MIDWEEK UPDATE 3 NOVEMBER 2021
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COVID 19 REGULATIONS, INITIATIVES AND AEROCLUB NEWS
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WWW.AEROCLUB.ORG.ZA/SHOP
3 NOVEMBER
EAA Chapter 322 virtual monthly meeting via Zoom. Contact Neil 084 674 5674 or E-mail: neil1@telkomsa.net
5 NOVEMBER
Children's Flight at Orient airfield. For more information contact Felix Gosher felixgosher@gmail.com
6 NOVEMBER
5 TO 7 NOVEMBER
EAA Sun 'n Fun at Brits airfield. Contact Neil Bowden 084 674 5674 or E-mail: neil1@telkomsa.net
13 NOVEMBER
SAPFA SA Landing Championships at Brits Airfield. For more information contact Ron Stirk E-mail: melron@mweb.co.za Cell: 082 445 0373
20 NOVEMBER
Jack Taylor Airfield Krugersdorp Fly-In. For more detail, please Whatsapp or e-mail 0835778894 or kfc@iafrica.com
27 NOVEMBER
SAPFA Springs Speed Rally at Springs Airfield. Contact Dawid Cell: 073 338 5200 david@pilotinsure.co.za
27 NOVEMBER
Sports Aerobatics Club Western Cape regionals at Stellenbosch airfield. Contact Annie Boon E-mail: chunge@mweb.co.za
1 DECEMBER
EAA Chapter 322 virtual monthly meeting via Zoom. Contact Neil Bowden084 674 5674 or E-mail: neil1@telkomsa.net
4 DECEMBER
CANCELLED
Aero Club of South Africa annual awards venue TBA. For more information contact Rob Jonkers E-mail: rob@aerosud.co.za Cell: 082 804 7032
4 & 5 DECEMBER
Sports Aerobatics Club ACE of Base Baragwaneth Airfield. Contact Annie Boon E-mail: chunge@mweb.co.za
4 DECEMBER
Steady Climb Fly-In and expo at Rhino Park airfield. Contact David Le Roux Cell: 073 338 5200
CSAAF REFLECTS ON SUCCESSES AND CHALLENGES DURING LONG SERVICE MEDAL PARADE
Written by Guy Martin
The Chief of the SA Air Force (SAAF), Lieutenant General Wiseman Mbambo, has lauded the SAAF for its contribution to peace and security but sounded a warning over budget cuts and the loss of the state-owned defence industrial base.
In his address, Mbambo spoke on the joy he felt in honouring SA Air Force members for their loyal service, through one of the Defence Force's oldest traditions. He noted that the medal parade would have been conducted sooner if it was not for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking about successes and highlights of the SAAF, Mbambo noted the 100-year anniversary celebration last year, and "innumerable operational successes", including flood rescues, extinguishing of wild fires, maritime casualty evacuations, joint operations with the SA Police Service for border patrol and crime-fighting, and most recently, during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, support for national government through the nationwide delivery of vaccines and transportation of medical personnel.
"The South African Air Force, in following the tradition of President Mandela and many who fought for our freedom, has been instrumental in fostering peace and security in South Africa and in Africa as a whole, under the banner of the United Nations. Our men and women in blue continue to raise our national flag high in the ongoing external deployments in Monusco and Samim (Mozambique deployment). The air force assets are held in high esteem in these deployments as they demonstrate operational excellence during task execution," Mbambo said in his speech.
Looking at the future of the SAAF, Mbambo said there is a "sea of challenges confronting the combat readiness of the Air Force" He said the diverse challenges facing the Air Force of today are much more complex than those of 27 years ago.
During the May 2021 budget vote speech, the negative budget decline was captured as follows, Mbambo said: 'the reduction of over R15 billion over the MTEF [Medium Term Expenditure Framework] has placed us in a very difficult position. Our capital budget has effectively been reduced to a trickle and the operating budget is under extreme pressure. Under these conditions, we are finding it extremely difficult to improve the serviceability of our prime mission equipment.' In this same address the warning was clearly made; 'if we are honest with ourselves, we now face the reality that if we do not intervene in a decisive manner, we will lose our state-owned defence industrial base and the ability to repair, maintain and overhaul most of our defence systems. This not only compromises our ability to not only maintain our current equipment in service, but also fundamentally impacts our long-term ability to remain relevant and ready to conduct effective operations in the future.'
"We trust that the country leadership is listening and considering our plea accordingly. However, we have our role to play in bringing solutions to some of the challenges at our level. I, as the chief of the Air Force, am of the belief that the soldiers under my command, the men and women in blue are my greatest asset in tackling the challenges we find ourselves in. In order to compete within and survive an ever modern society, we have to invest heavily in the development of our members. A diversity of skills, capabilities and capacities are needed at various levels to ensure operational success across a wide range of activities, from war fighting to disaster relief," Mbambo said, adding the concluding remark that "adversity does not intimidate us, for we thrive in it!"
Pipistrel is proud to announce that MAHEPA consortium with the hybrid-electric variant of the Pipistrel Panthera aircraft has successfully completed the first phase of the flight test campaign.
The "MAHEPA Panthera", integrated with the novel, SAF-capable, hybrid-electric powertrain developed during the project, recently took-off from Cerklje airport in Slovenia, successfully demonstrating the possibility of local zero-emission flights by performing all-electric take-offs. Expectations set by prior ground-tests were only confirmed by the powerful, yet quiet performance of the MAHEPA Panthera, which has all the characteristics to become a flying test-bed for future developments in hybrid aviation.
With the achievement of this essential milestone the MAHEPA project is, with its numerous novel technologies developments and exemplary results, again contributing to a cleaner, quieter and more sustainable aviation, making the Europe Green Deal's goals one step closer to reality.
MAHEPA consortium, composed by Pipistrel Vertical Solutions, Compact Dynamics, DLR, H2Fly, Politecnico di Milano, TU Delft, University of Maribor and University of Ulm is a pioneer project in the development of hybrid-electric technologies which will serve the next generation of greener aircraft.
The current design iteration, dubbed the Jetson ONE by the company, is a "commercially available personal electric aerial vehicle that anyone can own and fly".
Peter Ternstrom, Founder of Jetson, stated: "Our mission is to make flight available to everyone. The Jetson ONE is an electric helicopter that you can own and fly. We intend to make everyone a pilot.
Jetson targets entry to the personal aerial vehicle market (PAV), which is a smaller segment of the aerial mobility market that aims to create personal sized vehicles for recreational use that employ many of the same technologies that will be rolled out in the larger aerial mobility sphere.
The company stated that their PAV can recharge "faster than a mobile phone" to enable the user to enjoy repeat flights. The battery life duration and flight time duration have not yet been disclosed.
Tomasz Patan, co-founder and Technical Director of Jetson, stated: "The Jetson ONE is built around a rigid aluminium spaceframe with eight powerful electric motors. It utilizes composite carbon fibre and cutting-edge 3D printed components, making it an extremely lightweight design. It is also equipped with many safety features including a redundant propulsion system and a ballistic parachute. It is a dream to fly."
The Jetson ONE has already sold out for 2022 production and are now accepting deliveries in 2023
Raikhlin Aircraft Engine Developments GmbH (RED) is based in Adenau (Nürburgring), near Cologne. Established by Vladimir Raikhlin in 2008, based on a previous venture founded in 1995, it offers V6 and V12 aero-engines, the larger of which has been test-flying in a civilian Yak-52 since 2010. Rated at 500 hp, it is this, designated A03, which has been selected for the new trainer, married to a German propeller, the variable-pitch, three-blade MTV-9.
First mooted over a decade ago, the Yak-152 initially made little progress, even in spite of an agreement with China that was to have seen it enter military service there as the Hongdu L-7/CJ-7. One M14-powered example conducted a brief evaluation in that country in 2010, but nothing further has been revealed.
CHC Helikopter Service of Norway, was the first to fly the S-92 helicopter using Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene (HEFA-SPK) which is one of seven types of approved SAFs available today. SAFs are capable of reducing lifecycle carbon emissions by up to 80% when compared to petroleum-based jet fuels. HEFA-SPK is produced from waste and residual feedstock such as used cooking oil.
"As a corporation, we are committed to sustainability and I am proud that our S-92 helicopter is playing a role in a more sustainable future," said Jason Lambert, Sikorsky's vice president of Global Commercial and Military Systems. "The aircraft is known for its unmatched advantages and the use of biofuel is one more attribute on that list."
GE Aviation, which manufactures the CT7-8A engines that power the S-92 helicopter, supports Sikorsky's ambitions to reduce carbon emissions through the use of SAF. GE is heavily involved in the qualifying and testing of approved SAF blends.
"The S-92 helicopter's first flight using SAF further demonstrates how SAF can be used today with our CT7 engines to lower CO2 emissions," said Harry Nahatis, vice president and general manager of GE Turboshaft Engine programs. "All GE engines are capable of using approved SAF blends without any modifications and we firmly believe flights like this demonstrate how SAF can contribute to more sustainable flight across the aviation industry."
Norwegian offshore helicopters will be the first to fly commercial flights on biofuel on the Sikorsky S-92 helicopter. The use of biofuel across the S-92 global fleet is an additional benefit to the offshore oil and gas mission.
Pratt & Whitney and Breeze Airways ("Breeze") celebrated the unveiling of the airline's first A220-300 aircraft, powered exclusively by GTF engines, during an event at the Airbus delivery centre in Mobile, Alabama. At the ceremony, Pratt & Whitney announced that Breeze had finalized agreements for GTF engines to power a total of 80 A220-300 aircraft, including the airline's original 60 ordered in 2018, as well as the airline's recent order of another 20. Pratt & Whitney will also supply Breeze with engine maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services through an EngineWise® Comprehensive long-term agreement.
"We are excited to fly our first Airbus A220 and to grow our fleet in partnership with Pratt & Whitney," said David Neeleman, founder and CEO at Breeze Airways. "At Breeze, we're working to make flying accessible and 'seriously nice' for everyone. With industry-leading fuel efficiency, Pratt & Whitney's engines will help us fly more passengers, farther, quieter and more sustainably, at lower fares."
Breeze currently operates a fleet of Embraer E190 and E195 aircraft, each equipped with an APS2300 auxiliary power unit (APU) from Pratt & Whitney.
"We are honoured that Breeze chose to continue to expand its fleet with GTF-powered aircraft," said Rick Deurloo, chief commercial officer at Pratt & Whitney. "For decades we've worked with David and the airlines he's founded and together we've helped them grow into successful businesses. We're looking forward to taking all that experience to help the Breeze team build another winning airline."
The A220 offers significantly lower operating costs compared to previous generation aircraft. The engines deliver double-digit improvements in fuel and carbon emissions. They also provide a 75% reduction in noise footprint and produce NOx emissions 50% below the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) CAEP/6 regulation.
The new owners will control Aero through Vodochody Holdings HU company, which is 100% owned by HSC Aerojet Zrt. With the change of ownership, new President & CEO Viktor Sotona is coming to Aero as of 30 September 2021. Viktor Sotona has been CEO of the ERA company, which focused on surveillance and reconnaissance solutions for 9 years. Under his leadership, ERA achieved record sales and doubled its staff compliment.
"Aero will continue to develop all three pillars of its business, i.e. production and development of its own military aircraft, the MRO business and aerostructures programmes for domestic and international customers. All three pillars will remain part of our business strategy," said Viktor Sotona, the new President & CEO of Aero.
After 14 years, Aero is leaving the Penta group, which acquired the traditional aircraft manufacturer in 2007. Under Penta, Aero has for many years successfully developed a range of civilian and military aerostructure programs and in recent years, it resumed the development and production of its own aircraft in the form of L-39NG program. In September last year, the new L-39NG aircraft received a type certificate.
AERO Vodochody AEROSPACE a.s. focuses on the design, manufacturing, maintenance, overhaul and upgrade of military and civil aircraft and is the largest aviation manufacturer in the Czech Republic and with history since 1919, is one of the oldest aerospace companies worldwide. In the field of military aircraft, Aero has been a reliable long-term partner to many of the world's air forces and it has a strong position in the military training and light combat aircraft market.
With a track record of 11,000 aircraft produced over the last 100 years, a broad coverage of dozens of military operators and demo teams, a huge existing fleet of L-39 Albatrosses and with a brand new aircraft, the L-39NG, Aero is maintaining its position as a leader in the jet training market. In the field of civil aviation, Aero collaborates with many of the world's largest manufacturers in a diverse range of projects. More recently, Aero became a full partner in several risk-sharing programmes, taking responsibility for not only for the production of structures but also for development.
Volocopter, the pioneer of urban air mobility (UAM), the infrastructures' holding company Atlantia and Aeroporti di Roma, the largest airport operator in Italy, announced their partnership to bring electric air taxis to Rome. Alongside the Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) and ENAV, the companies are pushing for sustainable innovation in aviation.
Urban air mobility will be part of the solution for heavily congested city centres across the world. As an entirely new mobility service, it offers transportation for people and goods that is battery powered and thus emission free in flight. Together with the Italian authorities and regulators and with Atlantia's full support, Aeroporti di Roma, and Volocopter will raise public awareness about UAM and pave the way to bring it to Italy within the next 2-3 years. In particular, the new service will connect the international hub "Leonardo da Vinci" with various places in Rome through vertical airports. This will allow it to travel in comfort and quality, reducing greatly both the congestion of urban traffic and CO2 emissions, as the 18 engines of VoloCity operate in electric mode.
Rome is one of the first cities in Europe to commit to bringing urban air mobility services to their citizens with Volocopter. Paris committed to a collaboration to bring electric air taxis to the city in time for the 2024 Olympic Games.
Volocopter takes a holistic approach to UAM by developing a full ecosystem that connects the necessary components to offer electric flight in cities. The German company is the only eVTOL developer with a product portfolio of multicopter and fixed-wing designs that can be used for passenger and cargo transportation. Through cross-industrial partnerships, Volocopter covers all the aspects of the UAM ecosystem including the aircraft, the operations, as well as the digital infrastructure, VoloIQ, enabling large-scale digital visibility of the entire ecosystem.
Aeroporti di Roma is a leader in sustainable airport operations, with the clear goal to be NetZero by 2030. Recognized by UNWTO as Leaders in Responsible Travel and voted Best Airport by ACI Europe for three years in a row, the company has fully integrated sustainability into its business model to create economic, social, and environmental value, believing that the aviation sector can and must contribute to a change. From an industrial and technological point of view, ADR is strongly committed to the development of the new vertical airports and, more generally, to the rapid spread of UAM. In this perspective, UAM is regarded as a form of mobility reshaping the boundaries of flights and airports as we know them today.
Atlantia - one of the main holding companies at global level specialized in strategic investments in the airport and motorway sector, as well as in the development of new forms of sustainable mobility - is the main shareholder of Aeroporti di Roma and Aéroports de la Côte d'Azur and has recently invested in Volocopter, together with other major international companies. The development and promotion of businesses integrated with environmental sustainability and technological innovation represent one of Atlantia's main strategic lines of growth.
Boeing [NYSE: BA] has delivered its first KC-46A tanker to the Japan Air Self-Defence Force (JASDF) marking the program's first delivery to a customer outside the United States.
"This is an exciting and historic moment for the Japan Air Self-Defence Force and Boeing as Japan joins the United States with the world's most advanced, proven and safe multi-mission combat aerial refuelling capability," said James Burgess, Boeing vice president and program manager, KC-46 Program. "We are looking forward to decades of partnership with our Japan customer to ensure aircraft mission effectiveness and enable the success of the JASDF."
The Japan KC-46A is capable of refuelling JASDF, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Marine Corps aircraft. Globally, the KC-46A has already completed more than 5,000 sorties and transferred more than 50 million pounds of fuel to other aircraft through its boom and drogue systems.
"Japan's acquisition of KC-46A tankers marks a significant milestone for both the program and U.S.-Japan cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region and plays a critical role in the security alliance between both countries," said Will Shaffer, president of Boeing Japan. "With its ability to carry cargo and passengers, the KC-46A tanker can also support Japan's humanitarian and disaster relief efforts."
The versatile, multi-role tanker carries 18 military standardized pallets (463L) in cargo configuration and accommodates a mixed load of passengers and cargo. It is also equipped with robust defensive and tactical situational awareness systems that will help Japan secure and maintain its air superiority.
The U.S. Air Force and JASDF awarded Boeing a Foreign Military Sale contract for this first JASDF KC-46A in December 2017 and exercised an option for a second in December 2018. Options for the third and fourth JASDF KC-46As were exercised in October 2020.
Boeing builds KC-46A aircraft for the U.S. Air Force, Japan Air Self-Defence Force and other international customers on its 767-production line in Everett, Washington. In addition, Boeing's Japanese partners produce 16 percent of the KC-46A airframe structure.
Boeing is currently assembling the second KC-46A for Japan and has delivered 48 KC-46As to the U.S. Air Force, beginning with the first delivery in January 2019.
SOUTH AFRICA
On 2 June 2021 at approximately 1301Z a pilot, accompanied by a passenger on-board a Cessna 172K aircraft with registration ZS-FJU, was engaged in an hour building flight from Rand Airport (FAGM) to Zebula Airfield. The flight was conducted under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) by day. A full stop landing was carried out at Zebula Airfield.
Approximately two hours later, the pair walked back to the aircraft to prepare for a return flight to FAGM. The pilot attempted three times to start the aircraft's engine, but without success. The pilot then called the safety pilot of the training school who advised him to wait for about five minutes to avoid over flooding the engine.
About five minutes later, the pilot tried to start the engine again, but the engine still did not respond. To prevent draining the battery, the pilot switched off the master switch for a few minutes. Moments later, the pilot and the passenger saw smoke coming from the engine cowlings and they both disembarked the aircraft. As soon as they disembarked the aircraft, they saw flames emanating from the engine compartment. The fire was successfully extinguished by the pilot using the on-board hand-held Halon fire extinguisher.
The aircraft sustained fire damage to the engine compartment and the paint work on the cowlings. The pilot and the passenger did not sustain any injuries during the accident. The cause of fire was due to over priming the engine, which led to fuel flooding the cylinder heads which were still hot, and thus, ignited the fuel.
Eswatini, near Mhlambanyatsi: A Heliworx Bell 206L-1 LongRanger II crashed in a wooded area and burst into flames. The pilot died in the crash.
South Africa, Kittyhawk Airfield: A Rand Robinson KR-2 crashed under unknown circumstances in Tshwane. The pilot did not survive.
South Africa, near Rand Airport, Germiston, Gauteng: A Cessna 182P Skylane with two on board crashed in a field near Germiston, Gauteng, when attempting to return to Rand Airport (QRA/FAGM), due to an engine issue. The pilot was critically injured and his passenger sustained moderate injuries. The airplane was destroyed.
Argentina, near Pergamino Airfield: An experimental ultralight on an illegal flight crashed under unknown circumstances near Pergamino Airfield. No registration and CofA were issued for the aircraft. The pilot later died from the injuries sustained in the crash.
USA, near Davis Field Airport (3J6), Folkston GA: An experimentally amateur build Van's RV-12 was destroyed upon impact with the terrain near Davis Field Airport (3J6), Folkston, Georgia. The sole pilot onboard the airplane received serious injuries.
USA, Ballston Spa, near Saratoga County Airport, NY: Beechcraft 23 Musketeer with two occupants sustained substantial damage subsequent to a forced landing to open field terrain while on approach to Saratoga County Airport (5B2), New York. The flight instructor and student pilot were not injured.
Netherlands, Amsterdam-Schiphol International Airport: A Transavia Airlines Boeing 737-8K2 with 86 on board was evacuated on a taxiway when a small fire developed in the main landing gear. The aircraft had landed and was taxiing to its parking spot when the flight crew stopped the aircraft on a taxiway and initiated an evacuation due to a small fire in the left-hand main gear. The fire was quickly contained by airport fire services.
Thailand, Lamphun Airport: The pilot of a Cirrus SR22T GTS X struck a person on the runway when landing at Lamphun Airport (VTCO). The person died.
China, Chenzhou City, Hunan Province: A Shandong General Aviation Kamov Ka-32A11BC with three occupants on a firefighting mission crashed in Chenzhou City, Hunan Province. There was a post-crash fire. There were no survivors.
Argentina, Near Aero Club General Belgrano, CD: A Rans S-9 Chaos was performing aerobatics because of a marriage nearby and crashed in a street. The pilot and two pedestrians were injured. The engine noise on an amateur video suggests an engine fail during the last acrobatic sequence.
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26 OCTOBER 1944
The highest-scoring Japanese ace in history, Hiroyoshi Nishizawa, is killed when the Nakajima Ki-49 transport aircraft in which he is riding as a passenger is shot down by a U. S. Navy F6 F Hellcat fighter over Calapan, Mindoro Island, in the Philippine Islands.
In June 1936, a poster caught his eye: - an appeal for volunteers to join the flight reserve enlistee training program. Nishizawa applied and qualified as a student pilot in the Japanese Navy Air Force (JNAF). He completed his flight training course in March 1939, graduating 16th out of a class of 71. Before the war, he served with the Oita, Omura and Suzuka Kokutai (air groups/wings). In October 1941, he was transferred to the Chitose Kokutai, with the rank of petty officer 1st class.
On 1 April 1942, Nishizawa's squadron was transferred to Lae, New Guinea and assigned to the Tainan Air Group. They often clashed with United States Army Air Forces and Royal Australian Air Force fighters operating from Port Moresby. Nishizawa's first confirmable solo kill, of a USAAF P-39 Airacobra, was on April 11. He claimed six more kills in a 72-hour period from 1-3 May, making him a confirmed fighter ace.
It is possible that he was the most successful Japanese fighter ace of the war, reportedly telling his last CO that he had achieved a tally of 86 or 87 aerial victories; post war he was linked with scores of 147 or 103, but both of these scores have been considered inaccurate.
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