< PreviousIn the previous issue of KiwiFlyer we introduced Ruth Allanson who has become a Tecnam Agent in New Zealand following a restructure of the company’s representation across Australasia. Over the last few months, Ruth has been assembling a team to help bring the Tecnam brand to the forefront of general aviators’ minds in NZ. The bases of management, service, North and South Islands have now been covered – along with planned customer engagement and a hosted tour to the Tecnam factory in 2019. New Zealand’s new Tecnam team now comprises: KiwiFlyer Magazine Issue 59 20 New NZ Tecnam Team Expands Neil Ross Co-Director Neil brings diverse management experience, with a background of engineering and boat building - including winning a world jet boat marathon. Neil also pioneered the river safari, starting with Dart River Safari in Glenorchy and then repeating this successful tourist model in other parts of New Zealand, the Pacific and then worldwide. Wayne Allanson Wayne brings a vast background of aviation experience. Starting off in first-generation microlights and having flown right though to MEIFR, Wayne is looking forward to helping out where required with type ratings, technical advice and supporting individual client requirements. Callum Smith Callum from Twenty24 Limited will be the go-to Tecnam Service Centre person. Callum has had a long working relationship with Ruth, Neil and Wayne dating back to the mid 2000s. Callum’s skills include vintage restoration and highly skilled repair work as well as everyday maintenance. Based at Wanaka airport, Callum has recently completed a 3-week Rotax course in LA, in preparation for the influx of Light Sport Aircraft into NZ flying schools. Jan and Jerry Chisum Jan and Jerry join Ruth as part of her North Island team, Aviation Business Profile NZ DEMONSTRATION TOUR NOVEMBER 2018 EAGLET G5 P92 TAIL DRAGGER Come for a fly: Contact Ruth to book a visit to your airstrip or aero club. 03 750 0780 ruth@tecnam.nz P2010 (4 PAX + LYCOMING) 21 2018 #4 extending the range of service she wants to be available to clients. Ruth met Jan and Jerry early last decade and they have been firm friends since. Between this dynamic flying couple, not many aeroplanes have been left unflown. Jerry has a wealth of experience from light aviation in Alaska through to airline flying. Ruth says he and Jan, with her love of vintage and tail dragging aircraft, are a delight to fly and converse with. Jan and Jerry are looking forward to good times, nice people and plenty of demonstration and ferry flying. Ruth says she feels very privileged to have such experienced people helping her grow the Tecnam brand. “Everyone on the team are keen to meet new people and help people realise their flying dream,” says Ruth, “while having lots of aviation related fun.” NZ Demonstration Tour Plans moving forward include a national tour when the new demonstrators arrive (Eaglet G5 and P92 Tail dragger). These will hit NZ shores around the start of November 2018. A tour will then start in the North Island. Interested aviators are asked to put forward expressions of interest to fly the planes during this tour. Tecnam Italy Factory Tour Neil and Ruth will host a Tecnam Factory Tour at Capua in Naples starting in late May/June 2019. This will be open to existing clients and interested parties, including partners. It will include five days hosted including a factory tour and flight with the opportunity to carry on with your own travel and sightseeing afterwards. This is offered as a full ‘package holiday’, with everything including a partner programme looked after for you. Contact Ruth early for an information pack as interest is expected to be high. Weekend Fly-Aways Fly-away weekends will be organised two or three times a year where Tecnam owners and interested parties can join Ruth and others to fly to places in New Zealand and to share information and experiences. Ruth and Wayne have hosted fly-aways previously and those who attended will remember what great camaraderie and fun events these were. Contact Ruth to get onto the newsletter list. For more information Ruth and her team are frequent travelers throughout New Zealand and welcome contact from people in aviation already or just thinking about it. To her, flying in NZ “is all about learning new things every day, no matter what stage of aviation you are at.” Contact Ruth directly on 03 750 0780 or email: ruth@tecnam.nz 2019 TECNAM FACTORY TOUR P92 TAIL DRAGGER Contact Ruth 03 750 0780 ruth@tecnam.nz Authorised Aeroshell Distributor Join CardSmart with Pattershall Oil and save at major fuel sites Order online: www.pattershall.co.nz Contact us: 0800 722 362 or admin@pattershall.co.nz P: 0800 727 863 Quote promo code: Pattershall E: sales@cardsmart.co.nz *Discount is calculated off pump price and is GST inclusive, available at CardSmart accepting fuel sites at BP, Caltex, GAS and Z Energy branded service sites nationwide. Discount excludes LPG fuels. Please refer to our Terms and Conditions and Fee Schedule at www.cardlink.co.nz/terms-conditions Free up your cashflow . Enjoy exclusive discounts Improve expense control . Consolidate invoicing 8 cents off* per litre pump price at BP, Caltex, GAS and Z Energy. $0.99 monthly card feeSome readers will be familiar with the Perlan Glider Project, either through general awareness of interesting aviation happenings, or perhaps a recollection of when the Perlan Team including Steve Fossett were based at Omarama here in New Zealand. That team, now with Airbus sponsorship, has just set a new altitude record of over 76,000 feet. That’s very high. Jill McCaw tells their story: KiwiFlyer Magazine Issue 59 22 The Perlan Project breaks 76,000 ft! I started writing this article on August the 27th with the headline: Perlan Glider breaks 60,000 feet. This extraordinary feat had happened the day before with an unofficial altitude record of 62,000 feet. This was quickly surpassed, on the day I was writing, with another flight that made it to over 65,000 feet. But then, on September 2nd, in a flight that was followed world-wide through online access to the craft’s instrumentation, the aviation world watched stunned as the glider reached 70,000 feet and kept Soaring stratospheric wave in the Perlan Glider. creeping upwards. The glider topped out at 76,000 feet pressure altitude, higher than any ‘conventional’ winged aircraft has actually flown (the U2 spyplane flies at around 50,000 feet although it has set a record altitude of 73,000 feet and for the sake of comparison we’ll call the Blackbird ‘unconventional’ ). Chief pilot Jim Payne said, “The biggest impression is, it’s a long ways down from up here. The horizon starts to have a curvature in it and the sky is getting darker as we climb. … It’s a fantastic experience, once in a lifetime.” All of these flights easily break the previous record Absolute Altitude for a glider of 52,221 feet or 15,917 metres set by the Perlan team in September of 2017. For those of you who haven’t been avidly following the Perlan Project for the last decade or so, the story goes something like this. Back in 1992 NASA test pilot Einar Enevoldson surmised that the standing waves over mountains, frequently used by glider pilots to gain altitude and sustain long distance flights, must, if the New Zealand Soaring contributed by Jill McCaw conditions were right, continue into the stratosphere. He started to collect data on stratospheric wave and began reaching out to others who might help with knowledge and funding to soar a glider to the edge of space. In 1998 meteorologist Elizabeth Austin came on board and noted that the stratospheric polar night jet was the principal factor enabling the propagation of standing mountain waves high into the middle stratosphere. Wealthy enthusiast Steve Fossett, multiple world record holder in many disciplines joined the team in 1999 and the project really took off. A Glaser-Dirks DG-500 (DG 505M) motorised glider was bought and modified to remove all engine and related equipment with the space used for storage of liquid oxygen and a large supply of Li- SO2 primary batteries. The United States Air Force, on the basis of a NASA request, loaned the project full pressure suits. In 2002 Enevoldson and Fossett reached an altitude of 42,000 feet over the Sierra Nevadas in California. 23 2018 #4 Later that year the team and the glider came to Omarama, New Zealand, to the great excitement of the New Zealand gliding fraternity. The glider was here for three years and some New Zealand record- breaking flights occurred, but far short of what the team was hoping for. This was when Steve Fossett met NZ champion pilot Terry Delore and many other Kiwis who became part of later soaring missions. Delore and Fossett went on to set multiple world soaring distance records together before Fossett’s death in 2007 – however that is not part of the Perlan Story. The Perlan project moved back to the Americas, basing itself out of El Calafate (50° South) in Argentina. Elizabeth Austin was sure that the polar vortex which gets larger and more spread out during the southern winter, coupled with the high wave from the Andes would create the stratospheric waves needed. In August 2006 a flight to 50,671 feet showed that she was correct. It was becoming obvious however that a standard glider, with the requirement for the pilots to wear bulky pressure suits was not going to be suitable for going all the way. Fossett agreed to fund the development of a brand new aircraft, a glider with a pressurised cabin that could fly to 90,000 feet. Do you remember your physics of flight and density altitude? I don’t either, but the margin between the Vne and stall speed becomes increasingly smaller at extreme altitude, to within only a few knots of each other. The aircraft would be flying at extremely high true air speed. Control inputs have to be incredibly precise and a wing needed to be designed to minimise the effect. Creating the Perlan II glider was going to be a big job. And then in 2007, Steve Fossett was killed in a light plane crash and the project went into hiatus for some time. Fast forward several years and various sponsors. In 2014 Airbus joined the project as partner and major sponsor and it was all on. The aircraft is a strange looking glider and looks even stranger if you’re used to looking at powered aircraft. One recent news report suggests that it looks like an aircraft made out of silly putty that’s been stretched on all axes. The goal is to eventually reach 90,000 feet but the team and the aircraft is still a Avcraft Engineering NZ Ltd. Feilding Aerodrome 06 212 0920 mat@avcraft.co.nz Are you SORE about your Engine TBO Escalation Programme? The deadline for compliance with DCA/PT6/25A is fast approaching! www.avcraft.co.nz The MORE STC may be the most cost-effective solution, and with our large stock of rotable engine components, specialist test equipment and an experienced knowledgeable team, we can offer a seamless transition with minimal downtime. CALL NOW TO SEE IF THE MORE STC IS RIGHT FOR YOU Tanker to Aircraft Refuelling at Ardmore Tanker to Aircraft Refuelling at Ardmore Avgas and Jet A1 Call George Hoskins Phone 021 369 600 or VHF 133.1 MHz Ardmore Sky Station Ph/Fax: (09) 297 7188 Email: skystation@xtra.co.nzKiwiFlyer Magazine Issue 59 24 New Zealand Soaring long way off achieving this. The extreme altitude produces problems related to the extreme cold (-46.62°C at the top of the climb) and the low pressure. For instance, the landing wheel deflates due to the cold affecting different components of the tyre differently and breaking the seal. The cockpit windows completely fog, although they’re not really any good for visibility anyway. The cockpit seals don’t always hold but there hasn’t been a catastrophic lose of pressure yet. The cabin is pressurised to 13,000 feet pressure altitude as complete pressurisation is not possible. The pilots are breathing pure O2 to minimise the negative effects (the Bends) of a pressure loss should it occur. Plus you have to keep the pilots, and to a certain extent the instruments, warm. Many of us think reaching 90,000 feet in a winged aircraft is a goal worthy of obtaining all on its own, but for those that need a little more justification, there is a point to the exercise – the science of the atmosphere. Ed Warnock, the aerospace engineer who heads the Perlan Project said data collected by the glider would help provide a better understanding of high-altitude air currents. That could help commercial pilots avoid dangerous but invisible regions of turbulence. And since the Perlan 2 glider is unpowered, its onboard instruments can measure the speed, temperature and chemical composition of high-altitude winds without interference from a hot, exhaust- spewing engine. “This cannot be done with a propeller flight or jet, or from [a] satellite,” said Jie Gong, an atmospheric scientist with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Today, 11 September, the glider flew again, but Jim Payne and co-pilot Morgan Sandercock were using the flight to test software upgrades and tweaks to the actual aircraft. It performed well, but there are only a few days left before the team packs up and returns to the States for the off season. It is unlikely than any more records will be broken this year. If you’d like to try flying a less technical glider and see how high you can climb, contact your local gliding club. You won’t make it to the tropopause, but it’s quite easy in many New Zealand sites to break 10,000 feet, high enough to need supplemental oxygen. See the Gliding New Zealand website for details. Jill McCaw The Perlan Glider nearer to Earth F K www.avcraft.co.nz Avcraft Engineering NZ Ltd. Feilding Aerodrome 06 212 0920 mat@avcraft.co.nz From a 50 hour inspection on a Cessna 150, to a KingAir Phase Inspection or a Pilatus PC-12 Annual, our experienced engineers have the skills, knowledge and tooling to assist you with all scheduled and unscheduled maintenance requirements. Plus: Aircraft recoveries, Insurance repairs, Rebuilds, Sheet metal work, Corrosion repairs, Paint refinishing, Fabric work, Maintenance Control, and Avionics.How the Insurance Market Works Aviation Insurance contributed by Bill Beard P: 09 298 8206 or 0800 322 206 F: 09 298 8218 E: insure@avsure.co.nz www.avsure.co.nz Contact us at AVSURE for a free no-obligation quote on any aviation related insurance requirements that you have AIRCRAFT AVIATION LIABILITY PROPERTY PERSONAL l Pleasure & Business Aircraft l Charter l Aircraft Sales l Flying Schools l Clubs l Agricultural l Helicopters l Premises l Airports l Products l Chemical l Hangar keepers l Hangars and Contents l Pilot Personal Accident l Passengers l Pilots term life AVSURE provides the most competitive insurance programmes available in the Aviation Industry. When considering your aircraft insurance, you definitely need the best ADVICE, EXPERIENCE and RESOURCES. At AVSURE, WE DELIVER. AVSURE - where aviation insurance isn’t just a sideline, it’s all we do! RPAS, UAVs, DRONES l Commercial Operator Cover for: Hull & Liability or Liability only Peace of mind is one of the major reasons for holding an insurance policy. To ensure this peace of mind is on solid ground, it pays to use a specialist broker and always make full disclosures. Bill Beard explains: 25 2018 #4 The Aircraft Insurance Industry is relatively small. While there are many insurance brokers prepared to sell you aircraft insurance (mainly as a sideline to their regular business), there are only four or five recognised Aviation Underwriters writing risks in New Zealand. Aviation insurance is a highly specialised field because of the complex nature and range of the risks involved. As well, with the small statistical base upon which rates are calculated, insurance offers are largely “judgement rated” in accordance with particular company’s overall underwriting standards and philosophies. An individual underwriter can sometimes have a broader range of rating latitude on a given class of risk and can be influenced by his or her personal evaluation of the risk. A broker who is knowledgeable both in aviation and insurance can more often than not, negotiate improved terms with an underwriter by clarifying information or offering additional details. For example, if a pilot has marginal experience on a particular aircraft then analysing experience the pilot may have on similar category aircraft or providing additional details on training and check- out procedures can be very helpful in obtaining better terms. Often aviation insurers choose to deal with only one broker on a given risk and quote on an exclusive basis. In the case of renewals, the broker presenting or handling the account with a specific insurer remains the exclusive agent to that company. Other brokers will be precluded from obtaining terms from the holding underwriter. Some underwriters reserve this right to stop confusion. For example, in obtaining quotations on a Beech Bonanza or Cessna 210, these being fairly complex single engine aircraft, imagine one broker being aware of the significance of an instrument rating held by the owner/pilot and the other agent not familiar. The instrument rating would be considered a very important factor by underwriters for this type of aircraft and the broker emphasising this stands to get a better quote. On the other hand, a broker who provides underwriters with full details of previous losses may get a higher quote or even the underwriter may decline to quote - better that, than a broker who fails to recognise the significance of accurate information. Any broker who would omit such critical information stands to have a quote withdrawn or if loss details are not furnished to the underwriter, some serious problems could arise in the event of a claim. Insurance is all about peace of mind so best choose a broker you know and trust who has good aviation knowledge and specialises in light aircraft insurance. Avsure has the knowledge and experience to provide unequalled service and advice to our clients. To discuss this topic or any other questions relating to aviation insurance or to seek quotations, contact Arden Jennings or Bill Beard at Avsure on 0800 322 206.After a lot of planning during the preceding few months, on July 2nd and 3rd a few of us flew some photo flights from Duxford. We had some amazing subjects. Our camera plane was a Short Skyvan which is an ideal platform for photography. It has a solid floor so has no ramp, is powered by reliable turbo- prop engines and is capable of flying at 160 knots which turned out to be quite important for one fighter - but more on that later. July 2nd would see flights with Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress ‘Sally B’ and a Mig 15 from the Norwegian Historic Flight. We were able to get 45 minutes with the B-17 so we could over fly two very historic landmarks; one was an old airfield where B-17s had flown from during WWII and the other involved two flypasts over a cemetery near the village of Madingley, where 3812 American servicemen are buried. They served during the battle of the Atlantic, the Strategic Bombing Campaign, or died on British soil, a sombre moment I can tell you! Both aircraft were flown well. The briefings to fly with a four-engine bomber like the B-17 were extensive with all possible aspects KiwiFlyer Magazine Issue 59 26 Contributed by Gavin Conroy Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress ‘Sally B’ head on in the pose I had imagined, two engines smoking, bomb doors jammed open and running for home. Another lovely pose held by ‘Sally B’. The pilot was well worn out after our photo flight - a four engined bomber is not easy to fly in formation for extended periods. Once again, this year New Zealand aviation photographer and regular KiwiFlyer contributor, Gavin Conroy, received an invitation to head to England during their air show season and participate in a variety of events. The resulting image collection is first class. Other New Zealanders are involved too, most notably Keith Skilling who is regularly there on Hurricane pilot duties. In this issue we’re covering the Duxford and Shuttleworth Collection Air Shows. Look out for RIAT and more in our next edition. Gavin writes: In the air with UK Warbirds Gavin Conroy image27 2018 #4 KiwiFlyer Feature Supermarine Mk.XIV Spitfire flown by Steve Jones, a former Red Bull Air Race pilot. A seldom seen and very rare Supermarine Mk.V Spitfire, now based at Sywell. ARDMORE HANGARAGE Full Service Hangarage available now at Ardmore Airport 20m x 5.5m Power Doors Large Apron Sealed Taxiway Long Term or Short Term Corporate Jet Services Limited P: (09) 298 6249 Gavin Conroy imagecovered. I had an image in my mind of the B-17 with its unique two engine smoke system in operation as the aircraft broke away with bomb doors open which was essentially depicting a damaged bomber trying to make its way home after a raid. I was concerned that people below may ring emergency services if they saw a bomber with smoke pouring from two engines, so I was not sure whether I should mention the idea or not. However the crew thought it was a great idea and worth a go, so we did it right at the end once all other objectives were achieved. July 3rd would see flights with six different WWII fighters that are hangered between Duxford and Sywell and managed by Richard Grace’s company Air Leasing. Fortunately, all six aircraft were airworthy on the day. The subjects were a P-47D Thunderbolt, Hawker Fury FBII, Hispano Buchon ‘Yellow 7’, Hawker Hurricane P2902, Supermarine Spitfire Mk XIV, and finally a rare Supermarine Spitfire Mk V. As I alluded to earlier 160 knots turned out to be the perfect speed for one fighter, that being the Hawker Fury Mk.II. Pilot and engineer Richard Grace does not Hawker Hurricane with Hispano Buchon on its tail. Always nice to pair adversaries together. Republic P-47D Thunderbolt head on, flown by seasoned display pilot Peter Kynsey. UK Warbirds KiwiFlyer Magazine Issue 59 28 Gavin Conroy image Gavin Conroy imageThe Mk.XIV Spitfire leading the Mk.V Spitfire, essentially little and big brother flying together! 29 2018 #4 Another shot of the P-47. it was based in the UK for many years as “No Guts No Glory” before being sold to a U.S. based owner but now she is back. NEW! COPILOT 1 Airspeed Monitor Connects to your pitot and static airdata lines and intercom. Configure via USB (Windows PC) or Bluetooth (Android phone). ‘Head up, eyes out’ Calls out airspeed during critical phases of flight l take-off / climbout l approach / landing l overspeed Ready to build kits | Factory built aircraft options | 2018 manufactured kits in stock | Kits, spare parts and full support available in New Zealand Contact your NZ Savannah Agent Philip Seale at Westwind Aviation P: 021 747 494 or philipseale@xtra.co.nz www.savannahnz.com ICP Savannah S Factory LSA For Sale Gavin Conroy image Gavin Conroy image Gavin Conroy imageNext >