FOR THE PILOTS OF OWNER-FLOWN, CABIN-CLASS AIRCRAFT APRIL 2015 $3.95 US VOLUME 19 NUMBER 4
Where Are We Now? Making It To The Alternate Flying The Pilatus PC-12NG NBAA Focus Flying Tired
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JETS 1 DIAMOND I 40 HAWKER 1000A 34 LEARJET 36A 53 DIAMOND IA 9 HAWKER 125-1A 24 LEARJET 40 CHIEF PILOTS & OWNERS 3 DORNIER ENVOY 3 2 HAWKER 125-1AS 219 LEARJET 45 Aircraft Count 282 ECLIPSE EA500 1 HAWKER 125-3A/RA 193 LEARJET 45XR 47 EMBRAER LEGACY 600 2 HAWKER 125-400A 115 LEARJET 55 4 AIRBUS ACJ319 8 EMBRAER LEGACY 650 29 HAWKER 125-400AS 5 LEARJET 55B 32 ASTRA 1125 158 EMBRAER PHENOM 100 1 HAWKER 125-400B 12 LEARJET 55C 31 ASTRA 1125SP House Ad 82 EMBRAER PHENOM 300 4 HAWKER 125-600A 293 LEARJET 60 63 ASTRA 1125SPX 123 FALCON 10 11 HAWKER 125-600AS 130 PREMIER I 51 BEECHJET 400 28 FALCON 100 113 HAWKER 125-700A 16 SABRELINER 40 Full Page 275 BEECHJET 400A 25 FALCON 200 50 HAWKER 4000 13 SABRELINER 40A 58 BOEING BBJ 4/C Ad 176 FALCON 2000 187 HAWKER 400XP 7 SABRELINER 40EL 391 CHALLENGER 300 21 FALCON 2000EX 21 HAWKER 750 3 SABRELINER 40R 65 CHALLENGER 600 81 FALCON 20C 223 HAWKER 800A 24 SABRELINER 60 58 CHALLENGER 601-1A 17 FALCON 20C-5 2 HAWKER 800B 1 SABRELINER 60A 133 CHALLENGER 601-3A 26 FALCON 20D 335 HAWKER 800XP 2 SABRELINER 60AELXM 56 CHALLENGER 601-3R 3 FALCON 20D-5 14 HAWKER 800XPI 12 SABRELINER 60ELXM 279 CHALLENGER 604 7 FALCON 20E 67 HAWKER 850XP 3 SABRELINER 60EX 5 CHALLENGER 800 8 FALCON 20E-5 131 HAWKER 900XP 1 SABRELINER 60SCEX 169 CITATION 500 59 FALCON 20F 4 JET COMMANDER 1121 85 SABRELINER 65 319 CITATION 525 82 FALCON 20F-5 6 JET COMMANDER 1121B 1 SABRELINER 75 284 CITATION BRAVO 229 FALCON 50 12 JETSTAR 731 17 SABRELINER 80 151 CITATION CJ1 8 FALCON 50-40 11 JETSTAR II 3 SABRELINER 80SC 69 CITATION CJ1+ 113 FALCON 50EX 51 JETSTREAM 31 101 WESTWIND 1 202 CITATION CJ2 135 FALCON 900 40 JETSTREAM 32 4 WESTWIND 1123 160 CITATION CJ2+ 21 FALCON 900C 15 JETSTREAM 41 45 WESTWIND 1124 390 CITATION CJ3 116 FALCON 900EX 15 LEARJET 23 76 WESTWIND 2 180 CITATION ENCORE 98 GLOBAL 5000 26 LEARJET 24 306 CITATION EXCEL 112 GLOBAL EXPRESS 5 LEARJET 24A 5 CITATION I TURBO PROPS 25 GULFSTREAM G-100 19 LEARJET 24B 288 CITATION I/SP CHIEF PILOTS & OWNERS 161 GULFSTREAM G-200 53 LEARJET 24D 478 CITATION II Aircraft Count 8 GULFSTREAM G-300 14 LEARJET 24E 50 CITATION II/SP 27 GULFSTREAM G-400 9 LEARJET 24F 173 CITATION III 275 CARAVAN 208 222 GULFSTREAM G-450 33 LEARJET 25 329 CITATION MUSTANG 1087 CARAVAN 208B 7 GULFSTREAM G-500 57 LEARJET 25B 138 CITATION S/II 3 CARAVAN II 330 GULFSTREAM G-550 7 LEARJET 25C 257 CITATION SOVEREIGN 34 CHEYENNE 400 42 GULFSTREAM G-I 94 LEARJET 25D 284 CITATION ULTRA 221 CHEYENNE I 110 GULFSTREAM G-II 6 LEARJET 28 287 CITATION V 14 CHEYENNE IA 31 GULFSTREAM G-IIB 28 LEARJET 31 20 CITATION VI 303 CHEYENNE II 186 GULFSTREAM G-III 172 LEARJET 31A 104 CITATION VII 59 CHEYENNE III 188 GULFSTREAM G-IV 43 LEARJET 35 257 CITATION X 21 CHEYENNE IIIA 317 GULFSTREAM G-IVSP 426 LEARJET 35A 199 CITATION XLS 59 CHEYENNE IIXL 182 GULFSTREAM G-V 21 LEARJET 36 22 CHEYENNE IV
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303 CONQUEST I 5 MERLIN IV TWIN PISTON 28 ROCKWELL 520 354 CONQUEST II 13 MERLIN IV-A COMMANDER 49 KING AIR 100 13 MERLIN IV-C OWNERS 15 ROCKWELL 560 502 KING AIR 200 105 MITSUBISHI MARQUISE Aircraft Count COMMANDER 12 KING AIR 200C 1 MITSUBISHI MU-2D 21 ROCKWELL 560A 9 ADAM A500 12 KING AIR 200T 29 MITSUBISHI MU-2F COMMANDER 1550 BARON 58 House Ad 203 KING AIR 300 1 MITSUBISHI MU-2G 17 ROCKWELL 560E 479 BARON 58P COMMANDER 3 KING AIR 300LW 22 MITSUBISHI MU-2J 137 BARON 58TC 11 ROCKWELL 560F 588 KING AIR 350 32 MITSUBISHI MU-2K 5 BARON A56TC COMMANDER Full Page 34 KING AIR 350C 15 MITSUBISHI MU-2L 142 BARON G58 36 ROCKWELL 680 SUPER 17 KING AIR 90 23 MITSUBISHI MU-2M 4/C Ad 43 BEECH BARON 56 TC 17 ROCKWELL 680E 7 KING AIR A/B90 30 MITSUBISHI MU-2N 2 BEECH BARON 58 PA 19 ROCKWELL 680F 120 KING AIR A100 38 MITSUBISHI MU-2P 217 BEECH DUKE B60 COMMANDER 203 KING AIR A200 55 MITSUBISHI SOLITAIRE 193 CESSNA 340 22 ROCKWELL 680FL GRAND 58 KING AIR A90 673 PILATUS P-12 556 CESSNA 340A COMMANDER 221 KING AIR A90-1 341 PILATUS PC-12 NG 120 CESSNA 402B 14 ROCKWELL 680FLP 135 KING AIR B100 549 PILATUS PC-12/45 BUSINESS LINER GRAND LINER 902 KING AIR B200 154 PILATUS PC-12/47 64 CESSNA 402C 78 KING AIR B200C 18 PIPER 700P AEROSTAR 38 CESSNA 404 TITAN HIGH PERFORMANCE 63 KING AIR B200GT 492 PIPER MERIDIAN 288 CESSNA 414 MOVE-UP SINGLES 2 KING AIR B200SE 10 ROCKWELL 680T TURBO 374 CESSNA 414A 3 KING AIR B200T 6 ROCKWELL 680V TURBO II CHANCELLOR OWNERS Aircraft Count 66 KING AIR B90 7 ROCKWELL 680W TURBO II 72 CESSNA 421 295 KING AIR C90 9 ROCKWELL 681 HAWK 61 CESSNA 421A 32 KING AIR C90-1 89 SOCATA TBM-700A 250 BEECH BONANZA 454 CESSNA 421B 493 CESSNA 182 160 KING AIR C90A 91 SOCATA TBM-700B 757 CESSNA 421C 316 KING AIR C90B 4 SOCATA TBM-700C1 71 CESSNA 206 66 CESSNA T303 448 CESSNA P210N 7 KING AIR C90SE 115 SOCATA TBM-700C2 124 PIPER 601P AEROSTAR 278 KING AIR E90 318 SOCATA TBM-850 26 CESSNA P210R 29 PIPER 602P AEROSTAR 58 CESSNA T182 160 KING AIR F90 22 SOCATA TBM-900 465 PIPER CHIEFTAIN 17 KING AIR F90-1 6 STARSHIP 2000A 1 CESSNA T206 28 PIPER MOJAVE 2714 CIRRUS SR22 1 MERLIN 300 51 TURBO COMMANDER 1000 870 PIPER NAVAJO 1 MERLIN IIA 27 TURBO COMMANDER 690 240 PIPER MALIBU 24 ROCKWELL 500 SHRIKE 387 PIPER MALIBU MIRAGE 29 MERLIN IIB 129 TURBO COMMANDER 690A 33 ROCKWELL 500A SHRIKE 12 MERLIN III 113 TURBO COMMANDER 690B 69 ROCKWELL 500B SHRIKE 37,744 TOTAL 20 MERLIN IIIA 58 TURBO COMMANDER 840 46 ROCKWELL 500S SHRIKE 49 MERLIN IIIB 16 TURBO COMMANDER 900 8 ROCKWELL 500U SHRIKE AIRCRAFT 14 MERLIN IIIC 23 TURBO COMMANDER 980 John Shoemaker, Advertising Director 2779 Aero Park Drive • P.O. Box 968 • Traverse City, MI 49685-0968 (800) 773-7798 • (231) 946-3712 • Fax: (231) 946-9588 E-mail: [email protected] • www.twinandturbine.com
APRIL 2015 TWIN & TURBINE • 1 EDITOR LeRoy Cook
EDITORIAL OFFICE 2779 Aero Park Drive Traverse City, MI 49686 Phone: (660) 679-5650 E-mail: [email protected]
PUBLISHERS J. Scott Lizenby Dave Moore
PRESIDENT Dave Moore
CFO J. Scott Lizenby
PRODUCTION MANAGER Mike Revard
PUBLICATIONS DIRECTOR Steve Smith
GRAPHIC DESIGN Michael McCatty
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR John Shoemaker Twin & Turbine 2779 Aero Park Drive Traverse City, MI 49686 Phone: 1-800-773-7798 Simcom Training Centers Fax: (231) 946-9588 [email protected] Full Page REPRINT SALES DIRECTOR MEDIA COORDINATOR 4/C Ad ADVERTISING ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Betsy Beaudoin Phone: 1-800-773-7798 [email protected]
SUBSCRIBER SERVICES Deb Neuman Kathy Erlewein Maria Mellberg San Juana Fisher P.O. Box 968 Traverse City, MI 49685 1-800-447-7367
COVER PHOTO Photo Courtesy of Pilatus Business Aircraft, Ltd.
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2 • TWIN & TURBINE APRIL 2015 Contents APRIL 2015 • VOL. 19, NO. 4
EDITOR FEATURES LeRoy Cook 4 Editorial EDITORIAL OFFICE 2779 Aero Park Drive Looking Back Traverse City, MI 49686 Phone: (660) 679-5650 E-mail: [email protected] 8 The Majestic Pilatus PC-12NG A New Generation of PC-12’s PUBLISHERS J. Scott Lizenby – Todd Hotes Dave Moore 8 PRESIDENT 16 Where Are We Now, Exactly? Dave Moore Don’t Rely On The Automation CFO J. Scott Lizenby 22 Alternates
PRODUCTION MANAGER A Florida Thunderstorm Causes Mike Revard Unplanned Diversions PUBLICATIONS DIRECTOR – Gary “Waldo” Peppers Steve Smith
GRAPHIC DESIGN Twin Proficiency 22 Michael McCatty 24 Fatigue Awareness ADVERTISING DIRECTOR – Thomas Turner John Shoemaker Twin & Turbine 2779 Aero Park Drive From The Flight Deck Traverse City, MI 49686 Simcom Training Centers Phone: 1-800-773-7798 26 Kite Tales Fax: (231) 946-9588 – Kevin R. Dingman [email protected] Full Page REPRINT SALES DIRECTOR 29 NBAA Focus 24 MEDIA COORDINATOR 4/C Ad ADVERTISING ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT 36 En Route: Betsy Beaudoin Phone: 1-800-773-7798 Tom Turner To NAFI [email protected] Jumpstart GA 2000
SUBSCRIBER SERVICES Twin Commander University Deb Neuman Kathy Erlewein Piper Launches M500 Maria Mellberg San Juana Fisher P.O. Box 968 39 Ad Index 26 Traverse City, MI 49685 1-800-447-7367 40 On Final
COVER PHOTO Sometimes, Slow Is Better Photo Courtesy of Pilatus Business Aircraft, Ltd. – David Miller
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Twin & Turbine (ISSN 1945-6514), USPS 24432 is published monthly by Village Press, Inc. with advertising offices located at 2779 Aero Park Drive, Traverse City, Michigan 49686. Telephone (231) 946-3712. Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved. Copyright 2015, Village Press, Inc. Periodical Postage Paid at Traverse City, MI. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Twin & Turbine is distributed at no charge to all registered owners of cabin-class aircraft. The mailing list is updated monthly. All others may subscribe by writing to: Twin & Turbine, P.O. Box 968, Traverse City, MI 49685, or by calling 1-800-447-7367. Rates for the United States and its possessions follow: one year $29.95; two years $52.50. Canadian subscriptions are $15 per year additional, including GST tax. Overseas subscriptions are $30 per year additional, U.S. funds. Single copies $3.95. ADVERTISING: Advertising in Twin & Turbine does not necessarily imply endorsement. Queries, questions, and requests for media kits should be directed to the Advertising Director, Twin & Turbine, P.O. Box 968, Traverse City, Michigan 49685. Telephone 1-800-773-7798. Website: www.twinandturbine.com. MANUSCRIPTS: Twin & Turbine assumes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, or art work. While unsolicited submissions are welcome, it is best to query first and ask for our Writer’s Guidelines. All unassigned submissions must be accompanied by return postage. Address queries and requests for Writer’sGuidelines to the editor. POSTMASTER: Send address changes and inquiries to Twin & Turbine, Village Press, Inc., P.O. Box 968, Traverse City, MI 49685. APRIL 2015 TWIN & TURBINE •• 3 editor’sbriefing Looking Back
t doesn’t take long. As soon my logbook are testimony that I did find the airport in an as pilots accumulate a few unexpected snowstorm, or that it did take twice as long to Ihundred flying hours, they come back home as it did to fly out. begin to leaf back through their In my very earliest days, I made entries in aircraft logbooks, logbooks, reminiscing over planes as well as my own, because some of the older planes weren’t flown, places seen and people equipped with recording tachometers. Each pilot dutifully noted. I remember filling up my entered the time flown, to keep track of oil changes, landings first slim volume of carefully- and fuel consumed. annotated minutia (truly, there To create a useful record, it’s important to be dead-honest were some flights logged in indigence-mandated minutes) about one’s logbook entries – for yourself, if no one else. I do and turning through the pages before tossing it on the shelf. not, for instance, log pilot time unless I fulfill a takeoff/landing Looking back is not just for the aged, but for anyone who’s duty, which is why there’s no helicopter time in my books, Rockwell Collins on a journey. even though I’ve spent many hours en route under rotor, Full Page I don’t know how one flips through electronic records. As performing as a human autopilot. As a glaring FAA inspector 4/C Ad a print-and-ink guy, I’ve always been a scrivener, reluctantly once told me, holding a ballpoint pen in his hand, “Ya know, accommodating a computer keyboard only after the office this pen can write anything in a logbook.” His point was well- scanner no longer recognized my flawed typing. The pleasure taken, and you and I have probably seen considerable P-51 of recalling experiences can no doubt be drawn from digital (as in Parker 51 fountain pen) time in logs we’ve scrutinized. entries as well as handwritten ones, perhaps linked to Take pride in keeping clean records, so you can look back at additional files. them as the gospel truth.
Why are we interested in going back into the archives of As do many senior birdmen, I no longer log the routine airplane types and stops made? Sometimes it’s curiosity, runs in detail, or keep track of time-in-type. But my logs still wanting to verify something we think we’ve done, but aren’t contain significant mementos of chasing jackrabbits after dead-sure of. Have I really flown that N-number, way back high-elevation takeoffs, deviating around storms, and making when? Did I fly during the ATC strike in 1981, and where was unplanned diversions to out-of-the-way airports. Looking back I flying around September 11 of 2001? is habitual and infectious. It can also be productive, as a way
Learning is the transfer of knowledge gained through to avoid repeating the mistakes we’ve made.
experience, and sometimes we make the transfer by personal LeRoy Cook. recall, not solely by absorbing it from others. The trips in Editor
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APRIL 2015 TWIN & TURBINE • 7 The Majestic by Todd Hotes Pilatus PC-12NG
he Pilatus PC-12 is a majestic- looking airplane, standing T14-feet tall with a 53-foot wingspan. Its footprint rivals that of a small to mid size jet, but it’s not. It’s a single-engine pressurized turboprop. The latest version, the PC-12/47E, also known as the NG (Next Generation), was introduced in 2008. Yes, its price tag may approach that of a small jet. However, this is where the similarities end. In the case of the NG, the profit is in the purchase.
Described as the high-performance sport utility vehicle of the sky, the PC-12NG provides a high ratio of cost to performance. Boasting 330 cubic feet of cabin space, a 4'5" x payload across a vast expense almost 2.4 nm per thousand feet 4'4" cargo door, and an increased of earth, at a reasonable speed. AGL, the fear of an aircraft having maximum takeoff weight of 10,450 Dependable, efficient, and eloquent only one engine quickly subsides. lbs (compared to 9,920 lbs in the are just a few adjectives that describe With intelligent piloting, combined previous model), the PC-12NG, the NG. Propelled by the large, with the reliability of the engine, the and all of its predecessor upgrades, dependable Pratt and Whitney PT6A- PC-12NG is as safe (arguably safer) delivers the ability to carry a heavy 67P engine, and with a glide ratio of as any aircraft of its size.
8 • TWIN & TURBINE APRIL 2015 Pilatus PC-12NG
A New Generation of PC-12’s
APRIL 2015 TWIN & TURBINE • 9 I’ve now flown the NG for almost older airplanes to bring them up subsystems controlled by computers five years; the airplane never ceases later standards. Larger winglets in and line-replaceable modules allow to amaze me. Whether it’s the 1998, panel changes in 2001 and the integrated avionics system to performance on any particular day, the increase in gross weight in 2006 produce easy-to-manage information, the flexibility of suitable airfields to create the PC-12/47, continued system functionality, and graphical (including unpaved airstrips), or the the upgrades. Pre-NG aircraft used depictions. the PT-6A-67B engine, limited to reliability of the airframe, the NG Moreover, the NG also benefited 1,000-shp after five minutes. always delivers what we’ve grown from new winglets (for a myriad to expect from the Pilatus. If you’re The NG has had a few significant of efficiencies), a rudder/aileron looking for a personal airplane, this upgrades over the earlier model interconnect (for improved lateral is it. If you’re looking for a cargo PC-12s. For one, the airplane now stability and coordination), servo hauler, this is also it. And if you’re comes standard with the Honeywell tabs on the aileron (introduced looking to maximize business travel, Primus Apex Integrated Avionics on the PC-12/47 for boosted well, this is it, too. It’s a horse of System. Very robust, the avionics roll performance), and lastly, as many different colors, and this is package includes four 10-inch mentioned earlier, increased power what sets the airplane apart. Follow reversionary screens that can easily be from the PT6A-67P engine, capable along, as I walk through different reconfigured in the event of a failure. of 1,845-shp but flat-rated to a stages of flight to describe the Pilatus The screens are arranged in a “T” continuous 1,200-shp by Pilatus, PC-12NG. But first, let’s note the shape, with two PFD’s on either side coupled to the increased maximum differences among previous models. of the upper MFD and one additional takeoff weight (MTOW) of 10,450 lbs. MFD below that. The information is All of these upgrades have continued Old Dog, New Tricks divided in quadrants for easy viewing to make the NG a formidable player Initially appearing in 1995, the and interpretation. Maneuvering in both the turboprop and light-to- PC-12/41 had a gross weight of 9,036 around the system is made easy with small jet markets. lbs, quickly upgraded to 9,920 lbs a cursor control device, in addition with stronger landing gear as the to the standard joystick, which helps Operationally PC-12/45. Pilatus deserves much tremendously in turbulent conditions. The PC-12NG handles as well as credit for providing retrofits for Housed in the modular avionics unit, she is beautiful. With all of the new
10 • TWIN & TURBINE APRIL 2015 upgrades, versatility is unsurpassed. Whether the mission is flying in a congested terminal environment, where adaptability in airspeed and automation are paramount, using unimproved airfields, with help from trailing link gear and large tires, or flying in mountainous terrain, requiring agility and ultimate pilot control, the NG has you covered, for rather reasonable fixed and variable operating costs. The aircraft doesn’t satisfy every mission profile, but it has quite a large operating envelope. Powering up the PC-12NG gives the feeling of being in a larger aircraft. Its sights, sounds, and spacious cockpit, along with the ergonomics and “switchology”, resemble that of David Clark Company a “big airplane”, albeit, a single-pilot friendly one. Pilatus and BMW have Half Page gone to great lengths to design the cockpit (and cabin) with eloquence, 4/C Ad durability, and functionality in mind. Cockpit organization is made easy with side storage areas for paper charts, mini drawers behind each seat to fit Jeppesen-binder size items, coat hooks aft of the seat, cup holders for the ever-important cup of coffee, and cockpit lighting in just the right places. The cabin isn’t too shabby either; it’s usually configured with four club-facing seats and two forward-facing seats, plus room for two more, with access to entertainment. Power-up is simple, but proper procedures need to be followed, due to start-up logic within the computers. Along the same lines, using a ground power unit for preloading the flight plan/ performance information, as well as ground heating and cooling, gives the feel of a larger airplane. Be that as it may, the airplane does Nashua Flight Simulator have two NICAD batteries that are fully capable of battery starts: One Sixth Page powers the starter/generator and the other provides power to maintain essential systems during start. 4/C Ad
Taking to the Sky Taxiing the NG is fairly easy, despite its size. Although it appears
APRIL 2015 TWIN & TURBINE • 11 SPECIFICATIONS Pilatus PC-12NG Powerplant Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67P Seats 8-11 Fuel 402 gal. Performance Certified ceiling 30,000 ft. Max. cruise speed 280 kts Stall speed 67 kts to have a very long nose, the sight Alerting System (CAS) message Takeoff distance 2,650 ft picture from the pilot seat makes it is extinguished, you’re ready to (50 ft. obstacle) relatively easy to see everything in advance power. With 1,200 shp Landing distance 1,830 ft front of you. With the help of brakes, coming to life, torque is strong. Right (50 ft. obstacle) turning radius is a reasonable 32 rudder to counteract the pulling Max. range (w/reserve) 2,210 n.mi. Climb rate 1,920 fpm feet, wing tip to wing tip. Similarly, tendency is necessary, although it’s an easy airplane to taxi in and Weights steadily advancing power reduces Ramp 10,495 lb out of small spaces, thanks to a the extreme pull. Power response MTOW 10,450 lb large viewing range and easy “tribal is smooth and, with the help of the Zero Fuel 9,039 lb knowledge” aircraft reference marks torque limiter, takeoff power is set Max. landing 9,921 lb to locate the position of tires, etc. easily. Unlike older models of the Empty 6,602 lb Additionally, the aircraft’s lighting PC-12, the NG’s flat rating means the Useful load 3,893 lb makes it easy to see and be seen time limit for power reduction is a Dimensions Wingspan 53.33 ft at night. Having a large prop with thing of the past. Observing proper Height 14 ft beta control also limits the required temperature limits, however, must braking, so as to facilitate smooth Length 47.25 ft be maintained. Once off the ground and steady taxiing. There is no Cabin length 16.9 ft with flaps and gear retracted, the separate propeller control. Cabin width 60 in aircraft accelerates nicely. With the Cabin height 58 in After completing the before- help of the yaw damper and autopilot Baggage 40 cu.ft. takeoff checklist and ensuring that control of the rudder trim, rudder Information: www.pilatus-aircraft.com the “takeoff configuration” Crew control takes little effort.
12 • TWIN & TURBINE APRIL 2015 Although automation can take over at this point, hand-flying the PC-12NG is part of the fun and experience. Unlike previous models that felt boxy and heavy, the NG, although still semi-heavy on the controls, feels more steady than cumbersome. With the help of the aileron servo tabs, the airplane rolls much faster and smoother. The one drawback I find is having only electric trim. Call me old fashioned, but I still like to have a manual way of trimming. Nevertheless, with alternate trim and pitch-runaway control, the worry dissipates quickly.
The Wild Blue Yonder Happily at home at 28,000 feet and 280 kts, generally speaking, the PC-12NG’s ride is smooth and relatively quick. Heading west to east and dipping into the jet stream, ground speeds are often in the mid- to-high 300-kt range. At max power, full fuel, and averaging a 55-gph burn in the high 20,000’s, range is generally upwards of 1,500 nm with
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APRIL 2015 TWIN & TURBINE • 13 IFR reserves. Of course, having a easy, even for the single pilot. wing area, Vref speeds can easily small bathroom on board (especially VNAV capability, charts on the be in the low 80-kt range. For an on trips into the wind) makes those upper MFD, and the aircraft’s airplane of this size, it definitely legs more pleasant. The airplane performance, all assist with takes time to adjust to. That being is RVSM capable but, generally getting the airplane on the ground said, the airplane is perfectly happy speaking, the extra 2,000 feet is in every circumstance. Similar to at slow speeds, and in fact has a Vso not worth the cost of enabling. The many turboprops, having almost of 64 kts at max-landing weight. ride in turbulence is fairly smooth. nine feet of aerodynamic braking With the help of trailing-link gear, A wing loading of 37.6 lbs/square foot out front enables mistakes to be just about every landing (assuming facilitates the fantastic low-speed easily accounted for. Furthermore, the wheels stay attached) makes the flight regime Pilatus is famous for. while managing the automation as pilot out to be a hero. Deceleration However, the byproduct can be a single pilot takes time to learn, is effortless with the reverse-pitch a slightly bumpier ride than that once understood, information is propeller. of a higher wing-loaded airplane, easily found and usually only two All in All although the NG is usually able to clicks away, via the CCD. Once on find smooth, clear air with a 30,000 the approach, the NG is very stable The older model PC-12 is a foot service ceiling. Another nice and the sequence of events unfolds tremendous aircraft. The PC-12NG feature of the NG is its wide center- systematically. Gear operating is just that much more capable. of-gravity envelope. It’s very hard speed is 180 kts and the first notch Whether the mission is executive to exceed limits if proper POH of flaps is available at 165 kts. With charter, medical evacuations, cargo limitations are followed. The aircraft the propeller and power reductions, hauling, or pleasure cruising, this has all 402 gallons of its usable fuel the airplane slows fairly rapidly. Vref aircraft has something for everyone. in wing tanks, resulting in very little is easy to calculate, as it’s essentially It’s an easy aircraft to maintain CG change as fuel is consumed. taken from the dynamic speed bug and has a rather high 3,500- (1.3 X VS0) that’s derived from the hour TBO. From a department Down We Go AOA vanes, air data computer and manager’s perspective, it delivers The Primus Apex system makes actual aircraft weight from the flight the cost/benefit analysis every Avidyne Corporation flight department dreams of and descent and approach planning management computer. it completes the missions safely, Full Page Speaking of Vref, for those quickly, and comfortably. From uncomfortable flying at slow landing a pilot’s perspective, it’s a sleek, 4/C Ad speeds, the Pilatus will offer a advanced and, most importantly, challenge. As mentioned earlier, thrilling airplane to fly. Pilatus has with a low wing-loading and 40 again hammered the nail on the degrees of Fowler flaps extending head with the PC-12NG.•T&T
Todd Hotes Former Check Airman Chief Pilot, Polymer Resources, LTD.
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APRIL 2015 TWIN & TURBINE • 15 WHERE ARE WE NOW, EXACTLY? by LeRoy Cook
taying aware of the aircraft’s there’s less likelihood of ignoring the Because most of the flight may position and, most importantly, rock monitor’s “pull up” alert and be flown coupled to a flight plan Swhere it’s going on its present red-splashed display, but it can still loaded in the FMS, it’s easy to rely track, is a vital part of piloting. happen, particularly when warnings on the automation, but remember Historically, many, many tragic become commonplace because the GIGOm – Garbage In, Garbage Out. CFIT (controlled flight into terrain) terrain is nearby. In nearly every Misprogramming is only a fat-finger accidents have resulted from lapses case, however, near-misses or close push away. Again, make sure it looks in positional awareness. The pilots encounters are the result of an earlier right when the results of your entry thought they were in safe airspace, loss of positional awareness – a result, tally up. At every turn, verify where until the trees came through the not a cause, of the piloting error. Otto is taking you, not just that the windscreen. aircraft is following the line. Make Therefore, we must return to a sure it’s the RIGHT line. Even if an accident does not basic fundamental fact of flight; result, there are probably numerous know where you are, and know Having radar vectors to downwind instances each year when the crew it before you get there. As my or base-leg position, or onto an or pilot allows the aircraft to stray instructor taught me, “never let the intercepting heading, is not a cure-all. outside its intended flight path, airplane take you anywhere your A friend of mine who was an airline perhaps causing embarrassment brain hasn’t been one minute before simulator instructor often challenged or momentary alarm. These events (or longer).” If you keep track of his trainees by vectoring their should bring attention and resolve where you are, you won’t get lost, simulated flight into the approach to eliminate future occurrences. and more importantly, you can plan airspace, whereupon he would ask ahead for what must take place next. Now that we are well-equipped them to place a pencil point on the approach chart, to show him exactly with navigation displays, flight “Where’s It Taking Us?” management systems and automated where they were. All too much of the Today’s pattern of position flight controls, there should be zero time, they would give him a blank- loss is more likely to occur from CFIT accidents and inadvertent off- stare response. They were obviously information overload, or from over- course excursions. The fact that loss dependent on radar guidance, with reliance on automation. In the first of positional awareness continues to no backup resource in their mind. case, the pilot has a geo-referenced occur is evidence of the creativity map but it has so much symbology Evidently, these well-schooled of human ability to induce failures. on it that the aircraft’s position is pilots had completed familiarization Pilots can keep up with only so much submerged in data. It’s important training on using the flight programming and changing; frequent to utilize brain-power to monitor management system and following twists and turns in the aircraft’s the flight’s progress. Know where procedures and systems. But, they flight path can leave us unsure of you’ve already been, know how long hadn’t a clue about how to maintain exactly where we are and where we’re it’s been since the present heading a mental picture of the flight’s supposed to be. was taken up, and gauge where you progress. Simple dynamics should With TAWS or other terrain- are. Do not depend strictly on the keep us aware of the airplane’s awareness equipment installed, MFD’s view of present position. position in space, from elapsed
16 • TWIN & TURBINE APRIL 2015 time, heading and speed. Should the MFD fail, a back-up chart or tablet won’t have all the MFD’s features; our mental picture should be able to fix our last known position and WHERE ARE WE project the flight’s progress to its present location. Night, IMC or unfamiliar locations are all operational challenges requiring extra caution. Having NOW, EXACTLY? previously made an entry to an airport helps to orient us, although Micro Aerodynamics Inc. one must not be lackadaisical from having had a fleeting familiarity. Third Page Facilities do change, and new obstructions can pop up. Following 4/C Ad charted procedures is particularly important when visibility is obscured, but that doesn’t mean you can’t keep track of your progress, anticipating where the next magenta path will appear and what the leader line on the flight path icon is forecasting. Do not abandon your responsibility as pilot-flying--keep track of where you are and where you’re going. The sad result of loss-of-positional- awareness is an aircraft literally flying itself, and if intervening terrain or obstructions loom up quickly, impact may be unavoidable. Distractions, like passenger requests or ATC re-routes, must not replace monitoring the flight’s progress. And it will progress; airplanes need forward momentum to maintain controlled flight. That means you’re not where you were minute-before- last; you’re now over here. Yingling Aviation GPS or multi-sensor navigation systems are great at marking a Third Page present fix. They are not so helpful with relating that fix to hazards and 4/C Ad routes, especially when a flight plan has yet to be loaded. The pilot’s duty is to know roughly where he or she is, and to use the GPS in a forward- looking manner, free of surprises.
Where Are You Now? In our wonderful world of moving maps and databases, we have the ability to see our location on a screen, in terms of waypoints and
APRIL 2015 TWIN & TURBINE • 17 Covington Aircraft Engines
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18 • TWIN & TURBINE APRIL 2015 distance-to-go. That’s not the same as positional awareness. How often have you glimpsed the surface through a break in the undercast and were surprised to find yourself offshore? Is your present heading taking you into terrain? How long can you maintain this heading before you must turn to avoid CFIT? What altitude will clear all obstructions, if you need to climb away from a landing attempt? These question must be resolved by having positional awareness. You can’t know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been. Some of the famous aviation accidents were the ones with no positional awareness at the controls. Turbines Inc. In 1972, Eastern Airlines Flight 401, a Lockheed TriStar, was flown Half Page into the swampy, flat terrain of the Florida Everglades because all of 4/C Ad the crew was preoccupied with troubleshooting a faulty landing gear light. No one noticed that the autopilot was disconnected and altitude was dwindling. A total of 101 persons died, with 75 survivors. Some 23 years later, American Airlines 965, a Boeing 757, crashed into a mountain at Cali, Columbia, killing 160 passengers and crew; four people survived, by a miracle. The weather was clear, but darkness was a factor. Contributing to the loss of positional awareness was a last- minute runway reassignment, plus an FMS programming error, leaving the airplane blindly pursuing an approach path to a non-existent airport, inserting itself into a mountain valley. Ground proximity warning gave a last minute “Pull up” command, but descent spoilers were not retracted and the slow climb was not sufficient. Aviation Technology Inc. The chain leading to accidents often begins with a simple mistake, Sixth Page compounded by further oversights. Losing positional awareness is such 4/C Ad a mistake. With all the tools we now have, it’s not difficult to regain PA, but first we have to realize that we’re lost. T&T APRIL 2015• TWIN & TURBINE • 19 Raisbeck
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20 • TWIN & TURBINE APRIL 2015 Raisbeck
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APRIL 2015 TWIN & TURBINE • 21 Alternatesby Gary “Waldo” Peppers eather recall” is one hear it in their aux receivers – and of the most hated then joined them on the recovery “Wtransmissions a fighter frequency. Our F-15As had only pilot ever hears, second maybe only one UHF transmitter and two UHF to “Guns kill at thirteen thousand receivers. No VHF. over Quartzite!” My flight heard h a d Once we joined up close on lead, sprung the dreaded weather recall from Wilsbach on the left wing and me on up in the 325th Tactical Fighter Wing SOF the right, Bambi signaled for a visual the vicinity of (Supervisor of Flying) in the middle fuel check – thumb to his mouth in Panama City, of our final air-to-air engagement. a drinking gesture. Wilsbach held where Tyndall It was a 2-versus-1 ACM (Air up two fingers vertical and then one lay just to Combat Maneuvering) training horizontal to signal 2,600 pounds the south. I remaining, a thousand pounds less mission in which my star F-15 estimate its cap than I had. Wingmen (and students) student, Ken Wilsbach, led by rose to three times always use up JP-4 faster than flight our squadron Weapons Officer, my own altitude leads from jockeying the throttles “Bambi” Kiefer, got to beat up on of 15,000 feet, still to maintain position, along with me as the lone bandit. Wilsbach’s bubbling upward somewhat less judicious use of objective was to execute the briefed with no sign yet of an anvil top afterburner while fighting. Still, forming. As far as I could see in tactics and support his flight lead Bambi had briefed “bingo” as 3,200 every direction the sky was clear and IP in dispatching the bandit with pounds, the minimum fuel state for placid, except for that one thunder ruthlessness and celerity. My job continuing the engagement. Had boomer threatening to ruin our day. was to die like a man. Wilsbach flown through bingo on Approaching the high fix, the In the first two “canned” set- that last set-up? Maybe he hadn’t set start of the long downhill slide ups, the bandit was only allowed his bingo bug correctly. As his flight into Tyndall, Arrival instructed to maneuver predictably. In the commander, I made a mental note us to make one left-hand orbit to final two set-ups, though, I was to query him about it in the debrief. get spacing on another flight just allowed free maneuver to fend off The bingo state was established ahead. The arrival frequency was a the attacking element and even kill to allow the flight enough fuel to continuous jabber of instructions, them if I could. That was my favorite rejoin in the area and recover to reports, requests, sequences, and flying – a high-G, sweat-soaked the Tyndall AFB traffic pattern with conflict calls. I’ve been on busier adrenalin rush with make-believe 2,000 pounds on a VFR day. Normal frequencies since then – maybe missiles and imaginary bullets! landing fuel was 1,200 pounds; approaching O’Hare on any Sunday Usually, the bandit gets beat down “minimum fuel” was declared at evening – but this was close. I on energy and eventually gets shot 1,000; and “emergency fuel” was marveled that the voices I heard – on film, anyway. Hence the maxim, 800. Eglin AFB, 60 miles up the on frequency, with one or two “When you’re in a 2v1 fight, try not coast, was our closest divert. An exceptions, were calm and concise to be the 1.” F-15 required 1,000 pounds from in that clipped staccato of urgency On hearing the SOF’s call, Bambi overhead Tyndall to touchdown maintained by professionals. at Eglin with tanks dry. I added a called, “Dusty One flight, knock it Burning 100 pounds of jet fuel hundred pounds to that for each of off” to terminate our maneuvering. a minute, we made a 200-pound my dependents. He then called the flight to join up turn to the left. As we rolled out and fence out (safe switches, reset Although this was supposed to inbound to the high fix, Bambi made squawks) for the return to base. I have been a VFR day, the sight a thumb jerk motion to signal me to switched over to the SOF frequency 50 miles to the northwest starkly take my own spacing. I did another automatically to acknowledge the revealed the cause of the recall. A spin to the right, switched on my recall – Bambi and Wilsbach would huge “cumulonympho gluteofractus” discreet squawk, and became my
22 • TWIN & TURBINE APRIL 2015 own separate flight, Biker faint outline of the hangars. Tyndall for the F-15. “’Kay, thanks.” Bambi One. I rolled out four miles in Approach told Dusty Two to turn didn’t sound too grateful for the trail of Dusty One right to 030, base leg. I watched advice, though. just as they began him make the turn six miles ahead Well, they made the local news the penetration. of me on the radar display and then that night. Not for heroically saving picked him up visually in the turn. I reported the the taxpayers $54 million dollars’ I crossed my fingers. initial approach fix worth of combat flying equipment, and Arrival cleared Half a minute later, Dusty but for causing some $15,000 me for the high dive. One was given a vector to 030. damage to the Panama City airport. Throttles retarded to just Simultaneously, the SOF announced Wilsbach made it down just fine above idle, I could hold 300 that Tyndall was now closed due to with at least enough gas to taxi to KIAS for the 30-mile descent winds and visibility, and all aircraft the ramp. Bambi, concerned about to Tyndall’s overhead pattern. should expect to hold for fifteen landing on Brick One, dragged it in The storm ahead appeared to be minutes or proceed to alternates. and took out some approach lights just north of the runways but I By alternates he meant our divert with his wheels. Hero to goat in five couldn’t perceive any movement bases. None of our flight plans that seconds flat! from that distance. day required alternates. Approach Nobody ever claimed that great repeated his words verbatim a Just then, the SOF-in-the-box fighter pilots have to be naturally moment later. announced that arrivals would be great pilots. The fighter pilot’s job, on hold beginning in two minutes “Dusty Two, go cheap suit.” Bambi ultimately, is killing people we don’t while the active runway was was sending Wilsbach to their pre- like and breaking their stuff. The switched from 31 to 13. Great, I briefed discreet frequency, one he flying part, that’s just the commute thought, that probably means the hadn’t told me about! “Shotgun” I to the job site. But maybe we should storm is passing to the east. knew – thirty-ought-six, or 300.60. work on that. T&T What the hell is a cheap suit? Had Tyndall Arrival began issuing to start with a 2 or a 3...$29.95! I • vectors to the west to the flights spun my frequency to 299.50 just ahead of me. A 270 heading in time to hear the end of Bambi’s would put them on a wide right query,” – state?” “About a thousand,” downwind for landing 13. One by Wilsbach answered. one we were handed off to Tyndall Approach for sequencing into the About a thousand pounds of fuel, overhead pattern. I thought. What does that mean? If he had eleven hundred wouldn’t “Tyndall is now IFR,” announced he say that? I looked at my own Approach on the common frequency. fuel gauge: 2,100. Wilsbach had a “All aircraft expect PAR approaches thousand less than me when we left to full stop.” The only ILS Tyndall the area. Maybe he does have 1,100 had was 31R. I began slowing to pounds remaining. No, he’s been 250 knots, radar pattern airspeed. flying on Bambi’s wing since we left Ahead of me, Dusty One told Dusty the area. If he had 950 or 920 he Two (Wilsbach) to fly his own radar might answer “about a thousand,” pattern while he (Bambi) followed in not if he had more than a thousand. Gary Peppers is a 15,000-hour two-mile trail. Approach gave Dusty ATP who holds CFI, CFII, heli- Two his own discreet squawk and I switched back to Approach in copter, and B-737 type ratings. vectored him 240. The flight ahead time to hear Bambi transmit, “Dusty He served 29 years on active of Dusty Two was turned to 030 for Two, come left to 300. Approach, duty from 1971, flying Army the radar base leg. Dusty One and Two are proceeding UH-1 and OH-58 helicopters direct Eglin, emergency fuel, cancel I leveled off at 2,000 feet, about and Air Force F-15s and OV- IFR.” Caught by surprise, Approach four miles offshore abeam the 10s. Recalled to active duty in hesitated a second and I jumped airfield. From my angle, it didn’t 2009, he flew MQ-1B Predators in. “Bambi, Waldo. He doesn’t have appear that the storm had moved in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya. the gas to get there! Take him into to the east at all. It looked like it Retired in 2013 to Cape Coral, Panama City. It’s right there in was just spreading out, growing Florida, he owns a Piper PA-31 the clear. Tower is two fifty-seven wider at its base. In fact, I couldn’t Navajo and a PA-24 Comanche. nothing.” Fanin Field’s longest see anything of Tyndall except a runway was over 6,000 feet, plenty
APRIL 2015 TWIN & TURBINE • 23 Twin Proficiency: Awareness Reserves by Thomas P. Turner
t was a surprising and frightening Fatigue is real sleep periods the subjects are statistic. Several years ago, I not even aware are taking place. Non-aviation, but nevertheless attended the Bombardier Safety • Increased tendency for I important, research by the Stand-Down in Wichita, Kansas. The risk-taking. Canadian Center for Occupational Stand-Down is a two-day series of Health and Safety reveals that after • Increased forgetfulness. safety seminars and workshops, rising from an uninterrupted eight- • Increased errors in judgment. aimed primarily at pilots and hours of sleep: operators of business jets. During It’s almost as if we made sure pilots one presentation, the speaker • Being awake for 17 hours has the get eight hours of uninterrupted asked the roughly 300 people in same deleterious performance sleep every night, and limited attendance to answer a question: effect as a 0.05 blood their duty day to avoid noticeable “Have you ever fallen asleep in the alcohol content. reductions in performance due to cockpit in flight?” Responses were • Being awake for 21 hours has the fatigue, we could virtually eliminate anonymous through a “clicker”- same performance effect as a all aircraft crashes. That’s hyperbole, type remote system. The result: 0.08 blood alcohol content – the of course. But if the NTSB is right, over 60% of the professional pilots legal limit for driving in Canada we could eliminate nearly a quarter in attendance admitted to having and most of the United States. of all accidents if we could just deal fallen asleep at the controls at least • Being awake for 24 hours has the with pilot fatigue. once. In follow-up questions, at least same performance effect as half of the remainder reported at a blood alcohol content of 0.10. Everybody talks about it… least one instance when they found • Numerous studies list common To paraphrase Mark Twain, it very hard to stay awake in flight. behaviors in fatigue-study everybody talks about fatigue, subjects. As you read the list, but nobody does anything about More recently, I attended an think about how often we read it. Most Twin and Turbine pilots NBAA’s Single-Pilot Safety Stand- the same words in discussions use the airplane for business. Down. One of the speakers asked the of aviation crash factors. Limiting the duty day, that is, same question of this group of pilots, • Reduced decision-making ability. establishing a maximum number most of who fly alone in piston twins • Reduced ability to do of hours from alarm clock to engine and turbine airplanes. Once again, complex planning. shutdown (NBAA recommends 14 there was an anonymous response hours maximum), runs counter • Reduced communication skills. system; nearly two-thirds of the to the realities of business and • Reduced productivity and pilots reported instances of having the flexibility we get from the performance. great difficulty staying awake in use of a business or personal flight. Several admitted to actually • Reduced attention and vigilance. airplane. Reducing that 14-hour falling asleep while in solo command • Reduced ability to handle stress. recommendation, when you haven’t of an aircraft in flight. • Reduced reaction time – both in had eight hours of uninterrupted speed and thought. The National Transportation sleep the night before, seems even Safety Board reports that pilot • Loss of memory or the ability to more anti-business. recall details. fatigue issues were contributors How do we reconcile succeed- to 23% of aircraft crashes in • Failure to respond to changes or-fail business reality to the life- 2012. NTSB investigators are now in surroundings or information and-death reality of flying while researching an accident pilot’s sleep provided – loss of situational fatigued? Like any good business patterns in the 72 hours preceding awareness. decision, it requires strategy and a crash, when such information is • Inability to stay awake, flexibility. Your strategy may be as available. involuntary microsleeps – short simple as planning your meetings
24 • TWIN & TURBINE APRIL 2015 and site visits so you fly at the times Allow yourself to be as flexible about fatigue (or lack of fatigue) as that best fit your lifestyle. about your fatigue state as well. That a resource. We need to plan about may mean that you finish your last the fatigue reserve in our bodies the For example, I’ve always been a meeting at 4 pm but stay overnight same way we strategize about fuel morning person (hate me if you wish). to fly home early the next morning, in the airplane’s tanks – establish When I was flying a Beech Baron if that matches your personal a maximum duty day limit and an over 300 hours a year, I found that I rest patterns. The good news is even healthier personal – minimum was far fresher getting wheels up at that most airport hotels have low “awareness reserve” that you’ll want 5 am than I was if I took off at 7 pm. aircrew rates (just ask), and modern to have at the end of every flight. It also helped that an early morning interconnectivity means you can departure meant I was flying toward Being tired in the cockpit makes work from just about anywhere. In daylight conditions – everything it far more likely you’ll make the fact, I’m about to email this article gets better when it’s easier to see. kinds of mistakes found in most to Twin and Turbine’s editor from Like most people, I also tend to slow NTSB reports. To reduce your risk an airport. With cell phones and down in the middle of the afternoon, by as much as 25%, according to wireless access, most people will during “siesta time.” From a flying the NTSB, it’s time to get real never know you’re in Allentown standpoint, that tells me to avoid about fatigue. T&T instead of Albany or Atlanta. flights over the roughly 2 o’clock to 3:30 period. Take a good look at • Awareness Reserves your personal sleep and drowsiness In flying, as well as business, patterns, and see if you can arrange there is a strong culture of rewarding your schedule to avoid flying during those who push on for long hours your awareness downtimes. and denigrating those who get Any good strategy requires tired and give up. Another word for flexibility, and flying is no different. fatigue is “weakness,” and no pilot You have to be flexible because of or business-person wants to appear weather and equipment failures. to be weak. Instead, we should think
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APRIL 2015 TWIN & TURBINE • 25 From The Flight Deck together with granny knots, made a fine tail. Their diamond shape, by Kevin R. Dingman along with a tail, made them look agreeable, like the two-seat, twelve- cylinder Jaguar, the Beech Duke and Kite Tales runner sleds. And not so much like a Volkswagen van, Piper Apache or ust as we scribe details toboggan. Now I understand: the of a troublesome flight square box kite, without a tail, Jin our logbook, so the wasn’t sexy. snowfalls and venomously- After construction, failure to bitter cold of last winter get the kite airborne was both are now recorded. Inches and common and frustrating. Without feet, extreme temperatures and the guiding assurances from Dad, lessons learned; from north to it often seemed impossible. And, south, many of these were charted spray once aloft, the ability to keep it as new records. Now, April showers paint airborne was not to be taken for bring May flowers, and this year and all the granted. If the wind was to change we can record the arrival of spring sugar-infused speed, or shift direction, the string with renewed appreciation. Soon, candy you could could go slack and the fragile paper grass on the airports and yards will ingest – all right there kite would either flutter pathetically need to be mowed. Not only is it on the shelves. No locks, no to the ground tail-first or point its time to get out the bat, ball, glove, restrictions and no ID required. lawn mower and cleaning supplies, We were free to use our own judgment nose at the earth, thereby increasing but it’s kite season too – if there is and if you liked your dime-store, tension on the string and impacting such a thing. you could keep it. Unfortunately, the ground just below the speed this freedom also allowed the of sound. A kite with no tail has For a lot of us (Wright Brothers purchase of candy cigarettes, over- nothing for its flier to work with to included), kites were one of our the-counter codeine and morphine, stabilize it when there are shifts in earliest endeavors into the flying lead-based paint, rat poison with the wind. In a light, steady wind, that’s fine, but it’s a good idea to realm, along with gliders and rubber arsenic, insecticides with DDT, and add a tail, in case the wind shifts band airplanes. Before the days of a host of other products laced with speed or direction. two-handled controls and rip-stop hazardous chemicals, compounds, nylon, kites were made of wooden and carcinogens. Adults perused Once stabilized in the air, sticks covered with paper, most of the aisles of the store smoking their learning to maneuver around and them by a company called Hi-Flier. Winston, Lucky Strike, Camel and away from obstructions was the Instead of fancy handles, you flew Marlboro cigarettes. Perhaps it’s next milestone. Even Charlie Brown them holding a ball of kite string best, after all, that the government found it necessary to explain to with a stick through the hole in the intervened with some product and the Peanuts gang the formidable ball’s middle. The string came from social regulations to make our kite truism of the “kite-eating tree.” As a a dime-store called Woolworths, shopping less hazardous. novice kite flyer, the learning curve Ben Franklin or Kresge’s and the was thusly fraught with setbacks, stick came from the woods – back In the spring, we went to the dime- disappointments and broken kites. when there were woods next to your store for our kites; Dad selected a Once mastered, however, the full house. If the kite was deployed in box-kite and we three boys were therapeutic effect of a bloody a stiff wind, the string would cause given the diamond-shaped ones. crook in your pinky finger could the inside of your pinky finger to I didn’t like box-kites and never be realized. bleed, completely unnoticed. Ah, understood why until I was older; those were the days. it was the aesthetics. Dad’s box- Perhaps there was a deeper kites were square and never had meaning to kite flying than Dad and Chemicals, Compounds and Carcinogens a tail. A square doesn’t look very we boys realized. After all, we were In addition to kites, string, and aerodynamic, and a kite just isn’t a just a bunch of kids (Dad included) balsa wood airplanes, the dime- kite without a tail. Mom let us tear playing outside and getting grass store also had BB’s for your BB gun, up old pillow cases and bed sheets to stains on our jeans. By donating her rolls of caps for your cap gun, pocket make tails for our more streamlined- linens, Mom not only got the four knives, baseball cards for the spokes looking diamond kites. Three or of us out of the house, but she had of your bike, model airplane glue, four two-foot sections of linen, tied facilitated stability. Innately, Mom
26 • TWIN & TURBINE APRIL 2015 let us tear up pillow cases because she knew that the winds of life are never steady for long; especially when raising children. For her three boys, kite flying was an early success and confidence builder. Once older, we got involved with Dad’s RC model airplanes, but, even armed with the confidence gained from kite flying, we never developed the skills and patience that he had for building planes. But still, I fell in love with the processes, smells, mechanics and aesthetics of kites and airplanes. Another spring “togetherness” ritual, and one not so enthusiastically anticipated, was washing and waxing the cars. Waxing Dad’s AOPA Ford Mustang, which I hoped would someday be mine, was a labor of Full Page love. Kites, model airplanes and the Mustang are the reasons I still like to 4/C Ad get hands-on with the maintenance and cleaning of airplanes. And the warm, kite-flying air provides an opportunity to do just that, to clean out the hangar and wash our plane, enthusiastically. There are a million products for cleaning and polishing boats, cars and airplanes and, fortunately, we can still purchase some pretty serious solvents and cleaning products from the dime- store, some of them not so good for all parts of the plane or our skin. I begin by pulling the Duke around the corner and running a leaf blower through the hangar to blow out the winter dust bunnies, dirt and other bits of wintertime stuff. I’m still finding some sawdust and drywall powder from building the office. If ambitious, you can next throw a few buckets of soapy water on the floor F F Large Inventory and squeegee it out. Dowty F Hartzell F Same Day Shipping F McCauley F Uncompromised Quality Sponge Bath F MT PropellerRockey Mountain PropellersF Competitive Prices F Sensenich F World Class Warranty After the hangar is clean, a warm, F F Rapco Distributor Sixth Page Factory Trained Technicians soapy sponge bath is in order, top to F Woodward PT6A bottom and front to back – for the http://www.rockyprop.com plane, that is. When administering e-mail: [email protected] B/W Ad the sponge bath, pay close attention 2865 Airport Drive F Erie, CO 80516 F to the areas most affected by winter Fax: 303-665-7164 FAA/EASA CRS FR6R545N ground operations. There are areas, though, where a sponge bath is not
APRIL 2015 TWIN & TURBINE • 27 enough to do the job, and certain taken in airplanes – even the ones extra – she’ll understand. You never grime needs more effort. But, if on the airlines. They can certainly know when the winds will change you use the wrong products or handle the controls of an airplane, and you might want to use the extras techniques, disaster may ensue. And but none ever developed an interest to make a kite tail, in order to make be careful with the idea of using a in becoming a pilot. I hadn’t thought a kite tale, even if it cuts into your much about why. Maybe it’s because power washer; especially on hinges, pinky finger. I wish I had. T&T locks, landing gear and in the wheel we never flew kites – not even an wells. All that grease in those Zerk ugly box kite. How did I let that • fittings is there for a reason. Behind happen? “The cat’s in the cradle the cabin combustion heater’s and the silver spoon….” I suppose. exhaust, engine nacelles and the With springtime chores looming, entire underside of the plane, for kite flying may again have to wait, example, more serious chemicals, but “we’ll get together then…you compounds and carcinogens are know we’ll have a good time then.” needed. For the interior, it’s time If you’re accustomed to hiring to remove the winter-grimed someone to clean the airplane, I floor mats, clean the carpet and encourage you to reconsider and do upholstery, dust and clean the the sponge bath part yourself. Take Kevin Dingman has been flying instrument panel, take out the the kids along, even the grown-up for 40 years. He’s an ATP typed blankets and sanitize the masks. in the B737 and DC9 with 20,000 O2 ones. Check the operating manual hours. A retired Air Force Major, he Maybe even clean the honey pot and for compatibility of products and flew the F-16 then performed as a its surroundings…. maybe. then make a trip to your dime-store USAF Civil Air Patrol Liaison Of- for some chemicals and compounds. ficer. He flies volunteer missions for Kites and Kids the Christian organization Wings Maybe you should pick up a kite and of Mercy, is employed by a major It was easier to get the kids to some string while you’re there. Next, airline, and owns and operates a clean the plane than it was the cars, get permission and snag some linens Beechcraft Duke. Contact Kevin at [email protected]. and my kids enjoyed the trips we’ve from home to use as rags; take some
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28 • TWIN & TURBINE APRIL 2015 April 2015
NATIONAL BUSINESS AVIATION ASSOCIATION focus
NBAA Opposes Onerous New White House Proposal – You Can, Too by Ed Bolen NBAA President and CEO espite our industry’s many a tremendous competitive benefits to communities asset, but also helps preserve Dacross the United States, jobs in America’s vital aircraft business aviation is frequently a manufacturing sector. target for unsubstantiated rhetoric Readers of Twin & Turbine and onerous policy proposals can help spread this message as from Washington policymakers. Congress debates the President’s For example, President Obama’s fiscal year 2016 budget plan. recently released fiscal year 2016 NBAA is urging its Members budget proposal again focused on and other concerned aviation business aviation with a renewed stakeholders to use NBAA’s effort to lengthen the tax- Contact Congress resource, depreciation period for business located on the Association’s aircraft from five years to seven. website, to make their voices Administration officials have referred to heard on the administration’s proposal. the five-year schedule as a “loophole” that NBAA’s Contact Congress tool, available at disproportionately benefits those who can afford www.nbaa.org/contactcongress, provides an business aircraft. However, media outlets that easy way for Members to voice their views on the have researched the topic, as well as industry need to reject the administration’s attempt to advocates, say the schedule is an effective driver change the depreciation schedule. Each Contact of economic investment that dates back decades, Congress message is customized for the sender, and applies to a wide variety of equipment classes, and each message may be edited to a sender’s from construction vehicles to aircraft. specifications. NBAA never discloses senders’ NBAA was quick to point this out in forceful information to other parties. statements challenging the White House’s newest As NBAA continues to promote a positive budget plan, including comments published in agenda for the business aviation community, and the leading Washington, DC daily newspaper fight onerous proposals that would curtail our Roll Call noting that far from being a loophole, industry, we must also ensure that our size and depreciation schedules allowing deductions to significance are recognized in Washington. With be taken closer to when aircraft or other assets a new Congressional session now underway, I are purchased were set by the IRS and approved thank you for your support in ensuring that GA by Congress decades ago. continues to have a strong, clear and united voice We added that incentivizing business aircraft on Capitol Hill. purchase not only gives companies access to
APRIL 2015 TWIN & TURBINE • 29 NATIONAL BUSINESS AVIATION ASSOCIATION • focus
NBAA-Backed Provision Included in Pilots’ Rights Legislation
ongressional proponents of the nation’s “This key provision ensures that pilots and general aviation (GA) industry recently other certificate holders facing FAA enforcement Cintroduced new legislation to bolster action are granted their due process under law,” legal protections for GA pilots nationwide, noted NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen, “and including language proposed by NBAA to is keeping with the spirit and intent of the ensure that pilots and other certificate holders initial Pilots Bill of Rights measure in assuring facing FAA enforcement action have timely that the nation’s pilot community is treated access to information necessary to assist them fairly during enforcement action proceedings. in formulating a proper defense. We are particularly pleased that our concerns in this area are reflected in this new legislation, U.S. Sens. James Inhofe (R-OK) and Joe and we look forward to doing what we can to Manchin (D-WV) introduced the Senate version help move these important bills into law.” of the “Pilots Bill of Rights 2” Additional provisions (PBOR2) legislation, S.571, on outline specific actions the Feb. 26. On the same day, U.S. “This key provision FAA may not take, should the Reps. Sam Graves (R-6-MO) agency fail to provide timely and Collin Peterson (D-7-MN) ensures that pilots notifications to individuals introduced a companion House and other certificate facing enforcement action at measure, H.R. 1062. holders facing the start of the investigation. Last year, members of the FAA enforcement The PBOR2 legislation also calls NBAA Regulatory Issues action are granted for expedited action to reform the Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) Advisory Group joined Dick their due process Doubrava, the association’s process, and the extension of vice president for government under law” civil liability protections afforded affairs, and Brian Koester, to government employees to NBAA’s project manager for aviation medical examiners and operations, in meeting with Inhofe’s office other FAA representatives in the private sector. regarding the addition of language that will The new measures, which build upon the ensure defendants have an opportunity to landmark Pilot’s Bill of Rights legislation prepare a proper defense. signed into law in August 2012, also include The resulting provision, specified in language to compel the FAA to take action on PBOR2, would require the FAA to hand oft-delayed industry calls for reform to the over the enforcement report when serving third-class medical requirement for general emergency orders, and upon request in all aviation (GA) pilots. other cases. Although the timely release of such BAA has consistently joined with other documentation was a key requirement in the industry association in calling for this original PBOR legislation, multiple reports from Nreformed certification process, which the pilot community indicate the agency has seeks to broaden access to GA aircraft while not consistently released this documentation in maintaining the industry’s commendable levels sufficient time to enable defendants to mount of safety, and spur growth throughout the a proper legal defense. nation’s GA pilot community.
30 • TWIN & TURBINE APRIL 2015 APRIL 2015 TWIN & TURBINE • 31 NATIONAL BUSINESS AVIATION ASSOCIATION • focus
NBAA Weighs in on Canada’s Planned Electronic Passenger Info System
Aviation Association and former director general of civil aviation at Transport Canada, noted that while the new IAPI system potentially represents another layer of paperwork for business aircraft operators, it also closes a security gap for the aviation and maritime sectors created under a previous U.S.-Canada entry/exit treaty that only addressed land crossings. Sarah Wolf, NBAA’s senior manager of security and facilitation, met recently with U.S. and BAA recently advised international Canadian border agency representatives, as well business aircraft operators of two as the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Nnew online systems, scheduled for (AOPA), Canadian Owners and Pilots Association implementation by spring 2016 by the Canada (COPA) and other stakeholders to discuss ways Border Services Agency (CBSA), to pre-screen air to minimize filing duplication, reduce data entry travelers prior to a flight’s departure for Canada. errors and address information privacy concerns.
The interactive advance passenger information AOPA and COPA have created an online survey, seeking operator and pilot input that (IAPI) initiative – similar to the U.S. Customs will be relayed to the CBSA for consideration and Border Protection’s electronic advance in creating the final IAPI rules. The survey asks passenger information system (eAPIS) – would about anticipated impacts, such as changes in require valid documentation of all travelers, flight frequency, and whether pilots might allow including Canadians, prior to boarding an the U.S. to share eAPIS information with their aircraft. The second process, the electronic Canadian counterparts. travel authorization (eTA) would be required of all visa-exempt foreign nationals, except The U.S. eAPIS program was implemented U.S. citizens. in May 2009. Beginning in January 2014, Mexico’s National Institute of Immigration The CBSA says the IAPI initiative will help agency mandated that private aircraft operators vet travelers’ information earlier in the process, electronically transmit advanced passenger identify individuals who do not have the proper information data. Unlike the U.S. and Mexican travel documents before they board an aircraft programs, which require filing for both departure destined for Canada, and reduce costs associated and entry flights, IAPI applies only to flights with removing individuals who do not have the entering Canada. appropriate documents. lso scheduled for implementation next The IAPI initiative is not a replacement for year is the proposed eTA program, which the Canadian Passenger Accelerated Service would require foreign nationals who are System (CANPASS) that allows members to A not exempt from doing so to apply online by access more airports and provides expedited entering biographic, passport and background clearances for low-risk, pre-screened travelers. information. These requirements would be Merlin Preuss, vice president of government similar to the personal information currently and regulatory affairs for the Canadian Business collected at a port of entry in Canada.
32 • TWIN & TURBINE APRIL 2015 NATIONAL BUSINESS AVIATION ASSOCIATION • focus
NBAA Applauds House Vote to Make Small-Business Expensing Allowance Permanent (320)
BAA recently welcomed a vote by the (R-12-OH) and approved by the House Feb. 13, U.S. House of Representatives to make would set the limit at $500,000 and index it to Nseveral small-business tax provisions inflation going forward. permanent, including the ability to expense up “NBAA welcomes progress on key issues, to $500,000 in capital investments. such as more flexible tax provisions, which The “small-business expensing provision” encourage small businesses to invest and strive encourages investments in equipment, such for growth,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed as aircraft parts, up to a certain value by not Bolen. “Making the small-business expensing subjecting them to standard depreciation. provision a permanent fixture of the tax code will stimulate growth for the many small Instead, they may be expensed in the year they businesses that help general aviation generate are purchased, similar to many other business $219 billion in annual U.S. economic activity.” expenses. Rep. Tiberi was one of the main supporters This small-business expensing allowance has of a bill in the last Congress that would have been increased steadily since 2003, rising from made bonus depreciation permanent, and NBAA $25,000 to $500,000 in 2014. The provisions is urging lawmakers to revisit the issue during have been temporary, however, and on New the 114th Congress. NBAA also is calling on Year’s Day, the amount reverted to $25,000 for Congress to reject the Obama Administration’s the 2015 tax year. provision in its fiscal year 2016 budget request America’s Small Business Tax Relief Act of to lengthen the tax-depreciation period for 2015, which was sponsored by Rep. Pat Tiberi business aircraft from five years to seven.
APRIL 2015 TWIN & TURBINE • 33 NATIONAL BUSINESS AVIATION ASSOCIATION • focus
NBAA Has Resources, Updates on Drone Developments
nmanned aircraft systems (UAS), or of particular importance to business aviation “drones”, offer great promise for a variety operators seeking to utilize s-UAS in a variety Uof applications in many areas of life of commercial roles. and commerce, including opportunities for use Some of the proposed operating parameters by entrepreneurs and companies that rely on for s-UAS including limiting operations to aviation as part of doing business. NBAA recently a maximum operating altitude of 500’ AGL introduced a dedicated web resource to assist and minimum visibility of 3 miles under VFR business aviation stakeholders seeking information daytime (official sunrise to official sunset, local on how small unmanned aircraft systems (s-UAS) time) conditions. s-UAS operators would also may be integrated into their operations. be required to pass an aeronautical knowledge Available at www.nbaa.org/ops/uas/, this exam and obtain an FAA UAS operator resource covers the latest news regarding the certificate, with biennial reexaminations in development of this burgeoning industry, as well line with recertification requirements for pilots as NBAA’s work with industry representatives of manned aircraft and federal officials to safely integrate UAS into The NPRM also states that s-UAS must remain the National Airspace System (NAS). within visual line of sight of the operator or Despite the potential benefits of UAS in a visual observer at all times, closely enough to be variety of business aviation applications, NBAA seen with unaided vision other than corrective has long maintained that it is imperative that lenses, and that such unmanned aircraft must any introduction plan for UAS be thoughtful, yield right-of-way to all other aircraft, manned deliberative and focused on safety. or unmanned. This means UAS should not share the same “The FAA believes that a high level of airspace with manned aircraft until they have safety can be achieved under the proposed equivalent certification and airworthiness requirements and the rule will enable the standards as manned aircraft, including the opportunity for the private sector to conduct ability to take timely directions from air research and development, develop commercial traffic control, and to sense and avoid other small UAS businesses, and add a large economic aircraft and UAS. benefit to the U.S.,” said Bob Lamond, NBAA Director, Air Traffic Services & Infrastructure, NBAA has been an active participant following release of the NPRM. throughout this process, and the Association’s concerns were reflected in a long-anticipated Sessions addressing UAS operating protocols notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) released and benefits have also played an increasing role Feb. 15 by the U.S. Department of Transportation at NBAA events, including last year’s NBAA (DOT) and FAA towards adopting a regulatory Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition in framework governing the commercial operation Orlando, FL. Most recently, a panel of industry of small unmanned aircraft systems (s-UAS) experts discussed the business and economic weighing less than 55 lbs. opportunities for UAS, while also identifying challenges that flight departments would face The NPRM proposes to regulate UAS with incorporating UAS into their operations, operations under Part 107 of the Federal Aviation at NBAA’s 2015 Leadership Conference in Regulations (FAR). NBAA will comment on areas Tucson, AZ.
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Tom Turner and Fred Nauer Named to Flight Instructor Hall of Fame he National Association of Flight Instructors’ he contributes his monthly Flight Instructor Hall of Fame was established 18 column, “Twin Proficiency”, Tyears ago to recognize individuals who exemplify to Twin & Turbine magazine. the promotion of excellence in flight instruction. This Fred Nauer has been a year, NAFI is proud to announce two outstanding flight instructor since 1992, individuals as inductees into the Hall of Fame. They after serving as an officer in are Twin & Turbine’s very own Tom Turner, along with the United States Air Force. Mr. Fred Nauer. Bringing his experience Tom Turner has been a flight instructor since 1988, as an Air Force F-4E navigator to civilian aviation, after serving as an officer in the United States Air Force. Nauer has been a role model and mentor to younger He has served aviation in a variety of roles, most recently and less-experienced instructors, leading by example as Executive Director of the ABS Air Safety Foundation and emphasizing safety in all areas of training. He is in Wichita, Kansas. In his tenure there, Turner developed currently the chief instructor at Thunderbird Aviation such programs as the Beechcraft Pilot Proficiency in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Program and the ABS Flight Instructor Academy. These Turner and Nauer will be inducted into the Hall of programs educate and standardize instructors and pilots Fame in a formal ceremony during the NAFI Members’ in the techniques of flying Beech aircraft, drawing on Dinner during the Lakeland, Florida Sun ‘n Fun fly-in the collective experience of American Bonanza Society at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 23 in the Buehler Hangar. instructors over the past three decades. About the Flight Instructor Hall of Fame In addition to his duties at ABS, Turner has been a Established in 1997, the Flight Instructor Hall of FAASTeam Lead Representative since the program’s Fame has inducted 26 individuals over the course of inception, and he earned the 2010 award as the Safety 17 years. Its recipients must have a minimum of 20 Team Representative of the Year. He also serves on safety years working in aviation education and must be well committees with NBAA, has presented forums at Sun ‘n respected within the industry. The award consists of Fun and EAA AirVenture, and is a founder of EAA’s Type three pieces; a traveling trophy that is presented to Club Coalition, among other services to the community. the current inductee(s) for a year, a commemorative He is also the author of three books, Weather Patterns plaque for the inductee(s), and a wall display honoring and Phenomena: A Pilot’s Guide, Cockpit Resource all recipients that resides within the AirZoo Aviation Management: The Private Pilot’s Guide, and Controlling Museum (www.airzoo.org) in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Pilot Error: Checklists and Compliance, all published which is also the National Association of Flight by McGraw-Hill. Instructors headquarters. Turner also writes the FLYING LESSONS weekly For more information visit NAFINet.org or call safety e-newsletter, available by free subscription at 866-806-6156. T&T www.mastery-flight-training.com. And, of course, • NextGen GA Fund Announces the Launch of “Jumpstart GA 2020”, Orders 10,000 L-3 Lynx NGT-1000 Units n February 11, 2015, the NextGen GA Fund product availability, FAA certification and features such announced the launch of “Jumpstart GA 2020” as embedded GPS WAAS. to accelerate the general aviation community’s O “AOPA has made it clear that over 30,000 aircraft adoption of rule-compliant ADS-B Out avionics. As part owners would park their aircraft rather than upgrade of this program, the GA Fund has secured an order for to ADS-B at current market prices, and we’re hopeful 10,000 L-3 Lynx® NGT-1000 units, manufactured by L-3 the volume purchase made possible by the GA Fund Aviation Products of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Dealer cost addresses these concerns,” said Michael Dyment, will be $1,649 per unit. Orders can be placed by FAA- Managing Partner of the NextGen GA Fund. “Jumpstart authorized repair stations through either L-3 Aviation offers a one-time opportunity for N-registered single- Products or directly to the GA Fund. engine piston aircraft owners to take advantage of special An open competition run by the GA Fund culminated prices. They can also beat the rush to install before the February 5, 2015 with receipt of five separate offers January 1, 2020 mandate, and at the same time improve from ADS-B manufacturers. L-3 offered the best pricing, the resale value of their aircraft.”
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According to the NextGen GA Fund, Project Jumpstart will shortly expand this program to include another 10,000 ADS-B In configurations that will dramatically increase functionality and operational benefits for the general aviation pilot, providing weather and traffic information and 1090ES transponders. Availability and Deadline The Lynx® NGT-1000 ADS-B Out units will be ready Select Airparts to ship to FAA-certified repair stations and distributors beginning in June of 2015. Equipment will be offered on Quarter Page a first-come, first-served basis and must be installed by FAA-certified mechanics before July 1, 2016 to qualify 4/C Ad for the price point offered. For more information about the Lynx® NGT-1000, visit L-3Lynx.com. About the NextGen GA Fund The NextGen GA Fund is a public-private partnership formed under Section 221 of the FAA Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2012, and is 100 percent funded by the private sector. The NextGen GA Fund will eventually support over $1 billion in NextGen avionics financings for general aviation operators to retrofit tens of thousands of turbine and twin engine aircraft. For more information about the NextGen GA Fund, visit www.nextgenfund.com•T&T Twin Commander University Set For April 23-25 In Savannah he distinctive Twin Commander profile – a long, slim wing atop a long, low-slung fuselage ending “Roger that!” Tin a tall vertical fin – has been a familiar sight for nearly six decades. And, one of aviation’s greatest He’s not a pilot but when living heroes – Bob Hoover – has been around for nearly you need to talk about as long, flying his extraordinary energy-managment air aviation marketing, show routine in a Shrike Commander. Without question, Twin Commanders are steeped in tradition. John Shoemaker speaks your language. And more That rich tradition will be the theme of the 2015 Roger That Twin Commander University, set for Thursday-Saturday importantly, he listens. April 23-25 at the Hilton Savannah DeSoto in beautiful, Call him today and findQuarter how Page historic Savannah, Georgia. Participants should plan to the publications he serves, arrive at KSAT in time to play some golf in Savannah’s and the markets they reach,4/C Ad soothing spring weather. On Thursday, April 23, Erik Eliel will present his highly acclaimed Airborne Weather can help your aviation Radar course, a comprehensive six-hour examination of related business grow. the abilities, and shortcomings, of the most important weather-avoidance tool in your cockpit. 800-773-7798 VP Demand Creation Services – The University also will feature product and service serving your advertising needs with exhibits by Twin Commander partner companies, these fine aviation publications: including authorized service centers, SimCom Training ● ABS ● Cirrus Pilot ● Citation Jet Centers, and others. ● Comanche Flyer ● King Air ● Twin & Turbine For additional information, visit www. twincommander.com/university-2015. T&T [email protected] APRIL 2015 • TWIN & TURBINE • 37 EN ROUTE
Piper Aircraft Launches Meridian M500 With The Latest In Garmin Avionics s of January 28, 2015, Piper Aircraft has introduced its newest top-of-the-line M-Class AMeridian M500 single-engine turbine business aircraft, featuring the latest in Garmin avionics, enhanced safety features and a number of other Winner Aviation significant product improvements. “The 2015 Piper M500 will come equipped with the Quarter Page very newest Garmin avionics package for increased safety,” said Piper President and CEO Simon Caldecott. 4/C Ad “As part of our on-going product improvement initiatives, we saw an opportunity to give our customers the latest improvements in proven avionics technology, with electronic stability protection, underspeed protection and automatic level mode, among other improvements.” The Piper M500 seats six with club seating. It is powered by a Pratt & Whitney PT6A-42A 500-shp engine, sports a 260-KTAS max cruise speed and has a range of 1,000 nm. Equipped with an improved Garmin G1000 avionics suite, the 2015 M500 is listed at a competitive price of $2.26 million.
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Upgraded Avionics essentially “nudging” it back inside safe parameters. The M500’s new Garmin G1000 avionics suite will feature dual high- Underspeed Protection resolution 10-inch PFDs and a high- Underspeed Protection (USP) resolution 12-inch MFD, as well as is a flight director function that the latest Garmin Software upgrade, reacts to underspeed conditions in along with a GFC700 autopilot with a way that allows the autopilot to Hillaero enhanced Autopilot Flight Control remain engaged but prevents the System (AFCS), including a number Modifications Center airplane from stalling while the PFD of flight safety features: annunciates when active. With stall Sixth Page • Electronic Stability protections developed as part of the Protection (ESP) USP system, coupled go-arounds 4/C Ad • Underspeed Protection (USP), are possible without disengaging Coupled Go-Around the autopilot. With this feature, the • Expanded Engagement Envelope autopilot will remain engaged and fly the missed approach. If power • Level Mode, Autopilot is not added, the USP system will Auto-Engage maintain a speed just above stall • Master caution, master warning, warning, adjusting airplane pitch gear position, gear warning attitude as required. incorporated in the G1000 Automatic Level Mode (Blue Button) Electronic Stability Protection The M500 also features an Electronic Stability Protection autopilot Level Mode function as (ESP) helps prevent the onset of standard equipment that, when stall/spins, steep spirals, and loss- triggered, will return the aircraft to a of-control conditions. This passive wings-level attitude with zero vertical feature discourages aircraft operation speed. Upon activation, Level Mode outside the desired flight envelope. will automatically engage the flight ESP functions independently of the director and autopilot functions to autopilot system and only takes return the aircraft to straight-and- effect when the pilot is hand-flying level flight. Activating Level Mode the aircraft with the autopilot cancels all armed and active modes, VIONICS disengaged. It works as a soft R.C.A leaving all other autopilot modes Exceeding the standards “barrier” to keep the Piper M500 available while the Level Mode is inside the performance envelope activated, simply by pressing the RC Avionics by automatically engaging servos associated mode control button. Trustworthy to slightly correct control surface positions when the aircraft exceeds For further information, contact CompetentSixth Page one or more flight parameters – www.piper.com. T&T • 35 4/CYears Ad Ad Index Experience AOPA...... 27 Preferred Airparts LLC...... 28 Aviation Technology Inc...... 19 Raisbeck...... 20, 21 Avidyne Corporation...... 15 RC Avionics...... 39 Up-Grade B/E Aerospace, Inc...... 13 Rockwell Collins...... 5, 6, 7 Covington Aircraft Engines...... 18 Rocky Mountain Propellers...... 27 Specialist David Clark Company...... 11 Select Airparts...... 37 Hillaero...... 39 Simcom Training Centers...... 2 LEKTRO, Inc...... 28 SMARTug...... 25 Micro Aerodynamics Inc...... 17 Turbines Inc...... 19 www.rcavionics.com Nashua Flight Simulator...... 11 Winner Aviation...... 38 NBAA...... 31, 35, Back Cover Woodland Aviation...... Inside Back Cover Northeast Air Inc...... 18 Yingling Aviation...... 17 763-398-3920 Paul Bowen Photography...... 38
APRIL 2015 TWIN & TURBINE • 39 ON FINAL by David Miller Sometimes, Slow Is Better ecently, I wrote about my addiction to speed. But, as I found out on one of my latest flights, sometimes Rflying slowly is just as important. An area of low pressure was moving into north Texas, with showers scheduled to arrive by noon. The forecast for Addison With 5,000-plus hours in his logbook, David (KADS) was 1,500 overcast and more than 6 miles visibility as Miller has been flying for business and pleasure for more than 40 years. Having we approached from the southeast on a December morning. owned and flown a variety of aircraft types, The ATIS, however, told a different story: “Information Sierra, from turboprops to midsize jets, Miller, along with his wife Patty, now own and fly wind 180 at 15, gusts to 24, visibility 2 miles in mist, ceiling 700 a Citation CJ1+. You can contact David at overcast. Expect the ILS to runway 15.” I quickly checked the [email protected]. weather at nearby Dallas Love (KDAL), which was reporting 600 overcast. Glad I put on a little extra fuel, I thought to myself. “65 Charlie, cancel approach clearance, turn left to a heading Woodland Aviation of 090 and climb to 2,100 feet.” “November 1865 Charlie, reduce to 210 knots,” came Full Page Wow, I thought. This is just like my simulator training. And in the request from regional approach as we crossed YEAGR 4/C Ad intersection at 9,000 feet. Hum... slowing us down a little the almost forty years I have been flying in and out of Addison, early today. Not too unusual, though, especially when weather this was the first time I had to go missed in IMC. Power up, is around. positive rate, gear up, flaps up, left turn to 090 degrees – all came quickly. Patty, sitting in the right seat, wondered what was As we neared Addison, the line of airplanes trying to beat the going on, but I didn’t have a lot of time to discuss the situation. lowering weather lengthened. “65 Charlie, slow to 170 knots,” came the command from a fast-talking controller, now very “65 Charlie, I apologize. I got you too close to those 172’s. busy. I could see the line of traffic on the TCAS display. Then Their groundspeed was about 60 knots with that wind. I will take came the restriction to 150 knots as we turned abeam final. you around for another approach,” said the harried controller. “65 Charlie, I have a lot of traffic landing at Addison and I’ll “Not a problem, I said. I could use the practice.” have to put you on an extended final.” “No problem,” I said. We flew another circuit and broke out at 600 AGL in light “65 Charlie, reduce to your minimum approach speed. You are rain. It’s satisfying to use some skills you practice so many following several 172’s trying to beat the weather.” times in the simulator. Today, going slower was better. I even
With flaps and gear out, I had the CJ1+ slowed to 130 knots got a “high five” from Patty as we taxied in. in solid IMC and light rain. “65 Charlie, can you reduce any Fly safe. further?” said the controller. I was doing the best I could to stay in line but this plan was not looking good. “Negative,” came my reply, just a couple of miles outside the final approach fix.
40 • TWIN & TURBINE APRIL 2015 Woodland Aviation
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APRIL 2015 TWIN & TURBINE • 1 DEDICATED TO HELPING BUSINESS ACHIEVE ITS HIGHEST GOALS.
Weathering the regulations and taxes affecting your light airplane can be a Flying solo doesn’t full-time job. The National Business Aviation Association knows you can’t afford to mean you fl y alone. make it your full-time job. Membership in NBAA gives you a voice and protects your interests, so you can stay focused on fl ying toward even greater opportunities. Learn more at www.fl yforbusiness.org. NBAA
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