Hiatus

It is with a very weird feeling in my gut that I must report that as of 14 June, 06, my publishing of World of Flying will be taking a summer hiatus. Between my regular job as owner of Celeste/Daniels Aviation Advertising, and my Three-Eight Charlie screenplay project about Jerrie Mock, I am simply too busy to fit in even a few posts now and then.

To have this blog as an outlet for my ramblings and other aviation musings has been great fun, and I suspect at some point I may return to regular posting. But readership has dwindled to a handful a day, and finding the time to promote the blog is not on my radar screen right now.

There is so much to write about this year, with VLJ activity, LSAs from Cessna, diesel engine development, on and on it goes. Creativity I have too much of, it’s time that is finite.

Thanks for the ride, it has been wonderful on this end.

Dan Pimentel

Is Honda still just toying with us?

Honda just loves to slap us around regarding the never-ending “debut” of the Hondajet. At last year’s EAA Bratfest, the H-jet made a very, very brief appearance, and as fast as it arrived – poof – it was gone. The quick exit made many think that Honda might not be really serious about building personal jets. But a story from EAA today says things are going to be different in '06:

At EAA's Annual Airventure 2006 in Oshkosh, Honda plans to display the H-jet as the centerpiece in an expanded Honda Pavilion, complimented by motorcycles and even Formula One race cars.

So logic tells me that if they were still on the fence about actually selling Hondajets, they sure wouldn’t be aiming the focus of the world’s aviation media directly on their uber-beautiful design. This smells like the natural progression of things, from a company who senses that things are about to change radically in the VLJ markets when Eclipse earns FAA certification this summer and by default will start hogging the national media spotlight.

Since the day I read that General Electric and Honda had teamed up to create Honda Aero, Inc. and develop small jet engines in their Reston, Virginia facility, I have bet that we will indeed see a Honda aircraft for sale in America. Like most Japanese companies, Honda will never jump quickly into anything. They are smart, calculating businessmen who came late to the party with a full-sized pickup, and because of that, the Ridgeline is mostly an afterthought in the PU markets.

So if they drag their heels on a VLJ, there will be many other companies that will get a great foothold on market share, leaving Honda to fight for even a few percentage points. This might explain the ramped up feeling I am getting by reading the news of their increased exposure at Oshkosh.

I know one thing right now about Honda: I finally broke down and bought a Husqvarna lawnmower that has a nice, dependable Honda four-cycle engine. The damned thing can sit all winter, and starts first pull in the spring. Runs perfectly, what more could I ask? I’ve owned many Honda motorcycles over the years, and all performed flawlessly and never, ever left me stranded.

Should Honda get serious about building the H-jet with the same commitment to dependable quality that they have shown over the years with everything else they build, we will see a new benchmark for fit, finish and high dispatch rates achieved that the rest of the industry will be forced to attain.

Q: Would I buy a Hondajet? A: If I had enough Lotto money to drop cash on a jet in that price range, I certainly would test-fly one on my way to the Cessna Mustang and Eclipse dealers.

A brand new elephant
in the room

O.K., for anyone out there still on the fence about whether there is a market emerging for Light Sport Aircraft, this ought to push you right over the edge:

Cessna Aircraft Company announced today it is studying the feasibility of developing and producing a Light Sport Aircraft (LSA). The company plans to display a full scale proof-of-concept aircraft during a press conference on July 24th at this year’s EAA AirVenture next month in Oshkosh, Wis.

Cessna calls the newly-emerging Light Sport Aircraft category “the highest growth sector” of general aviation. Light Sport Aircraft are defined as having a maximum gross weight of 1320 pounds, maximum level-flight speed of 120 knots, and no more than two seats.

In a news release, Cessna Chairman, President and CEO Jack Pelton said this:

“As the world’s largest producer of single engine piston airplanes, we believe we could bring unique capabilities to this exciting market. Our extensive sales and service network could provide an important market advantage, which, in concert with our design and manufacturing experience, could make this an attractive extension of our product line.”

Pelton said the company will “evaluate a spectrum of issues associated with entering the sector” to determine if there is a favorable business case.

Who are they kidding? Cessna wouldn’t be holding a major press show to debut a proof-of-concept LSA unless they had already noodled this through to the end. And that “end” is an assembly line in Independence, KS cranking out cute little Cessna-branded LSA’s at a rapid clip.

What would a Cessna LSA look like? A re-hashed 150? A mini-172? Nope. One possibility could be a completely new design, a composite beauty that whispers of the new direction that has been rumored for Cessna. If they are indeed heading towards composites for their single engine line, this is the logical first step.

Pelton continues:

“An important part of our thought process in looking at LSA is the value in terms of new pilot starts. Experience has shown that Cessna brand loyalty is a powerful force in our success, and we believe this new category of aircraft could provide a conduit for new pilots to grow through the Cessna product line in the years ahead.”

If there already wasn’t enough great reasons to be at Airventure this year, now you have a big one. The stock of LSA just went WAY up, and the buzz ought to be deafening at OSH. Am I ever glad I don’t own one of the many startup aircraft manufacturers who have poured zillions into developing and certifying a whole fleet of new LSAs.

In one press release today, Cessna has changed everything in the LSA market.

Five –3s in Five Days

Recently while cruising through dreamland, I came up with an amazing idea. Now keep in mind, this oozed from my brain somewhere between Jennifer Aniston driving a drop-top purple PT Cruiser (don’t ask) and some really angry little green men dancing on my bed to the delightful Cuban sounds of Pink Martini (the band, not the drink).

In this dream, I retire early (yeah, like that’s going to happen), and set out to fly five DC-3s in five days. Here was my dream itinerary:

1. Before trying to fly any DC-3, I had better get a type rating. So off to Chino CA I jaunt to Dreamflight. After my multi-rating and about eight hours of dual, I’ll be ready for the FAA 2.5 hour check ride. And the folks in Chino say this is not just a “paper” ratng, no, they actually teach you to fly the Gooney.

2. Delta’s Ship 41

Quite possibly the most beautiful –3 on the planet, this bird was built at Santa Monica as DC-3-357 December 23rd 1940, and was restored ground up in 1999 by Delta, and is still registered to them as N28341.

3. Russian Lisunov Li-2

I'm on the overnight Eastbound redeye to Budaörs Airport in Budapest, Hungary, where the very last known flying Li-2 (This is RA-01300, c/n 23441605) was seen a few years back. I want to fly this Russian knockoff of a Gooney and compare the two ships.

4. Ozark Airlines DC-3

Next, it’s back across the pond to Griffin, GA, to find the last known sighting of the world’s oldest DC-3, N133D. She was the sixth DC-3 off the line and was delivered to American Airlines on July 12, 1936 as a Douglas Sleeper Transport (DST).

5. Basler BT-67

I end my five in five day dream trip at Basler Turbo Conversions at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, WI where I fly their BT-67, a modern, updated –3 with P & W PT6A-67Rs (1424 SHP) that produces these improvements over the original:

• 35% more interior volume
• 43% more useful load
• 24% more speed
• 76% more productivity
• Up to 100% more fuel capacity
• Lower stall speed
• Lower approach speed

Of course, this was all just a dream. A really far-out, wild, whacked dream. Five DC-3s in five days. Whew. But wouldn’t this be a rush to do...for real?

Next dream, I fly all the remaining Beech Starships I can find that haven’t been, um, recycled.

FAA’s Definition
of a “Tower” After
Budget Cuts

The next time you hear ground tell someone to park in front of the "tower" at Opa-locka Airport in Florida, don’t be surprised if you hear laughing on the frequency.

That is because for the next three years, Opa-locka Airport's "control tower" will be an old temporary FAA trailer perched atop a couple of cargo containers welded together. The containers were welded because there just wasn't enough baling wire around to do the job. To get inside the cab, Controllers must climb a ladder, and at only 33 feet off the ground, ATC can't see the entire airfield.

Miami-Dade County officials are not amused:

''I guess you can call it a piece of modern art,'' said Charles Danger, Miami-Dade County's top building official. "This is not a structure that meets any code whatsoever.''

Not that Opa Locka is some sort of out-of-the-way field either. It was less than a year ago that the airport saw one of its busiest times -- when corporate jets descending on South Florida arrived there for Super Bowl XLI in February.

The FAA moved into the temporary control trailer in May because the old 141-foot-tall tower is falling apart. A squabble over money between the county's Aviation Department and the FAA has stalled construction of a new $11 million facility.

The FAA says the temporary tower is perfectly fine for handling traffic, despite parts of the ramp and taxiways becoming blind spots for ATC. So while technically this rig might serve as a “tower”, one has to wonder why the elite FAA’s “deciders” didn’t come up with something a tad more appealing to the eye, like maybe cardboard boxes taped together in a nearby tree.

Or, maybe this is all the FAA can afford after the Bushies were through slashing the Airport Improvement Program. AOPA said the cuts were going to be bad, but this is a little extreme.

Nice week for Boeing.

You know the wild, wacky world of building and selling heavy airliners…some weeks you sit around waiting for the phone to ring, and others, well, the freakin’ phone rings itself clean off the wall.

This week was one of those “off the wall” weeks for Boeing.

Today, they said unnamed buyers had ordered $5.8 billion worth of single-aisle planes and wide-body aircraft this week, making it one of the biggest ever for new orders.

Ordering off the menu, buyers ordered 20 wide-body 777s, nine single-aisle 737s and three 747s. The 777s, with an average list price of $216 million each, are among the most expensive of Boeing's products.

Wall Street analysts had expected orders to lag somewhat in 2006, but instead demand had remained very strong. Part of that strength lies with continued orders from Cathay Pacific Airways which recently placed orders for two more 777 aircraft, extending their commitment to buy 18 of the extended-range planes.

Boeing shares were up 39 cents at $84.03 in morning New York Stock Exchange trade. Eighty four bucks for Boeing! Good for them. Back when I dabbled in the market, $35 was rocking and rolling for BA. And of course, I never held any, or hold any now. Didn’t buy any AAPL back then either, when it was priced too high at $8. Had they told me back then everyone and his brother would have an iPod in their pocket and the stock would soon launch into orbit and end up on 2 June, ’06 at $61.66, I would have taken their drugs away.

What's good for Boeing is ALWAYS good for the industry. Now just when is Eclipse going public?

Onward to Oshkosh

I am thrilled to again be invited back to EAA’s Airventure Oshkosh 2006 to present a forum. This will be my second trip to Wisconsin to make a presentation and my goal this time around is to better my audience numbers from one soul last time out:

It was not that the presentation on my Welcome Sky Aviation Scholarship Program wasn’t interesting, but it was scheduled in the afternoon at the same time of the world-famous Oshkosh Airshow.

I’m really sure why they bother scheduling forums at the same time that Patty Wagstaff is rocking everyone’s world at show center, but this year, things will be different because I’m slated to give my forum “Correcting Aviation History’s Biggest Malfunction” in the Sporty’s Pavilion on Sunday, July 30, 8:30 – 9:45 a.m. This means I’ll only have to compete with bratwurst breakfast burritos in order to fill the seats.

This forum will highlight my six-year crusade to educate the world about Jerrie Mock, the first woman to fly solo around the world. Mock made this mammoth journey in 1964 aboard the Spirit of Columbus, a box-stock Cessna 180, and then upon returning to Port Columbus Airport in Ohio, basically fell of the face of the Earth, historically speaking.

Today, virtually nobody knows she made this flight, which should be considered to be in the same league as Lindbergh’s Atlantic crossing…and certainly must be considered to be a more significant feat than Earhart’s fateful world flight attempt in 1937, since Mock actually completed the mission.

If you happen to be wandering aimlessly around Wittman Regional Airport on the morning of 30 July this summer, stop by and pull up a chair. I’ll promise to make it well worth your time.