LOOP April 2011 Issue by Loop Digital Media

INSIDE CIRRUS BOSS ON THE CHINA DEAL THAT ROCKED AVIATION + RELIEF Pressure to survive off + WHY 'Traditional investors' cold + RIVAL US counterbid brews + APRIL 2011 ISSUE 66 £3.40

F R E S H A I R FO R F LY I N G + D E H AV I L L A N D C H I P M U N K +

GROWING OLD GRACEFULLY

As it nears its 65th anniversary, John O'Connell says this very famous OAP is nowhere near retirement age just yet

CIRRUS NE SPECWIASL INpS4IDE -7

AERO 2011 PREVIEW ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT AND NEW DESIGNS EXPECTED OLYMPIC ROW AIRSPACE RESTRICTIONS GET YOU FIRED UP TESTED: SKYDEMON'S MOBILE SD GPS – A BRITISH BARGAIN + FLY LIGHT 9 great microlights + REVIVED Rare Russian warbird + AEROS Plan your year +

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CONTENTS

#66 APRIL 2011

INSIDE CIRRUS BOSS ON THE CHINA DEAL THAT ROCKED AVIATION

+WELCOME TO LOOP

COLD words from Cirrus Chairman Dale Klapmeier to those GA manufacturers banking on investment to keep them afloat: as far as traditional investors are concerned, GA aircraft manufacture isn’t an attractive business right now. No surprises there you might say, but his assessment goes some way to answer those in the US – including politicians – who think

+ RELIEF Pressure to survive off + WHY 'Traditional investors' cold + RIVAL US counterbid brews + APRIL 2011 ISSUE 66 £3.40

Cirrus merging with a Chinese firm is some kind of national outrage. It wasn’t exactly secret Cirrus wanted help, speaking to innumerable investors; none would pony up the dough. One gets the impression some critics would rather see Cirrus fail than be ‘China owned’. How shortsighted. Us? We’re just pleased to hear a great firm start to talk with a renewed optimism.

F R E S H A I R FO R F LY I N G + D E H AV I L L A N D C H I P M U N K +

GROWING OLD GRACEFULLY

As it nears its 65th anniversary, John O'Connell says this very famous OAP is nowhere near retirement age just yet

CIRRUS NE SP ECWS IAL INS IDE p4-7

AERO 2011 PREVIEW ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT AND NEW DESIGNS EXPECTED OLYMPIC ROW AIRSPACE RESTRICTIONS GET YOU FIRED UP TESTED: SKYDEMON'S MOBILE SD GPS – A BRITISH BARGAIN

+ FLY LIGHT 9 great microlights + REVIVED Rare Russian warbird + AEROS Plan your year +

+LOOP PEOPLE

JOHN O’CONNELL p24 John is another of the LOOP crew whose day job involves seeing the world’s exotic climes from P1 of a jet. But what keeps that smile on his face? A 65-year-old classic!

FLIGHT TEST De Havilland’s legendary Chipmunk has taught generations of pilots how to fly... we celebrate a great!

+FLIGHTCLUB TA K E PA R T, J O I N I N, H AV E F U N || safety || places to fly || people

CLUB advice || clubs || flight training

to Meet || things to do

first solo

Vulcan pilot and war hero, Martin Withers. P49

get rated

Need confidence? Try an Advanced PPL. P50

flightCLUBFLIGH

T SCHOOL

GURUS Nick Heard Q& A South East Sun

plane crazy

Something as fundament can still catch many out. al as joining the circuit Make it easier for yourself

‘Mr Moth’ Stuart McKay talks of his love of flying. P52

nick heard Explains how to join a circuit correctly. P46

ALL YOUR QUESTION ANSWERED BY THE BEST IN THE BUSINESS

NICK HEARD is a seasoned gurus flying instructor, current Tornado pilot. Here he Is the NPPL under Boeing 747 captain and gives some advice to a former RAF make flying to new airfi Sponsored by threat from EASA? elds a little less stressful Find out on P47 FTER flying to a weather reports for the new airfield, joining to join the circuit directly airfield. Get onto the airfi onto gives you the best hangarchat the circuit can be eld the downwind, crosswind, chance to frequency as early as or This month goes join the circuit in good order. a busy conclusion to a base legs. In these cases, +STAR QUES practical – say 10 minutes T I O N on tour to Gran it’s flight – and can often As you approach the best to get down to circuit turn Q| Am I right in thinking Canaria. P42 before ETA, earlier if you airfield, you should remain a nice trip into a bit of can height as early as possible a that, according to – and just listen out; there 1000ft above circuit height shambles! Here are a is before joining few – you European no will see need to speak just yet. legislation, and keep the airfield on thoughts about how to other aircraft in the circuit the get the NPPL will be Take the next couple of circuit direction side; so it right. more easily if you for a abolished in 2015? If so minutes listening on the Once again, our old friend left-hand circuit, fly can ‘skyline’ them, what does that mean frequency to pick up what’s Prior Planning becomes for a heading to keep rather than trying to pilots on this licence? going on. There may be important. Check the airfi the airfield slightly see where they are eld Robert Hull nothing going on, of course, diagram from the AIP or to your left, from and above. flight Adjust A| The situation is not but if there is activity on guide to see what the runway the keep it to your right your heading to fit settled but the LAA plan frequency try and listen orientations are, and the out for a right-hand in with the other at the outset of EASA for the runway in use, surface circuit directions and heights circuit. By keeping traffic, and don’t licensing was towards a wind, and QFE. You are now associated with them. yourself 1000ft just blunder in if Europe-wide NPPL, and getting nicely ahead of the Have a look at the airfield we above the traffic you you are not entirely had a positive response. aircraft, and you can start NOTAMs and weather so can take your time sure where everyone The usual back-and-forth thinking about your circuit you can start to make a to work out exactly else is. has changed it, but it join itself. reasonable guess as to which the runway in use, You might also looks like UK pilots will be Now check in to the runway will be in use. You circuit orientation join straight-in, if can on the radio, inform airfield allowed to retain the NPPLcall the airfield by phone them and therefore the appropriate. Again, – in style GP medical, while the which direction you are many cases it’s a requirement live and dead sides, you need to look rest of Europe will need arriving from, and ask for for prior permission to and the location for other traffic on base visit an AME. joining instructions. This leg. of other aircraft. Once requirements, especially is You may not have flown where the fun starts – you What is now proposed is a in the overhead, orbit in those with particular local straight-in approach very 41 that now for have your to fi mentally rst circuit direction, and then noise issues. p.a e ro a p r i l 2 0 1 1 LO O P sort o omedical w.l often, if at all, and they for whatwiswto be called out how you will fit into the commence a gentle turning Finally, draw a ‘back of an can be difficult to get right the Light Aircraft Pilots airfield circuit. descent on the deadside envelope’ diagram of the with respect to approach Licence (LAPL) you go to There are, of course, after crossing the runway airfield for your knee board, path, often too steep or your own GP for a medical various options that might too threshold – remaining in so that you can draw the be shallow, as you have not a probably based on the presented to you depending set turn means you can keep expected line of approach. up the final approach via car and HGV standard as on the airfield procedures. a checking below as you let This can really help getting normal circuit. used for NPPL now. For Whichever is offered, use down to circuit height. you orientated – it’s not If you are not happy subsequent medicals, up your ‘fag packet’ diagram unknown for pilots to get If it all works out, you will to joining the circuit to age 50, you will be able draw the line you expect directly, finish up crossing the upwind completely confused on to then there is the overhead to get a sign off based on fly. Get your eyes back out end of the runway at circuit arriving at an airfield, ending join. Overhead joins are again to look for other aircraft height, and your circuit join up flying downwind in the not available at all airfields, is as you approach the circuit now complete. wrong direction, to the perhaps due to restrictions – don’t forget, as the joining consternation of all others In all cases, make radio on the ‘dead’ side, such calls in GETTING LOST(ISH) aircraft, you have to fit in at the right places so that the circuit! with as helicopter or gliding Q|I HOPE I won’t current circuit traffic. other pilots can look for Once airborne you might operations. However, the you be shouted at for So what options might you joining the circuit. Similarly, be able to obtain updated overhead join remains the holding my hand up consider? It may be possible act on other pilots’ calls standard way to join and to and admitting I never see where they are. feel that confident of knowing precisely where I am – much of it looks the same from 3000ft! Are there any standard practices that guard Emergency Locator Transmitte against getting lost, r and if I lose track what should I do? - Anon Revolutionary integral GPS, A| Assuming you are and internal 406MHz through your PPL, brush antenna. Easy install and portable. up on your procedures for being lost: start where you last knew you were, draw www.kannadaviation .com Email: sales@kannadaviatio a circle showing where you n.com or call: +44 (0)23 9262 3900 might have travelled to in the elapsed time, then look 385 flysafe Loop 52x148.indd 1 for clearly recognisable

you’re visiting why not fly Grand Tour takes in Canterbury, so while cliffs of Dover? See p44 a short sortie over the white

Get onto the airfield frequency as early as practical and just listen out

INTEGR A 406 GPS ELT

46 LO O P A P R I L 2 0 1 1 w w w.l o o p.a e ro

F lySafe

28/03/2011 09:24

41-52 Finding winter sun in Gran Canaria, an RAF hero’s first solo, inspiring new pilots, a legend honoured, and tons of advice to fly better too

4 CIRRUS’ EASTERN PROMISE Boss Dale Klapmeier talks about the deal which shocked aviation

16 INCOMING Your thoughts on the Cirrus deal, and plane pride breaks out

6 CIRRUS: WHAT’S NEXT Good news if you’re a current Cirrus owner, or future Jet buyer

18 GEAR: SKYDEMON SD GPS New handheld GPS unit, from the makers of the online planner

9 OLYMPICS OUTCRY Pilots unimpressed by 2012 Olympics Airspace plans

20 GEAR: BEST MICROLIGHTS Microlight guru Dave Bremner picks nine to try

10 AERO 2011 PREVIEW More electric aircraft on the way to Europe’s biggest show for GA

22 MRO: RUSSIAN REVIVAL British experts restoring a rare Yak 11 – and it’s nearly done!

13 BOB DAVY Bob’s take on the Olympic plan – and a chance to see him fly!

36 AEROS WITH ALAN Drawing up a plan and setting targets is a great way to improve

15 DENNIS KENYON Understanding the route to a heli DA... it’s not easy!

66 INSTANT EXPERT Just the right time to reprise the beauty of Cirrus SR22

NICK STILLWELL p42 Nick (right) got so frustrated having autogyro lessons shelved because of bad weather that he travelled to a school in the sun on Gran Canaria to keep learning.

PHIL O’DONOGHUE p18 Phil was a big fan of the SkyDemon flightplanning software system. How would their first foray into hardware manufacture go? He tries the SkyDemon Mobile SD

FRONTEND

AV I A T I O N NEWS, VIEWS AND OPINION FROM HOME AND ABROAD

N E W S W I R E N. WEALD PLAN

NORTH Weald could become a bizav and turboprop hub under growth plans suggested to its council owner by a counsultancy.

‘NOW WE CAN START TO DREAM AGAIN’ CIRRUS TAKEOVER SPECIAL

After two years with their backs against the wall, Cirrus’ merger with Chinese firm CAIGA means the days of having to shelve ideas and fight just to survive are over

HE next block in the rapid growth of all forms of flying in China is taking shape, after its biggest player in GA bought Cirrus last month. And, the US manufacturer says, it’s good for all of aviation. Cirrus Chairman and co-founder Dale Klapmeier spoke exclusively to LOOP about the deal, and he says becoming a part of Chinese conglomerate CAIGA is good for Cirrus, good for the entire US aviation industry, and good for pilots worldwide. And he reckons Cirrus is unlikely to be the last firm to get such interest from China. Klapmeier said: “It’s fantastic news for Cirrus, for the aviation industry, and for flying globally. The aircraft manufacturing industry has long been looking to China as something of a Holy Grail of sales, and the fact they are taking more than a passing interest in aviation is good for us all. “China realises that in order to grow the way it plans it needs to be able to move its citizens quickly. THE SUITOR

They know open airspace is critical for this, and they know GA is a really powerful utility.” Aviation in China is predicted to expand sharply over the next few years, and earlier this month an investment package of an astonishing $228 billion in civil aviation over the next five years was announced, including the construction of 45 new airports. He said: “There is an opening of the Chinese market because China needs it to meet its own plans. If you look at the predicted growth, really it would take all of the US aviation industry to service that demand alone. “I don’t know who or if anyone elsewhere in aviation is dealing with other Chinese companies with a view to merger or takeover. But a rational look says Cirrus won’t be the last.” The deal came after two torrid years for Cirrus, which despite holding its place as the top seller of piston aircraft in 2010, did so in a tumbling market; Cirrus sold DIFFERENT MINDSET

The talks

The reasoning

CAIGA is the General Aviation arm of Chinese aviation giant AVIC, which recently bought engine firm Continental, bankrupt US jet and turboprop manufacturer Epic Aircraft, and is tipped to take over struggling jet builder Emivest Klapmeier explained how the deal came about, revealing: “Our first contact with CAIGA came about 18 months ago, and to be honest at first it looked like one of the less likely avenues for us. “Even as recently as early last October, I would have said the chances of it becoming solid were less than some others that we were talking with. But towards the end of October, things really picked up surprisingly fast and became concrete. It really happened quite quickly from that point.”

NEWS of Cirrus becoming foreignowned surprised many in the US, where there is talk of a rival US-based bid (see right), but Cirrus’ experience suggests ‘traditional’ investors might be reluctant. Klapmeier said: “We spoke to literally hundreds of possible investors, in the US and worldwide. Aviation has been decimated over the last couple of years and is a tough sell at the moment. It’s expensive, requires a lot of investment, and will take a long time to pay back. “For investors who want a quick return, that’s difficult to be convinced by. CAIGA are not looking at the bottom line, they want to grow aviation globally and can bring resources to help us grow in the future.”

04 LOOP APRIL 2011 www.loop.aero

over 700 aircraft in 2007, but last year shipped just 268. The figures were reflected across GA as giants like Cessna and Hawker-Beechcraft lost many thousands of staff and slashed costs. After two years of simply trying to keep Cirrus afloat, at the cost of jobs and a freeze in new aircraft programmes, the takeover will allow Cirrus to break out of its survival mode and return to growth says Klapmeier. “For the first time in a couple of years, we are allowing ourselves to dream again. It’s very exciting. We will be able to do more for each and every one of our aircraft owners. All of the funding issues go away.” He admitted the difficulties the firm faced have been the toughest challenge of his career, and explained: “The last two years have been so frustrating, to have dreams that you can’t enact the way you want to. We went from all the progress and plans we had in early 2008, to a screeching halt just months later.”

Aside from the stalling of major programmes like the SF50 Vision jet, worse for Klapmeier was losing staff that had worked at the firm for many years and having to delay payments to key suppliers as revenues dried up. He said: “It’s been very painful, and we lost some tremendous employees. The reality is we have been beaten up. We have been so fortunate with our suppliers, employees, and customers. We battled through, pulling away from fears of bankruptcy to being stable. “The best thing was that moment when we could gather the staff and tell them that we have a new partner, that jobs are safe, and Cirrus can look to grow again. We are still a family firm because so many of us have been here for a long time, and that will continue. “It’s exciting to be able to take Cirrus onward and look at a long-term future and growth. I am looking forward to being able to start hiring again.” www.cirrusaircraft.com

HOMEGROWN BID

Rival US counter-bid brewing CIRRUS courted many US investors prior to the CAIGA deal, but one man hopes the news may yet lure homegrown investors out of the shadows. US aviation consultant Brian Foley, a well-known general aviation analyst whose usual business is business jets, is attempting to organise a counteroffer to keep Cirrus all-American. He said: “Cirrus Design is an American success story that started in a humble dairy barn, introduced important new technologies and rocketed to market leadership. “So really it’s not surprising that our US aviation community would take an interest in this

pending sale. But what surprised me was the speed, passion and near-unanimity of the feedback we received. I didn’t talk to anyone who wanted to see Cirrus shipped overseas. People want this company to be owned and operated on American soil, period. The aviation community is telling us to keep Cirrus here as an American treasure.” While no single US investor apparently bid on Cirrus initially, Foley believes that better marketing of the offer and especially directing it toward a pool of investors could make a difference.As LOOP went to press he said he had seven ‘qualified’ parties interested.

SANDTOFT OPENS

SANDTOFT Airfield has reopened after a change in airfield management. Use 130.425. PPR is via 1427 872034.

QUEST CASH BOOST

UTILITY turboprop maker Quest can ramp up production and boost aftersales service for its Kodiak after a major injection of funds. Cirrus Chairman Dale Klapmeier says the CAIGA deal will inject new lifeblood into his company

FOR THE LATEST NEWS GO TO...

www.loop.aero

5 MINUTE READ... Get a quick fact fix... QUOTE OF THE MONTH

The law is the law. We have to comply and challenge ourselves to go out and find the extra cash. Michael Trotter on the added challenge facing the operators of the world’s last Vulcan, XH558, after an EU-inspired change to the VAT laws landed them with at least £100,000 in bills. It is completely barmy and must have been devised by a lunatic. If a terrorist wants to commit an atrocity he will be unlikely to file a flight plan! Derick Guning, CFI at Fowlmere, on the swingeing Olympic Airspace restrictions. The measures have been designed to help to protect from potential airborne threats. It is normal practice to implement airspace restrictions for large-scale events. Minister Theresa Villiers’ “they all do that…” response.

TURBULENT TIMES FOR OIL BRENT CRUDE OIL PRICES THIS YEAR JAN $115/barrel

FEB

MAR

$110 $105 $100 $95 LIBYA

The best moment was when we could gather staff and tell them that jobs are safe

Wondered where your Avgas costs are going? Take a guess... The oil markets have been buffeted this year unlike most others, with Libya causing a severe upward spike. The Japanese earthquake caused a fall days later, but trend is up. Source: MARKETS

FRONTEND

CHINA DEAL TO BRING BETTER CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEN... THE JET! CIRRUS TAKEOVER SPECIAL

China deal opens the door for work to begin on new projects, improved aftersales

IRRUS’ deal with Chinese firm CAIGA will lead to ‘the best customer service in aviation’, and a definite timeline for the ongoing SF50 Vision Jet programme, the company says. Speaking to LOOP about the next steps for the firm after the China tie-up, Cirrus Chairman and co-founder Dale Klapmeier says it will put existing owners of its top-selling SR20 and SR22s piston aircraft to the top of its priority list, with new service centres worldwide, a wider sales operation, and more training centres. After finalisation of the takeover, expected later this Summer, Klapmeier says the handcuffs of the

last two years will be off, and said: “The first visible change will be for existing customers, they are our top priority. We have always been proud of the aircraft we build at Cirrus, and at how our customers view us and their aircraft. Now we want to improve that, and make owning a Cirrus even more enjoyable. We want to be the best customer service organisation in aviation.” This will translate to better links between customers, the factory, and sales agents, more service and maintenance centres around the world, and more Cirrus training centres too, he says. In terms of new aircraft design and development, the funds

06 LOOP APRIL 2011 www.loop.aero

available from the CAIGA deal will put the ongoing SF50 Vision jet development back on to the front foot, after two years of making only detail changes at design level. The SF50 had been Cirrus’ No.1 priority until sales of the SR pistons fell and outside investment funds for the jet dried up just as it hit its most expensive stage: build a production line, and the aircraft. “When the deal closes, we will be able to do more on each and every one of our programmes,” says Klapmeier. “We will be able to publish a timeline for the jet programme, and put dates on things like certification and manufacture, and follow through to that timeline.

“We have been working on the jet as hard as we could, but to make tangible progress from now means starting tooling and creating the jet production line – pretty expensive.” Meanwhile, he says the vast majority of the 500-ish customers who put deposits down on the Vision have stuck with their choice, revealing: “The customers for the jet have stood by us, and have been incredibly loyal. They understand the delays, but we have always pledged that we will have the best aircraft at that price point, and that’s what we will create. There is still a great market for that aircraft.” Focus on the SF50 won’t come at the expense of the SR piston

FUEL OPTIONS?

No diesel SR... for now DESPITE the long-term goal to increase sales of its SR20 and SR22 piston aircraft in new territories such as China and India – where Avgas supplies are sparse – there is no diesel SR likely soon. Dale Klapmeier said the concept of a jet fuel-powered Cirrus is attractive and eventually quite likely, but not until there is much more widespread experience amongst engine manufacturers of building diesels for aircraft. He explained: “Some day I absolutely believe we will see a diesel-powered SR20 and SR22, but not soon. The fact is I think we are years away from seeing a

reliable and very well-understood diesel for aircraft, that is as light and as well-known as existing engines. Until then it's difficult for a manufacturer to commit.” Cirrus launched the SR22T last summer, which is able to accept unleaded fuel as the industry faces a countdown for the elimination of leaded 100LL Avgas. It’s sold well. Klapmeier explained: “It would be nice if we were a single fuel industry, and that would be Jet-A, but we are a long way away from that. Until then, we want to be ready for whatever the move away from 100LL is, and the SR22T is part of that.”

PLANE SAILING FOR DIAMOND ENGINE DIAMOND’S DA50 Magnum 4/5-seat Cirrus SR22 rival could be powered by a boat engine, after Austro Engine and Steyr Motors agreed a development partnership. Steyr’s existing 280hp 6-cylinder aircraft engine is based on the Steyr Monoblock Motor M1 currently used in many marine and ‘special vehicle’ applications. Austro, which supplies aviation diesel engines for the DA40 and DA42 ‘NG’ variants, is developing this engine for

two Diamond projects, the DA50 Magnum (single engine 5-seater) and the FSA (Future Small Aircraft) twin-engine private and utility aircraft. Development, certification and production of these programs will take place at Diamond’s Wiener Neustadt facility, it is planned. Diamond’s Christian Dries said: “Austro will further solidify its position as a producer of fuel eﬃcient and environmentally responsible aviation piston powerplants.”

Six-pot diesel destined for DA50 INNOVATION

NEW GA TECH FIGHTS FOR €100,000 PRIZE aircraft though, with Cirrus making a commitment to continue developing the speedy tourers to take advantage of new technologies and new investment. Klapmeier explained: “We have built the company on our passion for piston aircraft, and we are as passionate about that now as ever. It’s central to our plans that it stays the best in its class. “Throughout the SR’s history we have always tried to make improvements to the aircraft, and will continue to do so. We are always looking at ways to make it easier to ﬂy, to make it easier to own, and less expensive to operate. It’s about constant improvement.”

Top end focus remains THE booming LSA class is great for the industry say Cirrus, but it will be a while if at all before the company makes a move into the fast-growing sector. Klapmeier said: “The LSA class is a really important segment for the industry. We had some ideas with the Cirrus SRS for the LSA class and though it’s not a focus for us, it’s still there. “Our main goal is to have family-sized aircraft which are at the top end of personal aviation, but one day there could be a two-seater in the range.”

WE GET used to seeing new technology for ﬂight displayed at the annual AERO Shows in Germany, but this year’s event will be busier than ever with new innovation: there’s a €100,000 up for grabs. Alternative power and construction technologies from at least 24 separate entrants hope to win the Berblinger Flight Competition, with new fuel cells, improved batteries, solar aircraft, and refined combustion tech on show at the event. The E-Flight Expo has become a regular feature of the Friedrichshafen event, showcasing green ﬂight innovations. Organisers say the Berblinger prize will help promote innovative technologies” and

developments in flying. “We are looking for a practicable aircraft capable of carrying one or more people using promising and innovative technology with respect to construction and/or propulsion,” said a spokesman. “Special emphasis should also be placed on environmental sustainability, economy and safety.” The €100,000 prize is one of the highest in GA. Entries will be on show throughout AERO 2011. It runs April 13-16. Who is Berblinger you ask? Albrecht Berblinger tried to fly across the Danube with a hangglider in 1811 and is regarded as one of the first pioneers to use the principle of gliding flight. See AERO 2011 preview on p10.

www.loop.ae ro APRIL 2011 LOOP 07

FRONTEND

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2012 AND ALL THAT

WELCOME TO THE OLYMPICS (JUST DON'T BOTHER FLYING...) Groans of disbelief as 2012 Games airspace restrictions blanket area and time

ILOTS and aviation businesses in the South East are up in arms after the Restricted Airspace ‘exclusion zone’ to be in place around the period of the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics was revealed. Some fear two months of groundings at their home fields, while businesses that rely on movements and training within the Restricted Area are fearful their busiest time of year, mid-July to mid-September, will be decimated. In the Restricted Zone stretching 79 miles east/ west and 83 miles north/ south around London, compulsory flightplans must be filed (by AFPEX… no faxing, phoning or making plans in flight!) for every flight at least two

hours prior to the flight in the zone. It needs to be approved, and given a unique identifying code. Meanwhile, many pilots of flexwings, paragliders, classics, balloons and more are wondering where they should fit the transponder and radio that are compulsory to fly through the Restricted Area – you must stay in radio contact with ATC throughout the flight and set a discrete transponder code. If your radio fails, the advice is… get out and stay out: there's no plan in place for comms failure. And NATS admit flights may be rejected at peak times, due to being too busy. The Zone is in effect from July 13 to September 12 next year, drawn up by security 'experts'. Aviation experts

obviously weren't in the room. The process will be: 1 File a flightplan on AFPEx or AFTN between two and 24hr before take-off and follow it; no airborne or faxed flight plans allowed. 2 Receive acceptance message and approval number for the flightplan. 3 Establish and maintain 2-way RT with appropriate control agency, quoting approval number. 4 Squawk and maintain discrete transponder code allocated by appropriate control authority. 5 Receive ATC service and comply with instructions. 6 Circuit flying is permitted at airfields within the Restricted Zone without the need for a flight plan provided the aircraft squawk a discrete transponder code. Airfield

Flight school boss speaks his mind

DERICK GUNING, CFI of Modair at Fowlmere more confusion. Last year, NATS became just inside the Restricted Zone, highlighted ‘overloaded’ simply attempting to cope with the absurdity of thinking which lead to the flight plans for aircraft returning from the Olympic Airspace. Duxford Airshow. He says: “‘Unpowered Gliders’ “Any GA pilot knows the must file a flight plan and follow it workload on a sunny Sunday and comply with ATC instructions. in the SE often leads to it being In a glider it is difficult to adhere better to ‘monitor’ a frequency to any kind of ‘plan’ and if ATC ask rather than contact ATC. I cannot you to ‘climb’ or instruct you to imagine how any perceived ‘descend’ chaos is likely to ensue! ‘threat’ can be reduced. In fact “The restrictions are badly surely the opposite will prevail Derick Guning, CFI due to the confusion.” drafted and will likely cause

The zone stretches 79 miles E→W, and 83 miles N→S managers must contact the appropriate control agency daily at commencement and cessation of flying for allocation and return of a daily changing code, and aircraft may not leave the visual circuit except on landing or in accordance with the rules at 1-5 above For airfields within an even stricter Prohibited Zone where no VFR flights are allowed at all, even tighter special provisions are being devised – as yet unknown. It raises the laughable prospect of aircraft from White Waltham, Denham, Fairoaks and others getting military escorts just to get to the Restricted zone. Let’s hope we win some golds to

make up for it, eh? It’s annoying and over the top, but will it stop pilots doing what they love for two months? Let’s hope not. AOPA UK’s Martin Robinson said: “Let nobody get the idea that this airspace is closed for the duration. If that idea gets around, causing people to stay away, it could turn a drama into a crisis.” He is working alongside the other main aviation groups the LAA and BMAA to get assurances on just what the procedures will be for airfields in the Prohibited zone, and assurances that flights won’t be turned away just because of issues like understaffing at NATS.

GET INTO AEROS

NEW AEROBATICS STARS START HERE! THE next generation of aerobatic stars will kick off their careers, we hope, at the first of the year’s BAeA Beginner Days this month. Will you be one of them? The first of four 2011 events to get novice aeros pilots into the sport is at Breighton, on April 15. LOOP launched the initiative with the BAeA in 2006, so we love them! Beginner Days have seen dozens of pilots take to the discipline of aerobatics

like ducks to water, and we can’t recommend them highly enough to learn new skills, and have a damn good time to boot. Aeros instructors give one-to-one coaching to demonstrate and teach how to fly the BAeA Beginners sequence, which pilots will get to fly twice during the day (weather being acceptable etc). It's not pricy: British Aerobatics Association members can enter

for £10, non-members £25, and aircraft are available for hire too, so it's a superb way to try a machine you might usually think unavailable. To take part in the Breighton event, go to the BAeA website and check the events listing for contact numbers and email for the contest director Aidan Grimley. The event kicks off from 8.30am on the day. www.aerobatics.org.uk

Even the very best World Championship stars had their 'first' aeros event. Don't think it's beyond you!

www.loop.ae ro APRIL 2011 LOOP 09

FRONTEND

FOR THE LATEST NEWS GO TO... www.loop.aero

The innovative electric Elektra One will be one of numerous new designs on display. What a cutie!

aero 2011 grows again T EUROPE'S BIG SHOW

Europe's best show for pilots readies another shoe-wearing list of things to see

HE giant AERO 2011 Show this month will be significantly busier than last year’s event, with 550 exhibitors from 26 countries taking part – more than half from outside Germany. That’s 100 exhibitors up on last year’s event slap bang in the downturn. Major firms like Flight Design and Diamond hope to show new models, giving pilots the first chance to see FD’s new four-seater concept and a model of Diamond’s planned new twinprop based on the D-Jet fuselage. For the first time there will be a major helicopter section at the show, with two halls set aside for rotary where aircraft ranging from light gyrocopters to heavy-

Get ready to mingle...

lifting transport machinery will be hosted. Rescue helis will perform a simulated rescue exercise on Lake Constance during the event. As in recent years there will be a major focus on electric aircraft, such as the PC-Aero Elektra One design. It was first revealed at last year’s Expo, and managed to make its first flight just days ago on March 23rd, spending 30 minutes aloft using battery power. The ambitious Elektra not only aims to promote green electric flight in the existing hotspots of aviation worldwide, but also help to take flying to new parts of the world too where the infrastructure for fuel supply may not be in place. It promises true zero carbon flying by using an

Large static display outside

10 LOOP APRIL 2011 www.loop.aero

innovative solar-powered hangar and ‘refuelling’ facility to store electric power, which is then used to charge the aircraft itself. The Elektra will be part of the E-Flight Expo, now in its third year. Previous notable exhibitors first seen there include the Chinese Yuneec E430 in its early stages. Erik Lindbergh, grandson of Charles, will be awarding the Lindbergh Electric Aircraft Prize at the show to the most outstanding

electric flight innovation at the show. Aside from new aircraft and new kit, there will be numerous workshops and discussion groups too, centring on all aspects of flight, hosted by the likes of AOPA and IAOPA. In total there are 12 hangar-sized halls for varying areas of aviation from model flying to business jets, and a large static display outside with new and existing aircraft on

show. On top of all that is a busy programme of flying displays throughout. www.aero-expo.com SHOW DETAILS Aero Expo, Friedrichshafen Airport, Germany, Apr 13 to 16 HOURS 9am to 5pm (6pm Saturday) TICKETS Day ticket: €15 (€14 online) 2-day ticket: €28 (€27 online) Children up to 14: Free Programme/guide: €9

WHAT'S WHERE AT FRIEDRICHSHAFEN

Hall A1 gliders and model aircraft Hall A2 Exhibitors for the Berblinger Prize (see p7) Halls A3 to A7 GA/Business Aviation Hall B1 and B2: Ultralights, Very Light

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FRONTEND

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FIRST FLIGHT

TRAIL'S UK DEBUT THE UK’s first Groppo Trail is flying after Sprite Aviation’s Graham Smith received a test permit from the LAA for G-RPPO – a spectacular value folding highwing VLA. Smith introduced the Czech Sportcruiser to the UK, and is as excited about the cute two-seat 520kg MTOW Trail as any other aircraft he’s dealt with. It’s not surprising: Sprite hope to offer the basic Trail kit for around £14,300, with quick-build and hopefully ready-to-fly options too. He said: “We’re really happy at the first flight. The aircraft is easy to build, sweet to fly and tough as old boots! We hope to make the complete package very economical.

“Now the aircraft is certified in Germany, it might be possible to gain Section ‘S’ approval to supply the UL version ready-to-fly.” The test/demo Trail uses a Rotax, but there may be others soon Smith said: “We are currently working on an AeroVee option which will work give a massive price advantage for the customer.” www.spriteaviation.co.uk

Italian Trail new to the UK

NEW CESSNA

NEXT-GEN CORVALIS CESSNA is using the major US Sun ‘n Fun Fly-in Show to outline its plans for the next generation of the Corvalis high-performance single-engine piston. Details of the new aircraft were due for release on Tuesday, 29 March at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport, Florida, home of Sun ‘n Fun, and include off a mock-up of

the new machine alongside numerous others from the firm, from SkyCatcher up to Citation. Cessna claim the Corvalis TT is the world’s fastest fixed-gear single-engine piston aircraft – 235kt, and a ceiling of 25,000ft – and we can likely expect a nudging upward of all the headline figures. www.cessna.com

Corvalis TT is a rocket. Will the next model exceed it? PRO TRAINING

APPLY QUICKLY FOR OAA'S EASYJET MPL! OXFORD Aviation Academy scored a major win by being chosen by easyJet to run a programme to put 30 new pilots through the burgeoning Multi-Crew Pilot’s Licence (MPL) route for the airline. OAA are tailoring a course to suit easyJet’s Airbus A320s, using the airline’s SOPs to give student pilots a huge headstart in learning

the ropes of real airliner work in the aircraft they will fly for the firm. Groups of six pilots will be inducted on to the 78-week course at 3-month intervals. Applications are being sought now for the 30 spots, deadline mid-April. Check the OAA website for more details and application forms. www.oaa.com

BOB

Davy

LO O P ' s m a n w i t h a tt i tu d e a s w e l l a s a l t i t u d e AL-QAEDA have won. I realised this recently after having my privates groped by a security guard at the airport, shortly before sitting down in between flights to then read about the London Olympic airspace plans. It’s so hot a topic you’re probably tired of it by now. but if I can just mention one part, the bit about the transponder... When Dutch airpsace went live with transponders the info so overwhelmed ATC computers they had to get the pilots to switch them off again. That’s in Holland. What will happen around London – 10-times busier anyway – on a sunny summer day? Yes, exactly. I’m not going to cough up £1500 for a stupid transponder to bolt into our Nanchang that will have to be switched off. It’s a completely rubbish idea. You can tell it was written by non-pilots: 24hr notice for flights, which they might still refuse to give permission for etc etc. A CAA friend told me they didn’t even see it coming, expecting more Govternment consultation when the finished item landed in their lap. One option for us is to relocate our Chang outside the restricted area and put up with the hassle of driving many miles, but a significant number of normally lawabiding pilots are saying ‘Stuff them... let’s go fly anyway.’ A bit of formation flying with a Typhoon does sound exciting, I must admit. More on this in further columns as it develops! A BIT OF BUSH Let’s do some good news. On the May 1st/2nd we’re having a fly-in in the

grounds of Kimberley Hall, Wymondham, Norfolk, just off the A11 to the south west of Norwich. This beautiful house is nearing its 300th birthday and has landscaped gardens designed by Capability Brown. In 1950 the then Lord Kimberly decided to have a race in his sports car against an Auster, from Kimberly to Newmarket. The car won. Unfortunately the pilot did have to run the length of the drive to the airstrip on the other side of the main road before he could fly. 60 years on there’s a new bush strip closer to the house, and the Sporting Car Club of Norfolk have teamed with the Auster Club to recreate the event, hosted by estate owner Robbie Buxton, a keen Eurostar pilot. The modern strip runs SE to NW, 31/13 and is approximately 750m long, of which 650m is useable. Because of a 2% up-slope we normally land on R31 and take off on R13. There’s a duck pond approximately 100m along R31 on the right which we use as our touchdown reference point. The Auster Club’s website (www.austerclub.org ) has a PPR form, and we’ll accept PPR on the day by telephone (07774-869884) or radio on 135.475 unicom. If you come on the 1st you can camp out and some rooms of the house will be available to tour along with other facilities – bars/food. The race is on the 2nd, while the Chang Gang will display between 2pm and 3pm. Should be a great laugh and if it’s a success we’ll have a much bigger, old PFA-style event later on. Hope to see you there!

ELSEWHERE...

Once upon a time Britain’s boffins spent their spare time in the potting shed. These days they are as often as not to be found online, creating amazing websites and apps for iPhones. So it is I was told about Tony Griffith’s website. He’s one of White Waltham’s brightest members and has had a very colourful career. In fact he helped develop colour television, introducing the PAL system over the American NTSC system (which according to Tony stood for ‘never the same colour twice’ and would explain why as a child I thought that American people were bright yellow). Tony’s website doesn’t have a slick title, and it’s written in the old style, computer code (more than 20 A4 pages of it in fact) but when you open it if you delve deep you will find a goldmine of info. The best part is where you click on a map to look at webcams at airfields around the world, but there’s much more to it than that. Ok, so here’s the URL: http:// homepage.ntlworld. com/tony.griffiths1/ aviation/index Yes I know, it’s almost painful, but persevere because like Tony himself it is quite brilliant.

www.loop.ae ro APRIL 2011 LOOP 13

FRONTEND

FOR THE LATEST NEWS GO TO... www.loop.aero

DENNIS

Kenyon

Fo r m e r w o r l d h e l i co p te r ch a m p i o n a n d i n s t r u ct o r I RECEIVED an enquiry from a reader asking how one would go about learning to fly aerobatic-type manoeuvres in a helicopter, and perhaps becoming a display pilot. It is always good to hear from a new pilot, especially showing an interest in display flying, but I must say immediately a newly qualified PPL(H) is unlikely to have sufficient experience to display at air shows for at least a year or two. The first thing to say is, in general, there can be no such thing as ‘helicopter aerobatics’. Every Pilots Flight Manual (PFM) I have ever read, specifically prohibits aerobatic manoeuvres. So how come the Red Bull team, and myself for that matter, are carrying out what appear to be aerobatic manoeuvres at the air shows? I only refer to such flying as ‘Display Manoeuvres’ or ‘Freestyle Flying.’ The generally agreed definition of an aerobatic manoeuvre is “Any manoeuvre exceeding 90 degrees angle of bank and/or 70 degrees in pitch”, but you won’t find that officially set down in writing anywhere. So, where now? Other than myself, I know of no schools or Flight Instructors in the UK who teach rotary display flying, a major consideration being the subsequent responsibility and liability such training might entail. I would offer instruction to suitably experienced and well-qualified pilots, once knowing the following four requirements are in order: • The manoeuvres which are to be taught all remain firmly within the

conditions of the PFM approval for the helicopter • The helicopter to be flown is suitable for the planned manoeuvres to be flown • The helicopter to be used has adequate and appropriate insurance cover for such training • The pilot has a satisfactory level of fixed wing aerobatic experience, and more importantly has the right attitude and motivation for the type of flying to be undertaken. In the UK, the DA (Display Authority) system is regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority, which issues DA approval following a recommendation from a CAA approved Display Authority Evaluator (DAE) following a satisfactory interview and demonstration flight. Prospective display pilots should first obtain a copy of the display pilot’s Bible, CAP 403, and ensure they are thoroughly conversant with the basic information it contains. While at present, there are no specific minimum experience requirements to hold a DA, CAP 403 suggests “around 200 flying hours minimum, Display of which at least 100 pilots MUST hours should possess strict be as Pilot In self-discipline Command”. I before take the view that a little over embarking on twice those numbers would any ‘advanced be more suitable. manoeuvres'

There should also be “‘adequate’ Type experience”. I’m afraid the system can be something of a moveable feast but here we are talking about a flying discipline that requires the very utmost in self-discipline to stay safe! Next, an approved and stamped Form 2199 should be obtained from the CAA when contact can be made with an approved DAE. When I am approached, I initially spend an hour or so checking the flying logbook to determine total experience, medical, licence validity and Type experience. I then conduct an oral examination (really a mutual discussion) to determine a sound knowledge of CAP 403 and in particular the items listed under Section 3.4.1. I’m especially interested in motivation and the applicant’s attitude to display flying. DAEs never want to see ‘swashbucklers’ or budding display heroes! Your selected DAE will ask you to discuss the manoeuvres contained in your planned display programme with particular reference to display ‘gates,’ display heights and display speeds. Also the significance of the display axis, the crowd line and the general display line, plus you should have a sensible working knowledge of the relevant sections of the Air Navigation Order. Naturally weather always plays a big part in flying so the DAE will want to know how you plan to cope with changing weather conditions, or any on-site changes to the display area on the day,

such as agreed ‘open’ areas which can be flown over, later being for overflow car parking. It happens all the time! When all has gone well, you move on to the airfield for your display demonstration. No lastminute heroics now. The DAE is simply looking for a steady, carefully thought out, nicely disciplined and professionally flown display as discussed and in a well disciplined manner. Once the DAE is satisfied with your demonstration and in particular your adherence to the previously discussed sequence, he will complete and sign the Form 1318 document, which you send to the CAA who issue the DA. In display flying there are just three requirements: Safety, safety, safety. And in case you think nothing can go wrong, let me tell you that even after having completed no less than 1223 public displays over a 25-year period, as my industry well knows I got one wrong at a Salt Lake City Air Show just two years ago. So in closing, I have to say, I’m sorry there are more than a few hoops to negotiate, but I’m sure pilots will appreciate, and to repeat, display pilots MUST possess the strict self-discipline that is essential before embarking on any ‘advanced manoeuvres’. Display flying is an exciting and rewarding form of flying but the display pilot must always remember their task is to demonstrate the capabilities of his aircraft – not to show off their own.

www.loop.ae ro APRIL 2011 LOOP 15

INCOMING

LOOP’S VIRTUAL, CLUBHOUSE, FOR YO U R O P I N I O N, PICTURES, AND CROSSWORD

STAR LETTER

The new guard I WAS fascinated to read about the new manufacturers coming up on the sidelines from China and India and elsewhere (LOOP, March), pressuring the ‘old guard’ manufacturers. One thing I think your report touched on is the support offered by the governments in China and India to aviation and aircraft manfacturing, which will probably be even more influential than money in the growth of flying there. The willingess and ability to make changes in airspace regulation and planning, to promote flying and stimulate manufacture, is beyond

anything any nation in the EU, or even the US, can dream of. Could you imagine the reaction from various lobbies if our Government set about actively promoting flying? It’s too absurd to imagine it actually happening. Britain’s GA manufacturing industry might be just a fragment of what it once was, but we do have vast expertise in design, training and piloting. For those seeking a new beginning in aviation, it seems the answer is look east, young men (and women). Clem Lucas, email See Cirrus news special p4-7

SPOT THE PLANE 1 There’s a direct connection between this place of work and our main flight test this month. Bonus points for counting all the switches!

2 The distinctive mouth of the mostproduced Western jet, which we hope doesn’t rattle too much.

3 A blank sheet of paper design, probably half the size you’re used to. It’s one of those most instantly recognisable of things.

Last month we looked at the huge and ambitious plans for growth in GA manufacture from new firms. seize the opportunity, says Clem

A beauty? Not to me! I ENJOY reading Nick Heard’s articles and his depth of experience is obvious. However, I reckon that his aviator shades must have rose-tinted lenses if he thinks that the Diamond DA42 is a great looking aircraft. Fly well it might, but in my eyes it is one ugly brute what with that gruesome T-tail and that awful

Jim is not a fan of the DA42

ventral fin at the end of that thorax of a fuselage. I reckon that, like the camel, it was probably designed by a committee, probably using EASA’s “Easy Guide to Aircraft Design”! Jim Cripps If only there were such a document Jim! Do any other readers think there are other over-rated beauties in aviation? Let us know.

‘No beauty?’ It is to me! I MUCH enjoyed Jez Cooke’s excellent article on the Cessna 180 in the March edition of LOOP. I was, however, miffed by his comment that this albeit lovely aircraft was “Standing

16 LOOP APRIL 2011 www.loop.aero

David loves his Commanche Mike Tango has been based at Turweston since 1996 and, in that time has found its way around the furthest reaches of Europe, giving great

YOUR PICTURES

First left at Cabin Door St, and straight down Galley Alley. PT

THINK YOU’VE GOT AN EAGLE EYE? Know your Cheyenne from your Apache? Get your magnifying glass out and your bobble hat on, and see if you can work out these obscurities. First correct entry from the hat wins a prize! Email ‘Spot the Plane’ to incoming@loop.aero LAST MONTH’S MYSTERY AIRCRAFT 1 Eurocopter’s prototype of the advanced new X3 2 Inside Diamond’s DA40NG 3 Close-up of an engine on a Boeing Stearman

head and shoulders above the rest...” in the hangar at Turweston... Behind the 180 in the main photograph sits a PA30 Twin Commanche, G-ATMT, which happens to be mine! I attach a recent photograph of the aircraft, and defy anyone to suggest there is anything other than very fine about it!

Papa Smurf got into difficulty swimming, until Ski Behind Helicopter Man came to rescue him... OL

Wouldn’t like him when angry! DR

SPEAK OUT! BE HEARD! MAKE A POINT! EMAIL YOUR WORDS TO LOOP. DON'T BE MUTE. incoming@loop.aero service and even greater pleasure to its lucky crew. David Montagu-Smith Email The day when any owner says another aircraft might be better – in their eyes – is still to come David, so you and Jez are upholding a fine tradition!

‘Wolf in sheepskin I CHUCKLED reading your memories of Airwolf, the TV show from way back then. I was never a big fan as I had already nailed my colours to the earlier Blue Thunder mast – a much meaner looking beast as far as I was concerned. It had a touch more realism, and the film was made – if I recall correctly – with some basic concessions to helicopter aerodynamics too, which I appreciated. Except for the wonderfully clever idea of ‘whisper mode’ that is, which to this day is beyond the best of rotary design schools! One day... Cal ‘JAFO’ Torren

Red Bull withdrawal THE debate over aerobatics on TV and wider audiences per se is very will timed... I’m sat here with withdrawal symptoms from lack of Red Bull Racing! Roll on 2012. Tom Lightfoot Get yourself to a BAeA Beginner Day Tom, and experience the buzz first hand! SOAPBOX

Very saddened to read that both Keith Negal and Bill Ison passed last month. Both did immense work for flying and helped so many. Charles Rigg

CONTACT LOOP

SMALL WINGS

THE MAY EFFECT

WATCHING the staggeringly good BBC series ‘The Wonders of the Universe’ with Prof Brian Cox, I realise a perk of the job of being a BBC font of knowledge is the chance to fly in some amazing aircraft – the highlights being ‘vomit comet’ zero G flying, and breaking the sound barrier in a Hawker Hunter. I’ve come to call this the ‘May Effect’ after James May, whose U2 flight must still be a highlight for him (and great TV). Envious as I am, they are all great promos for flying. Keep it up chaps! M. Morrison

Henry Labouchere just oozes class! He sounds like the dad a thousand boys wished they had – suave, panache, and full of tales. Joe Lerner

I missed the preceding issues of the Commercial Flight Training specials. How can I get one? Many...! Just email incoming@loop.aero

INSIDE CIRRUS BOSS ON THE CHINA DEAL THAT ROCKED AVIATION + RELIEF Pressure to survive off + WHY 'Traditional investors' cold + RIVAL US counterbid brews + APRIL 2011 ISSUE 66 £3.40

F R E S H A I R FO R F LY I N G + D E H AV I L L A N D C H I P M U N K +

GROWING OLD GRACEFULLY

As it nears its 65th anniversary, John O'Connell says this very famous OAP is nowhere near retirement age just yet

CIRRUS NEWS SPE CIAL INSI p4-7DE

ISSUE 66 ISSN 1749-7337

LOOP Digital Media Ltd 9-11 The Mill Courtyard Copley Hill Business Park Cambridge CB22 3GN T: 01223 497060 F: 01223 830880 E: incoming@loop.aero W: www.loop.aero

LOOP is published by LOOP Digital Media Ltd. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written prior permission of the publisher.

EDITORIAL Editor Richard Fairbairn E: richard@loop.aero Staff Reporter Dave Rawlings E: dave.rawlings@loop.aero New Media Editor Helen Rowlands-Beers E: helen@loop.aero Creative Director Bill Spurdens E: bill@loop.aero Art Director Dan Payne E: dan@loop.aero Production manager Kevin Hilton E: kevin@loop.aero Chief Photographer David Spurdens E: david@ extremesportsphoto.com ADVERTISING Sales Manager Dave Impey T: 01223 497067 E: daveimpey@loop.aero Sales Executive Chris Wilson T: 01223 497060 E: chrisw@loop.aero PUBLISHING Editorial Director Dave Calderwood E: dc@loop.aero Director Sam Spurdens E: sam@loop.aero Director Dave Foster E: dave@loop.aero CONTRIBUTORS Alan Cassidy, Bob Davy, Dennis Kenyon, Nick Heard, Stan Hodgkins, Phil O'Donoghue, Paul Bonhomme, Dorothy Pooley www.loop.ae ro APRIL 2011 LOOP 17

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British firm SkyDemon has launched a handheld GPS unit to marry up with its flightplanning software. Phil O’Donoghue puts the Mobile SD through its paces to see how it stacks up

PRICE: £579 inc VAT + 119mm x 77mm x 12.5mm, 143g + 4.3-inch touchscreen + 500MHz CPU, Windows CE + Up to 2.5hr internal battery + PowerMonkey add 3hr + Minigorilla add 9hr + 3.5mm headphone socket + Micro USB socket + Accessories (see test) + SkyDemon Plan included www.skydemon.aero

TS great graphics and excellent presentation of NOTAMs are two reasons why SkyDemon’s Plan software is one of our favourite packages for VFR flight planning. So we’ve been looking forward to checking out the SkyDemon Mobile SD – SkyDemon’s first handheld GPS unit, featuring the in-flight version of the company's software. The hardware unit is a small, generic Windows

difficulty by touching the screen with a finger, and we found that worked fine in flight. The main exception being when you need to enter characters using the on-screen keyboard – the ‘keys’ are only about 3mm square and almost impossible to hit reliably without using the stylus. As with SkyDemon Plan the chart presentation on the SkyDemon SD is excellent. The use of vector graphics, combined with

CE GPS device with an 4.33-inch screen and a weight of just 143g – exactly half that of a Garmin Aera 500. It measures 11.9cm x 7.7cm x 1.2cm, and includes a mini-USB interface and 3.5mm audio-out jack. The screen resolution is adequate, but not spectacular, and the processing power of the unit is reasonable; there’s a delay of about a second when the map display is redrawn as a result of panning or zoom-

18 LOOP april 2011 www.loop.aero

ing, but we never found it to be much of an annoyance. The display is not the brightest we’ve ever seen but during our test flights in both a PA28 and CAP10 it was readable in all but direct sunlight. With the brightness cranked up to the maximum possible we achieved just short of two hours of continuous use from the internal rechargeable battery. For our tests we used the supplied suction cup

mount, but in truth the unit is so light it could be mounted almost anywhere in the cockpit using a small velcro patch. The unit is operated entirely through its touchsensitive screen, and for the most part that works well. A stylus is provided and stored in the bezel, and while that’s handy for use on the ground, it’s too fiddly to be used easily in the air. However, most functions can be selected without

rUSSIAN rEVIVAL ProJECT Page 22

THE WATCH THAT THINKS IT'S AN IPHoNE Page 20

the right choice of blotting out a good symbols, colours portion of the map and fonts provides display. the best of two No such problems A lot of thought with worlds – instant the Mobile SD familiarity for those has gone into – the symbol size used to CAA paper and colour can be the design charts, combined changed to suit. and there are with the ability In addition to lots of small the conventional to zoom and to de-clutter the GPS moving map touches display. display, the that improve It’s clear that a SkyDemon SD usability lot of thought has includes a very gone into the design useful profile view of the SkyDemon SD's user in the lower part of the interface and there are screen. lots of small touches that This graphically shows improve usability. not only the relationship For example, zooming the between the aircraft’s display is one of the most current vertical position frequently used functions, and terrain, obstacles, and so SkyDemon have made airspace, but also shows how the zooming soft-keys the aircraft’s current vertical permanently displayed trajectory might change which minimises the number things. Really useful. of screen touches. For example, it will show A personal bugbear with whether you are below the some GPS is the size of level of some airspace and the aircraft symbol; it’s also whether your current irritating to have a ‘Spruce angle of climb will allow you Goose’-sized aircraft symbol to remain clear.

While the SkyDemon SD can be used as a standalone conventional handheld GPS complete with its own route planning facility, its real value lies in its integration with SkyDemon Plan. Once you’ve planned a route and obtained weather and NOTAM briefings before flight on your computer using SkyDemon Plan, a single mouse-click will download all the route and briefing information to the SkyDemon Mobile SD box. NOTAM, TAF and METARS can then be displayed in dedicated briefing windows on the handheld device. But in addition, NOTAM are depicted graphically on the moving map and profile views – a huge benefit to avoiding no-go airspace such as a RA(T). As with many other features depicted on the moving map, touching the NOTAMed area provides nice textual details of the NOTAM in a small pop-up window. .

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The SkyDemon of the aircraft. SD includes a very The retail unit comprehensive box comes with alerting system a suction cup SkyDemon which will provide mount, USB, and have come warnings for cigar-lighter and AC penetration of power adapters. up with regulated airspace, It also comes something and of proximity with SkyDemon for pilots that Plan, together with to terrain and obstacles too. is innovative one year of chart Warnings are covering and the best updates triggered based on most of Europe, the aircraft’s lateral in its class software upgrades, and vertical flight NOTAM and weather path, and appear as coloursubscriptions – which adds coded, pop-up banners. up to a really good saving Each warning includes of £119. Best of all, if you key information such as the already have Plan, they will frequency to contact for knock £119 oﬀ the price of regulated airspace, or the the handheld. Lovely. altitude to climb to in order While the SkyDemon to clear an obstacle. Mobile SD hardware Another feature we really is capable but fairly like (although it is slightly unremarkable, the important misnamed in my view) is the software is superb. airfield “approach plates”. The overall result is that These provide runway SkyDemon have – again – dimensions, ATS frequencies, come up with something for elevation, and a full screen pilots that is comprehensive, runway layout diagram that innovative, and the best in includes the current position its class. Unit is small and light enough to go just about anywhere

Annunciations and notes are clear

Airspace detailed, with added info

Ground objects noted, with advice

+ADDED BONUS!

A SUBSCRIPTION to SkyDemon Plan comes included with the Mobile SD – a £119 saving. It's simple to install on a PC, and will download available charts as soon as it's running. Charts cover the UK, Ireland, France, Sweden, Germany, the Benelux countries, Denmark, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, Norway, Austria, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Finland, and the USA. More are being added all the time. We found it a high quality simple and intuitive system to use, with many clever touches pilots will like. It will also export routes to devices other than the Mobile SD.

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FLIGHTGEAR

THEY AINT HEAVY... +SHOP WINDOW BRILLIANT MICROLIGHTS

Microlights open a world of affordable hassle-free flying. David Bremner picks 9 crackers!

FLYLIGHT DRAGONFLY £6000 (minus engine) to £15,000 Deregulated sub-115kg single seat trike can fit in a car boot with the wing on a roof rack, and be specced to have retractable gear.

MAGIC CYCLONE Around £10,000 ready to fly UK-designed, Indian built, sold by the UK’s largest microlight manufacturer P&M. The Cyclone is easy to rig and derig alone.

AEROTECHNIK EUROSTAR £42,500 (kit) to £49,000 (rtf) Sexy looks, beautiful engineering, great performance and minimal ops costs make the Eurostar a real pilot’s favourite. Add VAT.

COMCO IKARUS C42 From £41,000 Utterly dependable handling, good performance, easy to repair, and also had a facelift for 2011 so is fresher than ever.

www.flylight.co.uk

www.pmaviation.co.uk

www.cosmikaviation.co.uk

www.performance-aviation.co.uk

THRUSTER T600 From £28,800 (+VAT) Tried and tested UK design, easy to maintain, and happy out of even the smallest, roughest fields imaginable (or floatable!). A gem!

KOLB TWINSTAR MkIII Around £13,000 (kit) This tailwheel pusher has almost unbroken forward view, and the wings fold in minutes for trailering/hangarage. Different!

AIR CRÉATION BIONIX £32,000 The Bionix uses a revolutionary ‘corset’ to adjust the wing profile in flight. Nearing approval and is one to look out for for. Kit only.

FLIGHT DESIGN CTSW From around £60,000 The epitome of high-performance microlighting: cavernous cabin, all-composite construction, and maxima of 150kt and 800nm!

www.thruster.co.uk

www.sfmicrolights.com

www.flylight.co.uk

www.pmaviation.co.uk

+NEW WATCH

TIME TO TOUCH EVERYONE seems to love touchscreen tech, now on everything from mobiles, MP3 players, GPS units, media tablets and more. But is it really necessary on a wrist watch? HD3 think so, launching the Slyde which takes the underlying principle of the smartphone – the possibility to change

Face changes at a touch

applications by sliding a finger over the screen. The no-frills square case has a tactile screen that moves vertically and horizontally. This revolutionary display means that, by simply sliding across the watch screen, the user can generate an unlimited variety of timepieces on the wrist – corresponding to any time zone or event you have scheduled in your calendar. The screen can be changed to many different watch faces, so you can choose your own. You can even upload photos to it. The watch is €4000, plus costs to download extra modules, being added often say HD3. www.hd3complication. com

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+NEW AIRSPACE AWARE

+ N E W TIE DOWNS

MORE AWARE THAN BEFORE REEL IT IN AIRBOX is to launch a fiveinch version of its Aware device. The Aware 5 GPS is a moving map system that gives pilots visual and audible warnings if they are heading towards controlled airspace. Each system comes with the very latest airspace definitions and CAA 1:500,000 VFR chart for the UK displayed on a five inch screen. Airbox say the larger screen gives 30% more screen area than the previous Aware model. Users can download airspace updates available every 30 days on the AIRAC cycle. As with the original

Aware system airspace updates are free for the life of the product. The data has been sourced direct from NATS to ensure the utmost levels of accuracy and precision. The new Aware 5 Basic will cost £229, and the Aware 5 Plus (which has an added navigation feature) will sell for £329. Expect Awares to sell like hot cakes next summer! www.airspaceaware.com

REEL-TIE’S lightweight and strong tie-downs can be set up in under a minute to protect parked aircraft against gusts and propwash. It secures to any ground anchor with a reassuring ‘click’, with up to 4m of 338kg breaking strain strap on a neat reel retainer. Stowing is just as quick: unclip and wind in. The 10cm reel is light and compact – just right for an overnighter. Good value at £19.50. www.air-camp.co.uk

No flappy ends or tangle

TO SEE MORE GEAR GO TO... www.loop.aero

BEST • BEST O F THE

BEST

OOP' S

OF TH E

BEST

E BEST • BEST OF F TH

BEST • BEST O THE L

BEST • BEST O F THE

P&M QUIK/QUIKR/GT450 From £30,000 P&M’s Quik range is the mainstay of the UK flexwing fleet, combining world-beating performance (QuikR tops 100mph), excellent payload and legendary service and back-up from the Rochdale factory. A great European tourer for £30-35k. A World Air Games winner too! www.pmaviation.co.uk

+NEW HARTZELL PROPELLER

SCIMITARS FOR AZTECS HARTZELL has just launched a new 2-bladed propeller conversion kit for Piper PA-23-250 Aztec twin-engine aircraft. The new prop are for Piper Aztec PA-23-250 C to F models, serial numbers 27-2505 through to 27-8154030, installed with Lycoming IO-540-C4B5 or TIO-540-C1A engines. They replace Hartzell’s 2-blade aluminium non-counterweighted props normally installed on these aircraft. The new prop uses blademounted counter-weights to provide redundant assistance to the propeller pitch control and feathering system, versus the original configuration that relies heavily on an air pressure charge for these functions. Hartzell claim that its unique swept-tip Scimitar “blended airfoil” blade

design provides an increase in cruise speed of 2-3kt, as well as a noise reduction of almost 2dB. The kit can be ordered with either a 14v or 28v de-ice system and includes composite spinners. Total installed weight is 62lb per prop. Install time is just a few hours and the conversion needs no change to the propeller governors. The basic kit is currently at an ‘introductory’ retail price of $21,950, with a three-year/1000hr warranty and sixyear/2400hr TBO. www.hartzellprop.com

BE SURE TO CHECK ONLINE FOR ALL THE LATEST REVIEWS ON THE NEWEST FLIGHT GEAR www.loop.aero

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FLIGHTGEAR

RARE RUSSIAN IS GAINING IN TRANSLATION +RESTORATIONS PERSONAL PLANE SERVICES

That’s what you call getting stuck right into your work! Yak 11’s first flight tests are planned soon

Personal Plane Services are nearing the end of a truly challenging task: rebuild and restore to original a very rare Yak 11, using only the original 1940s documentation in Czech and Russian!

ORKING on aircraft can be fiendishly difficult. As well as the high level of skill required by aircraft mechanics, there’s also a tough regime of inspections by the CAA and a trail of approvals and paperwork required for any spare parts and also the work carried out. When the aircraft in question ended production nearly 50 years ago, is a Russian design built in Czechoslavakia, has a manual printed in Russian, and is not only being restored as faithfully as possible but also having a major wing repair, then the job needs the proverbial patience of a saint.

Just about to emerge from the workshops of Wycombebased Personal Plane Services is a 1955 Yak 11, a two-seater powered by a supercharged nine-cylinder radial engine developing a max of 700hp. Owner Mark Rijkse has had to be patient for it has taken almost four years to bring the Yak back to flying condition. The aircraft was one of 707 built by Let in Czechoslovakia under licence from Yak. The Yak 11 was used as a trainer by the Soviet Air Force and also by other Iron Curtain and affiliated countries. Equipped with a nosemounted machine gun, the Yak 11 is also a genuine warbird having been used by

Mostly used as a trainer, Yak 11 saw action during Korean War

Manuals are in Czech – with Russian diagrams and annotations! 22 LOOP APRIL 2011 www.loop.aero

the North Korean Air Force during the Korean War of the early 1950s. Most of the world’s surviving Yak 11s – there’s thought to be around 125 – come from a batch sold to Egypt, but this particular aircraft stayed in Czechoslovakia and became part of the Skoda Aerobatic Team in the late 1960s and ‘70s. It was then retired and bought by Tony Bianchi, owner of Personal Plane Services, in the early 1980s and brought by road to the PPS hangar at Wycombe, registered as G-BTZE and occasionally worked on. Fast forward 15 years and Mark Rijkse, already owner of a Yak 50, Yak 9 and two Bucker biplanes, bought it from Tony and commissioned PPS to return it to airworthiness and also back to original condition. A possible reason for the aircraft’s retirement was a damaged starboard wing rear spar, possibly from a heavy landing. The damaged spar had to be removed and a new one fabricated – this required an approved repair scheme, drafted by Dave Starkey of Acro Aeronautical Services of Abingdon, Oxon, specialists in the work. This required the wing skin to be removed and inspections by the CAA at every stage, which sounds onerous but proved OK. “Our CAA surveyor is switched on and understands how old aircraft work,” said Tony. Finding spares for the Yak was an investigative task of its own. “We get spares from all over the world,” said Tony. “From the Czech Republic, other parts of

Eastern Europe, France, and we also traded some parts in the USA. It’s a huge paperwork job and we have to inspect every new part minutely to make sure it’s exactly the same.” No parts manual exists to help this process; PPS has to use the workshop manual to identify each part. These are the original Czech manuals with some text in Russian. They have been translated by Yak specialist Tony Jefferies, but “we still have to go back to the original text and translate that sometimes. We don’t ever have enough information,” explained Tony. However, what PPS does

have plenty of is experience. The company is well known for its restorations and maintenance of classic aircraft, especially Spitfires. In 2009 it brought back to life a 1945 Mk16 Spitfire, TE184, and another – a rare two-seater – is under full restoration at the moment. PPS was started by Tony’s father, Doug, in 1947, with Tony joining the company is 1961 after leaving school. Tony became an apprentice engineer and also learnt to fly, and has combined PPS with Bianchi Film Services, supplying aircraft and flying for movies and TV. These days, the hands-on engineering is done by

a team of three, Tom Woodhouse, Tony Bird and Stan Carleton-Smith, and the quality of their work is just outstanding. Tom, a youthful looking 33, leads the team and has been at PPS for 10 years. He started as an agricultural engineer – “it’s very similar, hydraulics, systems, oilcooled engines” – but had a strong interest in aircraft ever since he was nine years old. That was fuelled by his grandfather who learnt to fly in a Gypsy Moth in 1930. “He was building his own Flying Flea,” said Tom, “but thank goodness he never finished it!”

Tom’s looking forward as much as anyone to completing the Yak 11. “We’re in the final stages now,” he said. “We have the engine runs and taxi tests to do, then the CAA paperwork and approvals, and it will be ready for a test flight. We’re aiming to get it finished for the flying season.” Adding to its rarity will be the original colour scheme they will apply, one of very few VVS Yak-11 prepared by students at Novisibirsk Aviation College, Russia in the late 1940s. See, even tracking down a paint scheme as esoteric as that requires patience!

+TEMPEST TASK

A VERY rare aircraft is under long-term ground-up restoration at PPS – the only surviving Hawker Tempest Mk5 with a combat history. It’s being prepared for famous US collector Kermit Weeks to go on display in his ‘Fantasy of Flight’ museum in Polk County, Florida, close to the home of the annual Sun ‘n Fun event. The Tempest was famous for its incredible speed: “The Hawker Tempest is extremely fast at low altitudes, highlymanoeuvrable and heavily-armed,” said one Messerschmitt pilot. That amazing engine cowling was hand-made by PPS and surrounds a 2180hp engine. In 1942, when the first Mk5 flew, it was capable of 435mph and

climbing to 15,000ft in five minutes. The PPS aircraft was involved in a 1944 raid on a V-2 launch site in Holland, but later damaged beyond repair in a forced landing after engine failure with just 28 flight hours. www.personalplaneservices.com

Distinctive cowling is brand new by PPS

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'Will you still love me, will you still need me?' As the legendary de Havilland Chipmunk nears 65, owner and fan John Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connell is convinced the answer is a resounding yes! PHOTOGRAPHY by David spurdens

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HE de Havilland DHC-1 Chipmunk is undoubtedly one of the most recognisable classic aircraft in regular use today, and guess what? In just a few weeks, the 22nd of May sees this charismatic and capable little flying machine reach the ripe old age of 65, old enough to qualify for a bus pass. So I can’ think of a better time to pay homage to what is undoubtedly one of my, and I’m sure many other’s, favourite aircraft. The Chipmunk was conceived in the mid-1940s as a direct replacement for the then-ageing DH-82A Tiger Moth biplane, used extensively and with great success by the RAF as a basic trainer during WWII. Unbelievably, over 9000 Tigers were produced. With this in mind, the Chipmunk had a lot to live up to. By the end of the Second World War aircraft in general had become far more complex, and with the introduction of early jets air forces around the world were going to need a cost effective and aerobatic basic trainer to fulfil their needs. The Chipmunk was to be the first indigenous aircraft for De Havilland Canada Ltd. Its single engine low-wing tandem cockpit design was seen as being ideal for training military pilots. Construction of the first prototype began just a few months after the end of the War in October 1945 and was completed in an astonishing seven months. Since its maiden flight on that fateful day in May 1946 it has gone on to train countless military and civilian pilots alike. Not only here in the UK for the RAF, Fleet Air Arm and Army Air Corp but for the Armed Forces of Canada, Belgium, Denmark, Portugal, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Ireland and Israel to name but a few. I’m guessing that most RAF pilots trained from the early 1950s up to the mid 1990s flew a Chippie at some point in their service career. At the moment there are reportedly over 500 Chipmunks in airworthy condition worldwide. This comes as no surprise because this delightful little machine has touched the hearts of many pilots over the years.

SIMPLY SPECIAL

The Chippie has a max takeoff and landing weight of 2100lb, versus 1517lb empty. The 25ft 5in-long fuselage is all metal with a sliding canopy located on top of the tandem cockpit, sliding on rails and possible to be opened in flight – though it has to be closed for takeoff/landing and aerobatics. The Pilot/Student sits in the front and the Passenger/Instructor sits in the rear; the rear canopy windows have blisters to improve the instructor’s forward vision. Both the front and rear cockpits are almost identical though the front seat driver has slightly more to play with, such as radios, ground/flight switch, starter, starter isolator, pitot and light switches etc. The Chipmunk has a standard tail wheel configuration landing gear which includes a fully castoring tail wheel and hydraulic wheel brakes, unlike the Tiger Moth which has no brakes, and a simple skid at the rear. The Chipmunk’s wheel brakes are pretty unusual things, being controlled by a brake lever on the port side of each cockpit. The lever is spring loaded (not unlike the hand brake on a car) and when fully engaged and the rudder is centralised, equal braking

ABOVE: Clear skies, an all-time classic, and a morning or evening to yourself... the simple pleasures of flying have ever been the same. John’s Chippie is in superb condition, as befits this muchloved classic LEFT: This classic will happily perform aerobatics too, don’t forget. It’s not all tea and crumpets at 65!

There are over 500 worldwide... no surprise because this delightful little machine has touched the hearts of many pilots over the years

is applied on both wheels. If an intermediate setting is used (for example, two or three clicks), differential braking is available through use of the rudder pedals, just like the vast majority of aircraft. You get used to it! The wing has an area of 172sq-ft (for comparison, a PA-28 is 160sqft) and its leading edge is metal covered, which extends rearward to the main spar. The wing is fabric covered from the main spar to the trailing edge, as are the ailerons. The Chippie has slotted flaps (also fabric covered) with have two settings: half flap (15 degrees) and full flap at (30 degrees). These are mechanically operated via a lever on starboard of each cockpit. There are two fuel tanks, one on the inner portion of each wing, with a maximum fuel capacity of 40l per tank in the Mk22 and 55l per tank in the Mk22A. The rudder and elevator are also fabric covered. The initial batch of Chipmunks were said to have too little rudder authority, so in order to cure this a slightly larger rudder was adopted and this is what we have on today’s machines. Power is provided courtesy of the well known Gypsy Major Mk8 or Mk10 inline four cylinder air-cooled engines which produces 145hp. The Gypsy

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FLIGHTTEST T h e g R A n d s TA RT- u P You’re best to arm yourself with an oily rag about now

THERE’S a very traditionally-flavoured routine to getting the Chipmunk going, which puts you very closely in touch with the aircraft in the same way pilots have been for over six decades. Once I confirm the magneto switches are off in both cockpits, I always begin by opening both engine cowlings, which hinge and latch upwards. It gives a good view of the engine from both sides to visually check the hydraulic fluid reservoir, magnetos, spark plugs, exhaust etc. It’s also a good time to check for any excess oil around the engine bay and give it a good clean with a rag. The Gypsy Major has a dry sump and the oil tank is situated behind the engine. You check the oil level with a dipstick, attached to the oil cap on the starboard side. There is also an oil filter scraper located behind the engine which is accessible from the starboard side; this requires turning and checking. When you have completed checking the engine, it is always a good idea to inspect the prop, checking for the usual things, general conditions, dings, stone chips etc. Next on the pre-flight checklist is a return to the cockpit to select flaps to full and proceed with a standard walk around, checking the condition, travel and play ‘if any’ in the flaps and control surfaces. Then it’s time to carry out a fuel check; check the fuel caps which require a special opening/closing tool. An interesting feature on the Chipmunk is the fact that the fuel gauges are located on the upper surface of the wings, beside the fuel filler cap on each side; these are visible from both cockpits. Other areas of the pre-flight include inspecting the undercarriage and tyres, pitot tube etc. All pretty standard stuff and of course don’t forget to close and latch both engine cowlings. The battery compartment is situated behind the rear cockpit and it can be accessed with a flathead screw driver. It can take a good 15 or 20 minutes to pre-flight a Chippie and it’s not uncommon to get covered in oil and grease in the process. In my book this is part of the charm and appeal of owning and flying a 65-year old aircraft. In this day and age of ‘instant everything’ it’s quite a pleasant experience. Before you can start the engine there is one final Gypsy Major-related action to be carried out, and this is priming the engine. In order to achieve this, the fuel must be turned on from the cockpit, the brakes set, throttle closed and again, the magnetos confirmed off. There is a hand primer located on the port side or the engine attached to one of the two fuel pumps which is accessible when the cowling is closed. Pull the cable ring (depressing the carb float) and proceed to move the priming lever up and down until fuel begins to flow from the overflow pipe at the bottom of the cowling. The prop should then be pulled through four compressions to ‘suck in’, and then you’re good to go.

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Major is inverted, with the crankshaft sitting on top of the cylinders which point downwards below the crankcase. This configuration came about to improve the pilots forward vision on Gypsy Major powered types. The earlier Chipmunks utilized the Coffman cartridge staring system but these days the vast majority of airworthy examples use electric starters. The propeller is fixed pitch and as a result all you have ‘engine control wise’ is a throttle, mixture control and carb

heat control in each cockpit – nice and simple!

CLASSIC CUES

First thing you notice on the walkaround is the fact that the Chipmunk is a well designed and pretty aircraft. I can always see some classic DHC lines every time I look at the Chippie. For example the tail section, fin and rudder have some Mosquito lines, the horizontal stabiliser and tail cone are very similar to the DHC-2 Beaver, and even the tail wheel

FOR THE LATEST NEWS GO TO... www.loop.aero is like a miniature version of the Chippie’s bigger brother. You climb aboard via the walk ways on the wings which are coated in non-slip paint. The cockpit is not big by any stretch of the imagination, a fraction of the size of a Harvard’s office, and compared to modern types it is positively small. The seats are not adjustable and are designed for seat-type parachutes but that said, even for me at six feet three inches tall it’s not a problem, in fact I find it quite comfortable.

The cockpit is not big by any stretch of the imagination, a fraction of the size of a Harvard’s office BELOW: Chipmunk designer went on to work on Concorde – a bit less easy to get to fly now!

The first thing you notice when the canopy is pulled forward is the smell! It’s typical of a vintage aircraft. It’s a mixture of old oil, leather and fuel; I love it. Again, all part of the charm… Most Chipmunks have two four-point harnesses. For such an old machine I find many of the controls are well positioned. The Chippie has a stick and adjustable rudder bar in each cockpit, the throttle and mixture controls are on the port side along with the trim wheel brake

lever and the magneto switches which are in the top left corner. The instrument panel is small by modern standards and is the old school RAF configuration. RPM, vacuum gauge and ASI on the left an old style artificial horizon and directional gyro in the centre, VSI, turn and bank, engine T & P gauges on the right. The carb heat control and flap lever are on the starboard side of the cockpit. The added bonus to this is when I’m flying the

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Chipmunk, I find it’s not necessary to repeatedly look into the cockpit to find the controls etc; everything is where it should be. This is great for formation work, so I can keep my head out of the darkness 95% of the time, with the odd glimpse in just to keep an eye on airspeed, RPM, Ts & Ps etc. The most unfriendly aspect of the Chippie’s cockpit is the ground/flight switch (master switch). This is located just above the rudder bar and it’s a real pain in the backside to reach.

When you have correctly primed the engine, just set the mixture to fully rich; set the throttle to about 3/4-in open, the magneto switches on and following a quick push on the starter button the Chippie bursts into life. I normally sit for at least five minutes at 1100/1200rpm, ensuring the oil pressure is acceptable and engine oil has come up to a sensible temperature before I begin to taxi. After the brake check I normally set three clicks on the brake lever

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ABOVE: Cockpit is easy and legal to open in flight (not for aeros or take-off) but make sure you dress warm if you do!

On the ground, forward vision is typical of most tailwheel aircraft: not very good! It’s not the worst though

which is ample for taxiing. On the ground, forward vision is typical of most tailwheel aircraft: not very good! But it’s definitely not the worst aircraft out there as far as this trait is concerned. It goes without saying it’s important to adopt the ‘weaving from side to side’ taxi technique to avoid coming into contact with any hard objects. Run up checks complete, before takeoff checks complete and ‘low and behold’ it’s time to go flying. Under normal circumstances I

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donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t select flap for takeoff. I tend not to take the Chippie into very short strips and half flap does not make a massive difference to overall takeoff performance figures. For a tail wheel machine, the Chippie is pretty predictable and once you have opened the throttle it begins to accelerate smoothly. I tend to check forward on the stick almost immediately to get the tail off as soon as the aircraft lets me do so. Under normal circumstances there is

not much swing; just be aware, the Chipmunk can swing! Especially in a crosswind, the max demonstrated being 15kt. Gyroscopic procession and the effects of asymmetric advancing blade can also have a considerable impact on keeping her straight during the takeoff roll. At roughly 45-50kt I feed in some back pressure and the little Chippie gently lifts off. Ground effect kicks in and you reach 70kt quite quickly. The aircraft I fly at work would be accelerating through 250kt or

Chippie was used as a military trainer worldwide and generations of pilots know them well. Handling is light and faithful

It is very apparent there is a lack of power but this does not take away from the experience of flying this classic

more at this point but the lovely little Chipmunk just flies along in a far more civilised fashion, nice. I normally climb at 70kt which gives the best rate of climb. I always leave the carb heat on due to the Gypsy Majorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s poor carb ice reputation. This causes a slight loss in performance but I feel it is a small price to pay.

AWAY WITH THE CLOUDS

In the air, front seat visibility is excellent and in level flight at 2100rpm you get 90KIAS.

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FLIGHTTEST The Chipmunk is a very well balanced and beautifully harmonised machine. It is very apparent there is a lack of power but this does not take from the experience of flying this classic. The ailerons are beautifully light, just like the DHC-2 Beaver. The Chippie is such a pleasant machine to fly around over the English countryside; designer Wsiewolod Jakimiuk did a bloody good job. As a consequence of its delightful handling qualities, steep turns and slow flight are second nature to the Chipmunk. On those cold crisp winter days it’s a good idea to wrap up well as it can become slightly chilly in there. Whereas, during the summer nothing beats cracking open the canopy for some extra fresh air. Of course all this makes me sound like a complete wimp when you consider how cold it can get in a Tiger Moth or Stampe, even in the height of the summer. As far as aeros are concerned, the Chippie is a very capable ship. There is no inverted fuel or oil system but it will happily loop, barrel roll, aileron roll, stall turn, half Cuban, spin etc. I’m always acutely aware that it is an old aircraft and must be treated as such, if you want to carry out extreme aeros, the Chipmunk is probably not the machine for you. Due to the overall lack of power,

FOR THE LATEST NEWS GO TO... www.loop.aero energy management is important and it has to be noted, with a fixed pitch prop it is possible for ‘heavy handed’ pilots to exceed the maximum engine rpm limitations of 2675rpm. If you manage to have a max rpm exceedance for more than 20s I’m afraid you can wave bye bye to your Gypsy Major. Entry speed for a loop is 130kt, 120kt for a slow or barrel roll and 140kt for a roll off the top. In the early days a number of Chipmunks were involved in a series of unexplained spin-related accidents, and prototype No.2 was destroyed when it failed to recover from a spin. Even legendary John Derry became involved and in 1950 wrote a memo on spin recovery techniques for the DHC-1. Since then, with the increased rudder size, the addition of anti-spin strakes and correct spin recovery techniques there has not been a problem. The best spin recovery techniques can be found in the AFM and of course it is a good idea to fly with an experienced Chipmunk instructor to fully appreciate this aspect of flying the DHC-1. The Chippie is just lovely in the circuit, stable and accurate. I don’t usually set any wheel brake for landing as it reduces rudder travel. There’s many different schools of thought here, however no brake works well for me.

pol i s h g e n i u s b e h i n d T HE G R E AT S Chippie designer Wsiewolod Jakimiuk figured strongly in Concorde project

THE Chipmunk was designed by Polish engineer Wsiewolod Jakimiuk, an evacuee to Canada who would go on to be involved with some true icons of flight, including Concorde. He was Chief Designer at Polish manufacturer PZL before the war, working on aircraft such as the PZL P.7 and P.11 fighter biplanes – designs he would hark back to later at de Havilland. He and his team were regarded as vitally important by the Polish authorities, and were in the first wave of evacuees to other nations, firstly to Romania, then France, and ultimately to Canada where he joined de Havilland. During the war he was involved with aircraft such as the Mosquito, and after its conclusion immediately started work on the Chipmunk, and then the DHC-2 Beaver. After a spell in the UK at de Havilland’s Hatfield works, where he worked on jet designs, he moved to France, where he would spend the rest of his career working on first military designs, then on the most iconic civilian aircraft of all: Concorde.

Many UK schools and clubs have Chipmunks, and experience in the type is widespread... treat yourself to an hour or three!

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FLIGHTTEST Flap limiting speeds are 93kt for half flap (15 degrees) and 71kt for full flap (30 degrees). 70kt is a good number for base leg with half flap selected and then onto final initially at 60kt with full flap and rounding out at about 50kt. The flare attitude is slightly flat in comparison to other tailwheel Types and so it is possible to pull off a good three pointer most of the time. Even in a crosswind the Chipmunk behaves well and it is only at the end of the landing roll, when the speed is decreasing, before you really have to work on keeping her tracking straight. As with all tail wheel types the flight is not over until the aircraft is parked up with the engine stopped and in

FOR THE LATEST NEWS GO TO... www.loop.aero the time period from touchdown to taxi speed you have to keep your eye on the ball. Complacency and tail draggers don’t mix!

EASY TO LOVE

As far as I am concerned the Chipmunk is a fantastic little flying machine and a delightful aircraft to fly. In numbers it may not be the most powerful aircraft or have the best performance in the world, but the Chippie has buckets of character. In my opinion this is why we love the Chippie and it continues to live on. Its longevity is also testament to its excellent design, simplicity and affordability. I have no doubt pilots will be celebrating this iconic type in another 65 years!

DATA FILE DHC-1 Chipmunk PRICE As with all classics prices will vary with condition, but estimate £25-30,000 upwards POWER Engine de Havilland Gipsy Major inline four, producing 145hp Prop Fixed-pitch two-blade, wood DIMENSIONS Wingspan 34ft 4in Wing area 172sq-ft Length 25ft 5in Height 7ft 2in Seats Two (tandem) Max weight 2200lb Empty weight 1517lb Useful load 683lb Fuel capacity 80l PERFORMANCE Max speed 120kt Cruise 90kt Climb rate 900fpm Ceiling 15,800ft Stall speed 43kt Max range 225nm Takeoff roll 870ft Landing roll 930ft

MANUFACTURER de Havilland Canada Established in 1928 as a subsidiary of de Havilland GB, DHC became a separate firm before being designated a Crown Corporation by the Canadian Government and taken into state control. DHC was a notable privatisation when in 1986 it was sold off to Boeing, who many suspected only bought it to curry favour for some juicy Air Canada airline deals – AC also being a Crown Corp. DHC was acquired by Bombardier six years later, returning it to Canadian ownership. They went on to sell the Type Certificates for many older designs including the Chipmunk to Viking Air, who recently restarted manufacture of the DHC-6 Twin Otter. Type Design Organisation status for the DHC-1 resides with DH Support at Duxford, who legally oversee the airworthiness of the worldwide fleet, tech updates, POH changes etc. www.vikingair.com www.dhsupport.com

All specifications and performance figures are supplied by the manufacturer. All performance figures are based on standard day, standard atmosphere, sea level, and at gross weight unless stated otherwise.

A snug fit, all the gauges and dials are simple and easy to read – just as you’d want for a trainer

34 LOOP APRIL 2011 www.loop.aero

CAF_Ad2009_HP_200x130_FA.pdf

15/4/09

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AEROSWITHALAN

Self-fulfilling prophecies Setting out your goals for the year ahead can pay huge dividends

What goals will you set yourself for 2011? Having a plan and targeted achievements you want to notch up is a great way to improve your flying 36 LOOP APRIL 2011 www.loop.aero

HAVE my doubts about Biblical prophecies, but I have seen lots of examples of self-fulfilling ones. Fear of failure breeds under-confidence, which leads to lack of commitment and poor preparation, which leads to poor performance, which results in failure. The conviction of success, however, can result in dedicated training and a well-planned personal development profile, which lead to improved skills, which result in justifiable self-confidence which breeds success. As in so many walks of life, the dedication and determination with which you set off along your chosen path determine its destination. Meander, and the path leads nowhere; strike out with a vision and the path will take you wherever you want.

This Time of Year As I write this Easter still seems some way off. Very long evenings and the opportunities they bring to practice after work are still a while away. Mostly we are seasonally dis-affected and find motivation for flying generally depressed. But this is planning time. The time to set your determination on everything that the year can bring. To take that first step along the path to satisfaction that can indeed be fulfilled. But first you need an ambition and then you need some relevant knowledge. As my Army colleagues always insist on reminding me: “Time spent in reconnaissance is never wasted.” So, let’s look at what might be some reasonable prophecies to make for yourself for 2011. ‘Reasonable’, that is, assuming that you have some interest in improving your aircraft handling skills in

a safe, controlled environment, learning a few new tricks, getting sound feedback about your progress, meeting new friends and planning on reaching the coming autumn with the ability to look back with satisfaction on all these things.

Targeting The Government has targets; salesmen have targets; Olympic marksmen have targets. So why not you? And why not build them into a summer flying programme. Everything you need to know and learn is out there. That affirmation made, there is no better was to get to fulfil your need for gratification than to plunge into some special training and some polite, yet serious, competition flying to prove to yourself that you have started to rack up some personal achievements. More steps along the path to somewhere. You have probably flown some basic aerobatics already, but not taken them too seriously. Now you need to set your sights more closely on a planned outcome. So the first thing must be to seek help from someone who knows more than you about the subject. Look locally, or look more distantly, but look. Seek recommendations. There are options. Completion of the AOPA Basic aerobatic certificate course will give you all the techniques you need to fly a sequence of figures in a BAeA Beginners event. If you already have a grasp of the simple figures, but need help on how to put them together in a more appropriate way, then seek help from an experienced competition pilot in your area. They will be pleased to help you in a number of ways, and they don’t have to be qualified instructors to do so legally. A straightforward, achievable

List Of Figures number 1 2

name Loop Half Cuban

1/4 Clover

Stall Turn

Roll

The Government has targets; salesmen have targets; Olympic marksmen have targets... So why not you? target might be to fly two Beginners events during the summer, to get a feel for the aerobatic environment. Additionally, you might aim to continue learning the new skills needed to move up safely to Standard level, and maybe even to fly one Standard contest before the end of the year.

Your Calendar The BAeA events calendar for 2011 is available on the web (www. aerobatics.org.uk/events-info.htm), and if you take the step of becoming a flying member you will not only be eligible for taking part but will also get a copy of the 2011 Contest Information Booklet. The early part of the season has two special Beginners events: Breighton, Yorks, April 15th for those in the North, and Leicester, May 7th, for those more south. One of these events must be your first seasonal waypoint. Any flying you do from now until then should be aimed at getting the best training and the best result you can at one of these introductory days. Drawing on what you have learned at the first event, continue training and learn the new figures and techniques that you will have to master to compete at Standard. While you do this, keep returning to the Beginners sequence for competition practice. As you learn new, more advanced skills,

returning to the simpler form will show you clearly how you are developing greater situational awareness, more mental capacity. Fly in your second special Beginners event at Little Gransden on June 11th and see how much easier it has become. See how much better your result is. Continue training for Standard figures and sequences. Learn the Standard Known sequence, and then, once this has been consolidated, try to fly some Standard Unknown sequences. Now, this is when you really will get by far the best training results by seeking out the assistance of an experienced competitor. If you can make progress quickly, then you might consider flying a Standard contest at Fenland in midJuly. If that is too tight, you could try Peterborough, Conington, August 11th or Leicester again on Aug 20th. So now you've picked three events, planned time off to get there and take part. The part that needs more knowledge band dedication is about to raise its head. A training plan.

Your Training The first task is going to be to refresh on Beginners sequence figures and study the 2011 sequence. The figures all very much like last year, but in a different order. And the Quarter Clover has the rolling bit going down instead of up. Practice the figures separately at first, then in groups of three: 1,2,3 then 3,4,5. Note that there is an overlap at figure 3. This helps you to remember always what comes next. Then fly the whole sequence, remembering to stay above 1500ft AGL and close to a good line feature. Below is an Aresti Diagram of the sequence and a list of the figures, with annotations: ➽

Aresti Diagram Of Beginner Sequences notes Started into the wind, centre box Still into wind at the start, but get well into wind before starting Started downwind. Just like a Loop but with a little aileron in the downward half to change heading 90°. You can roll left or right – which way will greatly affect how the next figure looks on a windy day. Start with only a very short pause after you have finished Fig 2 Start and finish on the secondary axis, at right angles to Fig 1 and 2 360° aileron roll, straight and level throughout. Finish on secondary axis

The 2011 Beginners sequence will test pilots on the fundamentals of aerobatics; challenging and achievable www.loop.ae ro APRIL 2011 LOOP 37

AEROSWITHALAN After three or four flights you should be able to build up to the stage where you can fly through the sequence non-stop. If you have an opposed Lycoming engine, you will probably be better rolling left on the Clover so that your Stall Turn with left rudder puts the nose into wind. If you have a Yak or a Chipmunk, then the opposite is true. In the week before your first Beginners event of the season, try to get to the airfield after work on at least two evenings, just to get through the sequence in different wind conditions. Fly these flights just as at the event. Keep them short; get it right first time.

Spinning To take part in a Standard contest, you need to be able to do some simple precision spins. Get instruction here with someone who knows your aircraft type well, but don’t be too reluctant to fly the figure. Every year we see hundreds of precision spins in competition aeros and people don’t keep crashing. This is not an unsafe figure once you have received the right training. The important aspects from a competition point of view are entering from a fully stalled, level line, and stopping on heading. If you stop a few degrees off, either way, use aileron in the pull out to get back onto the right bearing.

Standard Figures In addition to the Spins, you will also have to learn to fly combinations of: •Half Loop Up/Half Roll •Half Roll/Half Loop Down •Half Reverse Cubans (half-roll on a 45 Up Line, then pulling 5/8ths of a Loop down from low speed) •Humpty-Bumps (just a Hesitation Loop with a short pause on the vertical up and down lines - make sure you have enough entry speed). There are also simple level steep turns, to enable simple wind correction mid sequence, and very plain climbing and descending lines at 45° attitudes, to help with aircraft energy management. Occasionally, there might be a Stall Turn with a 1/4 aileron roll on the vertical down line. If you visit the BAeA website (www.aerobatics.org.uk), you can find a lot of information on how exactly these figures are judged as well as diagrams showing the Standard Known sequence for 2011. There isn’t room to show it here. It looks a lot more complicated than Beginners, but then that is not really a surprise. Standard level competitions are the foundation on which any worthwhile aerobatic hobby is founded. And nobody is perfect, believe me. (By the way, the website has numerous other resources too to help you.)

Who ever said learning has to be boring? Aeros pilots enjoy the three dimensions more than most!

38 LOOP APRIL 2011 www.loop.aero

Get instruction with someone who knows your aircraft type well... don’t be too reluctant to fly the figure More Training Ideas In the gap between your Beginners events, get to know these additional Standard figures, and fly them in pairs or triples just to practice getting from one to another with good speed and heading control. See if you can do whole of the Standard Known, but split initially into two shorter half-sequences. This year it has 10 figures, so fly 1-6 first. When you can manage this, do 6-10. Note the overlap. This is important. If you fly 1-5 then 6-10 you will have two sequences with a big mental gap in the middle. One day you will get to this point and forget what comes next. In the last couple of practices before your second Beginners event, fly some Standard figures for technique and then whip through the Beginners sequence at the end. Make the flight 30-35 minutes max. Always end with a full sequence, so leave some brain power for it.

The Run Up So let’s say you've flown the two Beginners and all went well. Now put the Standard Known together so you can fly it, from start to finish, above 1000ft AGL. Don’t get low. If you even look like getting low, STOP. Think about why and maybe do something different next time. Leave yourself four or five practice flights before the Standard contest to practice some simple Unknown sequences. I’ll write a separate article on how to prepare for this type of challenge so won't dwell on it now, but new people learn how to prepare Unknowns every year, so don’t be put off. It will probably be shorter than the Known and contain figures very much the same, just in a different order. The last flight before you set off to compete should be the Standard Known again. Flown just as in a competition. Put yourself under pressure to take off at a specific time. See if you gat get airborne on the dot of whatever time you set. Climb, fly the sequence and then land. No practice figures other than a couple of half rolls to make sure all the inverted systems are working properly. Imagine you are on stage. Big opening night, West End, everything. That’s what it will feel like on the day. Adrenalin rules. And of course, don’t fly into a hill in bad weather getting to the event! Be safe and enjoy your flying.

Your ambition, our passion

GippsAero is growing our family so you can realise your goals

At GippsAero weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re serious about supporting your ambition, and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re passionate about designing aircraft that enable operators to realise their goals. The GA8 Airvan has been the choice of successful operators for years, and we have worked hard over the past 12 months to deliver additional value to operators, with an increase in MTOW to 4200lbs, certification of a new Turbo-charged 320HP Lycoming engine, and demonstrated performance in the air surveillance arena. We are now growing the Airvan family to include a float plane variant of the popular GA8, a 10 seat turbine utility aircraft and an 18 seat twin turbine multi-role aircraft.

GA8 AIRVAN Superior Economics Versatility Performance Safety Environmental

With the backing of Mahindra Aerospace, and an expanded product range, we want to be your partner of choice as your business grows.

Contact your European representative: Kerry Ashcroft Tel: +44 (0)7540 162002 Fax: +44 (0)208 711 5713 Email: airvan@btinternet.com

www.gippsaero.com.au

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SUBSCRIPTIONS

ION TRAINING GUIDE: PART 3 INSIDE COMMERCIAL FLIGHT D AVIAT ROCKE THAT brews + Ace + JOB HUNT Boost your counterbi chances +dADVICE the interview + PILOTS Tell all + NEW CHINA DEAL ELECTRIC RACER NEW ' cold + RIVAL US S BOSS ON THE BRITISH DESIGN SPARKS 'Traditional investors + FLYING SHOW Aircraft INSIDE CIRRU AEROBA news + 2011 to survive off + WHY INTEREST A year ofTICS ON +TV inspiration PLANS + RELIEF Pressure NICK'S SEC + GEAR Best kit TIPSTO PILOTS RET TheTURN year FEBRUARY 2011 of 2010 + VINTAGE INTO SUPERSTARS ahead CES APRIL 2011 + + MAINT SNA ISSUE 64 £3.40 Keeping ISSUE 66 £3.40 history ENANC NEW TUR + DENNIS E G-regaloft An instructor's vs N-reg... BOPROPlot + THE why? + GEAR ON G1000 WAY MARCH 2011 ISSUE 65 £3.40

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One of Cessna'sDESIGNS most-lovedROW all-time classics, which bears C BUSINES more than a littleOLYMPI resemblance to itsINSIDE current big sellers S AV N S I D E : A I R L I N+ESPEED! 'Fastest' civilian IjetAT I O N ' S N E W AIRSPACE RESTRICTIONS P I L O T T R A I N rivalry RECORD THE COMMERCIAL+I QUESTION I N Gbrews S P +EPRICE BREAK GET YOU FIRED UP FLIGHT S Is it for you? + CHOICES C I A! $60m L 'too cheap' Training + ANALYSIS TRAINING + SIZE Bigger E R S Industry health NEWS SPECIAL: THE AIRCRAFT GIANTS OF TOMORROW is better + GUIDE: PART AINfour-seater + MOTHS Expert insight + NEW Design + PLAN 2 Best events to see + BARG SH Flight T2 PAR

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COMMERCIAL FLIGHT TRAINING THESTART-UP JOURNAL WELCOME to part two in a series of LOOP special looking at the pathway supplements to becoming a professional airline pilot

The series of three specials will look at every aspect you need to consider whether you are in education analysing your career options, or already a pilot looking to turn your passion into a profession. They have been compiled by ﬂight training expert Chris Gowers, an industry veteran who has helped guide thousands of new pilots to rich and fulﬁlling careers in one of the world’s most envied and sought-after jobs.

Part One: Making the

Decision ★ The key questions to ask before you embark to Go Pro* ★ Is it the right time to on a career in aviation become a pilot? ★ A look at the and its outlook ★ Choosing the industry route to your new career: Integrated vs Modular training

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MON' Russian warbird ts + REVIVED Rare TESTED: SKYDE 9 great microligh + FLY LIGHT

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PLUS: Interview with the man who represents UK We will also be producing a special digital LOOP+airline pilots and a LOOPTV special, magazine, so keep your eyes peeled.

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CLUB

advice || clubs || flight training || safety || places to FLY || PEOPLE TO MEET || THINGS TO DO

T O

first solo

Vulcan pilot and war hero, Martin Withers. P49

get rated

Need confidence? Try an Advanced PPL. P50

plane crazy

‘Mr Moth’ Stuart McKay talks of his love of flying. P52

nick heard

South East Sun

Grand Tour takes in Canterbury, so while you’re visiting why not fly a short sortie over the white cliffs of Dover? See p44

Explains how to join a circuit correctly. P46

gurus

Is the NPPL under threat from EASA? Find out on P47

Hangarchat This month goes on tour to Gran Canaria. P42

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flightCLUBHANGARCHAT

A Gran old time +cLuB FOcuS aEroCluB laS palMaS, GraN CaNaria

Bored of bad weather? Get yourself abroad for some winter sun, like LOOP reader Nick Stillwell who rented in Gran Canaria

+tHE VitaLS

icAO cOdE GCLB LOcATiON SE coast of Gran Canaria in the municipality of San Bartolomé de Tirajana. If driving from the North, exit at Km37 of the GC-1 towards Juan Grande. The entrance is off the roundabout near the go-kart track. FAciLiTiES Avgas and mogas, JAR maintenance workshop, a fantastic restaurant (www.

restauranteaeroclub. com) that comes highly recomended and even a swimming pool! Plus aircraft hire is available all year round thanks to the temperate local climate RuNWAYS 07/25 Asphalt 792m dETAiLS The Berriel Aeroclub las Palmas Gran Canaria +34 617040605 www.canaire.com

42 LOOP april 2011 www.loop.aero

F YOUR perception of Gran Canaria is that of a baking hot island full of all you can eat hotel compounds and hedonistic dance music, then you’d be right – at least at ground level. Its only 29 mile wide, and the mountainous interior extends right to the coast, leaving precious little space into which the tourists are wedged alongside the locals, making the obvious areas to visit on foot often very busy. This leaves a fantastic opportunity to explore the rest of the island is peace, and as far as I’m concerned there’s no better way to do this than in a gyroplane! I’ve always been keen to try flying gyro, and in fact was so eager I spent a couple of hours in the freezing December conditions with Steve Boxall at Old Sarum.

However even Steve was eventually grounded by the weather, and my enthusiasm waned. With the prospect of sun in the Canaries, I arranged to have some instruction with Daniel Rosaria at El Berriel airport on Gran Canaria. El Berriel (GCLB) is 10km south of the main Las Palmas airport, its entrance guarded by an ancient DC-7C. The rescue services run their Bell 412SP from here, and there is also a light aircraft and a helicopter school, and a couple of skydiving companies too. How near the sea is it? The runway 25/07 runs right along the beach... The Royal Aeroclub of Gran Canaria was founded in 1971 to promote aviation in the Canary Islands, but it wasn’t until the 70s that they moved to El Berriel. The Aeroclub owns seven aircraft

The restaurant is better than any of the posh hotels for food , with fantasitc ambiance

including Cessna 152s, Piper Cherokees and an Arrow. Currently they manage a PPL flying school, but hope to start on CPL very soon. There is a JAR maintenance service, briefing rooms, flightplanning computer, and a pine covered rest area. There is one aspect that beats any airfield I have visited, and that is the restaurant, which even has it’s own pool! The restaurant is better than any of the posh hotels for food, with fantastic ambiance to boot, and it never seems to close. As El Berriel is under Las Palmas controlled airspace, so most of the coast flying is under 1000ft and lower, which is so much fun! With the mountains rising up to 1949m, there is a fantastic opportunity to learn mountain and gorge flying. Once outside the circuit you are also communicating

FOR THE LATEST NEWS GO TO... www.loop.aero +Education

IWM Duxford

Children taught science at Duxford OVER 300 school children enjoyed hands-on science and engineering fun with Science Connections at the War Museum Duxford. A fun and educational day of science activities included the opportunity to meet costumed characters Buzz Aldrin, who explained the science behind the moon landings. The children deciphered Morse codes, tried ejector seats for size, and wore equipment used by the Parachute Regiment. The children enjoyed a fun science show with

with Las Palmas Approach – butting in between Boeings is good comms practice! Daniel is an experienced instructor who has been flying for 15 years, and part of the only school on the island authorised by the Civil Aviation of Canary Islands. He instructs in an ELA 08 Cougar gyroplane with the ubiquitous Rotax engine, (he also flies microlights from El Berriel). He has been instructing gyros since 2002, now with over 1650 hours of instruction time. The ELA is a Spanish-built gyro not yet on Permit in the UK, although the UK agents (Roger Savage) have assured me that this is only a matter of months away. The ELA has a particularly clever pneumatic pre-rotator and trim, which simplifies the start up and cruise for beginners like me no end.

Simply press the button on the control stick for the start up (no more stalling the engine while lining up), and one in the air set to 4.5bar for cruise. Once in the air the ELA is agile and can cruise at around 90mph. This area of Gran Canaria is renowned for windsurfing, but even with 40mph winds the ELA was great to fly. I learnt to land in hefty crosswinds, and fly in the mountains using updrafts. On one day a military Super Puma helicopter was on exercise at El Berriel, and I was amazed that we were able to interact with it on low passes and movements. I discovered the Puma pilot was one of Daniel’s students. In all, Gran Canaria is perfect for winter flying, especially in an exposed cockpit. Now back in the UK, I might just book again!

Clockwise from main: Coming into land, watch out for the crosswinds; Daniel and Nick soaking up the sun; hard to spot where the sea stops and the sky starts; no such problem when sand meets town!

some cool experiments and had the opportunity to build their own aircraft. Peter Halford, Learning Officer, Science and Technology, Imperial War Museum Duxford, said: “The atmosphere of excitement throughout AirSpace was so gratifying, with groups of children thoroughly engaged with science and engineering activities. One of our aims is to inspire the engineers of the future and we have gone a long way to fulfilling that aim.” duxford.iwm.org.uk

GET Your club noticed in loop clubs@ loop.aero

Learning about ejector seats... don’t worry lad, it’s not live!

Shooting Stars andrewsfield First Solo Neil Butterfield Darren Taylor Paul Granville Andre Buthe Jeremy Taylor Graham Faux PPL Majic Meller Radek Bielik Nicola Forbes Paul Mortlock www.andrews field.com If you’ve had any success at your club email dave.rawlings@ loop.aero and let us know!

+PHOTO ALBUM

Duxford has re-launched its time-travelling tours for 2011 – a look back at the history of Duxford. Part of this is the Battle of Britain tour, where there will be numerous photographs which capture a facinating glimpse of the work of the men and women of the base during the Battle of Britain.

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flightCLUBEVENTS

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For the love of the Luscombe One of flying’s friendliest clubs hosts its annual tour ONE of the most eye-catching and instantly recognisable aircraft ever built will be filling the skies over the last weekend of the month, during the annual Luscombe and Friends tour. The event is held over three days and tours the countryside popping

in to several airfields en route to its final destination, Sywell. The tour is organised by European Luscombes, a friendly community of owners and pilots – but everyone is invited to join irrespective of aircraft type. In previous years it has even been

A small selection of Luscombe pilots and friends from the Tour

joined by those following the route in cars! If you like the Luscombe you’ll be one of the gang. The tour starts at picturesque Croft Farm near Malvern, from where the convoy will leave and head to two or three other stops along the way (depending on the weather) and eventually for Sywell for the Saturday night. For the Friday evening people will have to camp next to their aircraft, but once the group arrive at Sywell there’s a rush to the showers or the hotel room, then everyone meets in the bar for a few drinks and some dinner – so book a room! On the Sunday, everyone breaks camp and the tour moves on ready to return to Croft Farm. For more information or to book your place call 07802 263669 or 07968 98062. www.europeanluscombes.org.uk

EVENTS THINGS TO DO IN THE COMING WEEKS

+ 9 April, 100 years of Airshows, Hawkwell Village Hall, Essex Stephen Bridgewater will be giving a presentation on ‘100 years of Airshows’. Proceeds from the event will go towards the continued preservation of Avro Vulcan XL426 – ‘The Southend Vulcan’. www.avrovulcan.com

Coates Airfield, NE Lincolnshire 01472 388850 www. northcoatesflyingclub.co.uk + 16 April, Vintage Aircraft Club Daffodil Rally, Fenland PPR essential 01406 540330 www. vintageaircraftclub.org.uk

+ 16 April, Duxford Bonus Safety + 9 April, Aerobatics Beginners Day, Duxford Airfield Day, North London Flying Club Following the successful events www.northlondonflyingschool.com in the last four years, the day will be a mixture of presentations + 10 April, Pansanger Nav and opportunities to chat to the Challenge, Panshanger, N.London professionals. In recognition www.northlondonflyingschool.com of the importance of the Safety theme, there’s no charge for the + 9-11 April, North Coates Flying Safety Day programme and the Club Spring Flying Meeting, North landing fee is discounted to £7.

Pre-booking is essential. 01223 + 17 April, Best of British Aircraft 833376 http://duxford.iwm.org.uk Fly-in, Old Buckenham Airfield Free landings for all British + 16-17 April, 50th Anniversary designed and built aircraft www. PA28 Party, Northrepps oldbuck.com Aerodrome www.northrepps aerodrome.co.uk + 24 April, Easter Fly-in and Sunday BBQ, Breighton + 17 April, Help for Heroes Charity Aerodrome Fly-in, North Weald www.realaero.com The Fly-in will start from 09:00 hrs and will finish at 17:00 hrs. + 24 April, Auster Fly-in, North North Weald Airfield normally London Flying Club does not charge landing fees www.northlondonflyingschool. but, with such a worthwhile com charity we ask all visitors to make a contribution to our + 27 April, Team Lotus aero target. testing day, Duxford Airfield PPR 01992 524510 www. The Lotus F1 team will northwealdairfield.org be conducting a day of aerodynamic testing, which involves blasting up and down the runway at insane volume and speed nearly 15-+ times... 8am to 6pm. http://duxford.iwm.org.uk + 30 April - 1 May, Popham Microlight Trade Fair, Popham Airfield, Hampshire Annual event bringing together the microlight community at a great venue www.pophamairfield.co.uk

+ 17 April, Visit the Vulcan day, Southend Airport Visitors will be able to get ‘up close and personal’ with ex-RAF V-bomber Vulcan XL426, and have a guided tour of the cockpit. www.avrovulcan.com 44 LOOP APRIL 2011 www.loop.aero

+ 1-2 May, Wheels vs Wings and Auster fly-in Kimberley Hall, nr Wymondham, Norfolk History and fun in one... See Bob Davy’s column on p13 for full details! www.austerclub.org

Canterbury One of England’s oldest and most attractive cities to visit - and whilst you’re there, why not take a trip over the white cliffs of Dover?

SEE THIS Canterbury Cathedral

The Cathedral’s history dates back to 597AD, famed amongst other things for the scene of the murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket. The Cathedral now attracts 1m visitors per year. www.canterbury-cathedral.org

EVERYTHING ELSE Plan your stay...

STAY HERE: CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL LODGE

Situated in the shadows of the cathedral , this hotel has the prime location in Canterbury. The restaurant has alfresco seating on the terrace during summer months – a perfect view for breakfast. Room prices start at £65. http://canterburycathedrallodge.org

EAT HERE: THE ROYAL INN

A homely and stylish Chinese restaurant is popular with locals and tourists alike. All the ingredients are fresh, the portion sizes are perfect, if not a little big and the cost isn’t too steep. 01227 453 063

SEE THIS: HOWLETTS WILD ANIMAL PARK

Set in 90 acres, this animal park has tigers, gorillas, clouded leopards, monkeys, and hundreds of rare and endangered species from around the world. The park was set up by the late John Aspinall to protect and breed rare species and, where possible, return them to safe areas in the wild. www.aspinallfoundation.org/howletts

DO THIS: GOLF

The beautifully sculpted and challenging 18-hole layout was created by renowned golf course designer Harry Colt and has been in existence since 1927. Green fees for visitors start at £20 www.canterburygolfclub.co.uk

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flightCLUBFLIGHT SCHOOL

Nick Heard

GURUS

Something as fundamental as joining the circuit can still catch many out. Make it easier for yourself

NICK HEARD is a seasoned flying instructor, current Boeing 747 captain and a former RAF Tornado pilot. Here he gives some advice to make flying to new airfields a little less stressful

FTER flying to a new airfield, joining the circuit can be a busy conclusion to a flight – and can often turn a nice trip into a bit of a shambles! Here are a few thoughts about how to get it right. Once again, our old friend Prior Planning becomes important. Check the airfield diagram from the AIP or flight guide to see what the runway orientations are, and the circuit directions and heights associated with them. Have a look at the airfield NOTAMs and weather so you can start to make a reasonable guess as to which runway will be in use. You can call the airfield by phone – in many cases it’s a requirement for prior permission requirements, especially those with particular local noise issues. Finally, draw a ‘back of an envelope’ diagram of the airfield for your knee board, so that you can draw the expected line of approach. This can really help getting you orientated – it’s not unknown for pilots to get completely confused on arriving at an airfield, ending up flying downwind in the wrong direction, to the consternation of all others in the circuit! Once airborne you might be able to obtain updated

weather reports for the airfield. Get onto the airfield frequency as early as practical – say 10 minutes before ETA, earlier if you can – and just listen out; there is no need to speak just yet. Take the next couple of minutes listening on the frequency to pick up what’s going on. There may be nothing going on, of course, but if there is activity on the frequency try and listen out for the runway in use, surface wind, and QFE. You are now getting nicely ahead of the aircraft, and you can start thinking about your circuit join itself. Now check in to the airfield on the radio, inform them which direction you are arriving from, and ask for joining instructions. This is where the fun starts – you now have to mentally sort out how you will fit into the airfield circuit. There are, of course, various options that might be presented to you depending on the airfield procedures. Whichever is offered, use your ‘fag packet’ diagram to draw the line you expect to fly. Get your eyes back out again to look for other aircraft as you approach the circuit – don’t forget, as the joining aircraft, you have to fit in with current circuit traffic. So what options might you consider? It may be possible

to join the circuit directly onto the downwind, crosswind, or base legs. In these cases, it’s best to get down to circuit height as early as possible before joining – you will see other aircraft in the circuit more easily if you can ‘skyline’ them, rather than trying to see where they are from above. Adjust your heading to fit in with the other traffic, and don’t just blunder in if you are not entirely sure where everyone else is. You might also join straight-in, if appropriate. Again, you need to look for other traffic on base leg. You may not have flown a straight-in approach very often, if at all, and they can be difficult to get right with respect to approach path, often too steep or too shallow, as you have not set up the final approach via a normal circuit. If you are not happy joining the circuit directly, then there is the overhead join. Overhead joins are not available at all airfields, perhaps due to restrictions on the ‘dead’ side, such as helicopter or gliding operations. However, the overhead join remains the standard way to join and

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gives you the best chance to join the circuit in good order. As you approach the airfield, you should remain 1000ft above circuit height and keep the airfield on the circuit direction side; so for a left-hand circuit, fly a heading to keep the airfield slightly to your left, and keep it to your right for a right-hand circuit. By keeping yourself 1000ft above the traffic you can take your time to work out exactly the runway in use, circuit orientation and therefore the live and dead sides, and the location of other aircraft. Once in the overhead, orbit in circuit direction, and then commence a gentle turning descent on the deadside after crossing the runway threshold – remaining in a turn means you can keep checking below as you let down to circuit height. If it all works out, you will finish up crossing the upwind end of the runway at circuit height, and your circuit join is now complete. In all cases, make radio calls at the right places so that other pilots can look for you joining the circuit. Similarly, act on other pilots’ calls to see where they are.

Get onto the airfield frequency as early as practical and just listen out

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46 LOOP APRIL 2011 www.loop.aero

28/03/2011 09:24

Q&A

ALL YOUR QUESTION ANSWERED BY THE BEST IN THE BUSINESS

+STAR QUESTION

Q| Am I right in thinking that, according to European legislation, the NPPL will be abolished in 2015? If so what does that mean for pilots on this licence? Robert Hull A| The situation is not settled but the LAA plan at the outset of EASA licensing was towards a Europe-wide NPPL, and we had a positive response. The usual back-and-forth has changed it, but it looks like UK pilots will be allowed to retain the NPPLstyle GP medical, while the rest of Europe will need to visit an AME. What is now proposed is that for your first medical for what is to be called the Light Aircraft Pilots Licence (LAPL) you go to your own GP for a medical probably based on the car and HGV standard as used for NPPL now. For subsequent medicals, up to age 50, you will be able to get a sign off based on

GETTING LOST(ISH)

Q|I HOPE I won’t be shouted at for holding my hand up and admitting I never feel that confident of knowing precisely where I am – much of it looks the same from 3000ft! Are there any standard practices that guard against getting lost, and if I lose track what should I do? - Anon A| Assuming you are through your PPL, brush up on your procedures for being lost: start where you last knew you were, draw a circle showing where you might have travelled to in the elapsed time, then look for clearly recognisable

SUBSCRIPTIONS YOUR GURUS...

NICK HEARD Decades of flying experience in all conditions... including combat

DENNIS KENYON Former World Heli Freestyle Champ Dennis is our rotary expert

PHIL O'DONOGHUE FI and aeros pilot Phil is our resident Brains for testing gear

DOROTHY POOLEY Top instructor and examiner, Dorothy shares her wisdom

ALAN CASSIDY MBE Current British National Advanced Aerobatic champion and respected author

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features on the ground and match up the most obvious ones to what’s shown on your charts and maps. Special geographic features, motorways, major roads, and rivers are good places to start – they don’t close or become abandoned – and of course any airfields. You can be more specific – towers, or large buildings, after that. If you’re in any doubt as to whether you’ve strayed into controlled airspace, get straight on the radio. If you are stumped at getting the best from GPS, radio nav aids and charts, take a refresher course with only those in mind. If you are in training now, simply ask your instructor. They will be pleased to help.

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said, CAA has not said it will dispose of the NPPL, and it will almost certainly remain for Microlights anyway. I do not think you need worry too much at this stage. Part of the EASA remit is that privileges are not taken away from people to leave them disadvantaged, so one way or another, and all things being as they are now regarding your personal position, you will have a licence and be able to continue flying. Brian Hope, LAA

RESS

your own GP 'knowing' you are still OK (assuming you've have not developed a major condition). Over 50, each renewal will be a medical as per the initial assessment. Timescales between will hopefully be as now. Right, what happens to the NPPL? If the LAPL goes ahead as outlined above it is highly questionable whether there will be demand for UK NPPL SSEA because you can get the LAPL with Europewide privileges by having the same medical. That

Is the NPPL under threat? Not by the looks of it

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flightCLUBFLIGHT SCHOOL

SEND US YOUR EVENT NEWS. GO TO... www.loop.aero

My first solo martin withers who Martin Withers, former RAF pilot who flew Operation Black Buck and now flies the sole flying Vulcan XH558 date May 14th, 1966 where RAF Shawbury aircraft Chipmunk hours when soloed 14 hours now 16,000 instructor John McMahon

THE VULCAN LEADER

Martin is now the Chief Pilot of Vulcan XH588, the last flying example of the Type in the world

I REMEMBER it was a sunny day and a left hand circuit, and that I was really happy that I was going solo! I was in the University Air Squadron and it’s still so vivid. I was on the downwind leg and was singing at the top of my voice, ‘I Need Your Loving’, by the Troggs – I was a very confident young man back then! Later I did my ‘proper’ first solo when I was in the RAF. It was in a Jet Provost on March 4th. I was less excited about this one – I don’t particularly remember it, but I was surprised to be sent of when I was, not expecting it on that trip. I was taxiing in and he said: “Right you’re going off on your own now.” He got into a huge amount of

trouble when I got back because technically he wasn’t qualified to send me solo – you had to be a ‘B1’ QFI at least. This chap had been a Shakleton co-pilot and was a newly qualified QFI and hadn’t read the rules properly. I spent most of my RAF career with the Vulcan, first as a co-pilot, Captain, QFI, and Squadron Leader on the Vulcan. I completed three tours of duty in the Vulcan, which ended up with me in 1982 flying it down to the Falklands and flying in the first Black Buck Mission – you can read about the mission in Rowland White’s book Vulcan 607. I now work with Vulcan To The Sky, who are trying to keep Vulcan XH558 flying. I was invited to

+ n e w p i lo t a m y c o s g r o v e

studying mathematics, physics and German, and has plans to go one to study at University. “I’d like to go to Uni in Leeds and study Mathematics and German. I think Leeds is a great university and town with good nightlife!” she explained. Mathematics and German is quite a tough choice, but

Amy’s reasoning to embark on two difficult subjects obvious: “I really enjoy maths, and I’m quite logical as a person and maths is also an integral part of flying. I’m also really passionate about German it’s also a logical language, which is probably why I like it. And, I would also join the university Air

Amy got GAPAN Scholarship help, and is now eyeing a career in airlines after she graduates

To support the 558 project or buy Vulcan 607 visit www.vulcantothesky.org

+inside tip

A bright future beckons!

Amy Cosgrove has always had an interest in flying and whilst at the age of 17 was already starting her PPL... until she received some brilliant news that any young aviator would be pleased to hear: she had won a GAPAN Scholarship to gain her flying licence! Amy is currently in her second year of A Levels,

attend thanks to my celebrity from Rowland’s book and I ticked all the boxes. I had lots of hours experience and instructed on the Vulcan. I’m now the Chief Pilot and I hog the hours when we fly! The Vulcan really is a joy to fly, and it’s actually very simple to fly too. If you compare it with something like a Buccaneer, which has blown flaps and things like that, with the Vulcan when you get airborne, you raise the gear and the checks are complete, nothing complicated. There’s only one minimum speed so you don’t have to worry about it for displays.

Squadron when I get there!” Amy, from County Durham, gained her PPL at St George’s Flight Training, based at Durham Tees Valley Airport, and loved the school as well as the entire experience. “My instructor Mark Lee was great, we had a laugh together,” she said. “Although it didn’t all go smoothly. I won the scholarship in June and I had until the beginning of October to get my 45 hours. But I lost an entire month due to bad weather, so I did the bulk of my flying in September. I got a bit panicky towards the end because you have to complete the scholarship by October. The school was helpful and they got me through it.” After university Amy wants to work for an airline. “I would actually really like to work for a German airline. I think it’ll be fun!” she says. Good luck! www.stgeorgeflight training.co.uk

It’s amazing what little nuggets of useful information you can pick up if you spend enough time loitering around professionals. But to save you the time, and potential police interest for stalking, we’ve gleaned the best flight training tips from the UK’s best flight instructors...

don’t be afraid to not fly

IF THERE is one thing critical to being a good pilot, it’s being wise and mature enough to know when not to fly. There’s no shame in not flying because ‘something’ isn’t right. Nobody is going to criticise you for not wanting to fly – and if they do, more fool them. Safety is always the biggest issue in aviation and if something just doesn’t seem right, show good airmanship and call off.

www.loop.ae ro april 2011 LOOP 49

flightCLUBget rated advanced ppl

Need just a little bit more?

If you’ve just qualified and lack confidence, or simply want a refresher, the Advanced PPL could be for you says Ultimate High’s Ian Churchill ONCE you’ve gained your PPL it can feel as if you’re ready to take on the world. It can also feel like you’re swimming in new information and aren’t sure what’s important for everyday flying and what isn’t. But, tailored courses can make you a better and more confident pilot. “A lot of PPL graduates that come to us feel they would benefit from improving their skills in certain areas,” said Ian Churchill, ex-RAF Hercules pilot now instructing at Ultimate High. The course is aimed to improve captaincy, airmanship, and decisionmaking under pressure, operating at the boundaries of the flight envelope, navigation through controlled

50 LOOP APRIL 2011 www.loop.aero

airspace and dealing with single and multiple emergencies. “a major reason people try the Advanced PPL is to practice forced landings. People don’t practice them enough, so it can be a large part of the course,” said Ian. “We have a syllabus for the course which we can go through, but usually the pilot will come to us and tell us what they want to improve on.” The course is completed in Ultimate High’s Bulldogs, and includes Improved General Handling, Max-rate Level Turns, Max-rate Possible Turns, Emergency Breaks, Stalling revision and Advanced Stalling, Flight in/through controlled airspace, Emergencies (with

concentrated practice on PFLs and EFATOs, fuel, stuck throttle, engine, mechanical failure & fire), improved Circuits and landings, and if the student would like an introduction to aerobatics and Variable Pitch Propeller Differences Training. “Nav is something people like to try and improve, often feeling they ‘got away with it’ before. We have to bear in mind that with a PPL students have to cover all the bases and raise people to a certain standard, but if they feel they got away with a certain factor we’re here to help. The course is available by the flying hour, or in five- or 10-hour chunks, with 1.5hr of briefing per flying hour. www.ultimatehigh.co.uk

ra t i n g s w a t c h

Guide prices to what it costs to get extra ratings. Ring each club or school for full details. Some offer aircraft choice, or may have additional fees (eg landing fees) so ask about any extra costs where possible. TAYSIDE AVIATION 01592 753 792 + PPL all inclusive: £6640 + Night Qualification: £842 + IMC Rating: £2675 + MEP: £2300 + FI course: £6700 + IR course: £11,990 www.taysideaviation. co.uk

CLACTON AERO CLUB 01255 424761 + Tail wheel conversion (residential, inc B&B) £710 + Three week PPL course (residential, inc B&B): £5940 + Two week NPPL Course (residential, inc B&B): £3904 ULTIMATE HIGH + Two week COTSWOLD Conversion To PPL + AOPA BASIC Aeros Course (residential, Certificate (8 hours of inc B&B): £4270 flying): £1840 + IMC (residential, inc + AOPA Standard B&B) from: £1980 Aerobatic Certificate www. (6 hours): £1380 clactonaeroclub. + Advanced co.uk PPL Training (customised): hourly FLYING TIME rates £235 SHOREHAM + Basic Spin Package 01273 455177 (1 sortie): £270 + PPL all inclusive + Basic Formation £7605 Course: £1225 + Night Qualification + IMC £1175 £1095 + SEP Renewal: + IMC Rating £2690 £205 per hour, plus + MEP £3065 instructor fee + CPL £7960 www.ultimatehigh. + Zero to frozen ATPL co.uk £45,450 + Multi Engine MULTIFLIGHT LEEDS/ Instrument Rating BRADFORD £12,205 0113 2387135 + ATPL Ground School + Night Rating: £705 £2860 + MEP: £2178 www.flyingtime.co.uk + IMC: £2115 + FI Rating: £7260 Have a a rating or + IR: £13,056 course? Email dave. + IR 55 hours: rawlings@loop.aero £14,906 with the details and www.multiflight.com we’ll pass them on

SUBSCRIPTIONS

P1 is our business aviation magazine, published bimonthly. It brings alive the glamorous, exciting world of business jets, turboprops and high performance piston aircraft, with flight tests, news, focus features on business operators and useful facts and figures.

Benefits include: » Delivered straight to your door » Get your issue before it’s out in the shops » Save 35% on the cover price » £40.00 for 12 issues delivered to your door FOR AN ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION TO P1, CONTACT THE SUBSCRIPTION DESK ON +44(0)1223 499799 OR EMAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS@LOOP.AERO

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flightCLUBPLANE CRAZY

SEND US YOUR EVENT NEWS. GO TO... www.loop.aero

PLANE CRAZY STUART MCKAY

The man they call Mr Moth

Stuart McKay formed the de Havilland Moth Club more than 30 years ago and has been a huge influence in the world of Tiger Moths, receiving an MBE for services to a legend

PHOTO www.airteamimages.com

TUART MCKAY MBE has just been honoured for his amazing work keeping the classic Tiger Moth alive, having written written a book about them, helped plenty of others work on theirs, and of course restored his own (G-AZZZ). So where did this love begin?

Q| What first attracted you to aircraft? A| After my father came back from the RAF in 1945, we went to a Battle of Britain Weekend for a public display. I stood next to a wheel of an aircraft – twice my height, probably a Lancaster or a Lincoln – and I was fascinated. Q| How did your passion grow from there? A| I used to stand and watch Battle of Britain fly-pasts after the war, feeling the vibration as a mass of Lancasters, Moths, and early jets like Vampires flew overhead. I was at school when one for the Queen’s Coronation flew over making the whole school vibrate, but they made us stay in our chairs and miss it. I still resent it! A neighbour gave me my first aviation book at Christmas 1952, which I loved, full of pictures and photographs – I’ve still got it – and I was hooked. Q| Did you see forsesee a career in aviation? A| I wanted to join the RAF as a pilot, but they were reducing numbers. An Air Scout Troop I joined was allowed to visit RAF bases and fly so I managed a couple of flights in Chipmunks and nearly got a flight in a Meteor, but it came back and pilot said that the engine had gone ‘Bang!’. Instead I joined BAA in the Flight Ops department at Heathrow and learnt to fly with the Airways Aero Club. Q| Where did the love of Moths spring from? A| I used to go to airshows with schoolmates, and when

LEFT: McKay (right) was honoured with the HAA’s prestigious Conrod Trophy just last month one of us was old enough to drive we’d go around the country. I always looked for Tiger Moths, and if there wasn’t one there it was a bit of a let down! After I learnt to fly a friend suggested I built my own aircraft. I’d done a lot of woodwork at school, which gave me a practical leaning and confidence, so I bought a Jodel D9, which you could put a VW engine in. I only had about five-bob in the bank so it had to be cheap! It took me just over three years to build and it’s first ever flight was out of Heathrow in 1969. After that and with the interest in Tiger Moths I thought maybe there was a chance of getting one. At the time they were old junk and advertised for about £400 each with a CofA. They were on the slide, import restrictions were lifted and Pipers and Cessnas were coming in, so Tiger Moths were classed as rubbish. I read an article where a chap had just bought one in France for next to nothing. It seemed that France was full of Tiger Moths up for sale and the further south you got the cheaper they were.

52 LOOP APRIL 2011 www.loop.aero

Q| Why was that? A| France had 200 Tiger Moths gifted to them at the end of the war. They had been used as glider tugs and were operated on a French Government subsidy so the clubs couldn’t sell them. But in the early 70s the French Government decided they didn’t want to subsidise old British aeroplanes anymore. All those Fench clubs were encouraged to buy new French aircraft and could do what they wanted with their Moths. Some put them round the back of the hangar and set fire to them and others sold them off. Q| So how did you buy your first one? A| I wrote to every French club that had a registered Tiger Moth, and included a stamped addressed envelope. Nearly all of them replied and they either told me it was still for sale, or the aircraft had been sold to other British pilots. I found one in Biarritz and went down with a friend in a lorry over Easter. I wanted to fly it back but the if the CofA hadn’t been done, and they said they couldn’t do one, but

I could take a load of spares that they had. When we turned up it turned out that the ‘spares’ they said I could have were in fact two other Tiger Moths, so I ended up with three! Q|Why is the registration number significant? A| The first Tiger Moth was registered as G-AAAA and I thought we were getting close to G-AZZZ, with the way the registrations were being allocated at the time – though back then you couldn’t apply for a particular registration number. But I had a friend in the right place who told me to apply at a certain time and when it arrived my paperwork was shuffled so when the next aeroplane was to be allocated ZZ, it happened to be my paperwork at the top of the list! So the very first G-A was a Moth and the very last G-A is a Moth. And it is painted in the same colours as Geoffrey de Havilland’s G-AAAA Tiger Moth too. Q| How did the de Havilland Moth Club begin? A| As my aircraft was in parts I thought to myself that

there must be plenty of other people in the same position as me with an aircraft in a similar state of disrepair. So I wanted to get all of those people together to see what bits they were looking for, and started contacting a few people in similar situations to see if they wanted to be in a type of grouping, with a newsletter. I wasn’t sure if it was going to work or take off, but the thing that tipped it was when the phone rang one evening and it was a chap putting a Moth together who said he wanted to be involved and was desperate for a windscreen – it’s one of the few things that are very difficult to find for a Moth. Within about an hour another chap phoned up and said he would be interested in trying to get a club together and just before he hung up, he said: “By the way, I don’t suppose you know of anyone that wants a windscreen?” That one evening cemented the whole thing and we could create a buy/exchange service as well. That was 1975 and it’s grown ever since and is all over the world now. www.dhmothclub.co.uk

SUBSCRIPTIONS

BLADES is the most passionate advocate of helicopter flight in publishing. With news, show reports, flight tests of machinery as varied as Bell's 47 to Eurocopter's EC135, and field reports from operators,military excersises, and record-setting expeditions, BLADES covers every aspect of rotary.

Benefits include: ✱ Delivered straight to your door ✱ Get your issue before it’s out in the shops ✱ Save on the cover price ✱ Just £29.95 for 12 issues (within the UK) FOR AN ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION TO BLADES, CONTACT THE SUBSCRIPTION DESK ON +44(0)1223 499799 OR EMAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS@LOOP.AERO

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28/02/2011 21:08

THE BEST PLACE TO BUY AND SELL YOUR AIRCRAFT.

Why use www.loopmart.aero ? Great value for money... FREE online advert Reach more people... 26,122 people plus 1000's online Making your advert couldn't be easier... Simple 4-step process Make the most of your advert... Upload video and pictures ADVERT OPTIONS IN PRINT AND ONLINE RALLYE MINERVA 220

1968 one owner a/c always hangered near London. In 1986 a BRAND NEW engine fitted with a turbocharger was installed but the turbocharger was removed. The turbo manufacturers claimed that for continuous use 235 bhp with 250 bhp for five minutes would have been delivered. Some strengthening modifications have been retained. Otherwise the engine without turbo is rated at 220 bhp 400 hrs later still giving breathtaking rate of climb. Short take off and landing, excellent all round visibility, fully IFR with 2* VHF, 2 NAV, ILS, DGO, RMI, 2*ADF, transponder, special extra instrumentation. Not flown since £20,000 spent on new CofA. Brand new propellor (some £8,000). Included a mountain of new and used spare engines, blocks, pistons, con rods, crankshafts, autopilot parts, etc. Ideal aircraft for business or pleasure. Contact Tony Crook, Box 66, 272 Kensington High Street, London W8 6ND or phone 0207 602 4992 or fax 0207 348 0389

Gold » 2 column x 8cm advert in LOOP » Advert on www.loopmart.aero » 1 issue: £195 +VAT » 2 Issues: £295 +VAT

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Silver » 2 column x 4cm advert in LOOP » Advert on www.loopmart.aero » 1 issue: £95 +VAT » 2 Issues: £175 +VAT

CESSNA SKYLANE ROBIN DR182 400

2+2 delight to fly - economical - king avionics - txp mode C-VOR - skymap 111C -recent 50 hr Hangared Exeter open to offers. Contact: Stephen - 01395445686. stephen.baker@btinternet.com

Print options

Whatever package you opt for your advert will be viewed by thousands of potential buyers - it makes good sense to get as much exposure as possible. Choose an option from the right and decide which best suits your needs.

Need more help? Please feel free to contact Chris on 01223 497060 or email sales@loop.aero

54 LOOP APRIL 2011 www.loop.aero

BUY AND SELL YOUR AIRCRAFT ONLINE AND IN LOOP MAGAZINE www.loopmart.aero TURBO ARROW PA28 RT-201T

Tel 01746783413 email ronsuebadger3@googlemail.com

SHOESTRING RACER

Year 1980 Airframe 3937 hrs. Engine 874 hrs GPS GNS430. Transponder GTX330 mode S RNav KNS 80 New. Radio KX197.ADF K86 Audio+Markers KMA20.4 way intercom Brand new Hartzell prop fitted A/P plus extras. £55,000 ono.

JODEL D112

2 seat aircraft, Continental C65 new cylinders fitted, new mags, carb o verhaul, In Good condition, new permit. £8,999. Contact Chris Murgatroyd on 07711132247.

One seater racing aircraft, new engine, ready to race. Trailer included. Maintained in approved wksp 30,000 Euros o.n.o Located: Rouen (LFOP)-France Contact: +33 6 09 31 55 55 Email: claude.james@scj.fr PA 20/22 PIPER PACER 4 SEAT TAIL DRAGGER

Lycoming 0320 150 HP '0' Time engine. Airframe manufactured @1960 and 1800hrs. 'N' Registration. Narco MK12D NAV / COM, ILS/OBS. Narco TXPNDR. 4 place intercom. STOL Kit with droop wing tips and vortex generators and horizontal stab. New annual. Based - Compton Abbas, 1/4 share available, £6,000. Mark Leonard 01929 459208, mandsleonard@aol.com

Cessna P-210 Pressurized Centurion II

205 hrs TTAF. Lycoming O-235 255 hrs STOH. Good panel with Icom A200, AV80R GPS, electric trims, turn co-ordinator etc. Permit August 2010. Good condition, excellent flyer. £16,500 ONO. Tel 01244 671417.

TT 4450 hours. Engine 1665 from new, 630 STOH (new cylinders). 3 blade Hartzell prop. 210 hrs from new. Full airways with FM immune Narco 121 VOR/ILS. Last annual August 2009. £30,000. Contact: 01491 573845 or email denise@rotherfieldgreys1.fsnet.co.uk

Europa Classic 912 P.O.A.

GRUMMAN AA1-A

Photos/video at www.alandstewart.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk

Tel: +00 41 91210 3128/745.66.89 Email: aeromeccanica@bluewin.ch

2+2 delight to fly - economical - king avionics txp mode C-VOR - skymap 111C -new annual till March 2012. Hangared Exeter open to offers. Contact: Stephen - 01395445686. stephenbaker4@btinternet.com

PA 24 Comanche 260 1965

Great condition. Dependable touring aircraft 120kt cruise. 4hr range. One owner. May be sold with year permit. Contact Alan 01245-264186 alan.stewart@blueyonder.co.uk

1982. TT: 2900, Engine TSIO-520AF engine (Eagle Engines Golden Series) TSOH: 1140. Interior 8/10, Exterior 8/10. Avidyne and Garmin Avionics. € 234,500.

ROBIN DR 400

ZENAIR ZODIAC 601 HD

1970, 2-SEAT. A/F 3050, ENG 1340, SKYMAP IIC, VOR/LOC, DME, MODE C, ADF, HANGARED, FIFE, ARC 5/11, IDEAL GROUP A/C, £17500, 01334 850675

SIERRA.CHARLIE@UKGATEWAY.NET

1970 Piper Arrow1 200hp

Piper PA22 Tripacer G ARDS.

1967 CHEROKEE 180

Corrosion proofed from new always maintained / hangared at Exeter, never used for training 3 blade prop, FM immune & mode S A/F 3837, eng 2300, prop 104. New annual. £28,000. Contact: 07770 238570 pedrothepongo@yahoo.com 01626 833977 julietock@btinternet.com

100 hours engine, hardly used since overhaul. This plane is practically as new, the best you will see, Recent rebuild, recover, and repainted. £22,000 ono. Kept in a Private Hangar at Newtownards. Contact: Chris Donaldson on 07768797550.

Total time airframe, 8500’. Engine, 1125. King & Narco Radio Equipment with 1 TKM MX-170 Com/Nav. Sound well maintained, Piper 6/10 inside & out. Price: £25000 Tel: 0044 1392 364216 Email: info@airwaysflighttraining.co.uk

ROBIN DR400 REGENT 180HP

Cirrus SR22 GTS G3 Turbo

Manufactured in 1990, a/c has a total time of 2050 hrs a/f and engine. Engine with 0 hrs. Very good condition, is always hangared and has a full set of covers included. Cruises happily at 120 knots, carries 4 adults and luggage, making it a fantastic touring aircraft it is very easy to fly. WILL TAKE ANY KIND OF VEHICLE IN PART EXCHANGE. £65,000 – Simon York. 01423 340209

Avidyne Entegra PFD/MFD, DME, Cmax, Skywatch, Emax Engine Management, Tactical Weather data link, Mode-S Transponder, ELT, E-TAWS, 2xGarmin 430W's, 55X Autopilot, Ice Protection, Silver paint, AirConditioning, Leather interior, Offers Welcome, VAT paid. 01452 715 389 www.absolute-aviation.co.uk.

PIPER PA32 260 CHEROKEE SIX

1979 Grumman Tiger AA-5B

1972. Reluctant sale of my N registered aircraft (VAT paid). Two owners from new, same owner for the last 20 years. 1590 hours TTAF, 102 hours since factory new Lycoming and prop overhaul. Hangered since new and maintained regardless of cost. Probably the cleanest PA 32 260 in the UK today. Extensive avionic and autopilot upgrades, details on request. No damage history. £ 55,000 Contact John Marshall - Tel-01730 816141

A/F 4012hrs Engine 0 hrs. prop 57hrs. New annual and ARC. KMA 24 Audio panel. KNS 80 Nav. Century Auto Pilot. KR 87 ADF. KY 197 comm. KX 170B Nav Comm. KT 76A Transponder. 2 Alts. Exhaust and cyl Temps. Blue Leather with white and blue paintwork spats incl. £38,000 no VAT Contact 07802 400050 charlie@gwinearfarm.co.uk

www.loop.ae ro APRIL 2011 LOOP 55

BUY AND SELL YOUR AIRCRAFT ONLINE AND IN LOOP MAGAZINE www.loopmart.aero Cessna 120 1946

MX-7-180 MAULE 1991

ZLIN 526

Beagle Pup 150

This is a great example of the Cessna 120. 1946 2000 TT 550 on engine. Flys lovely. for more info please come and see for your self or phone me on 07545922794 or richard.flanagan@ gamstonflighttraining.co.uk

G-BTXT. Dec 91. A.R.Cert June 2011. TTAc and engine 1106 hrs. Lycoming 0-360-C1F. Hartzell c/s prop 436hrs. KX155, KI203 VOR, KR76a txp, KN64 DME, AvMap Geopilot Plus. Vortex Generators. £48,000 no VAT REDUCED TO £43,000 no VAT 01388 745126

Airframe 2250H, Aerobatic to 3500H, engine WM6III - 900H on condition. C of A until 21/05/11. Propeller Avia V503A at zero hours. Many spares available. £44,000 ono. Allan – 07921694967. Email - jasbaldry@hotmail.co.uk

Owner offers this Series 2- B121. PUP 150 (Lycoming 0-320). Fresh annual. Always maintained, delightful handling 150hp pup is a joy to fly. Leather seats, long range tanks, Cleveland disc brakes, Cambrai cover and four place intercom. £29500.00. Contact: 07961 408444– whiskybravo47@hotmail.com

Mooney M20J

MAULE MXT-7-160 STAR ROCKET

1987. Private aircraft, second owner. Airframe and engine: TT 765 hrs, Lycoming IO-360-A3B6D, 200 hp, fuel injected. Interior 7/10, Exterior 9/10. Garmin Avionics. $ 137,000. Tel: +00 41 91210 3128/745.66.89 Email: aeromeccanica@bluewin.ch

Only 160 Hrs TT A & E Aux. Tanks. Obs. Doors. Leather Int. GNS 430 etc. etc. Imaculate - as new and ready for work. Offers invited: 01635 291990 or 07802241646 email: info@villaguide.co.uk

bellanca 7GCAA citabria

BASED AT KILKENNY AERODROME IRELAND, CURRENT UK ANNEX 2 CERTIFCATE OF AIRWORTHINESS, AIRFRAME 1840HRS SINCE NEW, ENGINE O-320 900 HRS SINCE 0 OVERHAUL, EXCELLENT COMPRESSIONS AND OIL PRESSURE, SENSENICH PROP, (CRUISE), MOGAS STC, KING 155 NAV/COM, INTERCOM, NARCO AT150 TRANSPONDER, VERY NICE WELL CARED FOR AIRCRAFT IN GOOD OVERALL CONDITION, IN REGULAR USE, VERY ECONOMICAL TO OPERATE SAME OWNER FOR 9 YEARS PRICE E40,000 CONTACT VINCENT VAUGHAN 00 353 86 8497878. DHC1 CHIPMUNK 1950

Airframe: 11750 hours, Engine: 1036 hrs. C of A until June 2011, new annual, A/Ds up to date, Large box of various manuals. Price: £32K NEW PRICE £27,900 Contact Paul – 01502 678125 Mobile: 07745 775937 Email – paul@blaircroft.demon.co.uk

luscombe silvair 8E Equipment Sigtronics Intercom • Garmin GNC 300XL Moving Map Nav/Com • Garmin GTX 327 Transponder c/w mode C • Narco VOR • Direction Indicator • Turn Co-ordinator • Segmatex Artificial Horizon • Altimeter • Rate of Climb Engine and Airframe Engine Type: Continental C85-12F • Propeller Type: McCauley IB90/CM 70” x 51” • Airframe Time Approx. 3600 hours • Engine Time Approx. 1300 hours • Engine Time since new Millennium Cylinders fitted Approx. 220

£24000.00 ono. Extensive documented history. Cambrai covers. Contact Carlton Green 07860 307165 Can be viewed by arrangement

Supermarine Spitfire Mk26 80% Scale Replica

2 Seats. First flew Feb 2007- 25 hours from new. Fitted with a 5.3 litre Jabiru 8 cylinder 180 hp engine. VNE 193 knots. MT 3 blade constant speed prop. Bendix King KY97A TSO Radio. Garmin GTX320A Transponder. Skymap colour GPS. In permit until April - new permit will be supplied. Many refinements to original spec including ground proximity radar. Max cruise 2,600 rpm at 24” 160 knots. Authentic RAF markings. Renowned aircraft builder Mike Hanley seriously involved in aircraft kit build. See flypast at http://vimeo.com/20056122 £150,000 for this top quality superb aircraft. Contact: Michael (owner) 01943 605500 or Chris (CFI) 07721 682184 or 0161 787 9034.

PA28-161 WARRIOR II

1988, TTA 8672, TTE only 288 Zerotimed rebuild 2006, Prop 288, Full king IFR, Trig Mode-S, Full repaint 2006, Public CoA ARC 24/2/2012, Ext 8/10, Int 7/10, Privately owned, Beautiful, Reliable aircraft. £44,950. mjw3136@mjwade.co.uk. 01280 860355.

1979 PIPER PA28-161 WARRIOR 11

Engine and prop just been overhauled TTAF 9795. Garmin 430, Garmi GTX 330 mode S transponder. ARC to 10/03/2011 Well maintained £49,950 NO VAT Contact: Paul Villa email paul@apollo-aviation.co.uk Tel 01273 440737

1983 SLINGSBY FIREFLY T67M 160hp

TTFN 4,240. Engine/Prop 740. Annual due April. 2xBecker Com. Becker ADF. Transponder. DME. £25,000 inc VAT YOU WONT FIND ONE CHEAPER Contact henrypelham@thruxtonairport.com Or call Western Air (Thruxton) Ltd 01264 773186.

56 LOOP APRIL 2011 www.loop.aero

Sukhoi Su-29 2 Seater

A superb example of the best aerobatic plane in the world. 495 TTSN but only 45 hrs since new engine, prop, new Sukhoi Lifetime, hoses, brakes, new paint, etc. Long-range fuel, smoke, lightweight electrics, tools, manuals etc. New EASA C of A. Only Euro 180,000 including European VAT. Also for sale the last Su-31 Sukhoi made, only 35 hours since new. Ultimate specification Contact: Email: richard.goode@russianaeros.com Tel: +44(0)1544 340120

G-CCZU - 2004

NVFR 4 seat DA40D with 2.0l Thielert Centurion JET A1 powerplant with FADEC. Extended baggage compartment. Total hours Airframe 1008 Engine 44 and Propeller 0. £109,000 + VAT Tel: +44 (0) 1777 839200 – Ext 203

G-CEWN - 2008

To advertise here please call Chris Wilson on 01223 497060

Full IFR 4 seat 2.0l DA42 with G1000 Dual screen Garmin G1000. Long range tanks. De-icing. Oxygen. Platinum design package. Total hours AEP 190. €420,000 + VAT Tel: +44 (0) 1777 839200 – Ext 203

BUY AND SELL YOUR AIRCRAFT ONLINE AND IN LOOP MAGAZINE www.loopmart.aero GLASTAR, TAILWHEEL

350 hrs on ENGINE, AIRFRAME, PROP, INSTRUMENTS all brand new. Engine Telydyne Cont. fuel injected 125 HP. Burns 22 litres per hr at 8,000 Ft at 105Kts cruise. Baggage, 250 lbs. Fuel load 95 litres. Short field performance. gmn2008@hotmail.com

1976 PA 28 151

Total time airframe, 13,200’. Engine, 131. Propeller, 1810. King radio & Narco Nav Equipment. A good economic Piper, 6/10 inside & out. Price: £33500 Tel: 0044 1392 364216 Email: info@airwaysflighttraining.co.uk Aviamilano F14 Nibbio 180hp.

Rare 4-seat Falco. Stelio Frati design. 140kt economy cruise. Owned last 7+yrs. Always hangared. Work of Art, signed by artist. Much TLC applied. Asking - £39,500 NO VAT Email: robin.nash@sky.com Tel: +44 (0)7956 141833 PIPER CHEROKEE PA32-300 (6/7 SEATER)

1980 BEECH BARON BE58 G-OSDI

G-KELV - 2005

G-CEZG - 2008

OE-FYB - 2008

Full IFR 4 seat DA42 1.7l Thielert Centurion Jet A1 powerplant with FADEC. Dual screen Garmin G1000 glass panel cockpit. Total hours AEP 470. Always hangared. Cover and Electric Tug included. £265,000 + VAT Tel: +44 (0) 1777 839200 – Ext 203

Full IFR 4 seat DA42 2.0l Thielert Centurion powerplant with FADEC. Dual screen Garmin G1000. De-icing. Long range tanks. Oxygen. Platinum design package. Total hours AEP 213 €420,000 + VAT Tel: +44 (0) 1777 839200 – Ext 203

Full IFR 4 seat DA42 2.0l Thierlert Centurion powerplant with FADEC. Dual screen Garmin G1000. Long range tanks. Extended baggage compartment. Total hours AEP 443. €350,000 Tel: +44 (0) 1777 839200 – Ext 203

EC-JKE - 2001

IFR 4 seat DA40-180 with Lycoming powerplant. MT 3 blade hydraulic constant speed propeller. Meticulously maintained. No damage history. Total hours Airframe 1730 Engine 1730 Propeller 42. €100,000 + VAT Tel: +44 (0) 1777 839200 – Ext 203 YAK 18T

JABIRU G-HINZ

EASA C of A, Termikas overhaul in 2007, long range fuel tanks in wings, Becker radio & mode S TXP. Excellent condition. YAK UK Ltd, 01767 651156 www.yakuk.com

Built and owned by an engineer. TT 500 hours. Excellent condition. Leather interior. Electric trim and panel-mount throttles. Icom radio, Garmin Mode S. Headsets and fitted Garmin 196. New permit. £20,000. Derek - 07860 208080.

1997 Super Decathlon

ENSTROM F28A G-BONG

Lovingly maintained Jabiru UL 450

310 hrs TT. 85 hrs Prop. Fully Aerobatic with 180hp Fuel-Injected & C/S Prop. Annual just done. 1950lbs GW increase mod. £70K. Call Mark at Blue Yonder Aviation for full info 01787 224290.

TT 2975, good component times, engine 530 hrs, Fresh annual Nov 2010, Met Silver with red leather. Bargain at only $59,000 NO VAT. Tel 01978 780197 or 07780 700418

PA-28 Cherokee 160HP

To advertise here please call Chris Wilson on 01223 497060

6/7 Seater Aircraft. Equipment: KN62A DME, KX165 Nav Comm, KX175B Nav Comm, KT76 Transponder, KR85 ADF, 2 VOR’s, 1 ILS, Skymap IIIC Colour GPS, 2 Altimeters. 6 Place Intercom, 6 Headsets. £58,000. Contact John Cheetham Tel: 07973-601140 Email: john. cheetham@jcinstruments.co.uk

TTSN only 2188, engines 546, Props 60, Shadin Fuel Computer. Colour WX Radar, Collins pro line avionics, Second Altimeter. Century IV Autopilot and Flight Director coupled to Trimble 2000GPS. red/white & grey leather seats. 6 place intercom. Sold with Mar 09 EASA CofA. JAR145 maintained. view UK.£85K NO VAT. jah@heard.demon.co.uk or arthur@eldridgeonline.com

3100TT 220TTE. VOR/ILS/DME/ ADF. Reg G-LIZI. Featured Dec LOOP mag & LOOP TV & on afors.com. £23500. Contact Mark at sharpyjen@live.com

SOCATA TB9

DYN AERO MCR01 SPORTSTER

RV8

Four seat touring aircraft, Great condition, Lycoming 160hp engine, fixed pitch Sensenich propellor, 4660 aircraft hours, 2323 engine hours. Built in 1983. Offers around £26,000. May part-ex LAA or dismantle with enough interest Contact: David Hook - 07711 698636

R912, PV50 prop, TT 270hrs Dynon EFIS, Garmin GPS295, GTX327, Icom IC-A200, Micro Avionics ANR headsets & intercom, Hyd disc brakes, new Cambrai cover, hangered. New permit July. Contact: Paul on 01309 641451 or 07786 055520

350 hrs TTAE. Superior 0360 FI 180 HP engine. Sensenich 82" FP prop. Cleared for Aeros. Garmin 296 GPS. Garmin GTX 328 TXP. Garmin SL40 Radio. EI fuel flow & fuel gauges. Adjustable rudder pedals. Leather seats. Will be sold with 1 years Permit. Always hangared. £72,995 Contact Don Sargant 07747535135 donsarg1@gmail.com

SLINGSBY T61F

1981 MODEL CESSNA 172P

Rallye 235C

G-Reg. TT airframe 9562.01 (as at 16TH Sept 09). Engine 0-320-D2J (160 BHP @ 2700 rpm) total hours on this engine (as at 16th Sept 09) only 79.45. New Airworthiness Review Certificate (ARC) on 10th June 2009. New paint and interior in 2005. VHF NAV/COM 1 – KX155A. VHF NAV/COM 2 – RT 385A. DME KN-64. 300 ADF R-546E. New in 2007 mode ‘S’ Transponder Garmin GTX 330. Four place Sigtronics I/C. Asking Price: £37.500. For more information please contact the CFI & Operations Manager: Tel: 07899917698. E-mail: charles.hales@gmail.com

Taildragger in a superb condition. A unique aircraft. Four seats. Year 1979. TTAF 1500 hrs. Engine Lycoming O.540, 80 hours SMOH, Prop new overhaul. Paint/exterior as new. Delivered with new annual. Price 59.000 EUR. si@sigurnes.is

MAULE M-6-235

Reg: G-MOUL Jun'90 T/T: 770 hrs 0-540-J1A5D Factory O/H Jun'01 Engine TSOH: 238 hrs Always hangared, prop O/H Jun'08, ARC June'09, well equipped £54,000 VAT paid E-mail: MKlinge1@aol.com Tel. 07831 612233

Venture motor glider, Very good condition, 1600cc Rollinson engine, Runs on AVGAS/MOGAS, Complete with new Annual inspection and ARC to 2011. Hours: engine 1009 hrs airframe 5186 hrs. £10,000. John Giddins - 078 99987537.

Build assist by Eric Bentley and beautiful paintwork by Murray Flint. 340 trouble free hours. priced at £23,000. For full details, more photo's and list of many extras, Email geoffrey.d.allen@btinternet.com

www.loop.ae ro APRIL 2011 LOOP 57

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Reduce your flying costs, fly on a permit

PRACTAVIA SPRITE G-BCWH ROLLS ROYCE 0240 LICENSED ENGINE. ALL METAL AIRFRAME COROSION TREATED DURING BUILD. LOW HOURS AIRFRAME AND ENGINE. PANEL MOUNTED ICOM RADIO AND SKYMAP 111c. IMMACULATLEY FINISHED 2 SEATER TOURING AIRCRAFT, ALWAYS HANGARED. FULL FLIGHT TEST REPORTS BY WELL KNOWN BAE TEST PILOT ROLAND BEAUMONT. PERMIT UNTIL JUNE 2010. OWN AND FLY THIS UNIQUE AEROPLANE. £30,000. TEL: 01253 397637 SOCATA TOBAGO TB10

TTE 1853 (927 STOH), Prop 75 SOH. New ARC Oct 2009. Complete new avionics upgrade Nov 2006, Garmin GMA 340, GNS 430, GTX 330, GI 106A . King KR87 ADF, K1265 DME. Narco comm 2. 4 place intercom, music input. Complete interior upgrade 2007, two tone grey leather executive finish. Stunning condition, always hangared. Full maintenance manuals and Cambrai covers. Project near completion forces reluctant sale. Contact: Matt Colebrook on 07748 622842 or Email mattcolebrook@gmail.com

Dornier DO27A

120hp Wilksch (WAM) engine, 120 hrs TTE&AF. May 2007 build. MT three blade C/S prop, glass panel, colour GPS two axis autopilot transponder mode C. 115/120 knots on 15/18 litres per hr. Permit May 2010. £60,000. 07860 558558.

$120 • HISTORICAL AIRCRAFT FOR SALE, PART EXCHANGE CONSIDERED • Dornier D27 A1 1958, are rare chance to purchase this historic aircraft. Lycoming Engine with less than 20 hours, Airframe no more than 720 hours. 10gals per hour cruising. New CAA aproval to fly. POA Dave Collier – 01487 843333, Dave@africanaviator.com

1993 AG - 5B Grumman Tiger

TTAF 3385hrs. TTE 986 hrs. New ARC just completed including propeller and carburettor overhaul. Arc expires 12-07-2011. Aircraft bare metal resprayed, corrosion proofed and interior refurbished 2007 (see www. flymoore.co.uk). Airframe, engine and upholstery immaculate condition. IFR avionics. Based at Blackbushe for viewing. £49,000 Tel: Ian 07941 578182 email: ianjamesward@tiscali.co.uk

CESSNA 177RG

One owner! 1974 RG One owner since new. Twin KX 155 radios with twin VOR/ILS indicators. Four headsets. 1900 hours. Engine 770 hours. Based at Biggin Hill. Contact: Don Ward 01689853700 kestores@ntlworld.com

Robin aircraft

DistrIbutor since 1995. Now being manufactured by Finch Aircraft in the same factory as before at Dijon, the full range of new Robins is now available:

NEW AIRCRAFT RANGE

DAUPHIN 400/120 classic Robin 2+ 2 trainer with proven , reliable O-235 120 hp Lycoming engine with 2400 hr TBO ECOFLYER 400/135 2+2 trainer with highly economical Thielert diesel engine, 18L / hour Jet A1 REGENT 400/180 classic 4 seat tourer with Lycoming engine , 120 kt cruise ECOFLYER 400/155 full 4 seat tourer, with the new Thielert 2.0S 155hp engine , 22L / hr jet A1 at 120 kts. Economy, performance, and style. PRESIDENT 500/200 wide-cabin,luxurious 4/5 seat tourer with injection Lycoming engine and c/s prop

NEW!

A glass cockpit based on the Garmin 500 will be available from April as an option on all new Robins, or as a retro-fit. We also specialise in selling used Robins , see our website for current list

BEECH BARON 95-B55

Year 1982, Total Time Since New: Airframe - 2530hrs, RH Engine 535hrs, LH Engine - 625hrs, Right Prop - 72hrs, Left Prop 72hrs. Last Annual - April 2010, New Exterior Paint, very good condition, always hangared. Avionics: King KY196 COM, King KY-196 COM, King KN 53 NAV, King KNS 80 NAV/RNAV, King KR87 ADF, King KT-76A Transponder. Priced to sell, For further details or to view please call us on +44 (0)1952 770189 PA28-161

VANS RV 9A DIESEL

Mistral aviation ltd Contact: John Kistner Tel: +44(0)1730 812008 Fax: +44(0)1730 816237 or Steve Bailey for the ECOFLYER - Tel: +44 (0) 7973 691727 Email: sales@mistralaviation.co.uk www.mistralaviation.co.uk

To advertise here please call Chris Wilson on

G-ELZY…1986…TTE 2130…TTAF 6880…engine build in 2004…KX155/GTX328/x1 King non G/S indicator…£20,000 + VAT with new Annual. Contact: Robert Wildeboer 01243 755064. rob.wildeboer@goodwood.com.

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01223 497060

BUY AND SELL YOUR AIRCRAFT ONLINE AND IN LOOP MAGAZINE www.loopmart.aero Piper PA-46-350P Mirage

ROBIN ATL

RALLYE 150SV

SA341G CIVILIAN GAZELLE HELICOPTER FOR SALE

N4173N, 2000, For Sale in Switzerland, Airframe TT: 1040, Lycoming TIO-540-AE2A, 1030 hours, Garmin Avionics, Hartzell HC-I3YR-1E three blades, constant speed. $ 540,000. Stefano Scossa – 0041 912103128 aeromeccanica@bluewin.ch

Serial Number 64 - Manufactured June 1986, Total time - 2708 hours, Engine time - 186 hours, CoA until 27/12/2010, Becker Radio with intercom / 2 headsets / Garmin GPS, 1QUE / Fuel consumption - 15 litres per hour. Barry Walker - 07836 779168, 01453 548387.

Fully refurbished sporting Breitling sponsored livery. Please see the website www.GKHRE.co.uk for full details, price and contact.

Excellent Engine & Component Times For Further Info, Contact +44(0)1328 830060 or jeremy.a.taylor@btinternet.com Bolkow 207 D-EFTI

On Behalf of a Major Finance Company

FOR SALE

Cirrus SR20 - G1. Y.O.M – 2003. Registration Number: G-CMLS. Engine: Teledyne Continental IO-360-ES. CAPS ballistic recovery system. Avidyne Flight Max EX 5000-C MFD slaved to GPS. Sandel SN338 EHSI Compass System. Garmin 340 Audio Selector Panel. 2 x Garmin GNS430 NAV/COM/GPS. S-Tec System Fifty-Five X Auto Pilot with ST360 Altitude Selector & Alert. Garmin GTX327 Mode ‘C’ Transponder. EMAX Engine & Fuel Monitoring on MFD Airframe & Engine Hours: 592 TT Location: South West England. Offers Invited Tel: +44 (0)1442 832234 or email: gordon.wyles@wyleshardy.com

PA28-181

G-OODW…1984…TTE 542…TTAF 9790…engine build in 2009…Garmin 430/S-Tec, ADF650D/GTX328/KX155/KMA124/KN84D/x2 G/S ind, Annual due Jan 11, £28,000 + VAT. Contact: Robert Wildeboer 01243 755064. rob.wildeboer@goodwood.com.

WYLES HARDY & CO Ley Hill Road, Bovingdon, Hemel Hempstead, Herts HP3 0NW UK T: +44 (0)1442 832234 www.wyleshardy.com

1961 classic taildragger. Easy and delightful to fly. True 4 seater with excellent touring and short field capability. 120 kts cruise and over 5 hours endurance, Leather interior, Garmin Mode-S, Maintained in the UK, Engine & A/F 2580 TT, EASA ARC till July 2011, £22,000 ono. Martin - 01327 262219 or 07785 342842

PA28RT-201

1967 BEECHCRAFT MUSKETEER A23-24

1976-Cessna F-172

G-LAOL… 1979… TTE1260… TTAF4440… TT prop 480 since 2006 o/haul…GNS430…GMA340… KMD250…GTX328…KX165…ADF650… KN64 x2 G/S indicators…STEC single axis A/P…£38,000 + VAT. Contact: Robert Wildeboer 01243 755064. rob.wildeboer@goodwood.com.

2884 A/F HRS, 60 HRS engine and prop, Colton paint in 2005, annual and ARC due August 2011, Skyforce moving map, Narco digital avionics. Phone James or Paul on 01328878809. For more details.

This aircraft is in exceptional condition and has benefited from a recent internal refurbishment and external repaint. Complete history back to build. Aircraft total time 4726 hours. Engine Lycoming 0-320H2AD 881 hours since overhaul. U.K registered. £45,000 Contact Simon Chance-01392362415 or simon.chance@iscavia.com

Reims built cessna F172N

PIPER PA18-C SUPER CUB 1952

Airframe only 2019 hours. Engine 1040 since 1993. Well equipped, Garmin audio panel and mode S transponder. Flies really well and in very good condition inside and out. Fresh a nnual/ARC issued at purchase. View aircraft North Essex. Email: ian@aeroservices.co.uk Tel: 01375 891165

Airframe 4160 hours Engine (C90-8F) 338 hours, 60 hours since top overhaul. Metal Prop. New Becker radio in 2010, twin wing tanks, new struts in 2006. Permit until end of June 2011. Seen at North Weald. £24,000 Call 01279 659989 http://www.lgc-pictures.co.uk/supercub.htm 1980 PIPER SARATOGA PA32

PIPER ARROW 200 11

Safe, reliable and economical, We have upgraded the interior, Exterior paint still glossy and in good order. JV was built in 1969 S/N 28-25572, A/F = 10414.43 Hrs, Engine 1119.88Hrs. Avionics - Com1 / GPS – Garmin GNC250, Com2/ Nav - Narco MK12D, ADF – King KR87, DME – King KN64, Transponder - Narco Mode ‘C’, The sale will include the ARC renewal and a fresh annual. Contact:- Roger Hawkes 07976-519263 Or Duncan Bennett 07866 – 458234.

Rallye 100ST 1974

TT2864. ENG410. New ARC. Narco 810. TX, AT150. GPS55. Skyforce GPS. Prop Overhauled 2010. Price £9500. Contact 01371 856796 or mkaerosupport@btconnect.com

Ralle 150GT FOR SALE G-BGSA

Tiger Moth

LAA Permit. Maintained to a high standard. Massive amount of restoration work undertaken. Becker radio/transponder. Electric starter. Wind driven generator. Further details. Marcus@innfrastructure. com. Tel 07900 244442.

Light aircraft kit for sale

Bushcaddy L164 float or wheels. Kit comes with wheels,Extras-custom 30 gal tanks,sunroof,new senseneich prop,strobe lights. Kit needs Lycoming engine or superiour equivelent.,plus avionics.Everything included to build complete aircraft.Serious enquiries only please-£15,000 Contact 0044/7501140544 or 0044/7949175673

1974. TT 2715 A/F Engine 718. Prop 160. A very sound airplane. Always hangered. New C of A Jan 2010. All a/d’s complied with. King IFR. £43k. ONO No VAT. Contact Mr. P. Brunton 01970 612 567 (office), 01654 702248 (home). Cherokee

To advertise here please call Chris Wilson on 01223 497060

301T Turbo, Hangared, Fixed gear csp 154kt, Full king avionics and skymap 111c, IFR and airways equipped, auto pilot, 6 place oxygen and intercom, new Lycoming engine – 155hrs. New 3 blade hartzell variable pitch prop – 75hrs. £80, 000 No VAT. 01226 790735

Socata Rallye MS892E-150 (1977). Airframe - total time 1329. Engine - 33 (since full overhaul). Prop - 33 (since new). New batter & exhaust. Always hangared (Bodmin). No damage history. ARC issued 23/02/2011. Bare metal respray 2007 Offers in the region of £30,000 (no VAT) Contact Rod Bellamy 07970270686 mailto:h1rnr@aol.com

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Beech 55 Baron 95B55

150BHP upgrade! Only 2850hrs airframe and 380hrs factory zerotimed Lyc O-320E2G, 80hrs since factory o/h on Hoffman prop. 1500ft/min ROC, and 135 cruise @ 28L/Hour. Mark 01296 612316 or 07932 620039.

ROBIN DR 400/180 REGENT.

€ 142,500. Stefano Scossa – 0041 912103128 aeromeccanica@bluewin.ch

D-IGCA, 1964, Airframe TT: 2500 hrs, Interior 9/10, Exterior - 9/10, Very well maintained aircraft, Valid ARC, 100 hrs on overhauled engines TCM IO-470's and engine accessories.

Slingsby Firefly T67M-Mk2.

Price: £48,000, Robert –07737745604, 01666825962. r-mcphee@me.com ROCKWELL COMMANDER 114

Offers around £85,000. FREE HANGERAGE. FREE STRIP AVAILABLE. She is in exceptional condition and hangared 10 miles west of Salisbury on a private 1000 metre strip. Full ownership or 1/2 share, Engineer on site.10 hrs since complete engine overhaul. KFC200 flight director coupled to 3axis autopilot, NEW :-GSN430, SL30 navcom, GTX330 Smode transponder, GMA340 audio panel, EDM700, Leather seats. Oxygen, TT1560 hrs grahamdimmer@hotmail.com or 07836205010

LANCAIR 320

PIPER PA32-300 CHEROKEE SIX

TTAF 10900 Approx, Lycoming 0320-E2G, Mccauley 1C172/BTM7359, superb condition with no history of accident damage. £38,000 Contact: Grant Miles 07957 358908

1978, G KNOW, TT Airframe 2811 Hours, TT Engine 10 Hours Since Rebuild, TT Prop 10 Hours From New, Brand New Hartzell Three bladed prop. King Avionics, full IFR fit. including Piper Autocontrol IIIC 3 Axis Autopilot, Cambrai Cover, External Power Lead, Tip Tanks (Fuel-84 US Gallons), Life Jackets, Electric Trim, Sun Screens. Club Seating, Cream Leather Seats with Blue Piping (New 2005). £73,000.00 Offers Invited, Vat Paid. Hangered at Stapleford Essex. George 00447904338864

Piper PA-32 6XT

2008 ACA CITABRIA AURORA

T7-NWS, 2004, Airframe 1020 hrs, TT: 1020 hours since new, Propeller Hartzell 3 bladed, TT: 1020 hrs, TSOH: 0 hrs, Beautiful Interior 10/10, $288,500 VAT free. Stefano Scossa - +41-91-2103128. aeromeccanica@bluewin.ch

rockwell commander 112 (g-bdkw)

1969 PA23-250D AZTEC

Furtherstripad details and free flight on request. Loop adtrail216x20 1009:Layout 1 Tel :01473 620677, email john@jtjaklaschka.co.uk

Piper PA-46-350T Matrix

160 hours TT. 118hp Lycoming. Very Economical. Aerobatic +5/-2G. Full Gyro Panel. KMD150/SL30 NAVCOM/GTX328 MODE S TXPNDR. JPI Fuel Computer. Aileron Spades. CFP-2 Corrosion Protection Package. High Spec. Perfect Condition. £86,995 (No Vat). For more details and a full specification contact European Dealer, Blue Yonder Aviation Ltd. Tel: +44 (0) 1787 224290 or mark@blueyonderaviation.co.uk

Piper PA-28R-201T Turbo Arrow III

2009 build SportCruiser plane for sale

7343 Airframe HRS 934 ENG HRS, De-ice, Good paint and interior, annual and ARC due FEB 2011. Garmin 430 & Mode “S” Xponder. Owner pilot for last 20 years. James or Paul on 01328878809, for more details.

HB-PMS, 1978, TT: 3500 hrs, TCM TSIO-360-FB TT: 600, Prop Hartz BHC-C2AF-1BF TT 3400, In good condition. No damage history. €43,800. Stefano Scossa – 0041 912103128 aeromeccanica@bluewin.ch

Beech 60 Duke B

SLINGSBY FIREFLY T67M MKII (160HP)

D-INAZ, 1982, TT: 3600, Engines TSOH: 500/500, Props TSOH: 10/10, Interior Tan leather - 8/10, 6 seats, Garmin Avionics, $307,000. Stefano Scossa - +41-91-2103128. 20/10/09 10:05 Page 1 aeromeccanica@bluewin.ch

Authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority

To advertise here please call Chris Wilson on 01223 497060

N-reg, 2008, Nice, privately owned aircraft. Airframe, Engine, Propeller Total Time: 240 hrs. Interior Tan leather, 9/10. Exterior, 9/10. No damage history. $636,000 Stefano Scossa - +41-91-2103128. aeromeccanica@bluewin.ch

100 HP Rotax, analogue panel with Garmin 328 Mode S transponder, Large 695 GPS, BRS, Test Hours only, beautiful plane in white, blue and silver bargain at £78,600 inc VAT, ready for permit & to fly home. Call Ben on 0207 536 6356 for details, or see www.czechsportaircraft.co.uk 1970 CESSNA 172H REIMS

Year 1993, Total Time Since New: Airframe 4418hrs, Engine - 587hrs, Prop - 408hrs, Fresh Annual and all service bulletins/mods up to date Very good condition, Priced to sell. For further details or to view please call us on +44 (0)1952 770189.

For competitive aviation insurance... 60 LOOP APRIL 2011 www.loop.aero

Contact John Kistner – Mistral Aviation. 01730 812008. Sales@mistralaviation.co.uk

Grunman american aa-5a cheetah

Award winning immaculate beauty for sale following loss of medical. Injected Lycoming 160hp with 0 hours STOH. 250 hours TTAE. Overhauled completely in last year. Cruises at 200mph for 1,000 miles at 8 gph! Fully equipped panel. Comes with interchangeable wing tip extensions, cover, Permit to Fly, quantity of spares & more. Always hangared at Cranfield. Transition training available. Contact: Mafopp5@aol.com, or +44(0)1525 270067, +44(0)7836351553. £70,000 + VAT

• Commander 112, low wing, retractable, four seat tourer, excellent condition, built 1973, hours 2180, public transport category, It has an annual to December 2011. • Engine 200HP, fuel injected, 390 hours, propellor Hartzell variable pitch 390 hrs, 115-120 knots. • Range 700 nautical miles with two, 300 nautical miles with four. • Interior beige leather, much more capacious than Piper or Cessna, door both sides. • Owned owned Dec 2000 in full working order, easy to fly, dependable in VFR and IFR. Maintained locally since Aug 1993. • Full airways avionics, Bendix King KX 20 TSO COM/NAV, Bendix King KR 85 TSO ADF, Bendix King Skymap IIIc GPS, Garmin GTX 330 Mode S Transponder, Narco NS 800 RNAV, Sennheiser noise cancelling headsets. • Kept at Elmsett Airfield (EGST) 15 miles west of Ipswich in Suffolk.

Airframe - 5960 hours (in 22 years), engine - 390 hours since major overhaul (with a TBO of 1600hrs) OH, propeller - 360 hours since major overhaul (with a TBO of 750hrs) OH Date Feb09. Fully aerobatic. Bendix King avionics.

1988, Lycoming 0360-A3A, Sensenich 76EM 855-0-58, TTAE 2100 approx, Exterior: 8/10, Interior: 7/10, EASA C of A July 2009, New ARC Aug 2010, King Avionics, this aircraft looks nearly new inside and out and the asking price reflects the engine hours and would otherwise be considerably higher, engine has been extended to 2400 hrs, been repainted in 2006 when the wings and tail were re-covered and the wing spar mod also done. £54,000 No VAT.

TTAF 9285, recent prop overhaul, TTE 1090, Continental 0300D, Annual December 2010, Well equiped, reliable, good starter, Based Full Sutton York, £22,000 no VAT. Contact: Paul 07940576583

Hayward Aviation Ltd info@haywards.net Tel: 020 7902 7800

BUY AND SELL YOUR AIRCRAFT ONLINE AND IN LOOP MAGAZINE www.loopmart.aero KITS OR READY BUILT

A SCOTTISH AVIATION BULLDOG (G-CBCV)

Runs on unleaded Mogas. Fuel injection engine. Fully approved in the UK. Basic insurance around 1k. Type ratings. Servicing and spares always available. Rotorway 162F. Brand new. Radio Fitted. Others available

Price £39,000 + VAT. SOUTHERN HELICOPTERS LTD. TEL 01279 870211 E-mail jon@rotorway.co.uk Website www.rotorway.co.uk 1982 PIPER ARCHER PA28-181

TTFN 7,315. Engine 2,100. New Annual. KY187.Com KX155 Nav/Com KNS 80 Area Nav/DME. KR 85 ADF. Garmin 155 GPS. Transponder Autopilot. Priced to sell - £27,000 inc VAT Contact henrypelham@thruxtonairport.com Or call Western Air (Thruxton) Ltd 01264 773186.

Never in the field of aviation has so much been offered to so many for so little. Engine SMOH 589 hrs, Airframe 8379 hrs, Prop 224 hrs, Fatigue index 86, hangared at North Coates. Included is 1 RFD 4/6 person life raft + 1 McMurdo GPS PLB + 1 Garmin 196 GPS Lincolnshire. Contact - Charles 07760 729165

SORRELL HIPERBIPE SNS7

Aerobatic/touring Biplane on LAA permit to April 2011. Fuel injected Lycoming IO360,Hartzell C/P prop. Christen inverted oil & full inverted fuel system. £21750. 01394 448231 or 07929666069

GROUPS & SHARES

SOCATA TB9

Four seat touring aircraft, Always hangared from new, Excellent engine condition, Current annual – Ark june. Lycoming 160hp engine, Fixed pitch sensenich propeller, 4660 aircraft hrs, 2323 engine hrs, Blue Velour interior, Full Panel, Narco Nav/com, Narco 8015 transponder encoder, Narco 890 DME, Spar 400 4 place intercom, Built in 1983, Offers around £26,000, More photos available on request. Contact David Hook on 07711 698 636 Email david@citsystems.net Piper Lance PA32RT

142kt Always hangared. New cream leather interior. Full IFR with GNS430. 6 place intercom. New 3 blade prop. Based in Sywell, Northants. £15,000 per 1/6 share. Finance available. Free conversion. Phone 07703583564 for a trial flight. More photo’s available on request mikeboutel@hotmail.co.uk CESSNA 182P BANNER TOWING AIRCRAFT 1973 5 SEATS EGNF

G-BMUD IS MODIFIED & CAA APPROVED FOR BANNER TOWING/PARACHUTE DISPLAYS. TTAF 5215. ENGINE 683. PROP 270. ARC MAY RENEWED. STBD FUEL TANK 2005. FUEL TANK LININGS X 2 2005. CORROSION/REPAINTED 2005. COCKPIT CANOPY 2008. ELEVATORS 2008. FRONT SEAT BELTS 2009. AVIONICS 2/NAVCOMS. TRANSPONDER MODES A/C. ADF. EXTENSIVE BANNER EQUIPMENT. EXPERIENCED PILOTS IF REQUIRED PRICE £52,000 – 00 Contact MESCAL TAYLOR 07889 883906 E MAIL skyads1@tiscali.co.uk

GROUPS & SHARES

De havilland dh60 moth major

G-ACNS S/N 5068 1934, impressive history, rare. £70,000. Phone Croydon Parry 0207 6229115 Bournemouth Cirrus Group

Low Hours High Spec SR22. Active Non Equity Group. Contact- www.cirrushire.co.uk or 07721 399945/ 07980 981276

GROUP FLYING

Join a well run friendly group who enjoy flying the DA40 TDi. Stapleford based this aircraft ideally placed for European or UK trips. Full IFR equipment, auto pilot, a cruise of 130 knots. G-ZANY has excellent availability, a non-equity scheme, no capital outlay which is ideal for those flying 2+ hours a month, whether long distance touring, local flying or IMC training and discounted rates for required conversion training. Call Paul Ponting on 07803 174804. Email info@altairaviation.co.uk or see http://www.altairaviation.co.uk

YAK – 52 G-YAKT

¼ share in this superb warbird like aircraft based and hangered at White Waltham. £12,000 ono. Please contact David Blundell on 07767305532. SUPER L4 CUB

1/8 SHARE GLOSAIR AIRTOURER SUPER 150

PA-30 £17,000

Based in Dundee. 1940, TTAF/E1200hrs, Super Cub Fuel system 4.5 hrs endurance, solo from the front , Cleveland brakes/800 tyres, Comm KY96A, intercom P & S 1000., £43/hr wet with free landings, £80/month, Sixth shares at £3,700. Contact: sa300.duster@virgin.net or telephone 07836 589898

Based at Rochester, semi aerobatic two seat tourer with C/S prop, recent full respray & new leather. Bored with Cessnas and Pipers? Fly an aeroplane with character that always turns heads whenever you land. A very friendly group, on-line booking and good availability make this a viable alternative to renting. Engine fund. £75 PCM and £85 PH wet. 1/8 Share £3000. Contact Dave on 07711 189933

25% shares G-BAKJ. BRNAV/ GPS approach approved. Dream Panel. Leather interior refurbished. Engines under half life, hangared near London/. 160kts cruise. For full specifications and photos contact grahamcolover@aol.com or call 07768063289

FIFTH SHARE PA28 PIPER WARRIOR 11

1944 L-4J PIPER CUB

Based Old Buckenham, Norfolk. Zero timed eng/prop, EASA C of A, Hangared, E-Allocator booking, Full Panel plus auto pilot. Low Hrs and experienced pilots w elcome, excellent availability. £150/mth + £70 wet. £8000. Call Ray on 07810502850 for viewing and trial flight.

Low-hour continental 65A engine, Sensenich propeller Brand new aluminium wings. USAF D-Day markings Permit renewed May ’09 White Waltham based. Two reluctant sellers due to relocation! £6500 per share 01886 880568

1/3rd share of Piper Turbo Arrow G-BWMI

New engine. New prop. New paint job. New interior. New cover. Existing partners fly low hours. Based at Fairoaks Phone Steve: 07974 951430

Chipmunk 1/6 share £5,000

TB10 Tobago for Sale or Shares

£120/month; £80/hour wet (fuel and oil), Hangared at Oaksey Park, Full conversion training available, On-line booking system and good availability, Contact Ken on 07785 537603 or

180hp c/s Prop 402.5hrs TTA 3543 TTE 1380 Cambrai cover , New windscreen. Full IFR,KMA24 panel w/4 place intercom, KX 155(2) KN64 DME, KH87 ADF, Garmin GTX327 with Mode C Skymap II GPS £38,000 outright or shares at £7.000 currently based Fife(044) 01506 852296

email fraser@dalgowan.freeserve.co.uk

Bölkow 209 Monsun

Thruxton based two seat, semi aerobatic tourer. Excellent availability. Friendly well organised group. 1/5 shares (£4000) available. £70 pcm, £65 per hour wet. See http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ D-EGHW/, Jonathan - 01264 333606, jsb@jsblake.co.uk

To advertise here please call Chris Wilson on 01223 497060

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IMC equipped, recent ARC at Headcorn (Shenley Engineering), lovely to fly, currently hangared at Biggin, friendly group online booking. £4,750, engine fund visit www.triquetra.co.uk/bams or call John 07786 566477.

PA28 140 Cherokee

1/12th share in a fine PA28 140 Cherokee. Well equipped (IMC), good availability with web based booking. £2,000 per share £75 per month £70 per hour wet. Based Gloucester/ Kemble. 07595 373539 stephen.white2@btopenworld.com (Treasurer Gatti Flying Group)

MX-7-180 MAULE 1991

Based at Co. Durham, G-BTXT. Dec 91. A.R.Cert June 2011. TTAc and engine 1106 hrs. Lycoming 0-360C1F. Hartzell c/s prop 436hrs. KX155, KI203 VOR, KR76a txp, KN64 DME, AvMap Geopilot Plus. Vortex Generators. 1/4 share at £9,750 07801 184372

SHARE FOR SALE BASED WELLESBOURNE

1/6th share available in well run group based in own hanger at Wellesbourne. 95 hrs TTAE with new full permit. Wilksch WAM 120 diesel engine, MT 3 blade C/S prop. Very economical 16ltrs hr JetA1 at 140 knts cruise. Well equipped for touring, Garmin GNS 430, Garmin VOR/ILS, Garnin mode c transponder, digital EMS. All fixed costs £60/month including home landings, and £35 pr hr wet. Contact: Mark Weaver 07801 126877 or Steve Arnold 07779 311769

To advertise here please call Chris Wilson on 01223 497060

NORTH WEALD BASED BEAGLE PUP 150

For sale - 1/6th share in this superb motor glider.

ROBIN HR100/210 SAFARI

1/6th share available. £5300 ono. CofA completed Jan 2009. Well run group. See www.swiftflying.co.uk Contact Roger Hayes on 01285 851311 or 07860 257333

The glider is hangared at the York gliding club to the east of York. The engine was replaced relatively recently. She is in excellent condition, very well maintained and flies beautifully.Engine: 498 hours since zero hours replacement. Propeller: 238 hours since zero hours refurbishment. Airframe: 2830 hours since manufacture. Flying costs: £40.00 p.c.m. and £40.00 per Tacho Hour. Engine Off = Free, Availability is excellent! 1/6th Share - £6000. Contact David on 07917613220 or david@skipwithstation.com

£3,900, £80/month, £69/hour wet. Sixth of Robin Hr 100/210 Safari. London Fairoakes. 210hp Rolls Royce prepared Continental IO-360, All metal construction, four seater, large hold, IFR avionics – stable flight characteristics, Constant Speed Unit, 120 kt cruise, 10 Hr fuel, 1300 nm range, 480kg useful load, Inexpensive and practical tourer, small, well organised and friendly group, Google hr100 for details.

SYWELL BASED BEAGLE PUP 150

C150 CHEROKEE WARRIOR ARCHER CHEROKEE 6

1/6 th share available £5,100, Good availability, Friendly group, Hangared, Delight to fly this Historic Aircraft. Contact: Phil 01327830549 07794624509. e-mail: intermanxnorton@me.com

Wellesbourne Warwickshire, no capital Flying Club. No minimum daily or weekend hire, £40 per month, rates per hour, wet, fully inclusive, weekday/weekend, Cessna 150 Aerobat £79/£89, Cherokee 140 £89/£99, Warrior £99/£109, Archer £109/119, Cherokee 6 £189/£199. FREE BROCHURE 01789 470424 www.takeflightaviation.com

PIPER ARROW 2 1/5 SHARES

PA28 – 161 WARRIOR II

ROBIN DR400-160

2 1/5th shares for sale in friendly 1973 Piper Arrow 2 group based Denham. Fully IFR. £8000. Wet £80 per hr. More details at: http://n747mm.helihost.org/ad/ Contact 07956 282 940 or andrewflyboy1@aol.com

A fifth share available at £10,000 in this superb 1984 PA28 -161 Warrior II based and hangared at Humberside Airport. Only three other shareholders and operational costs are £84 per hour wet with no monthly standing order. Excellent condition rated at 9/10 inside and out. Contact Chris Dale on 07711 438999 or e-mail chris.dale@gbpom.co.uk

Piper Arrow 200HP 1/6 SHARE – SUFFOLK 3 Blade C/S Prop. Twin NS800 FM immune RNAV, Michel MX 170C Nav/ comm, Garmin 340 Comms Box,TXPDR GTX 327. Autopilot; 2 x Altimeter; 2x CDI/GS; Slaved DI, ADF, 4 place intercom; Two-tone leather interior. 4-man liferaft; two lifejackets, McMurdo Fastfind GPS ELB. Internet booking system. 815m grass airstrip. No hangarage or landing charges. One-sixth Share available £6,000.00. Hourly rate £90.00 wet : Monthly charge £97.00 (Mar 09). For details: Peter Tel +441284706222. email petespencer@kesdale.com

cloudmuncher@gmail.com MOONEY M20J

ROBIN REGENT

ROBIN 340 SHARE IN EAST SUSSEX

Be free from flying club restrictions: shares available in Mooney M20J hangared at Booker. Touring and day trips in style at 150kts, fully equipped. See www.zitair.aviators.net

1/6th shares available in friendly group operating a Robin Regent out of Spilsted Farm Strip, E Sussex. GMIFF built 1991; 1568 TTAF; 828 TTE; always hangared; no outstanding ADs; full IMC kit; Skymap. £90/mth fixed; £80/hr. Call: John on 01424 845400 or Roger on 01424 838403

A one sixth share, well equipped with very low engine hours & good availability. Private strip & hangar in East Sussex £95pm £60ph wet. £4200, Non-equity share considered. Contact Bryan 01444 892841 BJ@F2S.COM or Geoff 01323 833641

Half share in Sportcruiser

GRUMMAN TIGER

PIPER 28R -180

Two 1/6th Shares. Hangared at Headcorn, IMC equipped, maintenance by Shenley Engineering, June completed annual, lovely to fly, great tourer, friendly group, online booking, £4,750, engine fund Contact: www.triquetra.co.uk/ bams or call John 07786 566477.

Based Swanborough Farm, Lewes, East Sussex. VP Woodcomp Prop, 912ULS, Dynon, Leather interior, 154 hours, £32,000 Phone David Scott 01825 733000

Swindon based Grumman Tiger share for sale. 1/5 share in AA5B based at Draycott Farm. £7000.00. £65/hr wet. £100/month. ADF, RNAV, Mode S. May consider nonequity membership. Contact Tony Tel: 01635 200431. tony@redshiftdesign.co.uk

Kirknewton/Edinburgh Based. Always Hangered. 3 Blade Prop 180bhp. Engine 653 hours. Fully equipped. 1/4 Share Available. New C of A £7500 Tel 07836 379711 Email: biodun@sfg.co.uk

SPORTSCRUISER

1/6 SHARE AUSTER D4/108

EV97 EUROSTAR

2 shares available in a group of 5. Superbly equipped new aircraft arriving April 2010. £16k per share, £6k of which deferred for 2 yrs. £70 p/mth £45 per hr wet. Call Mike on 01234 355149 / 07725 560809

£3,700, £55 /month, £35 /hour wet, Tenth Share of G-CFEE EV97 Eurostar, Microlight hangared at Redhill. Micro/ NPPL/PPL licenses, All metal, 2 seater with luggage shelf, 3 blade carbon prop, 100 mph cruise, 3.5 Hr fuel capacity

Lycoming O-235, Classic taildragger, under-utilised, hangared Bourne Park, Andover, long-established group, includes instructor, groupmaintained, on LAA Permit to Fly, £2,900, £55 per month, £45 per hour wet. Phone Robin on 0118 978 1821

188kg useful load, Inexpensive and practical sport plane in immaculate condition, low hrs engine and maintenance fund accumulated, Nimble and responsive handling, class leading performance, unobscured vision.

SOCATA TB10 SHARE LIVERPOOL

Shares in DR400 180

SUPER L4 CUB

MOONEY M20J

Hangared at Liverpool. Perfect 4(5) place touring 180hp gives 120kts at 35Lph. 2 Bendix King NAV/ COMM with Glideslope, DME, ADF and 2-axis autopilot. 1/12 share £3,500. £120pcm £75p/h. Airframe 2846 hours. Engine 1744 hours inc healthy engine cash fund standing at £15,000. Friendly, well run and established group with excellent availability. Call Alan 07976 667807. www.deltaecho.co.uk

DR400 group based at Kemble / Cotswold Airport. The aircraft was factory refurbished in 1996 and the engine was replaced in 2007 and has since flown 400 hours. Availability is good and there is a web based booking system. The hourly rate is £80 wet. Cruises at 120kts, colour moving map. David - 07711 819248

Be free from flying club restrictions: shares available in Mooney M20J hangared at Booker. Touring and day trips in style at 150kts, fully equipped. See www.zitair.aviators.net

62 LOOP APRIL 2011 www.loop.aero

cloudmuncher@gmail.com

Insurance

Aircraft Grouping

Aircraft Dealerships and Parts

Clubs and Schools

Hampshire Aeroplane Club Operating from

GOODWOOD Cessna 172/Cirrus SR20 PPL Training / Hire

arage Hang ailable av now ll for ca s price

www.hampshireaeroplane club.co.uk

To advertise here please call Chris Wilson on 01223 497060 www.loop.ae ro APRIL 2011 LOOP 63

Clubs and schools 5 DAY PPL GROUND SCHOOL/EXAMS No time? Too long since school? Call Derek NOW. You will be astonished at how much you can learn and how much fun it will be doing one subject at a time, then the exam, then the next, and so on. 5 full days you’ll go home knowing the subject and all exams passed, to take back to your club. Individual single days are also available. COME - STAY - FINISH Ask for a leaflet. Stop worrying phone now

TEL : 07831 517428

07766 312221

7.15am - 8.30am

DEREK DAVIDSON flyderek@hotmail.co.uk Instructor/Examiner

DON’T CHASE SHADOWS

Pilot shops West London Aero Club

■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Airﬁeld & strips

■ ■ ■ ■

TWIN TRAINING AVAILABLE Trial Lessons/Vouchers available PPL – IMC – TAILWHEEL – AEROS – NIGHT Ground School available daily, including evenings FIC Training Aircraft parking and hangarage EASA 145 Engineering on site UK leader in Light Aircraft Silencers Historic Club House NPPL available

01628 823272 www.wlac.co.uk

White Waltham Airfield, Maidenhead, M4 Junction 8/9, M40 Junction 4

Aircraft Kits

engineering N & B Engineering Ltd

3D Milling, CNC Turning & Milling Established supplier to: Aircraft restorers, Marine Industry, F1 Racing teams and The MOD. Parts produced from samples or drawings and are of the highest quality and precision. Full 3D CAD/CAM Software. CMM Inspection available.

Pilot services Tel: 01327 831239 Fax: 01327 831240 Email: nandbengineering@btconnect.com

Avionics MODE S IS HERE

hanger Doors

TRIG and FUNKWERK units in stock for immediate dispatch.

www.airworlduk.com

Avionics

Microlight services Fly in to Galaxy Microlights... UK ULPower Dealership

Galaxy Microlights is a Wiltshire based small microlight aircraft repair and service centre providing the following services: ● Permit inspections ● Check flights ● Repairs ● Maintenance ● Fabric Covering & Paint Spraying ● Micro Avionics

07841 614577

Galaxy Microlights www.galaxymicrolights.co.uk

Mark Jones

Call us now for a competitive quote

mark@galaxymicrolights.co.uk

Interiors

Batteries

Premium Aircraft Batteries and Chargers Call AQS 02086 062950 64 LOOP APRIL 2011 www.loop.aero

To advertise here please call Chris Wilson on 01223 497060

Aircraft Dealerships/Grass Reinforcements

Maintenance & Propeller Overhaul

Aircraft Covers

WE’VE CREATED SOMEWHERE SPECIAL FOR YOU TO LAND...

www.looptv.aero LOOPTV is the best place to land for your aviation ﬁlms, video, product tests, interviews and show reports. Upload your own videos online and whilst you’re there comment or rate on someone else’s! Register online to receive the latest monthly programs and exclusive news - just go to WWW.LOOPTV.AERO to create your own account! hangers HANGARAGE IN OXfORDSHIRE

To advertise here please call Chris Wilson on 01223 497060

Tailwheel Conversions

Excellent hangarage available in North Moreton near Wallingford on beautiful 750 metre level grass strip. Contact Peter Vacher, 01235 817554 or pvacher@aol.com

WHILST YOU’RE THERE LET US KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS... JUST REGISTER, LOGIN AND COMMENT!

www.loop.ae ro APRIL 2011 LOOP 65

INSTANTEXPERT EXPERT +PRE-OWNED AIRCRAFT

CIRRUS SR22

Outstanding design, comfort, performance and safety from a bestselling manufacturer + C I R R U S S R 2 2 FA C T S

+ In production since 2000 + Continental engine, producing 310-315hp + Composite airframe + Whole aircraft rescue parachute + Choice of Avidyne or Garmin glass cockpit + True four-seater

’M going to put my hand up straightaway and admit that I really like flying Cirrus aircraft, and the SR22 in particular. They are powerful, fast, handle brilliantly and equipped with the very best kit. The SR22 feels special as soon as you see it parked on the apron. It’s modern, well proportioned, beautifully finished. Open the scissor doors, which are huge by the +HISTORY

+ 2000 Cirrus launches SR22, upgrade of SR20 + 2003 Avidyne glass cockpit introduced + 2004 Generation 2 (G2) model: Hartzell Scimitar prop, 6-point engine mounts, door latches improved, better manufacturing and easier service inspections + 2007 G3 model: lighter wing with more dihedral, more fuel capacity, taller undercarriage + 2008 Perspective glass cockpit + 2009 Avidyne R9 and FIKI options introduced + 2010 Unleaded fuel burning SR22T

Cirrus SR22 G3, the third generation of the powerful four-seater

way, and the interior is just the same. Think BMW 5-series. Sit in one and the first thing you’ll notice is the sidestick which leaves a clear space in front of you with an unimpeded view of the panel. Both Avidyne and Perpective by Garmin glass panels are excellent, giving first rate situational awareness and navigation. Start up and enjoy the flight!

+CHECKS

Avionics SR22 has some of the most sophisticated avionics in light aircraft. Make sure it all works Airframe Composite airframe can suffer cracks through maltreatment, esp cowl around oil filler Wheelspats Mainwheels are a tight fit and if tyres are underinflated can squish out and crack spats Door latches Are an issue. Make sure doors close properly and stay closed. Engine Valve lifter corrosion is an issue on some

! ! ! !

Avidyne Entegra glass cockpit in the SR22 66 LOOP April 2011 www.loop.aero

+OWNING

JOHN Page is co-owner of TAA UK, based at Denham which operates several Cirrus aircraft including the SR22. TAA stands for Technically Advanced Aircraft and John takes new-to-Cirrus pilots through the SR conversion course. Pilots thinking of going the Cirrus route require training on the glass cockpit systems, whether Avidyne or the Perspective, and also if they are moving up from a slower aircraft to the higher speeds they’ll be experiencing. Once through the course, aircraft are available for hire. An SR22 costs £209+VAT Dry per hour. Add in fuel at about 55 litres per hour and you’re looking at about £340 per hour. Sounds expensive, but with a cruise speed of 175kt @ 65% power, you’ll get wherever you’re going pretty quickly.

+FOR SALE

SR22 GTS G3 Turbo Offers?

Avidyne Entegra PFD/ MFD, ice protection, 55X AP, air-con, leather Absolute Aviation

SR22 GTS

FreeFlight offers a choice of aircraft at various locations from £655-810 per month www.cirrus147.com

+PROS AND CONS

PROS

+ True 4-seater + Proven airframe and powerplant + Modern in every respect + Fast and good climb performance + Spacious and comfortable

+THE DATA

CIRRUS SR22 G3 Max cruise speed 185kt Ceiling 17,500ft Max range 1170nm Takeoff roll 313m Landing roll 348m Engine Continental IO-550-N producing 310hp, Hartzell three-blade c-s prop Wingspan 11.68m Length 7.92m Max weight 1542kg Useful load 533kg Fuel capacity 348l Seats 4 Avionics Avidyne Entegra Base price $449,900 Manufacturer Cirrus Aircraft 4515 Taylor Circle Duluth Minnesota 55811, USA www.cirrusaircraft.com +LOOP SCORE

Running costs Durability Performance Reliability Handling TOTAL SCORE

★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★ 20/25

+OR THIS...

Cessna Corvalis 400

$600,000 www.cessna.com

CONS

+ Expensive to buy and operate + Thirsty on fuel + Training, both initially and recurrent, required

Cessna 182Q

£67,950 www.loopmart.aero

MY TIME ISN’T MEASURED IN MINUTES, BUT DECIMAL PLACES. I have to get two drill bits and a crew to rig 314. Now. At $45,000 a day to run each rig, tomorrow isn’t an option. Every minute of downtime hurts the company’s bottom line. That’s why I fly the Cessna Caravan. Rough strips, heavy loads and big crews, my Caravan handles it all. That isn’t a luxury, I’m working here.

CALL US TODAY. DEMO A CARAVAN TOMORROW. 00-800-6060-0009 | UK.CESSNA.COM

CARAVAN

CAC1002G-StraightTalk_Caravan_Loop2.indd 1

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