Dan Krumlauf just wanted to get rid of the aging single-engine plane that he had bought years ago and learned to fly.
The Piper Tomahawk airplane had started to fail. There were engine problems. So he donated it to Columbus State Community College, where he had studied finance and graduated in 1988.
Students at Columbus State were thrilled. The plane will go to the school’s Aviation Maintenance department. By chance, the department needed just that model of airplane.
“We have the same model engine for the Piper that was donated several years ago and overhauled by the students in class, but we had no way to test run the engine,” associate professor Jeff Gruber said in a statement.
As part of a capstone course this year, students will remove the faulty engine from Krumlauf’s plane. Over the summer semester, students will start to overhaul the old engine that the school already had. When they’re finished, the department will have a working airplane.
Story and photo: http://www.dispatch.com
Showing posts with label Piper Aircraft. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Piper Aircraft. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Norway flighty thieves steal aircraft engine: Piper PA-18-150 Super Cub, LN-LJD
Norwegian police without leads following Sunday morning’s cheeky theft in the eastern part of the country.
The bandits are said to have demounted the 150-kilo (about 330.7 pounds) light aircraft engine during the night.
“This type of engine isn’t just something you stick in your pocket,” Christian Gulli, Søndre Buskerud Police District operations leader said to TV2.
The yellow tail-wheeled single-engine Piper PA-18-150, aircraft registration LN-LJD, is parked at a private airfield in Buskerud County’s Lier.
Its owner discovered the theft of the engine at about 10am local time (9am Zulu).
Parts and the engine together are worth an estimated 400,000 Norwegian kroner (some 65,000 US dollars/47,300 euro/39,500 pounds sterling).
Officers at the crime scene officers have conducted their investigations, but have nothing to go on as the area has no CCTV surveillance.
Police ask members of the public to come forward with any information they might have on 02255 from Norway, or +47-915 02 255 from abroad.
General facts about the Piper PA-18-150 Super Cub landplane (1954 variant):
Manufacturer: Piper Aircraft.
Engine: Lycoming O-320 series. Air-cooled, flat four. 150hp.
Cruise speed: 100 knots (185kph/115mph) at 75% power.
Maximum speed: 113 knots (208kph/130mph) at sea level.
Never exceed speed: 132 knots (246kph/153mph).
Range: 399 nautical miles (735km/460mi).
Maximum service ceiling (height above sea level): 5,595 metres (19,000 ft).
Length: 6.88 metres (22 ft, 7 in).
Height: 2.02 metres (6 ft, 8.5 in).
Wingspan: 10.73 metres (35 ft, 2.5 in).
Capacity: 2 persons including pilot.
PA-18 Super Cub series first introduced: 1949. Developed from the Piper PA-11.
(Source: Wikipedia).
Source: http://theforeigner.no
The bandits are said to have demounted the 150-kilo (about 330.7 pounds) light aircraft engine during the night.
“This type of engine isn’t just something you stick in your pocket,” Christian Gulli, Søndre Buskerud Police District operations leader said to TV2.
The yellow tail-wheeled single-engine Piper PA-18-150, aircraft registration LN-LJD, is parked at a private airfield in Buskerud County’s Lier.
Its owner discovered the theft of the engine at about 10am local time (9am Zulu).
Parts and the engine together are worth an estimated 400,000 Norwegian kroner (some 65,000 US dollars/47,300 euro/39,500 pounds sterling).
Officers at the crime scene officers have conducted their investigations, but have nothing to go on as the area has no CCTV surveillance.
Police ask members of the public to come forward with any information they might have on 02255 from Norway, or +47-915 02 255 from abroad.
General facts about the Piper PA-18-150 Super Cub landplane (1954 variant):
Manufacturer: Piper Aircraft.
Engine: Lycoming O-320 series. Air-cooled, flat four. 150hp.
Cruise speed: 100 knots (185kph/115mph) at 75% power.
Maximum speed: 113 knots (208kph/130mph) at sea level.
Never exceed speed: 132 knots (246kph/153mph).
Range: 399 nautical miles (735km/460mi).
Maximum service ceiling (height above sea level): 5,595 metres (19,000 ft).
Length: 6.88 metres (22 ft, 7 in).
Height: 2.02 metres (6 ft, 8.5 in).
Wingspan: 10.73 metres (35 ft, 2.5 in).
Capacity: 2 persons including pilot.
PA-18 Super Cub series first introduced: 1949. Developed from the Piper PA-11.
(Source: Wikipedia).
Source: http://theforeigner.no
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Airplane propeller swiped: Squamish Airport, British Columbia, Canada
Squamish Royal Canadian Mounted Police are investigating the theft of an airplane propeller from the Squamish Airport last week.
Last Tuesday (Sept. 17), police received a report of a propeller having been stolen from a Piper Cherokee while the aircraft was parked at the airport sometime between Monday (Sept. 16) and Sept. 17 at 1 p.m., RCMP Sgt. Wayne Pride wrote in a statement.
No other aircraft were targeted. The propeller, valued around $5,000, was a Sensenich 74DM6-0-60 model, silver/grey, with a maroon-colored spinner (base).
A white pickup truck with a crew cab that wasn’t familiar to those at the airport was seen in the area on the morning of Sept. 16. Police are following up on that tip, but it’s not known whether the truck is related to the theft.
Original article: http://www.squamishchief.com
Last Tuesday (Sept. 17), police received a report of a propeller having been stolen from a Piper Cherokee while the aircraft was parked at the airport sometime between Monday (Sept. 16) and Sept. 17 at 1 p.m., RCMP Sgt. Wayne Pride wrote in a statement.
No other aircraft were targeted. The propeller, valued around $5,000, was a Sensenich 74DM6-0-60 model, silver/grey, with a maroon-colored spinner (base).
A white pickup truck with a crew cab that wasn’t familiar to those at the airport was seen in the area on the morning of Sept. 16. Police are following up on that tip, but it’s not known whether the truck is related to the theft.
Original article: http://www.squamishchief.com
Saturday, September 21, 2013
California men get 37 months in Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport (KLBB) marijuana bust
Arrested ferrying marijuana, hashish, psychedelic mushrooms on Piper PA-28-181 Archer II (N342TA)
Two men arrested in April at Lubbock’s airport with marijuana, hashish and psychedelic mushrooms on a private airplane were sentenced Friday, Sept. 20, to 37 months in federal prison.
Michael Gallanter, 48, and Ethan Oliver Wynne-Wade, 31, each pleaded guilty in June to one count of possession with intent to distribute between 50 and 100 kilograms of marijuana.
Both men are from San Francisco.
U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings allowed them to report voluntarily to prison by Oct. 25.
As part of a plea agreement in the case, charges against both men of possession of hashish and psilocybin with intent to distribute were dropped.
The two men were arrested when they landed a Piper Cherokee at Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport for a refuelling stop. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s air interdiction department, acting on a tip, and Lubbock police, made the arrest.
Gallanter, the pilot, had filed a flight plan from California to Atlanta, according to law enforcement reports at the time. The airplane was rented from the Travis Air Force Base Aero Club in Rio Vista, Calif., according to court documents.
After the arrest, Gallanter initially told investigators someone he met at a coffee shop asked him to deliver some duffel bags to Atlanta, but denied knowing the contents.
Cummings’ sentence was at the low end of the U.S Probation Office’s recommendation of 37 to 46 months.
Assistant Federal Public Defender Helen Liggett, who represented Wynne-Wade, offered a summary of several videos that she’d hoped to play in court on his behalf.
In arguing for a low sentence for Wynne-Wade, Liggett cited numerous letters she’d received on her client’s behalf supporting his pre-trial release on bail, along with letters submitted while sentencing was under consideration urging leniency.
Liggett said the letters and the videos portrayed Wynne-Wade as a non-violent person and a peacemaker in his community.
One of the people who spoke in the videos, she said, gave a statement praising Wynne-Wade’s work in helping establish a community center in a San Francisco neighborhood.
Another person in the videos recounted an incident in which Wynne-Wade confronted a homeless person breaking into a vehicle and dealt with the situation by offering the person more money to assist with his needs.
The videos weren’t played because court personnel couldn’t find a way to confine the image to a projection screen at the side of the courtroom.
Liggett said a minimum sentence would be best, because if her client received more prison time, “he would come out of prison not as fine a man as he was when he went in.”
Gallanter addressed the court.
“I apologize to the court for the trouble I’ve caused, and I apologize to my family, friends and fiancee for what I have put them through,” Gallanter said.
Cummings, who usually moves quickly through the sentencing ritual, paused for a minute or so and looked out over the courtroom before pronouncing sentence.
The sentence includes three years’ supervised release for each man.
Original article: http://lubbockonline.com
Related:
http://www.everythinglubbock.com
San Francisco pilot, passenger plead guilty in Texas marijuana flight, arrested at Lubbock Aero -- Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport (KLBB), Texas: Piper Archer III, N342TA
http://registry.faa.gov/N342TA
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N342TA
http://flightaware.com/photo
Two men arrested in April at Lubbock’s airport with marijuana, hashish and psychedelic mushrooms on a private airplane were sentenced Friday, Sept. 20, to 37 months in federal prison.
Michael Gallanter, 48, and Ethan Oliver Wynne-Wade, 31, each pleaded guilty in June to one count of possession with intent to distribute between 50 and 100 kilograms of marijuana.
Both men are from San Francisco.
U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings allowed them to report voluntarily to prison by Oct. 25.
As part of a plea agreement in the case, charges against both men of possession of hashish and psilocybin with intent to distribute were dropped.
The two men were arrested when they landed a Piper Cherokee at Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport for a refuelling stop. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s air interdiction department, acting on a tip, and Lubbock police, made the arrest.
Gallanter, the pilot, had filed a flight plan from California to Atlanta, according to law enforcement reports at the time. The airplane was rented from the Travis Air Force Base Aero Club in Rio Vista, Calif., according to court documents.
After the arrest, Gallanter initially told investigators someone he met at a coffee shop asked him to deliver some duffel bags to Atlanta, but denied knowing the contents.
Cummings’ sentence was at the low end of the U.S Probation Office’s recommendation of 37 to 46 months.
Assistant Federal Public Defender Helen Liggett, who represented Wynne-Wade, offered a summary of several videos that she’d hoped to play in court on his behalf.
In arguing for a low sentence for Wynne-Wade, Liggett cited numerous letters she’d received on her client’s behalf supporting his pre-trial release on bail, along with letters submitted while sentencing was under consideration urging leniency.
Liggett said the letters and the videos portrayed Wynne-Wade as a non-violent person and a peacemaker in his community.
One of the people who spoke in the videos, she said, gave a statement praising Wynne-Wade’s work in helping establish a community center in a San Francisco neighborhood.
Another person in the videos recounted an incident in which Wynne-Wade confronted a homeless person breaking into a vehicle and dealt with the situation by offering the person more money to assist with his needs.
The videos weren’t played because court personnel couldn’t find a way to confine the image to a projection screen at the side of the courtroom.
Liggett said a minimum sentence would be best, because if her client received more prison time, “he would come out of prison not as fine a man as he was when he went in.”
Gallanter addressed the court.
“I apologize to the court for the trouble I’ve caused, and I apologize to my family, friends and fiancee for what I have put them through,” Gallanter said.
Cummings, who usually moves quickly through the sentencing ritual, paused for a minute or so and looked out over the courtroom before pronouncing sentence.
The sentence includes three years’ supervised release for each man.
Original article: http://lubbockonline.com
Related:
http://www.everythinglubbock.com
San Francisco pilot, passenger plead guilty in Texas marijuana flight, arrested at Lubbock Aero -- Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport (KLBB), Texas: Piper Archer III, N342TA
http://registry.faa.gov/N342TA
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N342TA
http://flightaware.com/photo
Monday, June 03, 2013
Mystery Photo No. 36: A tough mystery to solve - Greene County Airport (KWAY), Waynesburg, Pennsylvania
Mystery Photo No. 36by Jon Stevens
Observer-Reporter
Greene County Bureau Chief
Published Jun 2, 2013 at 11:40 pm (Updated Jun 2, 2013 at 11:40 pm)
This was a tough one – eight young men standing and kneeling beside a Piper Cub on the grassy infield of Greene County Airport, most likely in the early 1940s.
We expected a lot of calls from people who could readily recognize some or all of those in the picture. We received one call, from Enid Crockard of Dry Tavern, who is “almost positive” the man standing on the far left was her husband-to-be, Charles Crockard.
“It sure looks like him, because he and his friends would go the airport to take flying lessons,” she said.
Crockard’s phone call was much appreciated, but so many unanswered questions remained, such as, what was the meaning of the wording “Waynesburg Wolfpack” on the T-shirt worn by the man standing second from left? If this photo was in fact taken in the early 1940s, did these flying lessons have anything to do with war preparations?
Leave it up to James “Fuzzy” Randolph, curator of the museum at Waynesburg University, to clear up some of the mystery.
First, Frank Wolf was the head football coach and head basketball coach at Waynesburg College from 1928 to 1941, and 1928 to 1943, respectively, Randolph produced copies of The Yellow Jacket, the college’s newspaper, which often referred to Wolf’s teams as the “Wolfpack,” although the college kept its athletic nickname as the Yellow Jackets.
Perhaps more telling as to why that man was wearing the T-shirt was that Wolf also was the coordinator of the Army and Navy aviation courses at the college, and dozens of stories in The Yellow Jacket shed some lights as to why young men might be gathered around a plane at Greene County Airport.
Although we do not know whether these the young men in the photo were college students, a story in the college newspaper Jan. 16, 1942, says “College to Emphasize C.P.T. Course.” C.P.T. stands for Civilian Pilot Training.
Briefly, the story says, “This course is now quite definitely a part of the country’s quest for supremacy in the air.”
The article continues, “The current war necessitated a drastic move by the national government in regard to student pilots. Within a few hours after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor early in December (1941), all pilot licenses, including the student licenses of the C.P.T. classes, were temporarily suspended. They are now being reinstated.”
And one last headline: “College has trained 57 in two years; 21 already active in U.S. Air Service.”
Randolph believes one reason the men may have been hard to identify was that prospective pilots came from all over the area, not just from Greene County. And, Randolph said, if any attended the college, they could have been from anywhere.
Look for another Mystery Photo in next Monday’s Observer-Reporter.
Story and Photo: http://www.observer-reporter.com
Sunday, June 02, 2013
A Brief In-Flight Introduction to the Garmin G500 in the Piper PA46 Mirage Aircraft: Master Instructor Dick Rochfort
RWR Pilot Training: http://www.rwrpilottraining.com
Ride along with Master Instructor Dick Rochfort on an in-flight demonstration of the techniques and procedures for getting the most from the G500 equipped Piper PA46 Meridian. Dick uses proper call-outs and well documented, disciplined procedures to ensure the safety of this challenging flight. Dick Rochfort is a full-time pilot trainer specializing in the PA46 Matrix, Malibu, Mirage and Meridian aircraft, providing excellent training and related services to instructors, owners and pilots of the Piper PA46 Matrix, Malibu, Mirage and Meridian aircraft worldwide. He provides pre-purchase valuation, instructor training, corporate service and expert witness services worldwide.
Saturday, June 01, 2013
Dealing with Clouds and Airframe Ice in the Descent in a Piper PA46 Aircraft: Master Instructor Dick Rochfort
RWR Pilot Training: http://www.rwrpilottraining.com
Ride along with Master Instructor Dick Rochfort on an in-flight demonstration of the techniques and procedures for dealing with clouds and air frame ice in a G500 equipped Piper PA46 Mirage. Dick uses proper call-outs and well documented, disciplined procedures to ensure the safety of this challenging flight. Dick Rochfort is a full-time pilot trainer specializing in the PA46 Matrix, Malibu, Mirage and Meridian aircraft. He also provides pre-purchase valuation, training, corporate service and expert witness services worldwide.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Weather Avoidance in a Piper Meridian with Garmin G1000: Master Instructor Dick Rochfort
Ride along with Master Instructor Dick Rochfort as he describes use of the Garmin G1000 panel for weather avoidance. Dick uses all of the tools available aboard this PA46-500T Piper Meridian to safely transit the affected area.
Tuesday, April 09, 2013
Vero Beach, Florida: Piper announces order to build 35 planes
VERO BEACH — Piper Aircraft Inc. Tuesday morning announced a deal with CAE Oxford Aviation Academy for replenishment of its fleet, which includes an initial order of 35 planes.
Based on the size of the CAE’s fleet, however, the five-year agreement potentially could result in the sale of as many as 200 airplanes.
Piper and CAE made the announcement Tuesday morning during the annual Sun ‘n Fun International Fly-in and Expo in Lakeland.
The new orders are not expected to have any immediate impact on employment at the company. The value of the deal was not released, but includes firm orders for 22 single-engine Archer TX training planes and 13-twin engine planes that could be Seminoles, as well as parts and service.
Piper already is building the planes at its Vero Beach facility. Deliveries will start this year with 27 of the new aircraft going to CAE Oxford Aviation Academy in Phoenix and eight being sent later this year to its academy in Oxford, England.
“Piper is absolutely delighted that CAE Oxford Aviation Academy, a recognized world leader in civil aviation pilot training, has selected our company for its next large fleet procurement of learning aircraft,” said Piper President and Chief Executive Officer Simon Caldecott in a prepared statement.
Last year, Piper officials spoke of wanting to create alliance with flight training schools and could make another announcement during the show.
Last November, it announced an alliance with Florida Institute of Technology’s College of Aeronautics was expected to lead to the sale of eight single-engine Piper Archer TX training airplanes this year, with the potential of as many as 16 more Archer of Seminoles over a five-year period.
The college was the first customer of a program that the company calls the Piper Aviation Career Alliance, which is designed to provide planes and additional support for flight schools.
Piper President and Chief Executive Officer Simon Caldecott has said that he saw the flight training market as the company’s “biggest opportunity going forward because of the shortage of pilots globally.”
This story will be updated.
Read more here: http://www.tcpalm.com
Based on the size of the CAE’s fleet, however, the five-year agreement potentially could result in the sale of as many as 200 airplanes.
Piper and CAE made the announcement Tuesday morning during the annual Sun ‘n Fun International Fly-in and Expo in Lakeland.
The new orders are not expected to have any immediate impact on employment at the company. The value of the deal was not released, but includes firm orders for 22 single-engine Archer TX training planes and 13-twin engine planes that could be Seminoles, as well as parts and service.
Piper already is building the planes at its Vero Beach facility. Deliveries will start this year with 27 of the new aircraft going to CAE Oxford Aviation Academy in Phoenix and eight being sent later this year to its academy in Oxford, England.
“Piper is absolutely delighted that CAE Oxford Aviation Academy, a recognized world leader in civil aviation pilot training, has selected our company for its next large fleet procurement of learning aircraft,” said Piper President and Chief Executive Officer Simon Caldecott in a prepared statement.
Last year, Piper officials spoke of wanting to create alliance with flight training schools and could make another announcement during the show.
Last November, it announced an alliance with Florida Institute of Technology’s College of Aeronautics was expected to lead to the sale of eight single-engine Piper Archer TX training airplanes this year, with the potential of as many as 16 more Archer of Seminoles over a five-year period.
The college was the first customer of a program that the company calls the Piper Aviation Career Alliance, which is designed to provide planes and additional support for flight schools.
Piper President and Chief Executive Officer Simon Caldecott has said that he saw the flight training market as the company’s “biggest opportunity going forward because of the shortage of pilots globally.”
This story will be updated.
Read more here: http://www.tcpalm.com
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Pilots Forming Flying Club: Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (KLAL), Florida
Local pilots are attempting to form a flying club at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport. The club is hoping to fly light sport, Cessna 152/172/182 and Piper aircraft.
There will be a one-time initiation fee of $100 and monthly dues of $50 to $60. Aircraft user fees will be $40 to $80 an hour.
The club is looking for owners of aircrafts to enter into an agreement so its members can fly.
Read more here: http://www.theledger.com
There will be a one-time initiation fee of $100 and monthly dues of $50 to $60. Aircraft user fees will be $40 to $80 an hour.
The club is looking for owners of aircrafts to enter into an agreement so its members can fly.
Read more here: http://www.theledger.com
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Pheasants: When Your Hunting Truck is a Piper Super Cub -Field & Stream
March 20, 2013
By Phil Bourjaily, Field & Stream
Occasionally we have discussed hunting vehicles in this space. Photographer Dave Tunge sent me this picture of his “hunting truck,” a Piper Super Cub. “The Super Cub is a poor man’s helicopter,” he told me. “I can land almost anywhere with it.” He uses flotation tires inflated to just 6-8 psi (“like pillows”) he says, that allow him to roll over rocks the size of softballs and ruts in the fields without feeling them.
With birds scarce around Yankton, Tunge is able to reach farms in better pheasant areas 150 to 200 miles away in a short time. He lands right in the field, hunts, and flies home. His 15-month old Lab loves to fly as well.
Story, Photo, Reaction/Comments: http://www.fieldandstream.com
By Phil Bourjaily, Field & Stream
Occasionally we have discussed hunting vehicles in this space. Photographer Dave Tunge sent me this picture of his “hunting truck,” a Piper Super Cub. “The Super Cub is a poor man’s helicopter,” he told me. “I can land almost anywhere with it.” He uses flotation tires inflated to just 6-8 psi (“like pillows”) he says, that allow him to roll over rocks the size of softballs and ruts in the fields without feeling them.
With birds scarce around Yankton, Tunge is able to reach farms in better pheasant areas 150 to 200 miles away in a short time. He lands right in the field, hunts, and flies home. His 15-month old Lab loves to fly as well.
Story, Photo, Reaction/Comments: http://www.fieldandstream.com
Thursday, March 07, 2013
Aviation Enthusiasts From Manitoba Enjoyed Month-Long Stay Flying In And Around Osoyoos
Derek Jenkins (left) stands in front of his Piper Cherokee aircraft, built in 1964, while Ken Pierce stands in front of his Cessna 182, built in 1973, at the Osoyoos Airport late last week. The two Manitobans, who are members of the Shoal Lake Flying Club, spent a month in Osoyoos taking day trips in and around the Okanagan Valley along with two other club members.
Photo by Keith Lacey.
If you think Osoyoos and the Okanagan Valley is beautiful to look at from the ground, you should see it from the sky, say Ken Pierce and Derek Jenkins.
The longtime friends and aviators were two of four members of the Shoal Lake Flying Club from northern Manitoba who spent the past month in Osoyoos flying their airplanes in and around the Okanagan Valley.
They were joined by fellow Shoal Lake Flying Club members Bruce McEwing and Roland Kuip.
Three of the four avid aviators brought their wives for the month-long stay in Osoyoos. They all stayed at the Spirit Ridge Vineyard Resort and Spa.
They ended up coming to Osoyoos after Pierce and his wife spent a week here last spring on vacation.
“I started researching places to consider visiting about a year ago as a few of us from the club wanted to do some mountain flying,” said Pierce. “We came out last March and spent a wonderful week here and really liked Osoyoos a lot.
“I told the guys at the club about this place and how it would be perfect for what we were looking for and we arranged the trip over the past few months.”
During their four-week stay in Osoyoos, the Manitobans went on more than a dozen day trips flying all across the Okanagan Valley.
“We had day trips to Penticton, Enderby, Salmon Arm, Castelgar, Christina Lake … basically any small town in the area that had a landing strip,” said Jenkins.
Pierce and his wife flew into the small airport in Osoyoos after spending an extended vacation flying in and around Mexico, Arizona and California.
When they’re not pursuing their favourite hobby, Pierce is a beef cattle producer, while Jenkins is a grain farmer.
Pierce owns a single engine Cessna 182, built in 1973, while Jenkins owns a Piper Cherokee, built in 1964.
Mountain flying presents numerous challenges, but the views and scenery from the cockpit of a small airplane were spectacular during their entire visit, said Jenkins.
“Because you’re dealing with so many mountains, you have to follow different flying procedures and the approaches into the runways are all different than what we’re used to in the Prairies,” he said. “And when you’re involved in mountain flying, you use the valleys as your guide and there are some pretty awesome views from those valleys in and around the mountain passes.”
Because they had such a great time, all four aviators plan on returning to Osoyoos late next winter or early spring for a return visit and they plan on bringing more friends and airplanes, said Pierce.
“We’re also members of a couple of other flying clubs in Manitoba and I plan on telling everyone I know about our trip and how much we enjoyed it and hopefully we’ll be coming back next year with a few more people and a few more planes,” he said.
“We had a wonderful month up here and I’m really looking forward to coming back next year,” said Jenkins.
Story and Photos: http://www.osoyoostimes.com
Monday, March 04, 2013
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: Man's aviation hobby goes to new heights
Dick Duncan stands next to a 1946 Piper J-3 Cub on Wednesday in his basement in Mechanicsburg.
Joe Hermitt, PennLive.com
Dick Duncan restores two 1946 Piper J-3 Cubs in his basement on Wednesday in Mechanicsburg.
Joe Hermitt, PennLive.com
MECHANICSBURG — Dick Duncan was the kind of child who wanted to know how everything worked.
He developed a love for taking things apart and creating new inventions as he grew up around tractors and other machinery on his family’s potato farm in northern Maine.
He fondly recalls one project from his teenage years in which he turned airplane parts into a propeller-driven snow mobile.
Duncan, 73, stills finds pleasure in building new things and for more than a year, he has been constructing two Piper J-3 Cubs — small airplanes scheduled to fly this summer for the first time.
“The J-3s were the planes of the '40s and '50s. I’m kind of living in the past by bringing these planes back to life,” Duncan said with a laugh. “I have restored many planes, but I have never had the opportunity to really build one from scratch.”
Duncan studied crop management at the University of Maine. Married with three daughters, he worked for the federal government overseeing soil conservation and lived in Puerto Rico, Hawaii and other parts of the United States before settling in the area.
When he retired in 1995, Duncan, a certified pilot, rekindled his passion for airplanes by acquiring certificates through the Federal Aviation Administration that allowed him to work on and inspect airplanes.
He turned those certifications into a business. He is the owner and president of Wings ‘N Things, a company based at Capital City Airport in New Cumberland that provides service and repair work for airplanes. Duncan’s company has worked on planes that have transported state governors and attorneys general.
In October 2011, he started building the J-3 Cubs in the basement of his home off Dry Powder Road. Both planes are about 24 feet long with 30-foot wingspans and will run with approximately 90-horsepower engines.
While they’re close to completion now, both planes started as piles of parts. Duncan acquired many of them online and did the meticulous work of piecing everything together, painting and coating the wings, and making sure everything was just right.
In a recent visit with a PennLive reporter, he pointed to a set of engineering designs on the wall of his basement and said building the planes was just like assembling a large model airplane.
He later acknowledged that with one plane he was stumped on how to install a part of the wing. He had to seek out engineers and others familiar with the J-3 to figure out what went wrong before it was fixed.
Duncan said the planes and their parts cost about $35,000 each. A single part is often expensive — one crankshaft cost $2,500.
The plan is to fly them at an event in Lock Haven. The J-3s, which were observation planes in the World War II era, used to be produced at a factory there.
Asked if there will be any trepidation in flying a plane he built for the first time, Duncan said that feeling will quickly dissipate.
“You have a big lump in your throat when you first lift off the ground,” he said. “But it’s such an exhilarating feeling to know that you took a pile of pieces and parts and made it into something that flies. It’s very satisfying.”
Duncan is not alone in constructing planes. In 2011, Dan Reeves concluded his nine-year building odyssey of a two-seater Van’s RV-7A airplane, when he pulled it through a hole in a wall at his Lower Allen Township house and into the light of day.
Story and Photos: http://www.pennlive.com
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Piper Selects Garmin(R) G1000(R) Integrated Flight Deck for Seneca V
OLATHE, Kan., Feb 26, 2013 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd., the global leader in satellite navigation, today announced that Piper Aircraft has selected the G1000 all-glass, integrated flight deck for its twin-class Seneca V model, introduced today at the Australian International Airshow and Aerospace and Defence Exposition.
"We have a strong, long-standing partnership with Piper Aircraft, and we are honored by the confidence they continue to show in Garmin avionics," said Carl Wolf, Garmin's vice president of aviation sales and marketing. "With the G1000-equipped Seneca V, all new-production Piper M-Class and Twin-Class aircraft will now feature a Garmin integrated flight deck, and we look forward to continuing to serve Piper owners and operators with best-in-class cockpit solutions."
The G1000 integrates all primary flight information, navigation data, communications, terrain awareness, traffic, weather, and engine data on three 10.4-inch, high-resolution displays. The G1000's reliable Attitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS) provides accurate, digital output and referencing of the aircraft's attitude, rate, and acceleration data. The G1000 also incorporates a large moving map, and supports a wide array of safety enhancing features, including Synthetic Vision Technology (SVT(TM)), Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS), datalink weather, Garmin's traffic awareness and collision avoidance systems, and more.
Additional information about the G1000 is available at garmin.com.
Garmin's aviation business segment is a leading provider of solutions to Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), aftermarket, military and government customers. Garmin's portfolio includes navigation, communication, flight control, hazard avoidance, surveillance, and other products and services that are known for innovation, reliability, and value.
About Garmin International Inc.
Garmin International Inc. is a subsidiary of Garmin Ltd. , the global leader in satellite navigation. Since 1989, this group of companies has designed, manufactured, marketed and sold navigation, communication and information devices and applications - most of which are enabled by GPS technology. Garmin's products serve automotive, mobile, wireless, outdoor recreation, marine, aviation, and OEM applications. A component of the S&P 500, Garmin Ltd. is incorporated in Switzerland, and its principal subsidiaries are located in the United States, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit Garmin's virtual pressroom at www.garmin.com/pressroom or contact the Media Relations department at 913-397-8200. Garmin and G1000 are registered trademarks of Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries.
All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved.
About Piper Aircraft
Piper Aircraft Inc. is headquartered in Vero Beach, Fla. The company offers aviators throughout the world efficient and reliable single-engine and twin-engine aircraft. The single-engine M-Class series - the Meridian, Mirage and Matrix - offer businesses and individuals elegant performance and value. The Twin Class Seneca V and Seminole balance proven performance, efficiency and simplicity in twin-engine aircraft. The Trainer Class Archer TX, Arrow, Seminole and Seneca V aircraft form the most complete technically-advanced line of pilot training aircraft in the world. All Piper airplanes feature advanced Garmin avionics in the cockpit. Piper is a member of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.
Notice on Forward-Looking Statements:
This release includes forward-looking statements regarding Garmin Ltd. and its business. Such statements are based on management's current expectations. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release may not occur and actual results could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting Garmin, including, but not limited to, the risk factors listed in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, filed by Garmin with the Securities and Exchange Commission (Commission file number 0-31983). A copy of such Form 10-K is available at www.garmin.com/aboutGarmin/invRelations/finReports.html. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and Garmin undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
SOURCE: Garmin International Inc.
Source: http://www.marketwatch.com
"We have a strong, long-standing partnership with Piper Aircraft, and we are honored by the confidence they continue to show in Garmin avionics," said Carl Wolf, Garmin's vice president of aviation sales and marketing. "With the G1000-equipped Seneca V, all new-production Piper M-Class and Twin-Class aircraft will now feature a Garmin integrated flight deck, and we look forward to continuing to serve Piper owners and operators with best-in-class cockpit solutions."
The G1000 integrates all primary flight information, navigation data, communications, terrain awareness, traffic, weather, and engine data on three 10.4-inch, high-resolution displays. The G1000's reliable Attitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS) provides accurate, digital output and referencing of the aircraft's attitude, rate, and acceleration data. The G1000 also incorporates a large moving map, and supports a wide array of safety enhancing features, including Synthetic Vision Technology (SVT(TM)), Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS), datalink weather, Garmin's traffic awareness and collision avoidance systems, and more.
Additional information about the G1000 is available at garmin.com.
Garmin's aviation business segment is a leading provider of solutions to Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), aftermarket, military and government customers. Garmin's portfolio includes navigation, communication, flight control, hazard avoidance, surveillance, and other products and services that are known for innovation, reliability, and value.
About Garmin International Inc.
Garmin International Inc. is a subsidiary of Garmin Ltd. , the global leader in satellite navigation. Since 1989, this group of companies has designed, manufactured, marketed and sold navigation, communication and information devices and applications - most of which are enabled by GPS technology. Garmin's products serve automotive, mobile, wireless, outdoor recreation, marine, aviation, and OEM applications. A component of the S&P 500, Garmin Ltd. is incorporated in Switzerland, and its principal subsidiaries are located in the United States, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit Garmin's virtual pressroom at www.garmin.com/pressroom or contact the Media Relations department at 913-397-8200. Garmin and G1000 are registered trademarks of Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries.
All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved.
About Piper Aircraft
Piper Aircraft Inc. is headquartered in Vero Beach, Fla. The company offers aviators throughout the world efficient and reliable single-engine and twin-engine aircraft. The single-engine M-Class series - the Meridian, Mirage and Matrix - offer businesses and individuals elegant performance and value. The Twin Class Seneca V and Seminole balance proven performance, efficiency and simplicity in twin-engine aircraft. The Trainer Class Archer TX, Arrow, Seminole and Seneca V aircraft form the most complete technically-advanced line of pilot training aircraft in the world. All Piper airplanes feature advanced Garmin avionics in the cockpit. Piper is a member of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.
Notice on Forward-Looking Statements:
This release includes forward-looking statements regarding Garmin Ltd. and its business. Such statements are based on management's current expectations. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release may not occur and actual results could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting Garmin, including, but not limited to, the risk factors listed in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, filed by Garmin with the Securities and Exchange Commission (Commission file number 0-31983). A copy of such Form 10-K is available at www.garmin.com/aboutGarmin/invRelations/finReports.html. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and Garmin undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
SOURCE: Garmin International Inc.
Source: http://www.marketwatch.com
Monday, February 25, 2013
Nebraska legislators debate buying airplane from University of Nebraska Foundation
Posted: Monday, February 25, 2013 12:30 am
By Cristina Woodworth
Nebraska legislators are considering purchasing an 11-passenger twin turboprop aircraft currently owned by the University of Nebraska Foundation.
The state is already in a $10,000-a-month lease-purchase agreement with the foundation, which ends on June 30, meaning the state must decide whether to buy the plane or let it go by that time.
The Legislature is looking into purchasing the plane for more than $2.16 million, according to Andre Aman, legal counsel for the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics.
“The Legislature will make the decision whether or not to purchase the aircraft,” Aman said. “That question is currently before the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee.”
Aman said the aircraft is available for use in all branches of state government. It’s used to transport the governor and other state officials when needed.
The NU Foundation originally purchased the King Air B200 in 2001 to reach the foundation’s donors, according to foundation spokesperson Dorothy Endacott. The initial price of the plane has not been made public.
“Our fundraisers work in the foundation’s offices in Omaha, Lincoln and Kearney, but our alumni and donors live all over the country,” Endacott said. “By far, the most common mode of transportation used by our fundraisers to visit donors is commercial aircraft and automobile. Use of private aircraft comes in a very distant third place.”
Endacott said discussions to sell the aircraft began after the foundation came under the leadership of interim CEO John Gottschalk in February 2012. Brian Hastings was named CEO later that year.
“The primary factor was the internal discussion on whether selling (the plane) would have any impact on our fundraising ability and the conclusion was that it would not,” Endacott said. “The trigger that began that discussion was having a new CEO named on Feb. 1. When he came, he initiated a review of various operational items and the aircraft use was one of those items.”
The NU Foundation’s decision in June 2012 to sell the plane also came shortly after the Associated Press published a May 2012 article about the more than $80,000 used for private flights in 2011 when the foundation could have used less-expensive modes of transportation like driving or commercial flights.
The AP article said the private plane traveled 16,108 miles in 2011, which included trips to Chicago, Dallas and Des Moines.
Endacott said the AP article and the foundation’s decision to sell the plane were unrelated.
“The AP story was not a factor,” she said.
Ronnie Mitchell, state Department of Aeronautics director, could not be reached for comment but met with the Appropriations Committee earlier this month to discuss the plane, the Lincoln Journal Star reported.
Mitchell said that the state would look to sell its own eight-seat Piper Cheyenne plane if allowed to purchase the foundation plane, according to the Journal Star. That plane could sell for $500,000 to $600,000.
Although there are high costs associated with purchasing and maintaining an aircraft, Mitchell told the committee that travel time for state officials is also a factor, according to the Journal Star. Having a private aircraft to use is often more convenient and practical than driving from Lincoln to the state’s panhandle, he said.
“(The plane is) a time machine in some respects,” Mitchell told the committee.
Source: http://www.dailynebraskan.com
By Cristina Woodworth
Nebraska legislators are considering purchasing an 11-passenger twin turboprop aircraft currently owned by the University of Nebraska Foundation.
The state is already in a $10,000-a-month lease-purchase agreement with the foundation, which ends on June 30, meaning the state must decide whether to buy the plane or let it go by that time.
The Legislature is looking into purchasing the plane for more than $2.16 million, according to Andre Aman, legal counsel for the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics.
“The Legislature will make the decision whether or not to purchase the aircraft,” Aman said. “That question is currently before the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee.”
Aman said the aircraft is available for use in all branches of state government. It’s used to transport the governor and other state officials when needed.
The NU Foundation originally purchased the King Air B200 in 2001 to reach the foundation’s donors, according to foundation spokesperson Dorothy Endacott. The initial price of the plane has not been made public.
“Our fundraisers work in the foundation’s offices in Omaha, Lincoln and Kearney, but our alumni and donors live all over the country,” Endacott said. “By far, the most common mode of transportation used by our fundraisers to visit donors is commercial aircraft and automobile. Use of private aircraft comes in a very distant third place.”
Endacott said discussions to sell the aircraft began after the foundation came under the leadership of interim CEO John Gottschalk in February 2012. Brian Hastings was named CEO later that year.
“The primary factor was the internal discussion on whether selling (the plane) would have any impact on our fundraising ability and the conclusion was that it would not,” Endacott said. “The trigger that began that discussion was having a new CEO named on Feb. 1. When he came, he initiated a review of various operational items and the aircraft use was one of those items.”
The NU Foundation’s decision in June 2012 to sell the plane also came shortly after the Associated Press published a May 2012 article about the more than $80,000 used for private flights in 2011 when the foundation could have used less-expensive modes of transportation like driving or commercial flights.
The AP article said the private plane traveled 16,108 miles in 2011, which included trips to Chicago, Dallas and Des Moines.
Endacott said the AP article and the foundation’s decision to sell the plane were unrelated.
“The AP story was not a factor,” she said.
Ronnie Mitchell, state Department of Aeronautics director, could not be reached for comment but met with the Appropriations Committee earlier this month to discuss the plane, the Lincoln Journal Star reported.
Mitchell said that the state would look to sell its own eight-seat Piper Cheyenne plane if allowed to purchase the foundation plane, according to the Journal Star. That plane could sell for $500,000 to $600,000.
Although there are high costs associated with purchasing and maintaining an aircraft, Mitchell told the committee that travel time for state officials is also a factor, according to the Journal Star. Having a private aircraft to use is often more convenient and practical than driving from Lincoln to the state’s panhandle, he said.
“(The plane is) a time machine in some respects,” Mitchell told the committee.
Source: http://www.dailynebraskan.com
Monday, February 18, 2013
Monday, February 11, 2013
Piper Aircraft sees sales, income grow in 2012
VERO BEACH — Piper
Aircraft Inc. saw its income and sales grow last year as it slowly
recovers from an economic downturn that put sales in a nosedive four
years ago.
Annual revenue from new aircraft sales of nearly $149 million were up more than 13 percent from 2011 revenue numbers of about $131.3 million. Aircraft deliveries rose 16 percent from 136 in 2011 to 158 in 2012.
Piper is releasing its annual sales and revenue numbers on Monday for 2012. The company employs about 750 people at its Vero Beach headquarters. Piper officials expect employment to remain relatively stable this year.
Aircraft deliveries stayed fairly stable throughout the year in line with Piper President and Chief Executive Officer Simon Caldecott's objective to level-load production, which basically means trying to balance productions levels throughout the year.
"We stabilized the manufacturing and delivery of new aircraft throughout the year as our initiative to level-load factory production continued to meet with success," said Caldecott in the report issued by the company. "At the same time, our overall aircraft deliveries rose faster than the rest of the industry. The company has also met internal financial forecasts and continued long-range product plans for the future."
Fourth-quarter revenue from the sale of 42 aircraft was about $42 million, up more than 8 percent from about $38.7 million the previous year. Although Caldecott has said the company will be focusing on the trainer aircraft market, the company in 2012 still managed to sell 11 more of its higher priced M-class planes, the Mirage, Matrix and Meridian, than it did the prior year.
Piper spokeswoman Jackie Carlon attributed the sales growth in the higher-end planes to an expansion of the company's dealer network around the world as well as improvements made to the planes to better differentiate them from the older models.
The 2012 M-class planes had brighter lighting, improved sound and electrical service, better air distribution and other enhanced features, according to Piper.
In December, Caldcott said he expected to see some growth this year, but more in the smaller planes used for trainers than the larger planes. The company hopes to enter into more arrangements with flight schools like the one it entered into last year with the Florida Institute of Technology's College of Aeronautics in Melbourne.
Last year, Piper delivered 10 Piper Seminole training aircraft to Airline Transport Professionals, which has flight schools across the country, and completed delivery of a number of Piper Warrior training aircraft to Sekolah Tinggi Penerbangan Indonesia, the government flight school at Budiarto Airport in Curug, Indonesia.
The company has been expanding its global dealer network and about 50 percent of its sales are to customers outside the U.S. The company has appointed new dealers in the Netherlands, Chile, India, Central America, Korea, Turkey and China, according to the report.
Piper, like the rest of the general aviation industry, saw sales and revenue drop dramatically in 2009 with the worldwide economic downturn. The company went from shipping 268 aircraft in 2008 to only 90 in 2009 as revenues fell to $86 million, less than what the company did in first six months alone in 2008.
BY THE NUMBERS
Piper Aircraft Inc. saw new aircraft sales increase by 16 percent and revenue rise by more than 13 percent last year.
Employment: Approximately 750
New aircraft sales in 2012: 158, up 16.2 percent
New aircraft sales in 2011: 136
New aircraft revenues in 2012: $149 million, up $13.5 percent
New aircraft revenues in 2011: $131 million
Source: http://www.tcpalm.com
Annual revenue from new aircraft sales of nearly $149 million were up more than 13 percent from 2011 revenue numbers of about $131.3 million. Aircraft deliveries rose 16 percent from 136 in 2011 to 158 in 2012.
Piper is releasing its annual sales and revenue numbers on Monday for 2012. The company employs about 750 people at its Vero Beach headquarters. Piper officials expect employment to remain relatively stable this year.
Aircraft deliveries stayed fairly stable throughout the year in line with Piper President and Chief Executive Officer Simon Caldecott's objective to level-load production, which basically means trying to balance productions levels throughout the year.
"We stabilized the manufacturing and delivery of new aircraft throughout the year as our initiative to level-load factory production continued to meet with success," said Caldecott in the report issued by the company. "At the same time, our overall aircraft deliveries rose faster than the rest of the industry. The company has also met internal financial forecasts and continued long-range product plans for the future."
Fourth-quarter revenue from the sale of 42 aircraft was about $42 million, up more than 8 percent from about $38.7 million the previous year. Although Caldecott has said the company will be focusing on the trainer aircraft market, the company in 2012 still managed to sell 11 more of its higher priced M-class planes, the Mirage, Matrix and Meridian, than it did the prior year.
Piper spokeswoman Jackie Carlon attributed the sales growth in the higher-end planes to an expansion of the company's dealer network around the world as well as improvements made to the planes to better differentiate them from the older models.
The 2012 M-class planes had brighter lighting, improved sound and electrical service, better air distribution and other enhanced features, according to Piper.
In December, Caldcott said he expected to see some growth this year, but more in the smaller planes used for trainers than the larger planes. The company hopes to enter into more arrangements with flight schools like the one it entered into last year with the Florida Institute of Technology's College of Aeronautics in Melbourne.
Last year, Piper delivered 10 Piper Seminole training aircraft to Airline Transport Professionals, which has flight schools across the country, and completed delivery of a number of Piper Warrior training aircraft to Sekolah Tinggi Penerbangan Indonesia, the government flight school at Budiarto Airport in Curug, Indonesia.
The company has been expanding its global dealer network and about 50 percent of its sales are to customers outside the U.S. The company has appointed new dealers in the Netherlands, Chile, India, Central America, Korea, Turkey and China, according to the report.
Piper, like the rest of the general aviation industry, saw sales and revenue drop dramatically in 2009 with the worldwide economic downturn. The company went from shipping 268 aircraft in 2008 to only 90 in 2009 as revenues fell to $86 million, less than what the company did in first six months alone in 2008.
BY THE NUMBERS
Piper Aircraft Inc. saw new aircraft sales increase by 16 percent and revenue rise by more than 13 percent last year.
Employment: Approximately 750
New aircraft sales in 2012: 158, up 16.2 percent
New aircraft sales in 2011: 136
New aircraft revenues in 2012: $149 million, up $13.5 percent
New aircraft revenues in 2011: $131 million
Source: http://www.tcpalm.com
Sunday, February 03, 2013
Federal Aviation Administration Mandates Inspections of Older Piper Aircraft
Updated February 3, 2013, 7:46 p.m. ET
By ANDY PASZTOR
The Wall Street Journal
Regulators on Monday will mandate enhanced inspections and repairs where necessary to cables that control tail surfaces on about 30,000 Piper aircraft, some of the most popular general-aviation planes sold in the U.S.
Prompted by at least one accident and a serious incident stemming from such malfunctioning flight-control systems in recent years, the Federal Aviation Administration wants planes that are 15 years or older to be checked for damaged or corroded cables during their next annual inspection. Younger planes are supposed to undergo the same inspection once they reach 15 years.
The FAA's safety directive, slated to become final when it is published in Monday's Federal Register, also mandates repetitive follow-up inspections. The move is unusual because it follows a pair of nonbinding recommendations by the agency on the topic going back 10 years, as well as more-recent safety letters and bulletins issues by the manufacturer.
The FAA said the move was prompted by "reports of control cable assembly failures that may lead to failure" to control movable tail surfaces that are essential to direct the noses of the planes up or down.
The mandate covers more than 34,000 propeller-driven Piper Cherokee, Saratoga, Lance and Seminole models, and industry officials said most of them are older than 15 years.
In comments submitted to the FAA, the chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board said previously nonbinding government safety bulletins calling for inspections of all cable fittings for corrosion or cracking weren't adequate
Closely held Piper Aircraft Inc., based in Vero Beach, Fla., on Sunday issued a statement noting it "has cooperated fully with the FAA in developing" the safety directive and considers the move "helpful to increase overall flight safety."
In the statement, Jackie Carlson, Piper's director of communications, also said the company in 2010 and 2012 told owners and operators of the affected planes to inspect the control cables and associated hardware. In all three hazardous events cited by the safety board, according to Piper's statement, "evidence of approaching failure" of the cable or control systems "should have been clearly observable" during recurrent inspections.
Considering the large number of Piper aircraft that have been "in operation in the past 50 years, the historical data demonstrate that trained mechanics can identify these conditions before failure occurs," according to the company.
An FAA spokeswoman declined to comment. The agency initially proposed the safety directive last August but then invited comments.
In the final version of the directive, scheduled to become effective in early March, the FAA said safety data show "that certain Piper models have multiple reports" of cracked, corroded or frayed cables.
Source: http://online.wsj.com
By ANDY PASZTOR
The Wall Street Journal
Regulators on Monday will mandate enhanced inspections and repairs where necessary to cables that control tail surfaces on about 30,000 Piper aircraft, some of the most popular general-aviation planes sold in the U.S.
Prompted by at least one accident and a serious incident stemming from such malfunctioning flight-control systems in recent years, the Federal Aviation Administration wants planes that are 15 years or older to be checked for damaged or corroded cables during their next annual inspection. Younger planes are supposed to undergo the same inspection once they reach 15 years.
The FAA's safety directive, slated to become final when it is published in Monday's Federal Register, also mandates repetitive follow-up inspections. The move is unusual because it follows a pair of nonbinding recommendations by the agency on the topic going back 10 years, as well as more-recent safety letters and bulletins issues by the manufacturer.
The FAA said the move was prompted by "reports of control cable assembly failures that may lead to failure" to control movable tail surfaces that are essential to direct the noses of the planes up or down.
The mandate covers more than 34,000 propeller-driven Piper Cherokee, Saratoga, Lance and Seminole models, and industry officials said most of them are older than 15 years.
In comments submitted to the FAA, the chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board said previously nonbinding government safety bulletins calling for inspections of all cable fittings for corrosion or cracking weren't adequate
Closely held Piper Aircraft Inc., based in Vero Beach, Fla., on Sunday issued a statement noting it "has cooperated fully with the FAA in developing" the safety directive and considers the move "helpful to increase overall flight safety."
In the statement, Jackie Carlson, Piper's director of communications, also said the company in 2010 and 2012 told owners and operators of the affected planes to inspect the control cables and associated hardware. In all three hazardous events cited by the safety board, according to Piper's statement, "evidence of approaching failure" of the cable or control systems "should have been clearly observable" during recurrent inspections.
Considering the large number of Piper aircraft that have been "in operation in the past 50 years, the historical data demonstrate that trained mechanics can identify these conditions before failure occurs," according to the company.
An FAA spokeswoman declined to comment. The agency initially proposed the safety directive last August but then invited comments.
In the final version of the directive, scheduled to become effective in early March, the FAA said safety data show "that certain Piper models have multiple reports" of cracked, corroded or frayed cables.
Source: http://online.wsj.com
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Piper PA-31 Navajo, XB-EZY: Se desploma avioneta en Chiapas; hay 8 muertos - Plane crashes in Chiapas, 8 fatalities -- Angel Albino Corzo International Airport, Mexico
Eight people, three of them children, were killed Thursday when a small plane crashed just seconds after it took off from an airport in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, authorities told Efe.
Mexico City, Jan 17 (EFE).- Eight people, three of them children, were killed Thursday when a small plane crashed just seconds after it took off from an airport in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, authorities told Efe.
The aircraft, a Piper Navajo, plunged to the ground and burst into flames at Angel Albino Corzo Airport near Tuxtla Gutierrez, the state capital.
The plane's destination was Oaxaca city, capital of the neighboring state of Oaxaca, personnel with the DGAC civil aviation agency said.
Operations were suspended at the airport following the crash, which left the area shrouded in a dense cloud of smoke.
The plane was carrying six passengers and a crew of two, state emergency services chief Luis Manuel Garcia Moreno said, citing preliminary reports.
"Lo que yo vi es que los cuerpos están completos", señaló Luis Manuel García Moreno, director de Protección Civil de Chiapas.
La aeronave Piper Navajo Modelo PA-31, con matrícula XB-EZY, se impactó cerca del área donde se encuentran las oficinas de la Coordinación de Transportes Aéreos de Chiapas, fuera de la pista, en una zona de pastizales.
Tras el impacto la avioneta se incendio lo que generó una gran columna de humo.
Al lugar llegaron Bomberos, elementos del Grupo de Respuesta Inmediata de la Policía Estatal, Protección Civil y Policía Municipal de Chiapa de Corzo.
El fuego se propagó entre ocho hectáreas de pastizales de la zona.
García Moreno informó que durante 5 horas fueron suspendidas las operaciones en el Aeropuerto Albino Corzo.
Añadió que las posibles causas del accidente fueron los fuertes vientos que azotan la zona, originados por el frente frio numero 21.
La avioneta viajaría a la ciudad de Oaxaca y las autoridades no han dado a conocer la identidad de los pasajeros.
La aeronave quedo bajo resguardo de las autoridades de Aeronáutica que iniciaron las investigaciones del accidente.
http://www.laprensasa.com
http://noticierostelevisa.esmas.com
Mexico City, Jan 17 (EFE).- Eight people, three of them children, were killed Thursday when a small plane crashed just seconds after it took off from an airport in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, authorities told Efe.
The aircraft, a Piper Navajo, plunged to the ground and burst into flames at Angel Albino Corzo Airport near Tuxtla Gutierrez, the state capital.
The plane's destination was Oaxaca city, capital of the neighboring state of Oaxaca, personnel with the DGAC civil aviation agency said.
Operations were suspended at the airport following the crash, which left the area shrouded in a dense cloud of smoke.
The plane was carrying six passengers and a crew of two, state emergency services chief Luis Manuel Garcia Moreno said, citing preliminary reports.
"Lo que yo vi es que los cuerpos están completos", señaló Luis Manuel García Moreno, director de Protección Civil de Chiapas.
La aeronave Piper Navajo Modelo PA-31, con matrícula XB-EZY, se impactó cerca del área donde se encuentran las oficinas de la Coordinación de Transportes Aéreos de Chiapas, fuera de la pista, en una zona de pastizales.
Tras el impacto la avioneta se incendio lo que generó una gran columna de humo.
Al lugar llegaron Bomberos, elementos del Grupo de Respuesta Inmediata de la Policía Estatal, Protección Civil y Policía Municipal de Chiapa de Corzo.
El fuego se propagó entre ocho hectáreas de pastizales de la zona.
García Moreno informó que durante 5 horas fueron suspendidas las operaciones en el Aeropuerto Albino Corzo.
Añadió que las posibles causas del accidente fueron los fuertes vientos que azotan la zona, originados por el frente frio numero 21.
La avioneta viajaría a la ciudad de Oaxaca y las autoridades no han dado a conocer la identidad de los pasajeros.
La aeronave quedo bajo resguardo de las autoridades de Aeronáutica que iniciaron las investigaciones del accidente.
http://www.laprensasa.com
http://noticierostelevisa.esmas.com
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Piper PA-28-161 Warrior II, Stuart Flying LLC, N158EA: Accident occurred March 18, 2012 in Mexico, Missouri
NTSB Identification: CEN12FA188
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, March 18, 2012 in Mexico, MO
Probable Cause Approval Date: 02/12/2013
Aircraft: PIPER PA-28-161, registration: N158EA
Injuries: 1 Fatal,1 Serious.
NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The pilot and his wife were departing from a 2,600-foot, soft, grass strip with a quartering right tailwind. The grass height on the runway was between 6 and 10 inches high. The airplane departed about 1,900 feet down the runway, veered to the left, stalled, and collided with trees before it came to rest in a field. Interpolation of available takeoff performance revealed that the airplane would have needed about 2,312 feet of ground-roll distance for a successful takeoff from a paved, level, dry runway, with zero flaps, under the existing wind conditions. No mechanical deficiencies were found with the airplane or engine that would have precluded normal operation at the time of the accident.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control during takeoff, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and subsequent collision with trees. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s inadequate preflight performance planning before departing on the soft, grass field with a quartering tailwind.
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On March 18, 2012, approximately 1150 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28-161, N158EA, sustained substantial damage when it collided with trees on takeoff from Feutz Airport (M088), a private airstrip, near Mexico, Missouri. The private pilot was fatally injured and the passenger was seriously injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by Stuart Flying Service, LLC, Mexico, Missouri. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local flight that originated at Mexico Memorial Airport (MYK), Mexico, Missouri, about 1115. The personal flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
The manager of Mexico Memorial Airport stated the pilot arrived at 1030 on the morning of the accident and informed him that he and his wife were going out to “do maneuvers.” The pilot did not specifically say where they were going. The airport manager saw the pilot perform a preflight inspection of the airplane and then depart runway 18 around 1115. At that time, the manager stated the wind was blowing directly out of the south between 14 and 20 knots.
The airplane was later observed by a witness, who was the son of the individual, who owned Feutz Airport. The witness said that he just climbed into his tractor, which was located southwest of the airstrip, when he saw the accident airplane flying low over runway 26 towards him. The airplane then made a wide sweeping left hand turn and disappeared from his view. The witness did not recognize the airplane and figured the pilot was just making a low pass for fun. Several minutes later, the witness saw the airplane land on runway 26 and then taxi to the far end of the runway where he was located. The pilot parked the airplane, shut down the engine, and he and his passenger got out. At that time, the witness recognized the pilot and his wife, who were old friends that he had not seen in several years. The witness said they visited for about 20 minutes before he returned to his farm work around 1150. He did not see the airplane depart and last saw it facing south at the end of runway 08 performing, what he believed, was an engine run-up. Around 1250, when the witness was driving off the property, he saw the airplane wreckage located off the end of the runway and immediately called 911. The witness said both occupants were responsive and taken to the hospital. The pilot passed away the following day. The passenger was not interviewed due to the extent of her injuries.
There were no records that the pilot had obtained a weather briefing from an Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS) prior to the flight.
PILOT INFORMATION
The pilot, age 61, held a private pilot certificate for airplane single-engine land. His last Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Third Class medical was issued on May 21, 2010, without limitations. A review of his pilot logbook revealed that as of February 18, 2012, he had accrued a total of 152 hours, of which 45 hours were in a Piper PA-28-161 airplane.
AIRPLANE INFORMATION
The accident airplane was a Piper PA-28-161, which is a low wing single-engine, 4-seat airplane. It was equipped with a Lycoming 0-320-3DG engine and Sensenich fixed-pitch, two-bladed propeller. A review of the maintenance logbooks revealed that the airplane’s last annual inspection was conducted on February 6, 2012, at total aircraft time of 13,788.0 hours. At the time of the accident, the airplane had accrued a total of 13,827.7 aircraft hours.
The airplane had flown a total of .5 hours from the time it took off to the time of the accident.
A postaccident calculation of the airplane’s weight and balance at the time of the accident revealed it was under gross weight and within the center of gravity envelope limitations.
Interpolation of the Piper PA-28-161 Normal Short Field Ground Roll Distance - No Obstacle performance chart,revealed the airplane would have needed approximately 2,312-feet of ground-roll distance on a paved, level and dry runway, with zero flaps. This chart also incorporated the existing tailwind and crosswind components that existed at the time of the accident.
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
Weather at Columbia Regional Airport (COU), Columbia, Missouri, approximately 20 miles southwest of the accident site, at 1154, reported wind from 190 degrees at 16 knots gusting to 23 knots, visibility 10 miles, scattered clouds at 3,600 feet, temperature 25 degrees Celsius, dewpoint 16 degrees Celsius, with an altimeter setting of 29.99 inches of HG. Remarks included a peak wind of 28 knots at 1128 from 190 degrees.
The density altitude was calculated to be approximately 2,421 feet.
AIRPORT INFORMATION
Feutz Airport is a privately owned grass airstrip that was a 2,600-foot-long and 100-foot-wide runway oriented approximately 08/26 at an elevation of 890 feet msl. The runway surface was soft and the grass was measured between 6 to 10-inches-high. The runway was level and a cluster of 20 to 50-foot-tall trees were located along the far left side of the approach end of runway 26.
A walk of the runway revealed that the airplane landing gear made clear depression marks in the grass during both landing and takeoff. A measurement of the depression marks from where the airplane departed on runway 08 to where the main landing gear lifted off was approximately 1,900 feet. The distance between the end of the take off depression marks to the cluster of trees was approximately 686 feet.
WRECKAGE INFORMATION
An on-scene examination of the airplane wreckage was conducted on March 19, 2012, under the supervision of the NTSB Investigator-in-Charge. The airplane came to rest on a heading of 063 degrees magnetic at an approximate elevation of 878 feet mean sea level (msl), approximately 294 feet from the end of the runway. All major components of the airplane were located at the wreckage site.
The airplane collided with trees before coming to rest on its left side and both wings separated from the fuselage at the wing root. The main wreckage, which included the fuselage, vertical stabilizer/rudder, and both horizontal stabilator, came to rest approximately 75 feet forward of the wings. Both wings sustained leading edge impact damage; however, the left wing fuel tank was not breached and was filled with fuel. The right wing fuel tank was breached and was empty.
Examination of the airplane revealed the flap handle was in the fully retracted position. Flight control continuity was established for the rudder and both stabilator from the cockpit to the flight control surface. The right aileron control cable was separated and the left aileron balance cable was separated at the left aileron bell crank. These cables exhibited broomstrawed cables, consistent with overload failure. The elevator trim was positioned 1-degree nose down.
The engine was attached to the firewall and the two-bladed propeller remained attached to the engine. Both propeller blades exhibited some leading edge polishing and chordwise scratching. The spinner exhibited rotational twisting.
The propeller was manually rotated and compression and valve train continuity were established to each cylinder. Both magnetos remained attached to the engine and only the left magneto's harness was damaged. Spark was produced for the right magneto leads when the engine was rotated. The left magneto was removed from the engine and the harness was removed from the magneto. The magneto was rotated by hand and spark was produced at each tower.
The main fuel line from the carburetor to the engine was broken from impact and the carburetor inlet fuel screen was not recovered. The carburetor was removed and no fuel was found in the bowl. The carburetor linkage position was consistent with the throttle being full open and the mixture full rich.
The fuel selector in the cockpit was set to the left wing tank position.
The fuel pump was removed from the engine and fuel pumped from the unit when manually rotated.
The gascolator was removed from the firewall. Fuel was in the bowl and absent of water and debris. The fuel screen was also absent of debris.
The top and bottom spark plugs were removed and exhibited a normal wear pattern, except for the #2 cylinder top and bottom plugs, which were oil soaked.
The oil suction screen was removed and was absent of debris.
No mechanical deficiencies were observed with either the engine or airplane that would have precluded normal operation at the time of the accident.
MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION
Toxicological testing was conducted by the FAA's Accident Research Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The results of the testing were positive for Acetaminophen (21.48 ug/nl) in the urine and Diphenhydramine in the urine and blood.
An autopsy was conducted by the Office of the Medical Examiner, Columbia Missouri, on March 19, 2012. The cause of death was determined to be from "Multiple blunt force injuries. Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease may have contributed to his death."
"A man and his wife flew their own small single engine plane. This is the footage of when that plane crashed in Audrain County shortly after takeoff from a corn field. The man was killed on impact. The woman survived but I do not know her current condition. The plane settled in a neighboring yard, it's wings sheared off from a low tree line. Missouri Highway patrol was on the scene."
http://abc17news.com/news.php?id=5594
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, March 18, 2012 in Mexico, MO
Probable Cause Approval Date: 02/12/2013
Aircraft: PIPER PA-28-161, registration: N158EA
Injuries: 1 Fatal,1 Serious.
NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The pilot and his wife were departing from a 2,600-foot, soft, grass strip with a quartering right tailwind. The grass height on the runway was between 6 and 10 inches high. The airplane departed about 1,900 feet down the runway, veered to the left, stalled, and collided with trees before it came to rest in a field. Interpolation of available takeoff performance revealed that the airplane would have needed about 2,312 feet of ground-roll distance for a successful takeoff from a paved, level, dry runway, with zero flaps, under the existing wind conditions. No mechanical deficiencies were found with the airplane or engine that would have precluded normal operation at the time of the accident.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control during takeoff, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and subsequent collision with trees. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s inadequate preflight performance planning before departing on the soft, grass field with a quartering tailwind.
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On March 18, 2012, approximately 1150 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28-161, N158EA, sustained substantial damage when it collided with trees on takeoff from Feutz Airport (M088), a private airstrip, near Mexico, Missouri. The private pilot was fatally injured and the passenger was seriously injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by Stuart Flying Service, LLC, Mexico, Missouri. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local flight that originated at Mexico Memorial Airport (MYK), Mexico, Missouri, about 1115. The personal flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
The manager of Mexico Memorial Airport stated the pilot arrived at 1030 on the morning of the accident and informed him that he and his wife were going out to “do maneuvers.” The pilot did not specifically say where they were going. The airport manager saw the pilot perform a preflight inspection of the airplane and then depart runway 18 around 1115. At that time, the manager stated the wind was blowing directly out of the south between 14 and 20 knots.
The airplane was later observed by a witness, who was the son of the individual, who owned Feutz Airport. The witness said that he just climbed into his tractor, which was located southwest of the airstrip, when he saw the accident airplane flying low over runway 26 towards him. The airplane then made a wide sweeping left hand turn and disappeared from his view. The witness did not recognize the airplane and figured the pilot was just making a low pass for fun. Several minutes later, the witness saw the airplane land on runway 26 and then taxi to the far end of the runway where he was located. The pilot parked the airplane, shut down the engine, and he and his passenger got out. At that time, the witness recognized the pilot and his wife, who were old friends that he had not seen in several years. The witness said they visited for about 20 minutes before he returned to his farm work around 1150. He did not see the airplane depart and last saw it facing south at the end of runway 08 performing, what he believed, was an engine run-up. Around 1250, when the witness was driving off the property, he saw the airplane wreckage located off the end of the runway and immediately called 911. The witness said both occupants were responsive and taken to the hospital. The pilot passed away the following day. The passenger was not interviewed due to the extent of her injuries.
There were no records that the pilot had obtained a weather briefing from an Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS) prior to the flight.
PILOT INFORMATION
The pilot, age 61, held a private pilot certificate for airplane single-engine land. His last Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Third Class medical was issued on May 21, 2010, without limitations. A review of his pilot logbook revealed that as of February 18, 2012, he had accrued a total of 152 hours, of which 45 hours were in a Piper PA-28-161 airplane.
AIRPLANE INFORMATION
The accident airplane was a Piper PA-28-161, which is a low wing single-engine, 4-seat airplane. It was equipped with a Lycoming 0-320-3DG engine and Sensenich fixed-pitch, two-bladed propeller. A review of the maintenance logbooks revealed that the airplane’s last annual inspection was conducted on February 6, 2012, at total aircraft time of 13,788.0 hours. At the time of the accident, the airplane had accrued a total of 13,827.7 aircraft hours.
The airplane had flown a total of .5 hours from the time it took off to the time of the accident.
A postaccident calculation of the airplane’s weight and balance at the time of the accident revealed it was under gross weight and within the center of gravity envelope limitations.
Interpolation of the Piper PA-28-161 Normal Short Field Ground Roll Distance - No Obstacle performance chart,revealed the airplane would have needed approximately 2,312-feet of ground-roll distance on a paved, level and dry runway, with zero flaps. This chart also incorporated the existing tailwind and crosswind components that existed at the time of the accident.
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
Weather at Columbia Regional Airport (COU), Columbia, Missouri, approximately 20 miles southwest of the accident site, at 1154, reported wind from 190 degrees at 16 knots gusting to 23 knots, visibility 10 miles, scattered clouds at 3,600 feet, temperature 25 degrees Celsius, dewpoint 16 degrees Celsius, with an altimeter setting of 29.99 inches of HG. Remarks included a peak wind of 28 knots at 1128 from 190 degrees.
The density altitude was calculated to be approximately 2,421 feet.
AIRPORT INFORMATION
Feutz Airport is a privately owned grass airstrip that was a 2,600-foot-long and 100-foot-wide runway oriented approximately 08/26 at an elevation of 890 feet msl. The runway surface was soft and the grass was measured between 6 to 10-inches-high. The runway was level and a cluster of 20 to 50-foot-tall trees were located along the far left side of the approach end of runway 26.
A walk of the runway revealed that the airplane landing gear made clear depression marks in the grass during both landing and takeoff. A measurement of the depression marks from where the airplane departed on runway 08 to where the main landing gear lifted off was approximately 1,900 feet. The distance between the end of the take off depression marks to the cluster of trees was approximately 686 feet.
WRECKAGE INFORMATION
An on-scene examination of the airplane wreckage was conducted on March 19, 2012, under the supervision of the NTSB Investigator-in-Charge. The airplane came to rest on a heading of 063 degrees magnetic at an approximate elevation of 878 feet mean sea level (msl), approximately 294 feet from the end of the runway. All major components of the airplane were located at the wreckage site.
The airplane collided with trees before coming to rest on its left side and both wings separated from the fuselage at the wing root. The main wreckage, which included the fuselage, vertical stabilizer/rudder, and both horizontal stabilator, came to rest approximately 75 feet forward of the wings. Both wings sustained leading edge impact damage; however, the left wing fuel tank was not breached and was filled with fuel. The right wing fuel tank was breached and was empty.
Examination of the airplane revealed the flap handle was in the fully retracted position. Flight control continuity was established for the rudder and both stabilator from the cockpit to the flight control surface. The right aileron control cable was separated and the left aileron balance cable was separated at the left aileron bell crank. These cables exhibited broomstrawed cables, consistent with overload failure. The elevator trim was positioned 1-degree nose down.
The engine was attached to the firewall and the two-bladed propeller remained attached to the engine. Both propeller blades exhibited some leading edge polishing and chordwise scratching. The spinner exhibited rotational twisting.
The propeller was manually rotated and compression and valve train continuity were established to each cylinder. Both magnetos remained attached to the engine and only the left magneto's harness was damaged. Spark was produced for the right magneto leads when the engine was rotated. The left magneto was removed from the engine and the harness was removed from the magneto. The magneto was rotated by hand and spark was produced at each tower.
The main fuel line from the carburetor to the engine was broken from impact and the carburetor inlet fuel screen was not recovered. The carburetor was removed and no fuel was found in the bowl. The carburetor linkage position was consistent with the throttle being full open and the mixture full rich.
The fuel selector in the cockpit was set to the left wing tank position.
The fuel pump was removed from the engine and fuel pumped from the unit when manually rotated.
The gascolator was removed from the firewall. Fuel was in the bowl and absent of water and debris. The fuel screen was also absent of debris.
The top and bottom spark plugs were removed and exhibited a normal wear pattern, except for the #2 cylinder top and bottom plugs, which were oil soaked.
The oil suction screen was removed and was absent of debris.
No mechanical deficiencies were observed with either the engine or airplane that would have precluded normal operation at the time of the accident.
MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION
Toxicological testing was conducted by the FAA's Accident Research Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The results of the testing were positive for Acetaminophen (21.48 ug/nl) in the urine and Diphenhydramine in the urine and blood.
An autopsy was conducted by the Office of the Medical Examiner, Columbia Missouri, on March 19, 2012. The cause of death was determined to be from "Multiple blunt force injuries. Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease may have contributed to his death."
"A man and his wife flew their own small single engine plane. This is the footage of when that plane crashed in Audrain County shortly after takeoff from a corn field. The man was killed on impact. The woman survived but I do not know her current condition. The plane settled in a neighboring yard, it's wings sheared off from a low tree line. Missouri Highway patrol was on the scene."
http://abc17news.com/news.php?id=5594
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