Eclipse Aviation, based at Albuquerque, confirmed on Nov. 4 rumors that it had dropped plans to attend AOPA Expo as part of its cost-cutting effort while it, like Grob, looks for new financing. Reports from industry sources say that Eclipse hopes to raise something between $200 million and $300 million in order to continue its operations. Although several industry analysts have predicted the demise of Eclipse in 2009, the company's position is that European certification - expected soon - would bring what CEO Roel Pieper called "hundreds" of orders from Europe, Russia and other places where the efficient little VLJ should do well. Pieper had predicted, earlier, that EASA certification would come before the end of October.

 

 Comp Air said it has deposits in hand for about two dozen airplanes and plans to make the move to Melbourne by January 1. Comp Air has accumulated approximately 200 hours on the prototype that has been flying since last year. However, the production model will undergo significant changes, including a 42-inch fuselage stretch and a four-inches-larger fuselage diameter. Additionally, the cruciform tail on the prototype will be dropped in favor of a conventional design, and the main door might also be enlarged. Comp Air plans to fly the larger Model 12 by next July, with FAA certification following by the end of 2010.

 

The company reports that several development and certification flight tests have been performed to date, including low- and high-speed characteristics, stalls and flutter. Additionally, the test aircraft have flown in natural ice conditions, which will allow the aircraft to be certified for flight into known icing conditions upon delivery. Crosswind tests were also performed in Punta Arenas, Chile, earlier this year, and operational tests in high-altitude airports were recently concluded in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Systems and performance tests are ongoing, and one test aircraft is currently in the south of Argentina undergoing cold-weather tests. All structural static tests have been completed.

 

Aviators around the country were affected directly -- stranded by the airspace shutdown, then faced with suspicious scrutiny from local governments and increased regulation of our freedom to fly. Small general aviation airports in the Washington, D.C., area were closed for months, and flight schools around the country saw a drop in student enrollments. Now, seven years later, we almost take for granted those airport fences across what once were open fields. But maybe seven years from now, or seven years after that, or somewhere in the future, those fences will wear away in the wind and weather, and if we're very lucky, nobody will even notice they're gone.

 

Most other airports in the region were reopened by Tuesday, although some were lacking electrical power. Gustav has been downgraded to a tropical depression as it moves northwest, but threats of local rains up to 20 inches and possible tornados remain. Early reports said eight people died in the storm. Officials were asking evacuees to wait another day or so before returning home. Meanwhile, the active hurricane season continues, with three more storms -- Hannah, Ike, and Josephine -- already on track for the southeastern U.S.

 

 

Piper President Jim Bass said there's a lot riding on the PiperJet. "With this major milestone in the PiperJet's development, we are witnessing our future – one that is built on a strong and lasting heritage and reputation for innovation and excellence," he said. Brennan said people at the airport have gotten used to the aircraft doing high speed taxi tests but word spread quickly that today might be the day for the first flight. He said that the plane did a couple of high speed runs on the runway before lifting off. There has been no official announcement of the flight from Piper but we expect to hear from them soon.

 

Pieper said there will be new focus on efficiency and operational excellence as the company moves into its new phase. "I'm very confident we have adequate funding in place," Pieper said. In fact, Raburn's departure was a condition of Eclipse obtaining its most recent round of financing. "Under the terms of the commitment and agreements, Founder and CEO Vern Raburn will step down and veteran executive and Eclipse Aviation Chairman Roel Pieper will become acting CEO effective immediately," said Eclipse's news release.

 

"It takes a lot of organization and preparation and office support," Pouille said, to make the trip run smoothly and on time. "But it's been a fantastic experience." Since AVweb last checked in with the group, they have flown up the east coast of Asia via Taipei, Taiwan; Seoul, South Korea; and Vladivostok, Russia; then across the Bering Sea to Anchorage, Alaska. The pilots stopped in Juneau for a cruise and ended their journey in Seattle, then each aircraft headed for home.

 

 

If such a trip sounds appealing, be prepared to spend $68,750 per person for the 2009 trip, plus an airplane registration fee of $16,500 and various other expenses. For more details from earlier legs of the trip, click here and scroll to the "Around The World" stories.

 

The Low Down on the Cessna 400- Series Wing Upper Spar Cap….

 

There is an interesting, ongoing research project currently underway   in Wichita that centers around Non-Destructive testing of airframe and wings on the 400 Series Cessnas.  In one instance, the test subject is a Cessna 402, with some 30,000 hours on it’s odometer. The airframes being tested have literally been beaten up through the years hauling freight in and out of the humid environment of the Eastern Seaboard, in some cases racking up over One Thousand hours a year. The researchers on this project are learning quite a bit about what kind of structural testing limits the Main Wing Spars on this airplane will withstand, and therefore what a similar life expectancy may be on the sister ships within the 400-Series family.

 

Airworthiness Directive 95-21-08 R1, issued in November 1994 addresses the specific issue of spar cracks in the   421C and 425 Model Cessnas. Here is the basic gist of what the AD calls for…….

First, any crack found in the Main Spar that runs from North-to-South ( Nose-To-Tail)   is a big No-No, and requires immediate attention and remedy. For all other cracks, the chief concern is the length of the crack itself, which is generally measured in inches and not feet. If for example, the inspection reveals a crack that is longer than 2.5 inches, the Spar Cap Kit must be installed prior to any further flight, and must also be re-inspected every 600 hours or less. It was no coincidence that this time interval lines up perfectly with the Phase “D” requirement on the Conquest I and II, every 600 hours or 24 calendar months, whichever occurs first.

 

If the crack found is between 2.0 and 2.5 inches long, you may fly up to 50 hours before installing the kit, and the re-inspection requirement remains every 600 hours. If the crack is less than 2.0 inches in length, you have up to 200 hours of flight time before the kit must be installed; however, you must re-inspect the Spar every 50 hours, and again, after the kit is installed, the re-inspection requirement remains every 600 hours. When do these inspection requirements first kick in? Great question, glad you asked!

 

The initial Upper Spar Cap inspection is required once your airframe reaches the 3,000 hour TT mark, and it is required every 300 hours thereafter. If no cracks are found, you may keep on flying and re-inspecting until a condition like the ones described above arises. Some folks believe that they   eliminate the need for recurring inspections   when they have the Kits installed, and this is correct ONLY if the Spars are found with no cracks at the time of Kit-Installation. Only if you choose to install the Cap Kits on Spars that have no cracks do you eliminate the requirement for any further inspections. Why, you ask, would someone want to approach it this way? Again, great question!

 

Resale….resale…..resale! Each time you invest in an upgrade on your airplane, you add intrinsic value to some degree or another, and this usually translates to more money at resale. And because of the potential ( or perceived potential) for wing failure due to cracks in the Spar, an investment in Upper Spar Cap Kits usually has a very positive effect on resale. The hard truth of the matter is that we’ve   never seen or heard of any wing falling off of any airplane because of a 2-inch crack in the Main Spar. Nonetheless, until more conclusive evidence is obtained through research regarding the absolute hourly life-expectancy of these airframes, the compliance with AD 95-21-08 R1 provides a very comforting measure of security that is well worth the investment price- especially when your wife and kids are sleeping comfortably in the back!

 

PiperJet Ground Testing To Start Soon
Piper Aircraft reports that its PiperJet prototype is making progress, with the first engine start and run to “occur shortly.” Earlier this month, the Vero Beach, Fla.-based aircraft manufacturer finished all static load testing on the single-engine jet proof-of-concept airframe. These tests consisted of applying normal loads (+3.8g to -1.5g) to the airframe. The prototype has since been removed from the test fixture and is now standing on its own landing gear. However, the landing gear configuration used on this test aircraft is a conventional oleo design instead of the trailing-link gear planned for follow-on test and production aircraft. Meanwhile, the airplane’s Williams FJ44-3AP turbofan was installed in the vertical tail location, which Piper said results in better engine efficiency because air entering the intake is undisturbed and not subject to airframe interference. Workers are now finishing installation of the PiperJet prototype’s electrical and avionics systems, with first power-on tests expected to take place in the next week or so. Following this, Piper will start engine runs and then ground runs before first flight, which is expected to occur this summer.