May 2010 covers_Covers.qxd - World Airnews

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PLETTENBERG BAY AIRPORT SHOCK Tom Chalmers reports ALL AVIATION fuel supplies – Avgas and Jet A1 – at Plettenberg Bay Airport were drained from their holding tanks just before Christmas and all the equipment and infrastructure was disassembled, loaded on to flat-bed heavy duty trucks and removed recently, appropriately perhaps under a mantel of heavy fog and rain. The withdrawal of the refuelling service which was run by the local municipality, and then the later removal of the all the infrastructure, has been met with dismay by not only the general aviation fraternity at the airport and in the immediate vicinity, but also by many owners and operators of aircraft throughout the country which use the airport. Not only is Plettenberg Bay a prime holiday resort on the Cape Garden Route, but it was also the only airport with refuelling facilities between the two ACSA-operated airports of Port Elizabeth and George. The refuelling facilities were used extensively by both piston and jet-powered aircraft, especially during peak holiday periods. It was also likely to have been an airport of choice for overseas visitors during the World Cup soccer tournament, but without available fuel, this could seriously affect the expected influx. Said one aviation observer when asked to comment: “With the World Cup just around the corner and billions being spent by Government, it boggles one’s brain as to why this has been allowed to happen to this Garden Route coastal airport.” To date no official statement is known to have been made by the Plettenberg Bay municipality as to the reason for the with- The death knell of “Plett”? drawal of the service. World Airnews understands that an undisclosed number of businessmen in the Plettenberg Bay area had subsequently approached both the municipality and BP, the oil company supplying the fuel, with a proposal that they purchase the facility and its infrastructure from BP and take over the running of the service. Although BP apparently agreed to the proposal, the municipality turned it down, saying that the airport was going to be put out to tender. Locals say they have heard this story before since the tender idea was first mooted six years ago. A number of proposals have subsequently been put to the municipality, but all have apparently been rejected. Senior members of the Town Council are said to be “not interested in the airport nor the effect its possible closure will have on tourism to the town.” Efforts by World Airnews over several days to contact the Municipal Manager, the Corporate Manager or even the Mayor, for comment on the current situation or the future of the airport, were “brickwalled” by telephonists and/or secretaries. It appears that the officials are “in meetings” or “not available” or otherwise “away on business,” no matter what time of the day contact was attempted. The six employees at the airfield who were given the job of handling the refuelling of aircraft were still there at the time of writing without apparently anything to do. They are believed to have been told that “something else will be found for them to do.” They referred all enquiries to the Town Manager. Q WORLD AIRNEWS, MAY 2010. 61
TWO MILESTONES FOR AIRBUS THE GRANTING of the EADS Type Certification for the new Airbus A330-200F freighter and the maiden flight of the second A400M turboprop heavyweight transport aircraft, marked respective milestones for Airbus and its subsidiary, Airbus Military, is recent weeks. A surprise came with the granting of the A330-220F certification in that its payload capability has been listed as 70-tones, one tonne greater than was expected. The granting of the certification followed an extensive 200-hour flight test programme which was performed by two aircraft covering both engine types on offer, namely the Pratt and Whitney PW4000 and the Rolls-Royce Trent 700. This dedicated freighter aircraft, which is a derivative of the A330- 200 passenger model, has been certified through an amendment to the existing A330-200 EASA Type Certificate granted to Airbus in 1998. This EASA award will be followed by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Type Certification. The A330-200F features an optimised fuselage cross-section, offering flexibility to carry a wide variety of pallet and container sizes. Airbus claims the type offers 30% more volume than any freighter in its class, and is based on the proven and technologically-advanced A330 plat- 62 WORLD AIRNEWS, MAY 2010. form, for which Airbus has over 1 000 orders and already more than 650 aircraft in service. Over 3 400 freighters will be needed in the next 20 years to cater for a 5,2% average annual growth rate. This will include around 1 600 midsized freighters, of which the A330-200F will play an important role. Meanwhile, the second Airbus Military A400M military airlifter made its maiden flight recently getting airborne from off from Seville, Spain, with a take-off weight off 128 tonnes. Its first flight lasted four hours and 50 minutes. The aircraft, dubbed MSN2, has now joined its sistership, MSN1, which had already completed 66,5 hours in 15 flights. MSN2 is the second of an eventual five aircraft which will conduct the 3 700 hour flight-test programme leading to first delivery. Like MSN1, it carries heavy flight-test instrumentation. It will be primarily dedicated to aircraft and powerplant performance testing while MSN1 continues to be used for clearance of the aircraft and powerplant flight envelope, loads, flutter, and handling qualities development. The third A400M aircraft is expected to fly by the beginning of the summer and the fourth around the end of the year. A total of 184 aircraft has so far been ordered by Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Spain, Turkey and Britain. Q F. GOMES AIRCRAFT INTERIORS For complete aircraft interiors in the greater Johannesburg area, contact Fernando Gomes on: Tel: (011) 614-2471 Fax:(011) 614-9806 or cell: 082 412-6669 Our extensive Client list includes: NAC, TPSC, Eskom, CNJ Aviation, TAM Aviation, Gencor, Aerosud, Hunting Aviation, Precision Aviation, Madiba Air, Executive Helicopters.... Need we say more?
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Volume 38, No 3 Q Q May 2010 South
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Official journal of:- Commercial Av
Page 9 and 10: Flying the HAWKER HURRICANE Hot, he
Page 12 and 13: coolant pipes and lagging is nice i
Page 14 and 15: AIRVAN FOR EPIC FLIGHT Flight to ra
Page 16: SIXTY-SIX, CLICKITY, CLICK, the “
Page 19 and 20: The Search for Cleaner Skies By: DO
Page 22 and 23: GOOD HOUSEKEEPING Much of this tech
Page 24 and 25: its statutory duty to properly regu
Page 27 and 28: 28 WORLD AIRNEWS, MAY 2010. AIR MAL
Page 29 and 30: Ksh 9,7-BILLION PHASE II EXPANSION
Page 31 and 32: Despite the earthquake, FIDAE COMES
Page 33 and 34: NEW TRANS-CONTINENTAL MEDICAL EVACU
Page 35 and 36: AIRCRAFT SLINGING - NAC STYLE Text
Page 38 and 39: IATA Halves 2010 Loss Forecast THE
Page 41 and 42: ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES’ “VISION 201
Page 43 and 44: Also on order are twelve Airbus A35
Page 45 and 46: 46 WORLD AIRNEWS, MAY 2010. ATNS SY
Page 47 and 48: CITATION CJ4 GAINS FAA CERTIFICATIO
Page 49 and 50: 50 WORLD AIRNEWS, MAY 2010. Tel: (0
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Page 71 and 72: FOURTH 787 Everett, Wash. — Boein
Page 73: By: Tom Chalmers APATHY REARS ITS U
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Page 84 and 85: 10 kms on tar from LANSERIA airport
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