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March 7, 2012
By The AVweb Editorial Staff
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Epic Aircraft, the Bend, Ore., manufacturer of speedy turboprop kit aircraft called the LT, has been sold to a Russian company.
In a news release, Epic describes its new owner, Engineering LLC, as "Russia's premier maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) provider." The Russian company intends to certify the LT but will keep
making the kits, too. CEO Doug King, who essentially led a group of builders with partly completed airplanes in the acquisition of the kit side of Epic when the original company went under three years
ago, will stay in his position. "It's exciting to be a part of Epic Aircraft's next chapter. Working together with Engineering LLC, Epic will
be able to extend our great commitment and dedication to the aircraft manufacturing industry including our customers, employees, vendors and all other stakeholders. This will be a truly significant
move for the future of both companies," King said.
A certified version of the LT would be look-alike competition for Kestrel Aircraft's proposed offering. The LT was based on a design developed by Kestrel's English ancestor and is being taken to
fruition by Cirrus co-founder Alan Klapmeier. Meanwhile, it appears that King and his fellow builders accomplished their goals in taking over the company. King says his airplane is finished and will
be at Sun 'n Fun. The Epic story was one of the more unusual in the string of company failures that hit the industry, and AVweb's earlier coverage plotted the chronology.
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A helicopter slammed into the ground in a cloud of dust while filming for Top Gear Korea in Arizona last week, and the crash was caught on video (right) by a local fan. Both crew members on
board, who were wearing harnesses and helmets, walked away from the crash. Steve Esparaza said he stopped filming once the aircraft hit the ground because he thought the crew had been killed. "I
didn't want to roll on what I thought I was about to see," Esparaza told the local KSAZ news station. The helicopter, a Vietnam-era Army AH1 Cobra from the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation, was filming a speeding Corvette. The Cobras were built to be
crash-worthy, which paid off for this crew.
After the crash, the pilot shut off the engine, and the two crew members climbed out of the wreckage. "The rigid air frame did a good job of protecting the occupants," local police chief Joe
Brugman told KSAZ. The names of the crew were not released.
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Gulfstream's newest super-midsize jet, the G280, has received its provisional type certificate from the FAA, the company said on Friday. The jet is virtually ready to go, the company said, but an
update to the avionics software must be completed before the full TC is issued and deliveries can begin. The jet will feature a new PlaneView280 cockpit, based on Rockwell Collins ProLine Fusion
avionics. The company said the G280 has a range of 3,600 nm, which is 200 more than the specifications outlined when the program was announced in 2008. It also can take off from runways of 4,750 feet,
an improvement of 1,300 feet compared to the aircraft it replaces, the G200. First delivery is expected sometime this summer.
The provisional certificate allows a manufacturer to operate the aircraft for demo flights, crew training, and service testing, but deliveries to customers must wait for the final certification
approval. The G280 is selling for about $24 million, but is expected to go up to $25 million next year. AVweb's editorial director Paul Bertorelli spoke with Gulfstream's Pres Henne about the G280
(at first designated the G250) when it was introduced at NBAA in 2008; click
here for that podcast.
Montreal-based Esterline CMC Electronics has announced a new turboprop application for their acquired SmartDeck integrated glass cockpit. CMC's Greg Plantz told AVweb in an exclusive
interview that Czech Republic aircraft maker Evektor has chosen the SmartDeck for the new-generation EV-55 Outback twin turboprop, bringing the once seemingly abandoned yet capable SmartDeck suite to
a higher market level.
SmartDeck, which is a fully integrated and multi-screen suite that includes several major third-party systems, including a Cobham S-TEC digital autopilot and PS Engineering audio control system,
made its introduction a few years ago from industry veteran L-3 Avionics. L-3 hoped the SmartDeck STC would grow further than the single STC that remains in place for Cirrus applications, but it just
never gained momentum. Retrofits and OEM equipage for Cirrus models never panned out.
But CMC, which now owns the SmartDeck manufacturing rights, gives the system a new lease on life, reworking the user-friendly and highly integrated big-screen system for the turboprop market.
There's a long list of improvements that focus on big-airplane human factors plus growth potential to meet evolving ADS-B requirements and the versatile mission profile of the EV-55 aircraft.
The SmartDeck sports three screens: pilot and co-pilot PFD plus an MFD and a CCU (center console unit). This configuration, says CMC, places unique focus on aircraft that are crew-operated.
Interestingly, SmartDeck uses all concentric knobs, and absent is the expected touchscreen feature set. SmartDeck does include advanced synthetic vision, electronic charting, PT-6-specific ICAS and
will support weather radar interfaces.
CMC says the SmartDeck is focused on Class III aircraft primarily through OEM channels, although select retrofit applications (which could include King Air, Pilatus PC-12 and other popular
turboprop platforms) are a definite possibility.
The Evektor Outback is a high-wing, non-pressurized, and PT-6-powered multi-mission aircraft with a 4,021-pound max payload that excels in short-field and unpaved runway capabilities. It will be
available in multiple configurations, including passenger transport, cargo transport, and a combined version with space for cargo and passengers -- plus a configuration designed for search, rescue and
surveillance ops geared toward military applications. It's expected to have a starting price of around $2.1 million.
Related Content:
For more information, visit:
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Several of general aviation's big advocacy groups have seen change at the top in recent years as long-term leaders move on, and now the National Air Transportation Association is saying goodbye to
James Coyne, who has been president since 1994. In a letter to NATA members posted on Monday, Coyne said he will
continue to serve until January 1, while the board searches for its next leader. He said he and his wife, Holly, have decided it was time to "refuel, change our heading a bit, and perhaps even move to
a different flight level." NATA works to represent the interests of small aviation businesses such as FBOs, flight schools, and charter operators.
Coyne served a year in the U.S. House of Representatives during the Reagan years, then worked in the Reagan White House for two years as a pro-business advocate. He then served in several other
D.C.-based business advocacy groups before joining NATA. He and his wife are both pilots and fly often. Other GA groups that have recently lost long-time leaders were EAA, with the departure of Tom
Poberezny last July after 49 years with the organization, and AOPA, where Craig Fuller took over for 18-year president Phil Boyer in 2009.
AVweb's editorial director Paul Bertorelli spoke with Coyne about GA security issues in February 2010; click here for that podcast.
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On the AVweb Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli discusses a recent incident with a control tower issuing a directive that wasn't quite right. Or was it? You be the judge.
Read more and join the conversation.
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A Professional Pilot
Available from AVweb Bookstore.
Guides to help you along the way to becoming a professional pilot. These and others will outline your choices, let you know what to expect (and what will be expected of you), and offer critical
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The Top Reporter on Our Crack Staff ... Is
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Our best stories start with you. If you've heard something 255,000 pilots might want to know about, tell us. Submit news tips via email to newstips@avweb.com. You're a part of our team ... often, the best part.
Cylinders are the big-ticket item during an engine overhaul, and the market has changed substantially during the last five years. Our sister publication, Aviation Consumer, is surveying
owner experiences on engine cylinders.
If you'd like to participate, click here to take the survey.
The results will appear in a future issue of Aviation Consumer. For subscription information, click
here.
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Get a promotion or a new job? Your colleagues want to know about it, and AVwebBiz can get the word out. Drop us a line about the staff
appointment, with a nice recent photo, and we'll do our best to include it in our new section, "Who's Where." The items will be permanently archived on AVweb for future reference,
too.
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AVwebBiz is a weekly summary of the latest business aviation news, articles, products, features, and events featured on AVweb, the world's premier independent aviation news resource.
The AVwebBiz team is:
Publisher
Tom Bliss
Editorial Director, Aviation Publications
Paul Bertorelli
Editor-in-Chief
Russ Niles
Contributing Editors
Mary Grady
Glenn Pew
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Scott Simmons
Contributors
Kevin Lane-Cummings
Jeff Van West
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