoy the company of other like-minded souls.

Thus was born the Phenom Pilots and Owners Association, soon to be renamed the Phenom Jet Association.

A website was developed, information and resources collected, and benefits defined. In March 2011, on the Riverwalk in San Antonio, the first professional Phenomenal conference was held.

As the fleet of Phenom 100s and 300s continues to grow, so does the Phenom Jet Association. We have Active (Phenom owners and pilots) and Affiliate (individuals and companies that offer products and services to the Phenom community) members in 14 countries.

We invite you to take a look at what the Phenom Jet Association has to offer to enhance your Phenom owner experience.

Benefits of Membership Why join the Phenom Jet Association?

• Access to members-only website with a broad array of information and communication resources for Phenom 100 and 300 owners, operators and pilots.

• Interactive, push-to-email members’ forum with 10 different topics • Member eLetter with news and information important to Phenom owners • Annual conferences dedicated to continuing education (Savannah, Ga., in 2012; Montreal in 2013; Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, in 2014)

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welcome u ECLIPSE AVIATION

ECLIPSE 500 OWNERS CLUB (E5C) If you are exploring all your options in the owner-flown twin-jet marketplace, then you will want to look at the Eclipse 500 and the Eclipse 550. This little gem of a jet has been delighting owners and pilots with its incredible fuel economy, flight envelope and, most of all, safety of flight.

You will not meet an Eclipse pilot who doesn’t say the aircraft is one of the most fun and enjoyable airplanes they have ever flown. And now, with the introduction of the Eclipse 550, best-in-class is even better with anti-lock brakes, dual FMS and the only auto-throttle system in the light-jet marketplace.

For first-hand, in-depth information on all aspects of the Eclipse jet from Eclipse pilots and owners themselves, the only place to go is the Eclipse 500 Owners Club (E5C), which was established in 2006 and became an independent member association in 2008. The E5C website serves as a hub for interaction and communication among all the members, highlighting educational articles, news and activities as well as a forum where all E5C members can discuss indepth any subject having to do with the Eclipse aircraft. The forum currently has more than 40,000 posts on everything Eclipse.

The E5C library offers a comprehensive set of videos on all the

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Eclipse systems, thorough information on getting your Eclipse type rating, tips and tricks on operating the Eclipse in all environments, and much more. E5C members receive special discounts on training, fuel and related aviation products.

E5C’s third and largest Fly-In will take place in May at Horseshoe Bay Resort, Horseshoe Bay, Texas.

With the vast majority of all Eclipse owners and pilots as members of E5C, you can get answers to most any question and insights on almost any topic concerning operations, training, avionics, safety, upgrades, modifications, pricing — the whole breadth and scope of Eclipse.

The mission statement of the Eclipse 500 Owners Club is simple: The E5C exists to serve the needs and well-being of Eclipse Aircraft Owners and Pilots around the world.

The Eclipse 500 Owners Club: •

• •

•

•

Brings together like-minded individuals to share the joy of aviation and the delight of flying the Eclipse aircraft.

Fosters the highest levels of safe Eclipse aircraft operations.

Provides a timely and thorough two-way communication link between Eclipse Aerospace and Eclipse owners and pilots covering all aspects of the Eclipse aircraft and its operation.

Provides an education forum and information exchange for Eclipse pilots and owners on all aspects of the Eclipse aircraft.

Serves as a General Aviation role model by benefiting the communities where we work and live.

Membership is only $125 a year. You can get more information at Eclipse500Club.org. We look forward to having you join our community and becoming an active participant. Don’t forget the Eclipse Fly-In May 14-17 at Horseshoe Bay, Texas.

UAT program

STALLION 51’S UNUSUAL ATTITUDE TRAINING AN L-39 JET MAKES THEIR UAT PROGRAM AS REAL AS IT GETS.

By Lyn Freeman • Photos by Paul Bowen

When I looked up at the all-glass attitude indicator, for a moment I wasn’t quite sure what I was staring at. Instead of a nice horizon line separating a blue sky and brown terrain, the instrument was showing all brown. A few seconds ago the airspeed indicator on this highly modified L-39 Albatross was nudging 300 knots, but now the numbers were winding up on the digital display, indicating we are likely heading downUAT hill to terra firma. Finally, I realized I was inverted and pitched TRAINING almost straight down, leaving me just a matter of seconds to figure out what to do.

“Watch the airspeed,” came the voice over my intercom. It was high-performance zeitgeist Lee Lauderback, the inspiration behind Stallion 51 of Kissimee, Fla., and its team of P-51 Mustangs. He began talking me through a recovery that included a power reduction and a split-S back to the upright. Within a few seconds, the emergency was over, and the jet was happy again, plowing along straight and level. Whew! Very glad to have had Lee along on this flight.

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UAT program tude or heading or both. Students are trained to get the aircraft back to straight and level without structural damage or failure. All of us had some variation of the training during our private pilot course, but we probably didn’t train for upsets in IMC. And that’s where Stallion 51’s program shines. The rear cockpit in the tandem-seat jet is equipped with a curtain that completely isolates the pilot from seeing outside. Lauderback shouts prompts from the front seat.

“Okay, close your eyes,” comes the command. He weaves the jet in and out, up and down until my vestibular system is screaming, “Uncle!” And then those words came.

“Your airplane.”

Stallion 51’s new UAT (unusual attitude The UAT program is divided into four training) program is the result of nearly 20 phases, the first being a fascinating look at aero years of training, most of it in the company’s medical physiology. Candidates interact with shiny P-51s. But when Lauderback decided he a staff physician, a senior airman’s medical wanted to move forward with the most realistic examiner who instructs them on how, where, training in the world, he and his team began when and why their bodies can influence their searching the collection of civilian jets. For a decision-making.

Next comes an in-depth look at aerodynumber of reasons, they selected the Czech namics and a detailed examination of what L-39 turbojet and immediately upgraded the advanced trainer’s instrument panel to all-glass, forces act upon the aircraft in any number of configurations. Techniques of recovery are simulating the equipment now found in most then matched to the situation. Every phase corporate jets and airliners. After five years of of this “ground school” is supported with preparing both aircraft and instructor teams, first-class multimedia illustrations and real Lauderback’s UAT program is now operational. life video, followed by some lively discussions Stallion’s UAT program trains everyone from with the instructors. individual pilots to entire corporate flight de “Our UAT training is the best talent I’ve partments. The training has received emphatic ever put together,” Lauderback said. “We endorsements from both the FAA and NTSB. “Put 10 corporate guys in the room, and have more than 50,000 hours of combined eight have never done aerobatics,” Lauderback flight time.”

Instructors bring skills from a wide variety stated matter-of-factly. Recently he flew with of aviation backgrounds, from corporate to a 29,000-hour airline captain who had never military, from bush pilot to private pilot. been upside down in an airplane.

“Most pilots are trained to operate within The highlight for many UAT candidates is only a small box of the larger envelope that rep- undoubtedly the flying. Two sorties accomresents what the aircraft is capable of. They pany the ground school, the first a VFR live in a world where they are expected flight for about 1.2 hours followed UAT to restrict themselves to, say, 30-degree the next day by a 1.0 IFR flight. “It’s TRAINING a mirror image of what the military banks and maybe 10 degrees of pitch.

What we do in our UAT program is to does,” Lauderback noted.

Of course, there are perhaps dozexpand each pilot’s personal envelope.”

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ens other unusual attitude training courses around the United States, but Lauderback is quick to differentiate his program.

“A guy that’s flying jets or high-end turboprops is not going to relate to the cockpit of an Extra 300 or a Citabria. He wants his training to be jet-to-jet. We may be the new kids on the block, but our L-39 is filled with cutting-edge technology. Our cockpit and our performance closely match what the pilot is used to.”

Today, a lot of aviation training is relegated to the simulator. “We do all kinds of things you can’t reproduce in a simulator,” Lauderback said. “How can you show a pilot what three Gs feels like if they’re sitting in a simulator? How can you learn to pull the stick without also pulling the wings off? G-calibration is an important part of our UAT training.”

Corporate flight departments have a big attraction to Stallion’s UAT course because chief pilots are always looking for ways to get out of the training rut, do some continuing education that strikes a chord. “One guy we trained had been to Flight Safety 18 times for the same course,” Lauderback said. “Pilots get pretty excited about what we’re teaching them, and we’re very proud of that.”

Like all unusual attitude training, pilots are distracted and then given the opportunity to correct a significant aberration of either alti-

Today, a lot of aviation training is relegated to the simulator. “We do all kinds of things you can’t reproduce in a simulator,” Lauderback said. “How can you show a pilot what three Gs feels like if they’re sitting in a simulator?

How can you learn to pull the stick without also pulling the wings off? G-calibration is an important part of our UAT training .”

I realized I was inverted and pitched almost straight up with almost no airspeed left before the two swept wings on this jet quit flying and rolled over on their back.

“Push the stick; unload the aircraft.” As I pushed the nose toward a zero-G configuration, I was absolutely amazed to discover that the aircraft continued flying, well below the bottom of the green arc and its associated stall speed. Wait, we were below the stall speed but the airplane was still flying!

“Stall speeds are figured at 1-G. Go below 1-G and the stall speed gets even slower.

Knowing that might just save your bacon one day,” Lauderback said clearly.

Did your instructor teach you that?

We turned the jet toward home and, on the flight back to Stallion 51, I knew I’d just had a day I’d always remember.

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centerline

A TALE OF TWO PILOTS

By Neil Singer

Aviation is full of false dichotomies. Pilots are a passionate lot, known to proclaim the superiority of their platforms, especially with a perception of safety involved. Unfortunately, these well-intentioned arguments can sometimes obscure a more nuanced truth. Take what, at first, are often portrayed as contradictory, mutually exclusive, skill sets — stick-andrudder hand-flying and autopilot use.

The twin scapegoats — automation and autopilots — are a particularly undefended lot. Aviation news is full of stories of the “children of the magenta” whose first reaction to an unexpected flight path event is to go heads down, typing furiously on the FMS. Indeed, several recent accidents cannot be blamed on anything other than the utter failure of the pilots to maintain those most basic of basics: flight path, angle of attack and energy.

If a pilot can control these three variables, it is difficult to imagine an aircraft coming to harm. What is my flight path?

In other words, vertically and horizontally, where is the aircraft going in the next five seconds? The next minute?

What is the aircraft’s angle of attack? Synthesizing inputs such as airspeed, wind noise, yoke displacement (an excellent proxy for angle of attack), bank angle and “seat of the pants” G-loading, an aware pilot should not be surprised to find himself at a dangerously high AOA. Energy state may be the most critical of the stick-and-rudder variables. As pilots, we have two types of energy to maintain, potential (how high is the airplane?) and kinetic (how fast is the airplane traveling?). Put aside the age-old argument of whether the yoke controls airspeed or height (another false dichotomy) and realize that it truly controls only one thing — the distribution of the airplane’s energy. With the exception of relatively rare circumstances more applicable to glider pilots (e.g. flight in wave or thermals), we have only one way to change the total energy of the aircraft: Converting the chemical energy of our jet fuel in thrust.

Speaking of gliders, if you ask a typical pilot what’s the best thing they could do to boost their stick-and-rudder skills, I’d hazard most will say getting some tail-dragger time. Close, but in terms of drilling in the basics of stick-and-rudder flying, nothing I’ve done has compared with learning to fly gliders. Trying to keep a turn coordinated when flying at 60 KIAS with a wingspan greater than a CJ3 will make you understand the rudder like nothing else. Likewise, thermalling in a 30-degree bank just a few knots over stall speed requires a finely tuned feel for angle of attack, independent of instrumentation.

Don’t mistake me; those who Let me be rail that automation has destroyed blunt; there is stick-and-rudder flying skills have a legitimate, and too often no excuse for true, point. I see many pilots engage the autopilot at 500 feet on an autopilot to takeoff, leaving it on until 200 feet surprise the on landing and never taking an PIC unless it’s opportunity to polish the rust off broken. their stick-and-rudder instincts.

Sadly though, using the autopilot too much doesn’t necessarily mean they’re good at it. I see just as many pilots grossly deficient in autopilot manipulation as control-yoke manipulation.

Modern, integrated flight decks feature sophisticated vertical-navigation capabilities that can switch in and out of holding altitude or climbing/ descending without pilot input. The new G3000 has a programmable speed schedule for climb previously found only in much larger jets with auto-throttles. Depending on altitude and position, the plane could suddenly attempt to accelerate or slow significantly, again without pilot input.

Just because it’s without pilot input doesn’t mean it’s without logic, however. I see too many pilots treat the autopilot with a suspicion that shows their lack fluency in how and when the autopilot does what it does. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen an autopilot do something truly inexplicable.

However, on an average training flight, at least once the autopilot will happily operate as programmed while the programmer sits with a the stricken “What’s it doing now?” expression.

Let me be blunt; there is no excuse for an autopilot to surprise the PIC unless it’s broken. It is absolutely incumbent on PICs to understand every mode, sub-mode, and most importantly, mode indication of their autopilot. As much as the loss of stick-andrudder skills should be rightfully lamented, the proliferation of “I sort of understand it” pilots is an unacceptable state of affairs. My challenge to jet pilots is to recognize that there are two pilots in you and ensure they’re both as sharp as they could be.

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