Friday 2 November 2007
| Dates to Diarize 9-11 November 24 November |
From the CFI's Desk Engine Run up procedures: IDL, JDN and PMY Members must please note the addition of the following to the Red Tag File. Pilots must ensure that the engine is warm before doing the engine run ups. This is of concern due to the short distance from the hanger housing the above aircraft and the run up area. Pilots must ensure that the oil temperature has risen sufficiently to avoid damaging the engine. Full details in the red tag file End of year function Sat 24 Nov 07 from 16h30Delicious spit braai, Good Music Great Prizes in the lucky draw and Auction We Aim To Have Fun So If You Want To Have A Laugh Come In Your Choice Of Fancy Dress Tickets R50-00 each Bev needs to finalize the arrangements so please confirm if you are coming. Money must be in by November 15th. Prizes/sponsorships Vossie needs our help with the donation of prizes and sponsorships towards the cost of the event. If you can help, or would like to be involved in the organising, drop Vossie an email on geminimotors@telkomsa.net. Donated prizes so far:
Bon Voyage Krassimire  It’s time to say goodbye to another good friend and fellow Cape Town Flying Club pilot. Krassimire Entchev and his wife, Plamena, have decided to trade the sunny shores of Cape Town for the icicles in Siberia. Not sure what you did to deserve that. Maybe chirping your manager at that meeting wasn’t such a good idea after all….  Over the past three years or so, we have come to know you as a guy who can both make and take a joke and you convincingly demonstrated your newly acquired braai skills at the club a few times. Hopefully you have picked up a little something of the rules of rugby and we look forward to receiving pictures of you teaching the guys in Tyumen how to play. Oh, and by the way, that game they play here with the stick is called cricket! Thank you for always supporting club events – we’ll miss you both at the socials. You will always be in our thoughts, especially when we go for night circuits at FAWC, or when we make our next movie at the guest house in Swellendam and we need someone to work the lights! We wish you all the best and we hope to see you at the club at least once a year when you come back to keep your license current – just make sure you come armed with lots of Vodka, da?  Good luck and goodbye friends. State of the Fleet KKU is still scheduled for a return to action at the end of the month. IDL is getting examined due to a high oil temperature indication. All other aircraft are in good shape Deal Alliance Courses A reminder to all commercial students or pilots already rated and ready to go on contract. Deal Alliance is holding the CERTIFICATE WEEK from 10th DEC to 14 DEC. Deal Alliance (082 495 8179 or 076 745 2423)
Flight Safety (021 934 0981 or 082 563 2669)
Contributed by Steve Davies Steve Davies is busy with his PPL at CTFC with Tony Russel. After every lesson, he writes his impressions and thoughts on the flight. Although initially just for his facebook profile, they make excellent and highly entertaining reading. Every week we will present one of Steve's "Facebook notes" Entry 5: Circuits (for the first of many times) ------------------ Ted: "We're gonna have to come in pretty low on this approach. Elaine: "Is that difficult? Ted: "Well sure it's difficult. But it's part of every textbook approach. It's just something you have to do ... when you land. — from the 1982 movie 'Airplane II, The Sequel.' -------------------------------------------- No flying last week due to the weather. And I thought I'd miss out this week too because the aircraft that we were booked to fly needed maintenance. But lo and behold ZS-PIA was back in service, Tony pounced and we had a slot on Sunday afternoon. Proof that God is there and gives us the desires of our heart ;-) The weather was scattered clouds - 3000ft or so I think, and quite breezy. Not perfect to start circuit practice, but does make things more interesting. PIA's fuel tanks were a bit low, so we were delayed for 10 minutes or so whilst we waited for fuel - filled each tank to about 12 gallons (yes, Mildred - gallons, and US gallons nogal). I'm still not really fluent with my checks, but got through them without forgetting anything too major. Practice makes perfect. Tony tells me to go out to the club and "make friends" with the aircraft. What he really means is to go sit in the cockpit, and practice doing the stuff. Vroom-vroom noises optional but allowed? So I'm up for that - I've been out once and will go again. Just so hard to make the time in the week. Where was I? Wind was from 330 (NW) and 13 knots if I remember - so the active runway was 01. You can tell its still winter - we've used 01 (which points into the "winter" (northwesterly) wind every time I've flown except once). So it was taxi-way Charlie and hold waiting for a 737 on final to land. Flying at Cape Town and you get used to taking your turn with the big boys. You could probably fit a Tomahawk INSIDE a 747. (OK - not quite).  Takeoff was the expected "at or below 1500ft, turn right for Fisantekraal, report leaving the zone". I'm still not good at tracking straight down the runway, but getting better I hope. And Tony points out that my straight and level flying often turns into left wing low. I guess that answers the question as to who weighs more... Once clear of the CTR we climbed up to 2000ft. Its normal to arrive overhead an airfield at 2000ft above ground. FAFK is at 450ft above sea level. So that would mean 2450ft. But we use a lower altitude at FAFK because the TMA (controlled airpsace) starts at 2500ft. As we flew over the airfield I had to peer down at the windsock to check the wind direction. Then, a descending turn on the "dead side". In the usual case where left-hand circuits are being used that will be on the right side. We level out at 1200ft above sea level which is the FAFK circuit altitude and join the circuit by flying over the end of the runway and turning left onto the downwind leg. Tony took control at that point and demonstrated a circuit. On the downwind leg its pre-landing checks, radio call, flaps and reduce rpm for about 80 to 85 knots. Turn onto the base leg when the runway is about 45 degrees behind you, then reduce power further for a steady decent and about 70 to 75 knots. More flaps. When ready turn smoothly onto final and line up with the runway. The idea on final is to aim yourself at the threshold of the runway and head directly for it. The "look" of the runway tells you if you are too low, high or just right. (how elongated the runway looks). Once arrival at the ground is imminent, you flare the aircraft (lift the nose), hold her straight, close the throttle and wait patiently for the gentle kiss of the wheels on the runway. Or such is the theory. Anyway - once arrived on the ground, whether elegantly or not, then its flaps away, throttle to full, wait for 65knots, rotate and off we go again for another try. My turn. So the process of flying the pattern seemed no particular problem. There was the wind to compensate for. Once on base and final I found judging the altitude from far away quite hard. Once you are close to the runway then your 3D perception kicks in and its easier. My arrival on the ground wouldn't be called elegant, but arrive we did. I did three or four circuits in total, with Tony getting gradually quieter in the right seat. I enjoyed myself and made some progress I think. One thing I notice is that as you go along in your training, the things that were hard at first become easier. So I presume that circuits will be the same! Tony requested and was given runway 34 for landing back at Cape Town. My landing was not very impressive. They say that good landings come from good, controlled approaches. I demonstrated that poor landings definitely come form poor, erratic approaches... Still, overall the lesson was really enjoyable - starting to feel a bit like a pilot!
The unfortunate passengers Contributed by Danny Buitendag Just after a Pan Am Boeing 707 took off from San Francisco International Airport in June 1965, the No. 4 engine disintegrated tearing off 25 feet of the right wing. The pilot executed an emergency landing safely at Travis Air Force Base. Another aeroplane was dispatched to pick up the passengers. While attempting to land, and in plain view of the passengers, the nose gear collapsed. That’s when you’ll have to decide to either call it a day, or wait for aeroplane number three.
Aviation History Submitted by Danny Buitendag In NOVEMBER...1881, Robert Estnault-Pelterie, early aviation pioneer is born. He invented ailerons and coined the word astronautics. 1907, Louis Bleriot introduces what will become the modern configuration of the aeroplane. His No.VII has an enclosed or covered fuselage, a single set of wings (monoplane), a tail unit, and a propeller in front of the engine. 1907, The first piloted helicopter rises vertically in free flight in France. Built by Paul Cornu, it’s powered by a 24-hp Antoinette engine driving two rotors. 1909, Wright Company is incorporated with a capital stock of $1,000,000. Formed to manufacture aeroplanes, the company’s president is Wilbur Wright and his brother Orville is the vice president. 1910, The birth of the aircraft carrier occurs when Eugene Ely takes off from the cruiser USS Birmingham in Virginia, on a Curtiss biplane. The warship has an 83-foot platform built over the foredeck for the take-off. 1910, The first use of an aeroplane to carry commercial freight is the Wright Company’s aeroplane that flies from Dayton to Columbus, Ohio carrying silk to the Morehouse-Martens Company. 1912, The first successful catapult launch of a seaplane is made at the Washington, D.C. Navy Yard. Catapulted by a compressed air system from an anchored barge, the floatplane is a Curtiss A-1. 1915, The first catapult launching of an aeroplane from a moving ship is made from the USS North Carolina in Pensacola, Florida. 1921, The first air-to-air refueling is made when American Wesley May steps from the wing of one aircraft to that of another carrying a five-gallon can of gasoline strapped to his back. 1926, Captain Charles Lindbergh jumps from his disabled aeroplane during a night airmail flight, making this his 4th time he has had to use his parachute to save his life.  1929, American Commander Richard Byrd and crew make the first flight over the South Pole, in a Ford 4-AT Trimotor monoplane, November 28-29. 1953, The first man to exceed Mach 2 is American test pilot Scott Crossfield in a Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket. 1955, The prototype Fokker F.27 Friendship medium-range twin-turboprop transport flies for the first time. It became popular as a commuter and feeder airliner. 1965, The first flight around the world over-flying both Poles is made by U.S. airline Flying Tigerline's Captain J.L. Martin. From www.centinnialofflight.gov
Aviation News aka "Those damned Capitalists" Submitted by Tony Russel New A380 could become a flying mansion (cnn.com) Two European companies --- Germany's Lufthansa Technik and Switzerland's Jet Aviation -- have  announced their intention to convert the enormous airliner into a flying mansion replete with private bedrooms, a movie theater, and a gym fitted with saunas and jacuzzis.Rumors swept the European media in September that Lufthansa Technik, a subsidiary of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, had received an order for a VIP-configured A380 from Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. Abramovich -- who in 2005 acquired a specially modified Boeing 767ER -- denied the report. "There's no order, there's no Airbus, there's no A380," spokesman John Mann said. Hamburg-based Lufthansa Technik also dismissed the reports, but an official said they were anticipating a firm order for the A380 from a different private customer. "There is definitely a market for an executive version of the Airbus 380," said Bernd Habbel, Lufthansa Technik's head of corporate communications. Purchases of private airliners have hit record highs, with manufacturers set to deliver more than 1,000 planes in 2007, and industry experts predicting sales of about $200 billion over the next decade. But most of those planes are relatively small, in the short-haul category of a Learjet, Cessna Citation or Gulfstream, and usually costing $2 million to $5 million. The largest corporate jets are usually modified versions of the Airbus 320 or Boeing 737 that sell for about $70 million. Experts say only national governments and very few of the super wealthy can afford massive price tags that come with the higher category, such as a Boeing 767 that is three times the size of an average executive jet. The market is also seemingly immune to the financial turbulence that has gripped global markets. "Limousines or extravagantly tricked-out yachts are frequently fitted with plush custom-made interiors,"  said Richard Maslen, an editor of Airliner World, a British aviation magazine. "The world of aviation is no different -- 'customized' aircraft have long been available for those who can afford them, such as royal families, heads of state or the growing coterie of billionaires," Maslen said."Anyone who wants to customize their mode of travel to accommodate lots of friends -- or perhaps adapt it to withstand a terrorist attack -- will find that there are companies prepared to take on the work," Maslen said. But the 560-ton A380 is in a size category of its own, dwarfing even the Boeing 747, which serves as Air Force One, the presidential jet. Lufthansa Technik already has drawn up a general design for a customized luxury A380 interior, although a customer would collaborate on specific details, Habbel said. A rendering of the layout provides the owner with two spacious private bedrooms on the upper deck, separated from a reception area with plush sofas and a wood and brass bar next to the central stairway. The private quarters allow for maximum comfort and convenience. A master bedroom includes an office, private dining room, dressing room, a fully fitted bathroom and a gym featuring both a steam bath and exercise machines. The entourage is accommodated in lounge-type quarters on the lower deck, also equipped with a large dining and conference area. There is a third level, the cargo area below, that can be transformed into yet another passenger space or a cinema if needed. And what would the price tag be of a custom-fitted Airbus 380? Lufthansa Technik is reluctant to discuss the cost. But according to Airbus spokeswoman Maggie Bergsma, the list price of an A380 is $320 million. Experts say customized furnishings can rack up an additional $50 million to $150 million, as the degree of luxury depends entirely on the depth of the buyer's pockets. Basel, Switzerland-based Jet Aviation has already received four letters of intent for the yet-to-be-delivered 787 Dreamliner, Boeing's newest jet. "We will certainly be one of few players that can do the completions on an A380 for whoever wants to do that," said Heinz Aebi, a company vice president. Jet Aviation delivered two 747s converted to luxury standard for Dubai Air Wings this year. "There will always be customers who want such planes that can fly intercontinental ranges without the need to land and refuel," Aebi said. Aviation News: No nookie on A380, according to Airline. from avweb.com submitted by Tony Russel Considering the areas of aircraft that have served the carnal desires of their occupants, it would seem likely  that the private suite with double bed that Singapore Airlines has installed on its A380 would be creating a little turbulence of its own on every flight. But if the airline has anything to do with it (and good luck with this) the first-class section will not become headquarters of the Mile High Club. "If couples used our double beds to engage in inappropriate activity, we would politely ask them to desist," company spokesman Stephen Forshaw told the Times of London. "There are things that are acceptable on an aircraft and things that aren't, and the rules for behavior in our double beds are the same ones that apply throughout the aircraft."
And that seems a shame say the first occupants of the exclusive space. Tony and Julie Elwood paid plenty to recline in the suite on the A380's first flight from Singapore to Sydney last week and said the accommodations and the rule are at odds. "So they'll sell you a double bed, and give you privacy and endless champagne — and then say you can't do what comes naturally?" Tony told the Times. "Seems a bit strange." Julie agreed. "They seem to have done everything they can to make it romantic short of bringing round oysters." Videos
| |
The Student Pilot
Cross Wind landings:
posted by Cape Town Flying Club at 11:17 AM
1 comments
I retract everything bad I have ever said about the weather gods. Saturday was the most perfect day for flying, and luckily it coincided with the ATC flip day.
Dave Pierce (C182)
The world's largest jetliner made aviation history on Thursday, completing its first commercial flight from Singapore to Sydney with 455 passengers, some of them ensconsed in luxury suites and double beds. 
The 12-meter-long aircraft, which has never flown above a height of seven feet, is powered by a secondhand 133 horsepower engine from a Honda Civic. In the basic cockpit there are two Toyota car seats, with a couple more in the cabin behind. Controls are simple, with an ignition button, an accelerator lever to control vertical thrust and a joystick that provides balance and bearing. A camera beneath the chopper connected to a small screen on the dash gives the pilot ground vision, and he communicates via a small transmitter.
