Midweek Update 7 June 2017Plan Your Weekend……..Forthcoming Events Aviation News………. Worldwide Incidents and Accidents This Week in Aviation History………Advertising Rate Card  Get all your questions answered in one place. To listen to a recording of the live broadcast click on the link: www.debela.co.za/aviation-radio-show  10-11: Wonderboom Adrenaline Show. Wonderboom. Contact Chris Briers E-mail: chris@briersgroup.com Cell: 082 568 7988 10-11: EAA Chapter 1502 Ladysmith fly in. Contact Gerald Maddens zero seven two56154six nine. Two bed cottages at R500 per night including breakfast, out flights around Battlefields and more. 10: Brakpan Aero Club celebrates the opening of its new club house and restaurant this coming Saturday 10 June at Brakpan Airfield with a fly or drive in from 0800 hours onwards.   15-16: Lowveld airshow at the Nelspruit airfield Tel: 013 741 6412. Contact Willemien Hodgkinson e-mail: willemien.hodgkinson@kishugu.com  16-18: MISASA Microlight Championships and kroon Fly in. Contact Mervyn on 073 763 7510 for competition details. 17: Queenstown Flying Club Centennial Celebrations. Contact Alasdair 0825518375 mac@mactax.co.za 24: Middelburg Aero Club Airshow. Richardt Lovett. mail@pegasusi.co.za 082 771 8775 3rd Saturday of every month. Microland. Bring and braai. Fires and bykos provided. Fires start from 09h30. Contact person: Nick Swardt 082 441 8011 or Alan Hussey 072 82 2341 30-3 July: Race for Rhinos. Kubu Island Botswana.Contact Chris Briers E-mail: chris@briersgroup.com Cell: 082 568 7988 30- 1 July: SA Landing Championship Training Day - Brits Airfield. Contact Mauritz du Plessis email: whitehouse@worldonline.co.za, Cell: 083 601 1042  5-8: SAC Nationals. Malelane, Mpumalanga. Contact Annie Boon e-mail: chunge@mweb.co.za 8: EAA Chapter 973 - Krugersdorp. Breakfast Fly-in to Crosswinds Airfield. All EAA members, Microlighters, friends and aviation enthusiasts - You are all invited to fly in or drive in to Crosswinds Airfield and enjoy the day with us. A full breakfast at R80 per head will be available, which includes coffee and tea. 8: Swaziland International airshow. Swaziland Flying Club. Contact Yorick Hulett e-mail: hulettcharcoal@gmail.com Tel: +268 760 31002  15: Hoedspruit Fun Rally. Contact Wynand Uys email: wynand@ottersden.co.za or Frank Eckard e-mail: frank.eckard@mweb.co.za cell: 083 269 1516 3rd Saturday of every month. Microland. Bring and braai. Fires and bykos provided. Fires start from 09h30. Contact person: Nick Swardt 082 441 8011 or Alan Hussey 072 82 2341 24-30: EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. Wisconsin, USA. Camping on the airfield contact Neil Bowden e-mail: neil1@telkomsa.net or Hotels in Appleton contact Calvin Fabig e-mail: calvin@designer.co.za 28: World Precision Flying Championships - Austria. 2: EAA Chapter 322 meeting. Dicky Fritz Moth Hall Edenvale. Contact: editor@afskies.co.za 4: SAAF Museum AFB Zwartkop open practise day 5-6: SAC Judges Trophy. Tzaneen. Contact Annie Boon e-mail: chunge@mweb.co.za 5: Apiesdoring Karnaval Fly-inn Thabazimbi, Limpopo Contact: Chris Ehlers: 0823714492 Gert Ehlers: 0836526208  11- 13: Pyramid Aviators Weekend. Contact Peter Lea: Cell No. 082 553 4908 or e-mail: peter@irricon.co.za 16-18: SAC Unlimited World Championships. Malelane. Contact Annie Boon e-mail: chunge@mweb.co.za 20: Grand Rand Airshow. Stuart Coetzee. manager@randairport.co.za. 011 827 8884 25-26: Bethlehem Airshow. Stephan Fourie. fouriesj1491@gmail.com. 072 344 9678 3rd Saturday of every month. Microland. Bring and braai. Fires and bykos provided. Fires start from 09h30. Contact person: Nick Swardt 082 441 8011 or Alan Hussey 072 82 2341 26: Zandspruit airshow. Zandspruit. Website: www.zandspruit.co.za. Contact Martin den Dunnen E-mail: martin@zandspruit.co.za Cell: 082 449 8895  ALAN EVAN-HANES NEW AERO CLUB GENERAL MANAGER  Alan comes to us with a wealth of aviation experience. He has been an aviation enthusiast his entire life, frustrating teachers by drawing or day dreaming about planes throughout his schooling. He became involved in EAA in 1981, and has been a member ever since. He was manager of the Defence Force Flying Club during his national service. He served as a judge at the World Aerobatic Championships in Cape Town in 1995. His experience includes project management in a major retail bank, construction site building manager, aerospace engineering manager and as a management consultant. He specialises in stock exchange financial rules and in fraud forensics, which has taken him around the world. Alan recently volunteered his time to fly anti-poaching operations in Northern Mozambique for 3 months. Alan has held a PPL since 1989 and has been involved in a number of aircraft projects, including a twenty-year restoration of a Piper Super Cub which he shares with his ALTP pilot brother. With a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration with an MBA qualification he is ideally qualified and suited for the position of General Manager of the Aero Club of South Africa. Alan is well equipped to assist Aeroclub in the development of the Aeroclub in terms of our strategic planning, and fulfilling our key objectives of Promoting and Protecting Sport and Recreational Aviation. We wish Alan well in his new appointment and in return offer him our full support. A big word of thank you to Richard Becker. Richard has since his resignation as the General Manager in February 2017 availed his time to help with functions of the GM until a replacement could be appointed. We thank Richard for his contribution to the cause of protecting and promoting free flight.   Photo © Brady Lane Event organizer Steve Krog said the event is intended to honour the legacy of the Cub aircraft, which have been in use for 80 years. "What it is, is a commemoration and recognition of the Piper J-3 Cub and the influence it's had on general aviation from 1937 right up until present day," Krog said. "It was the airplane used to train our fathers and grandfathers." Multiple Cub owners have been signing up daily, according to Krog, and attendees from more than 20 states and two Canadian provinces will send Cubs to Hartford before they continue to Oshkosh. "Many of the Cub owners who participated five years ago wanted to participate again, and many of the Cub owners who didn't participate five years ago wanted to after hearing about it last time," Krog said. Krog said Cub owners who have never been to Oshkosh or Hartford for a Cub fly-in before should know they are missing out on meeting a passionate group of Cub enthusiasts. "If you've never done it, you have really missed out on a unique opportunity to fly your airplane with other similar airplanes, and especially meet and get to know other cub owners/pilots," Krog said. "They are a unique group of folks that all have a true understanding of what grassroots flying is all about and really appreciate it." Krog said he fell in love with the Piper J-3 Cub by watching them fly from a nearby airport as a child, and summed up the Cub's charm succinctly: "They're slow, they're noisy, they're hard to get in and out of, but they're still the most fun airplane out there. There's nothing like it." The Hartford Cubs 2 Oshkosh gathering will take place on Friday and Saturday preceding AirVenture 2017. Cubs will launch from Hartford to fly to Oshkosh early on Sunday morning. More information and a registration form for the event can be found on the Piper J-3 Cub 80th Anniversary page. BIG BOMBERS COMING TO AIRVENTURE OSHKOSH   Photos © EEA AirVenture Visitors to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2017 will be treated to a tremendous cross-section of bombers, including what we expect to be the first joint appearance of two flyable B-29s in decades, more than a dozen B-25s, and now, two from the U.S. Air Force's current inventory, the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress and the Rockwell (now Boeing) B-1 Lancer. The massive eight-engine B-52, known to some as the "BUFF," is the backbone of the U.S. strategic bomber fleet, and is expected to remain so for decades to come. When it finally retires sometime in the mid-2040s, the type will have been in active service for an incredible 90 years, having been introduced in February of 1955. This only marks the second time that a B-52 will be displayed on the ground at AirVenture. First flown in 1974, the swing-wing Rockwell B-1 Lancer, affectionately known as the "Bone," didn't enter service until 1986. The project was famously cancelled in 1977, and then restarted four years later. The B-1 is like a bomber designed for fighter pilots. It's sleek, manoeuvrable, and fast: capable of Mach 1.25, it's the only supersonic strategic bomber in the U.S. inventory. There's never any one thing that defines a particular AirVenture, but to many, 2017 will be remembered as "the year of the bomber." While Scaled Composites is known for its Burt Rutan-founded legacy with projects such as Voyager, Boomerang, SpaceShipOne, and others over the past 40 years, its return to Oshkosh this year is focusing on future goals and projects that encompass both aviation and space. Those projects include the massive Stratolaunch aircraft that rolled out of its hangar for the first time on May 31. "Scaled Composites is linked to EAA and Oshkosh as few other companies are, and we welcome them back to the flight line," said Rick Larsen, EAA's vice president of communities and member benefits who coordinates AirVenture features and attractions. "As notable as its legacy is, it is Scaled's future projects that tie perfectly with the innovation and forward thinking that are always a part of EAA AirVenture." Scaled Composites will have a full exhibit in the forums area, as well as more than 30 scheduled forums by its engineers, technicians, and leaders throughout the week. Along with that, Scaled's unique high-altitude Proteus aircraft that first appeared at Oshkosh in 1999 will return. The company will also be talking with those interested in joining Scaled as it develops the latest concepts that are part of its future. "We've always been a company focused on discovery and pushing limits," said Bob Withrow, vice president of engineering at Scaled Composites. "We are looking for folks who are passionate, creative, and love to be challenged. There is no better place than Oshkosh to re-introduce ourselves to those who know us from our incredible legacy, and to connect with those who want to be a part of the next big thing."  KA-62 MAKES ITS FIRST FLIGHT On May 25, a flight model of the newest Ka-62 helicopter made its first flight at the flight-test centre of Progress Arsenyev Aviation Company, a Russian Helicopters subsidiary, part of State Corporation Rostec. "Today's flight tests showed that we have successfully finished all necessary updates of the pre-production stage based on the results of the preceding steps of the program aimed at commissioning of the helicopter. In particular, we have checked the helicopter stability and controllability, as well as its main systems and assemblies," said Russian Helicopters CEO Andrey Boginsky. The Ka-62's specific feature is a wide use of modern materials in its design including polymer composites, high-tensile aluminium, titanium alloys and steel. The volume of components made from polymer composites takes up to 60% of the helicopter's weight, which decreases its total weight when empty, and, consequently, boosts its speed, manoeuvrability and lifting capacity, as well as decreases fuel consumption. The helicopter airframe is notable for its aerodynamic bodylines, spacious transport and passenger cabin and a three-post tailwheel landing gear. Its other features include is a single-rotor design with a multi-blade anti-torque rotor ducted into the vertical tail fin. The helicopter has a five-bladed main rotor, two hydraulic systems, heavy-duty wheeled landing gear, wreck-resistant fuel system and a unique bird-resistant transparency. The Ka-62 helicopter is designed for passenger transportation, offshore work, urgent medical aid, search-and-rescue operations, and transportation of cargo in its cabin or sling-loaded, patrolling and ecological monitoring. Due to its high service ceiling and high engine power-to-weight ratio, the Ka-62 is also capable of performing search-and-rescue and evacuation operations in mountainous areas.  Lockheed Martin. Photo Lockheed Martin. This HC-130J will be operated by the 211th Rescue Squadron (RQS), 176th Wing stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. The 211th RQS previously operated legacy HC-130P aircraft to support personnel recovery missions in Alaska and the Pacific Theatre. These aircraft also act as aerial refuellers, providing support to the HH-60 Pave Hawk search-and-rescue helicopters that are also assigned to the 176th Wing. This is the first of four HC-130Js that will be delivered to the Alaska Guard. "The delivery of this HC-130J Combat King II represents a new era for both the Air National Guard and the Alaska Guard. This aircraft provides the increased capabilities and enhanced performance that is essential for these Airmen to support their search and rescue mission," said George Shultz, vice president and general manager, Air Mobility & Maritime Missions at Lockheed Martin. "These men and women live their motto - 'That Others May Live.' We're proud the HC-130J Combat King fleet plays an essential role in supporting this commitment." The HC-130J replaces HC-130N/P aircraft as the only dedicated fixed-wing personnel recovery platform in the Air Force inventory. The HC-130J supports missions in all-weather and geographic environments, including reaching austere locations. The HC-130J is also tasked for airdrop, air land, helicopter air-to-air refuelling and forward-area ground refuelling missions. It also supports humanitarian aid operations, disaster response, security cooperation/aviation advisory, emergency aeromedical evacuation and non-combatant evacuation operations. The HC-130J is also operated by active duty Air Combat Command personnel recovery units.  Japan, Naha: An Nippon Airways Boeing 777-281 on a domestic scheduled passenger flight was forced to turn back to Naha due to low oil pressure warning of No.2 engine at 10 nautical miles south of Amami Oshima island. The flight crew shut down the troubled engine and initiated a turn back. The airplane made a precautionary landing back at Naha about 50 minutes later without any further incident. There were no injuries. USA, Chicago O'Hare Airport: A United Airlines Boeing 737-924ER on a domestic scheduled passenger flight was climbing after take-off at Chicago O'Hare Airport when a bird was ingested in the no.2 engine. The crew arrested the climb at 3850 feet and returned to the airport for a normal landing 25 minutes after take-off.    4 June 1972 The USAF Thunderbirds suffer their first fatal crash at an air show during Transpo 72 at Dulles International Airport The first was the death of Major Joe Howard, flying Thunderbird No. 3 (F-4E s/n 66-0321) on 4 June 1972 at Dulles Airport, during Transpo 72. His Phantom experienced a structural failure of the horizontal stabilizer, and Major Howard ejected as the aircraft fell back to earth tail first from about 1,500 feet and descended under a good canopy, but he landed in the aircraft fireball and did not survive.  The second death occurred 9 May 1981 at Hill AFB, Utah, when Captain David "Nick" Hauck flying Thunderbird No. 6 (T-38A) crashed while performing the hi-lo Maneuver. Capt Hauck crashed while attempting to land his ailing T-38 after an engine malfunctioned and caught fire. With black smoke billowing from the exhaust and the aircraft losing altitude in a high nose-up attitude, the safety officer on the ground radioed Capt Hauck: "You're on fire, punch out!" To that, he responded: "Hang on... we have a bunch of people down there." The aircraft continued to stay airborne for about half a mile before hitting a large oak tree and a barn, then sliding across a field and flipping as it traversed an irrigation canal-ultimately erupting into a fireball just a few hundred feet from the runway's end. No one on the ground was injured, even though the accident occurred adjacent to a roadway packed with onlookers. For a free no obligations quote email sales@pilotspost.com  |
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