CATEGORIES

COGNITIVE DECLINE IN AGING PILOTS

A proposed bill in Congress would raise the mandatory retirement age for airline pilots from 65 to 67 without first examining the effects of aging.

ROYAL JORDANIAN AIR FORCE PURCHASE BELL 505 HELICOPTERS FOR TRAINING

Last month Bell Textron Inc, announced the signed agreement for the sale of 10 Bell 505 helicopters to the Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF) at The Special Operations Forces Exhibition & Conference (SOFEX) in Aqaba, Jordan.

LANSERIA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT'S SERIOUS PROBLEMS

From humble beginnings as a grass strip airfield in 1974, to welcoming former President Nelson Mandela to Johannesburg after his release from prison, all the way to welcoming dignitaries and celebrities alike the airport has had its fair share of glory and continues in its path to greatness.

CONTINENTAL'S VIEW ON GENERAL AVIATION'S FUTURE SUSTAINABILITY

“The European Union has committed to reduce emissions by 50% by 2030. Starting in 2025, the aviation fuel made available to EU airports should contain 2% Sustainable Aviation Fuel SAF), increasing to 5% by 2030, 32% by 2040 and 63% by 2050. That means we need to give our customers an opportunity to fly carbon free or at least carbon neutral.” So says Dr David Dorner, Vice President of Global Research and Development Continental Aerospace Technologies. Since Continental already has a wide range of diesel piston engines, if someone has a Jet-A powered aircraft they can already use the Sustainable Aviation Fuels, the SAFs currently available. For Avgas engines, it is a little more difficult, given the current limited supply of fuel sources. But we are working to validate and verify more SAFs and unleaded fuel sources so that our customers have more choices.”

THE FIRST ALSIM AIRLINER IN FRANCE FOR MERMOZ ACADEMY

The AIRLINER is the brand-new hybrid simulator (Fly-by-wire and conventional control) manufactured by ALSIM to address large flight training programmes for advanced training such as Crew Resource Management, Jet Aircraft Handling and Emergency Procedures.

SOUTH AFRICA EXCELS WITH ICAO SAFETY INDEX OF +1

On Tuesday 8 November I attended the speech by the minister of Transport held at the SACAA's offices in Midrand. Apart from being more than one hour late, the Minister delivered an excellent address from prepared notes about South Africa's excellent aviation safety record. Of course, this applies to airlines in this country and not General Aviation, where there has not been any fatal accident for the past 30 years.

COMAC C919 TO FLY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE

While China's home-built aircraft, the COMAC C919 received its Type Certificate (TC) in September 2022, the narrow-body jet is yet to carry passengers on a commercial flight. However, this is about to change, as local media reported that the C919 will be operational 'as soon as possible.'

African Airlines 2022

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the passenger numbers and revenues of African Airlines plummeted, but there have still been success stories in Africa's aviation industry over the past year.

Alton Aero Engineering cc

Emric airlines and Alton Aero Engineering were established in 1972 at Empangeni airfield by Boet Voges, Merwyn Wallace and the late Cyril Johnson to provide a service to the local aviation industry.

SIX WAYS PILOTS BECOME CONFUSED IN CLOUDS AND HOW TO PREVENT THIS

The rain season is coming and there is no shortage of clouds requiring IFR days flying. This is an important fact to consider, because 5-10% of all General Aviation accidents result from spatial disorientation and of these accidents, 90% are fatal.

SIX BRAKING TIPS FOR EVERY LANDING

GIVE YOUR BRAKES A BREAK!

NAMESTO REMEMBER: World War II veteran takes to the air in SBD Dive Bomber 80 years later

World War II veteran Dick Miralles slid into the gunner's seat of the SBD Dauntless Dive Bomber almost as easily as he did 80 years ago in the South Pacific. Miralles (98) was reliving his wartime experience in a restored SBD operated by CAF Airbase Georgia in Peachtree City, Georgia.

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO ELVIS PRESLEY'S FLEET OF PRIVATE JETS?

As a new biopic about Elvis Presley, directed by Baz Lurhmann, hits the silver screen, there has been a renewed interest in the life of the man dubbed the 'King of Rock and Roll'. Recognised as the best-selling solo artist of all time by Guinness World Records, with one million billion sales worldwide, it is safe to say that Elvis Presley is one of the most recognizable faces and voices in music history.

BEST OF THE BEST: ND WWII VETERAN REFLECTS ON A LIFELONG LOVE OF AVIATION

World War II Army Air Corps pilot Ernest 'Hod' Hutson stands in his Grafton, N.D. home on Thursday, 17 May 2018

TEN EUROPEAN AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURERS YOU MAY NOT HAVE ENCOUNTERED

When it comes to European aircraft manufacturers, Airbus is the undisputed king. However, there are still many smaller and perhaps lesser-known aircraft makers on the continent, including ATR, Dassault, Fokker, Saab and Piaggio.

EAA SUN 'N FUN 2022 RALLY

This year's EAA Sun 'n Fun flying event provided the opportunity to stage the seventh fun rally event staged annually in support of EAA.

EAA CHAPTER 322's ANNUAL SUN 'N FUN FLY-IN TO BRITS AIRFIELD

Early on Saturday morning 9 October we drove to Brits airfield to attend EAA's Sun 'n Fun weekend. Although rather windy with a cross wind from the east, somewhere in the region of 60 aircraft attended the fly-in.

TACTICAL LEADERSHIP PROGRAMME 2022

In September African Pilot was invited to cover the TLP 2022 course at Albacete Airbase in Spain. This course is similar to the Red Flag exercise in the USA, but of course takes place in Europe.

MULTIPLICITY OF ACCIDENT CAUSATION Synopsis (SACAA)

On Friday, 8 April 2022 at approximately 09h40, a flight instructor and a student pilot on-board a Piper PA-38-112 (Tomahawk) aircraft with registration ZS-AXE took-off on a training flight from Cape Town International Airport (FACT) in the Western Cape province, to Diemerskraal Aerodrome in the same province.

IS A PROPELLER UPGRADE RIGHT FOR YOU?

There are many good reasons to consider replacing and upgrading your airplane propeller. Many aircraft owners and operators choose to swap their legacy propeller with a next-generation design when the propeller is nearing overhaul time. Others opt to do an engine and propeller conversion all at once. Whatever the reason, a propeller conversion is one of the smartest investments you can make for your aircraft.

GARMIN G5000 INTEGRATED FLIGHT DECK TO RECEIVE EASA APPROVAL

Last month Garmin announced imminent European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) approval of the G5000® flight deck for the Cessna Citation Excel and Citation XLS aircraft.

DEMOCRATISATION OF LUXURY COMMERCIAL AND PRIVATE AVIATION

The aviation industry continues to evolve and proliferate, with new trends becoming increasingly prevalent in commercial and private aviation. However, a notable phenomenon in private aviation entails the democratisation of luxury travel, characterised by changing perceptions among air travellers about private flying as a domain exclusively reserved for the ultra-wealthy and increased utilisation of private air travel services.

BLACKHAWK DELIVERS 100TH XP67A ENGINE UPGRADE

Blackhawk Aerospace's XP67A engine upgrade delivers much faster climb and cruise speeds to the Beechcraft King Air 350.

TECNAM UNVEILS P2012 STOL

Last month Tecnam unveiled a short take-off and landing (STOL) variant of its twin-engine P2012 Traveller. The P2012 STOL has a 16.6-meter (54.5-foot) wingspan, 2.6 meters (8.5 feet) wider than the standard P2012 and swaps the Traveller's Lycoming TEO-540-C1As for Continental GTSIO-520-S engines.

BOEING 737-MAX CERTIFICATION DEADLINE LOOMS

In a high-level letter, the FAA has warned Boeing that documents the plane-maker provided for certification of its 737 MAX-7 model are woefully inadequate. The agency further advised the Chicago-based aerospace titan that certification of the MAX-7 is unlikely to be completed by a Congressionallyspecified year-end deadline.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU CHANGE YOUR AIRPLANE'S OIL?

Recently I was talking to an engine rebuilder about oil change intervals for aircraft engines. He related an experience with a plane owner who was having him do an annual inspection on his aircraft. A problem came up when the mechanic listed an oil change as part of the inspection, even though the aircraft had been flown just 12 hours in the last 12 months.

HOLBORN ASSETS SPRINGS AIRFIELD SEASON FINALE SPEED NAVIGATION RALLY

The South African Power Flying Association (SAPFA) organised the 2022 Season finale Speed Navigation Rally on Saturday 1 October 2022 at the Springs airfield. This was the fourth event of Season four of the Speed Rally series.

BOEING FLOATS 'MODERNISED APACHE' CONCEPT FOR US ARMY'S FUTURE ATTACK HELICOPTER

The Apache is going to be the US Army's principal attack helicopter for the next 25 to 30 years. There is nothing right now that is on the books that is going to replace the Apache.

GRAND CENTRAL AIRPORT

Situated in Midrand, between Pretoria and Johannesburg, Grand Central is a boutique airport offering visitors a range of services from aviation retail and car rental to chartered flights, flight schools, aviation maintenance operations, excellent restaurant and corporate rental facilities.

BELL'S V-280 VALOR IS THE STANDALONE CHOICE FOR FLRAA

To deter the threat from near-peer competitors, the Army's air assault mission demands a revolution in capability that only a tiltrotor can provide, not just a faster helicopter.