Enlightening news today from Vit Kotek, Marketing Manager for Evektor, that ties up the loose ends on the recent parachute deployment of an Evektor SportStar. *** Vit’s statement, edited only for clarity: *** “An accident of the SportStar RTC aircraft occurred during flight tests at Kunovice airport (LKKU) on 18th May, 2011. The test pilot was performing spin testing at aft C.G. The pilot successfully completed the program, after completing 30 spins. *** Then he decided to perform a maneuver, which we’re still not fully clear about, which put the airplane into a flight condition the pilot could not recover from. *** He activated the ballistic parachute system which deployed successfully. *** The airplane suspended below the parachute landed on a lake close to the airport and sunk after five minutes. The pilot swam safely to the shore. The airplane was fished out after six hours. The pilot was not injured.
Archives for May 2011
Over the Horizon LSA Producers: Iran and Malaysia
Most of what our media reports about Iran is bad: Islamic militants. Contested elections. Brutal suppression of dissent. Nuclear ambitions. What we don’t hear is about the country’s light aircraft producers. Then consider Malaysia. Do you think of that country relative to aircraft production? Do you think of it in any way? My guess is most Yankee aviators haven’t given either country much thought (except maybe in a negative context). *** Yet here is Free Bird. An article appearing on Iran’s PressTV began, “Iranian aviation researchers have designed and built an all-composite ultralight aircraft to meet the country’s training, border control, surveillance and recreational needs.” The researchers are evidently employees of manufacturer H. F. Dorna Company, which “was established in Tehran in 1988 as a private company specializing in design and manufacture of light-sport aircraft.” *** Managing director of H. F. Dorna, Yaghoub Entesari, was reported as saying, “[Free Bird’s] full composite structure conforms to ASTM technical standards and falls under the micro-light category under Iranian law.” Free Bird is said to fly more than 500 miles with a maximum airspeed in level flight of more than 150 mph (which is beyond FAA’s LSA rules).
Evektor SportStar Chute Deploy
An
anonymous source sent me an account (in Czech) and photos of an incident in Czech Republic that reportedly occurred when an Evektor SportStar, flown by an “experienced pilot”, was unable to recover from a spin. *** It happened on May 18 over a lake near Ostrozska Ves. You can see the pilot climb out of the cockpit once it hit the water, before the aircraft sunk. *** These are some of the best photos I’ve ever seen of an actual deployment, rivaling the YouTube video of an Argentine Rans pilot doing aerobatics and suffering a wing loss in negative G yet was saved by the airframe ‘chute at an extremely low altitude — a real heart stopper, that one. *** The Czech ambulance staff called to the scene treated the Evektor pilot for bruises and exposure. He was otherwise uninjured… very good news! *** Because Lake Ostrozska is an important source of drinking water for a large surrounding population, there was considerable concern that the 17-plus gallons of gas still onboard might escape from the plane and kick off an “environmental disaster,” according to an online Czech news source.
Aero 2011: Sleek and Different Gyroplanes
Rotary wing aircraft have not been my focus. But I could hardly miss a flock of streamlined gyroplanes at Aero 2011 and I wondered why we don’t have these in the USA? To get an answer I went to Powered Sport Flying publisher and Internet radio producer, Roy Beisswenger, who covers the gyro scene in America… *** Roy explained, “While gyroplanes seem to be languishing in the USA, they are becoming a thriving part of the sport aviation market in Europe. The main reason focuses on the regulatory path in many European countries, which gyroplane manufacturers can follow to produce ready-to-fly ships. In contrast, the FAA specifically does not currently allow gyroplanes to be certified as Special LSA. Instead, U.S. manufacturers are required to offer either Part 27 aircraft (the rotorcraft equivalent of Part 23) or Experimental Amateur Built (EAB) kits. This has hampered the introduction of several fine designs from overseas because European manufacturers are forced to produce only partially-built gyros for the U.S.
650 Million Engines & the Promise of “Sport Fuel”
As the battle rages on regarding a replacement fuel for 100 LL avgas, sport aviation enthusiasts already have another, cheaper fuel option. The best news is they potentially have an enormous support group (even bigger than Facebook, if you’ll permit that comparison). Here’s what blogger Kent Misegades wrote… *** “Consider these numbers: According to GAMA, there are approximately 165,000 piston-engine aircraft registered today in the United States. Since 1982, some 65,000 autogas STCs have been sold by Petersen Aviation and the EAA. A growing part of the GA fleet, America now has around 2,000 new SLSA (and many thousands more ELSA) registered. Nearly all of these use engines designed to run on autogas. Fuel is sold at approximately 3,500 FBOs on the 13,000+ airports registered in the country. Autogas is currently sold at just 100 of these airports.” (Talk about your missed opportunities! —DJ). *** “By contrast, in 2006, the U.S.
Electric Prototype and Pilot Lost
As I write an article on the current state of electric flight worldwide, sad word comes that prolific, talented German aeronautical engineer Martin Wezel has died in the crash of the prototype Yuneec International E1000 electric airplane. *** Wezel’s company, Flugzeugtechnik Wezel, was well respected for its gliders and microlights, which included the Sting and Sirius SLSA. His Apis and Viva designs were also being developed by Yuneec for electric power. The E1000 design may also have been Wezel’s. *** A new, tandem-motored four-seat design, it was being developed for market by Yuneec but also to compete in the NASA CAFE Green Flight Challenge, the $1.65 million-prize competition that’s coming up in July. *** E1000 was also entered in EAA’s upcoming Electric Aircraft Competition (Oshkosh 2011 in late July). Not evident at this point is whether another E1000 was built or will be tested.
LSA in the News
In this post there’s both good news and bad news. *** First up: blog reader Pete Zaitcev commented on my blog yesterday that the Front Range Airport (FTG) visit, on May 14, by the LSA Tour #3 will coincide with the Rocky Mountain LSA Expo. *** FTG is about 25 miles east of Denver at Watkins, CO. The event is sponsored by the Colorado Pilots Assoc. *** Looks like a fun time and a smart call for the Tour to plan a stop there. Thanks Pete!More good news: Cessna Aircraft delivered 106 aircraft in the first quarter, up from 80 a year ago, and much of the increase comes from deliveries of the 19 Skycatchers. Cessna’s Bob Stangarone has told me the company expects to have delivered 150 by year’s end. *** The unhappy news concerns two LSA crashes. *** A PiperSport crash cost a young CFI his life in Florida.
How Important Is FAA Oversight of LSA?
Weight shift instructor and FAA Designated Airworthiness Representative (DAR) Terri Sipantzi wrote an excellent editorial about the FAA’s plan to start inspecting new SLSA or new companies producing LSA. Terri’s piece was well written and accurate. He quoted me but I find it surprising to be the only one publicly talking about this matter even though FAA has said (at AirVenture 2009) that they would be doing more inspections. This is not new information. I am merely beating the drum louder as FAA gets closer to doing what they said they would do. *** Yet Terri left out an important point… Industry could provide such oversight. In fact, I believe industry oversight could be the more effective method to increase compliance and potentially therefore safety, which — to put a fine point on it — is the ultimate goal of certification schemes. All these parts — standards, certification oversight, manufacturing best practices, quality control systems, third party audits — have one purpose: Safety.
LSA in the News
In this post there’s both good news and bad news. *** First up: blog reader Pete Zaitcev commented on my blog yesterday that the Front Range Airport (FTG) visit, on May 14, by the LSA Tour #3 will coincide with the Rocky Mountain LSA Expo. *** FTG is about 25 miles east of Denver at Watkins, CO. The event is sponsored by the Colorado Pilots Assoc. *** Looks like a fun time and a smart call for the Tour to plan a stop there. Thanks Pete!More good news: Cessna Aircraft delivered 106 aircraft in the first quarter, up from 80 a year ago, and much of the increase comes from deliveries of the 19 Skycatchers. Cessna’s Bob Stangarone has told me the company expects to have delivered 150 by year’s end. *** The unhappy news concerns two LSA crashes. *** A PiperSport crash cost a young CFI his life in Florida.
LSA Tour #3 Does Colorado Tomorrow
Dave Graham of Legend Aircraft just sent out word that the next LSA Tour launches tomorrow for a 4-day swing up the front range of the Colorado Rockies. See the list of locations below. *** “We’ve adopted the four-day format,” says Dave. “The six-day tour is just too tiring.” Reporting on the Tour’s recent swing through the Southeast, Dave reports about 250 people came out to the Greenville, SC location. There was a restaurant, good support from the hosting FBO, and “some business was done that day.” *** Not all the venues were as cooperative as they could have been, he says, but considers this a work in progress and expects advanced planning will help sharpen up the logistics and overall experience down the road. *** Check prior reports on the Georgia LSA Tour and Florida LSA Tour. Each dealer brings a demo airplane which gives potential customers a great opportunity to strap on the aircraft and compare apples to apples — which can be a challenge at major airshows, with aircraft booths spread all over the place amid the background noise of other aviation attractions.