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Warbirds Collide — Aftermath
NTSB Probe Of Warbird Crash To Focus On Communications...
The NTSB said it will look closely at aircraft communication procedures in
use at the time of the formation takeoff that ended with the spectacular crash
of an F-4U Corsair during the Thursday airshow at AirVenture '99. Laird
"Lad" Doctor, of Dallas, Texas, the Corsair's pilot, was seriously
injured after his plane struck the right wing of a stationary F-8F Bearcat
farther down runway 18 and careened out of control. According to investigator
Dave Bowling, of the NTSB's Chicago office, Doctor's Corsair had just become
airborne when it struck the right wing of the Bearcat being flown by flight
leader Howard Pardue, of Breckinridge, Texas, severing the outboard 11 feet of
the Corsair's left wing. The Corsair then cartwheeled off the left side of the
runway before bursting into flames and breaking apart. Doctor was thrown from
the burning portion of the wreckage, which probably helped him survive. After
being rushed to a Milwaukee hospital in critical condition, Doctor's condition
was upgraded to critical but stable by late Friday night.
...As Details Of Crash Emerge...
The aircraft involved in the collision were part of a four-plane flight that
was to begin with tandem takeoffs of the two Bearcats and then the two Corsairs.
Bowling explained that the warbird flights at AirVenture come under the control
of an airboss from the Warbird Association. In effect, the Oshkosh tower turns
control of Wittman airfield over to the airboss, who coordinates communications
and sequences the warbirds participating in the airshow. Although the airboss is
not a certified air traffic controller, this system of handling warbird flights
has been used successfully for years at Oshkosh and other airshows, according to
Bowling. The two Bearcats were 1,400 feet farther down runway 18 doing their
runups, when for an unknown reason the two Corsairs began their takeoff roll.
Bowling said the poor forward visibility of the Corsairs might have made it
difficult for them to see the stationary Bearcats.
...And No Mechanical Failures Found
The other Corsair, flown by Jim Reed, managed to just avoid the two Bearcats
— one piloted by Pardue and the other by Tom Wood — but still suffered some
left wingtip damage while banking away at the last second. The FAA was
monitoring the airboss communication at the time of the mishap, and has an audiotape that the NTSB will review. A crucial part of the investigation will be
Bowling's interviews with the pilots and airboss about their taxi, takeoff and
formation flight procedures, which are thoroughly discussed before each airshow.
Bowling added that preliminary data indicates that none of the four planes in
the flight suffered any mechanical failures prior to the accident. Aiding the
NTSB in its investigation are numerous amateur and professional photographs and
videos of the collision. Bowling said it will be about six months before the
NTSB concludes its investigation and releases its findings.
NOTE: AVweb's extended coverage includes exclusive
images of the wreckage of Laird Doctor's Corsair.
Aviat Aircraft Debuts 110 Special Monocoupe
Visitors to EAA AirVenture got to see something few other people have seen.
On Friday, Aviat's new 110 Special Monocoupe went from a sketch in magazines to
wood and fabric in-the-flesh at the Aviat exhibit. The 1999 110 Special is based
on the 1932-59 110 Special, of which only seven were built. The new Special will
look like the original, but it won't act like the original. The '99
reincarnation will be faster, more comfortable and fully aerobatic. Aviat
President Stu Horn sees the Monocoupe falling between his Husky and Pitts in
terms of product line, pricing and performance. It came to life after years of
requests from customers looking for an aerobatic Husky. "But that planform
doesn't lend itself to being outstanding in its class," Horn told AVweb,
"and I didn't want to develop a plane that was one of a pack."
The numbers on the 'coupe are good. It will be fully aerobatic with an
inverted fuel system, but will still cruise at a solid 166 knots. That's what
the Aviat crew got out of the bird at 10,000 feet and 2,500 rpm on the way to
OSH. Will the aerobatic Monocoupe compete with the aerobatic Pitts? "I
think the Monocoupe will complement the Pitts," Horn said. He sees the
primary-to-intermediate trainer Monocoupe as competition to Decathlon and
clipped-wing Cubs.
Horn and company began taking orders for the $159,000 110 Special at
AirVenture on Friday. Horn told us that as far as the production schedule goes,
all certification issues from the firewall aft are resolved. All that remains to
be done are tests on the AEIO-360 200-hp engine and the Hartzell 78-inch
constant-speed composite propeller, airframe and flight tests, and vibration
analysis. "We hope to get that completed by September. We've already begun
ramping up production. Our retooling is complete and we're ready to begin
production now." Horn hopes to sell two Monocoupes per month and is already
looking ahead to additional options, including a cruise configuration prop for
those pilots who want a cool-looking but fast grocery-getter. Test pilot Ed
Saurenman put it well: "This aircraft will bring new meaning to the concept
of fun flying." Remember, he (or she) who has the most fun, wins.
Computer Flying The Jeppesen Way
In 1998, more than 62,000 certificates were issued to student pilots, but
only 26,000 stayed with their training and got their private pilot's license.
Jeppesen wants to increase that success rate by making flight training faster,
easier and cheaper. Later this month, aspiring pilots will be able to purchase
the last of a series of interactive training CD-ROMs that will guide students on
the ground before they ever move to the cockpit. The new Guided Flight Discovery
(GFD) Private Pilot Maneuvers Multimedia Training takes advantage of all the
great things that computers can do: art, video, animation. The five CDs include
information on ground operations, basic maneuvers, airport operations, emergency
landing procedures, flight maneuvers and ground reference maneuvers. In addition
to being educational, the CDs also promise to be entertaining. Small
"Discovery Boxes" will include fun facts, such as what it's like to
fly the space shuttle or land the SR-71. Flight Discovery sells for $49.95 per
CD, or $199.95 for a set of five.
If private pilot training is behind you, you're not out of luck. Friday at
AirVenture, Jeppesen showed off their slick Next-Generation Fliteschool
Instrument Multimedia Software. Fliteschool, too, uses state-of-the-art video
and colorful graphics to make studying for the FAA exam easier, faster and more
fun. The instrument software sells for $199.95, the software and GFD Instrument
Manual goes for $249.95. Fliteschool instrument is available now and Jepp says a
commercial/ATP version will follow early next year.
But wait, that's not all. The first week of September, Jeppesen will
introduce the new Aviation History Textbook that Jeppesen Associate Marketing
Representative Paul Schiff says will "revolutionize what's on the market
now." Jeppesen promises the book will include almost everything there is to
know about the history of aviation for about $60.
Wayne Handley Smashes Time-To-Climb Record
Airshow pilot and good guy Wayne Handley nosed his flame-red Turbo Raven to
6,000 meters (19,700 feet) Friday in record time. The unofficial word is that
Handley broke by 25 seconds the record Chuck Yeager had held for 14 years.
Handley's 3:18 is unofficial until it is corrected for temperature and altitude.
If one thing was working against the record attempt, it was the temperature.
Temps on the tarmac were nearly 100, creating a density altitude of about 2,000
feet. The Turbo Raven Oracle was even hotter, though, and fairly leapt off the
runway, looking for altitude.
"I was comfortable. I wasn't playing catch-up," Handley told AVweb
just after the record-breaking climb. "I had a schedule in the cockpit and
I was ahead of schedule the whole way up." The funny thing about Handley's
6,000-meter record — and before that, his 3,000-meter record — is that they
are simply a by-product of Handley's push to develop a new, more powerful and
exciting airplane for his airshow routines. After he broke the record, Handley
jumped out, shook a few hands, and grabbed a cold shower before strapping back
into his Turbo Raven for the type of flying he really likes — down on the deck,
upside down.
Pray Tell, It's Proteus!
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh tries to have a real crowd-pleaser every year — last
year, it was the Concorde; this year, it's Proteus, Burt Rutan's oddball bird.
The Proteus was first exhibited at the Paris Air Show, but EAA AirVenture is the
plane's first U.S. appearance. Proteus arrived at OSH — actually, arrived in
the airspace some 50,000 feet above OSH — at about noon Friday and spent the
next several hours orbiting. Orbiting is what the Proteus was built to do and
what it does well. The plane can "loiter" at high altitudes for up to
22 hours, but because of crew considerations, flights are generally limited to
10 to 15 hours.
The high-tech machine was built, according to Rutan, "to stay out of its
own way" as it carries out its mapping, video and television broadcast
missions. The plane was designed with those missions in mind. It has less thrust
at sea level than at 60,000 feet. Its average speed at the beginning of the
mission when fully loaded is 100 knots; as it lightens, the speed drops to 77
knots. All three gear are mains and as the plane touches down, it dumps lift and
the nose main gear drops. This is Rutan's 29th manned aircraft design and given
Proteus' mythology — as a shape-shifter — who knows what might be next!
1,000 Turn Out For EAA's First Teacher's Day
Teachers like to say that the reward of their job is knowing that they touch
the future, and if that's true, they can be a valuable ally in EAA's effort to
keep the pilot ranks growing in the next millennium. Children love things that
fly, and Lee Siudzinski, of the EAA education staff, is convinced that airplanes
can help them to learn about science, math and technology — and on Friday at
the EAA Air Adventure Museum, he set out to convince 1,000 Wisconsin teachers
that airplanes belong in the classroom.
The turnout, from school districts between Green Bay and Fond du Lac,
"was larger than we anticipated, but we're very excited to share with these
teachers the excitement of aviation," Siudzinski said. His aim was to
entice the teachers to visit the museum and check out the facilities and
programs available, attend some workshops and gather lots of ideas. Elementary
teachers could learn how to build an airport in their classroom, and teachers of
older kids got an introduction to Microsoft Flight Simulator 98, a tool in the
"Wild Blue Wonders" program. Many brought their children along, and
the kids got to try out a small airplane mock-up that let them move the plane
through its three axes, climb into the cockpit of an experimental aircraft, and
build balsa-wood models. Exhibitors in a tent outside the museum offered kits
for model rockets and airplanes.
Bob Gonwa, who teaches special-needs children in a Kewaskum, Wis., high
school, said he would love to bring his students to visit the museum and Pioneer
Airport. "What a wonderful opportunity," he said, of the first
Teacher's Day. As soon as he heard of the program, through brochures distributed
at his school, he knew he would be here to check it out. Dave Hoem lives here in
Oshkosh, and is a high school guidance coordinator and an EAA member. He said he
takes a group of youngsters to the museum every year, and knows of former
students who have gone on to aviation careers. He enthusiastically supports
EAA's efforts: "This is a real good start."
Briefs...
Clinton Taps GAMA Chairman Ed Stimpson For ICAO Post
President Clinton Friday named
long time general aviation advocate Ed
Stimpson as the United States' ambassador to the International Civil Aviation
Organization in Montreal. The International Civil Aviation Organization, or ICAO,
is the civil aviation wing of the United Nations, and oversees aviation policy
for international operations between signatory countries. Industry insiders say
that Stimpson's appointment can only be good for general aviation around the
world. Stimpson has been one of general aviation's staunchest advocates before
Congress, the White House and sundry government agencies and departments for
more than 25 years. He is the former president and chairman emeritus of the
General Aviation Manufacturers Association, a group he helped form nearly 30
years ago. In 1996, Stimpson jump-started the Be-A-Pilot program — that's been so
successful in recruiting new people to flying — by cofounding G.A. Team 2000. He
also is a former official of the Federal Aviation Administration and a former
executive of Morrison-Knudson, where he was recruited by former Mooney Aircraft
president Tom Smith, a job he left GAMA to take before returning to the trade group
a few years later. Many industry executives credit Stimpson's perseverance for
Congress' passage of the General Aviation Revitalization Act of 1994, the law
that set an 18-year limit for manufacturers' liability for the products they
produce.
AlliedSignal Debuts Bendix/King Pilots Club
Like many other leading-edge aviation companies, avionics manufacturer Bendix/King
has concluded that the future of communications with its customers lies with the
Internet. The company wants to be able to reach those customers via email, and
is giving them a significant package of incentives to add their names to the
Bendix/King mailing list. The company has established a new "Bendix/King
Pilots Club" web site. Membership is free, and pilots who sign up
online are entitled to:
-
Sneak previews of new Bendix/King products;
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An option to become part of the Bendix/King Advisory Panel on Product
Development;
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The chance to participate in a VIP tour of the Bendix/King headquarters
facility in Olathe, Kan., to see how Bendix/King products are designed,
built and tested;
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Discounts on merchandise in the Bendix/King Pilot's Shop online catalog;
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A discount on GPS database subscription upgrades; and,
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A quarterly electronic newsletter with product updates, industry news and
information about aviation people and events.
Tell 'em AVweb sent you.
Bigger, Stronger, Faster: Cirrus' Need For Speed
With 333 hard orders already on the books, one might think the folks at
Cirrus Design would sit back and take some well-deserved time off. Not so! AVweb
confirmed that Cirrus is launching into a research and development project with
the ultimate goal of hanging a TCM IO-550 off the front of an SR20. There
have been no engineering studies as yet, but the belief among Cirrus staff is
that the bigger engine will increase the plane's speed by 15 to 20 knots, to a
cruise of 175 to 180 knots. Cirrus Marketing Director Chris Maddy told AVweb the
efforts are so preliminary that the new plane doesn't even have a name. Plans
are to keep the same fuselage and "look" of the SR20. "This is
the next natural step," he said, "and it's largely due to input we've
gotten from our customers and potential customers." R&D is just
beginning, so don't write out a deposit check just yet. AVweb will keep you
updated as production nears.
70th Anniversary Of Pietenpol Air Camper
It has a funny name, and its design is older than most people at EAA
AirVenture '99, but Bernard Pietenpol's Air Camper continues to attract
builders. Pietenpol's 1929 design called for a Ford Model A engine, and
homebuilders still opt for the four-cylinder water-cooled powerplant for the
classic Pietenpol. In the 1960s, Pietenpol modified his plans to allow the
option of the air-cooled Chevy Corvair six-banger. Since then, more than 30
different engines have been used in the Air Campers. Pietenpol's aim was to
design an airplane that could be built by anyone reasonably handy with tools.
The structure is wood with fabric covering, and the hardware and fittings are
easily available. Pietenpol died in 1984, and the last Air Camper he built is on
display at EAA's Pioneer Airport. EAA honored the design's 70th anniversary by
parking a group of the little two-seaters at show center in the Homebuilt area.
BFGoodrich's Skywatch System Expands Compatibility
BFGoodrich Avionics Systems announced Friday at EAA AirVenture '99 that its
Skywatch traffic advisory system will be able to interface with the Avidyne
FlightMax situational display, the Garmin GNS 430 GPS/map system and Eventide's
Argus moving-map displays. STC approval is expected within the next few months.
Previously, Skywatch data could be displayed on a Stormscope WX-1000 screen or
on a weather radar display. The Skywatch system is an active surveillance
traffic advisory system that uses Mode C transponder interrogations to determine
the range, bearing, relative altitude and closure rate of potential conflicting
traffic. Today's announcement means that information generated by Skywatch can
be depicted on displays that may also show moving maps, nav information and
lightning-strike returns. Skywatch tracks up to 30 aircraft simultaneously and
displays the eight most threatening targets. It generates aural and visual
warnings of potential collision threats.
Rolls-Royce Introduces The Aviation Heritage Trophy
Rolls-Royce is teaming with the National Aviation Hall of Fame and the Reno
Air Racing Association to present the National Aviation Heritage Trophy for
aircraft restoration. Entries for this year must have been flying in 1954 and
will be judged on technical merit criteria developed by the Smithsonian Air
& Space Museum, and by popular vote. The base of the trophy will show the
name of the owner of the winning aircraft, as well as the aircraft type and
restoration facility, when appropriate, for each year. The trophy will be
displayed at the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton, Ohio, until the Air
& Space Museum's Dulles annex opens in 2003, when it will alternate
between Dayton and Dulles.
NOTE: AVweb's coverage allows you to print
out a copy of the National Aviation Heritage Trophy entry
form.
Century Aerospace Updates Plans For Light Jet
Century
Aerospace of Albuquerque, N.M., announced at AirVenture '99 that it has
partnered with SGL Carbon Composites of Gardena, Calif., to build the
carbon-composite fuselage of the Century Jet CA-100. The CA-100 six-passenger
twinjet was introduced at the NBAA convention last fall, and since then Century
Aerospace has been refining the design and seeking risk-sharing partnerships to
build major portions of the aircraft. The $60-million deal with SGL is the first
of several subcontractor partnerships Century is pursuing to help reduce the
costs and time associated with certifying the light jet. Preliminary performance
specifications for the CA-100 call for a 370-knot cruise at altitudes up to
45,000 feet, and a range of 1,500 nm. Century Aerospace is shooting for first
flight in 2001, with deliveries of the $2.6-million jet beginning in early 2003.
More info can be found at the Century Web site.
Two Guys From Venezuela
Ruben and Carlos Leon flew this Cozy II from their home in Valencia,
Venezuela, to AirVenture Oshkosh '99. Each leg of the trip was about four hours.
Rather than taking the longer Windward Islands route, the first leg of their
2,500-mile trip took them direct to Port Au Prince, Haiti. Ruben said, "My
brother flew the first leg over water. No islands, no anything." As they
approached Miami they knew they had it made. They landed at OSH 17 hours after
launching from home. According to Ruben, general aviation is healthy in
Venezuela. "It's not as easy as we'd like it to be, but it's there and
we're doing it." Carlos and Ruben built the airplane two and a half years
ago. The cowl is off because they do a mini-annual after a long trip like this.
They're operating under an FAA waiver that allows them to fly to OSH and home,
but their plans for a cross-USA trip will have to wait.
Missing Men
While
more than 100,000 people kicked tires and sweated Friday, a more somber event
took place overhead — a missing man formation remembering three frequent EAA
attendees and lovers of aviation who died recently in accidents both in
the air and on the ground. The special flyby honored the memory and
achievements of former astronaut Pete Conrad, who died earlier in July after a
motorcycle crash; former FAA administrator and National Air and Space Museum
director Don Engen, who was killed in a glider crash in late July; and John F.
Kennedy Jr., son of the late president who frequently made the trek to OSH.
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