Industry News
Making better pro pilots faster
New TRAC trainer from Cirrus
By Dave Hirschman
A landing gear handle looks wholly out of place on a fixed-gear Cirrus SR20, but it’s there for a good reason.
“This airplane’s mission is to prepare flight students for careers as professional pilots,” said Ivy McIver, Cirrus Aircraft’s director for the SR product line, as she introduced the company’s TRAC training aircraft. “This puts landing gear into their flow from the very beginning, and it helps prepare them for the larger, faster airplanes they’re likely to fly next.”
In addition to the landing gear lever with position lights that the instructor can slyly fail at the touch of a hidden button, TRAC (TRaining AirCraft) aircraft come with a radio transmit switch in the back so that student observers can be involved in air traffic control communications; durable seat material that doesn’t scuff and is easy to clean; a four-cylinder, 215-horsepower Lycoming IO-390 engine; analog backup instruments; and external decals with text that show preflight inspection items such as oil quantity, tire pressure, and static source locations.
As with other Cirrus models, the TRAC airplanes contain safety equipment such as airframe parachutes and airbag seatbelts.
“We have a lot of years in the flight training world,” McIver said. “We took feedback from the universities, airline training departments, and flight schools and incorporated their priorities in TRAC aircraft. We want to dispel the myth in the market that we only sell million-dollar luxury airplanes.”
TRAC SR20s have a base price of $410,000. They will compete with Piper Aircraft, whose Pilot 100i instrument trainer has a list price of $285,000 (“Smooth Moves,” p. 50). Cirrus also plans to offer more powerful SR22 and SR22T TRAC versions for future step-ups.
Lufthansa, Emirates, and Austrian airlines all use Cirrus SR20s in their ab initio pilot training programs, as do many U.S. college aviation programs. The U.S. Air Force and French navy also use them for pilot screening.
TRAC instrument panels contain two-screen Garmin NXi glass displays with a keyboard flight management system designed to get flight students accustomed to highly integrated avionics suites early in their training.
“The global demand for pilots is surging and the pilot supply is shrinking,” McIver said. “The FMS and its integration with the flight deck and automation are things you see in bigger aircraft. This airplane is designed to help students transition to bigger aircraft more quickly.”
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News
Catastrophe in Connecticut
Seven people including the pilot, co-pilot, and five passengers died after the crash of a vintage Boeing B–17G operated by the Collings Foundation on October 2. The Boeing B–17 Flying Fortress crashed 1,000 feet short of the runway the crew was attempting to return to at Connecticut’s Bradley International Airport. A preliminary NTSB report includes evidence that the aircraft may have had trouble with more than one of its four engines.
The flight of the World War II bomber never left the traffic pattern or climbed more than about 500 feet above the ground, according to the NTSB report released October 15. The flight departed at 9:47 a.m. and one of the pilots requested a return to the airport within 3 minutes, the NTSB report states. The crew reported a “rough mag” on the number 4 engine and acknowledged a landing clearance from the tower moments later.
The tower controller inquired about the flight’s progress back to the runway, and the pilot responded they were “getting there” and on the right downwind. There were no further communications. Witnesses and airport surveillance cameras confirmed the aircraft struck approach lights about 1,000 feet short of the runway, then hit the ground about 500 feet short of the runway. It continued onto the runway surface before veering right, crossing a grassy area and striking vehicles and a deicing fluid storage tank. The aircraft was largely destroyed in a post-crash fire.
The pilot, Ernest “Mac” McCauley, 75, and co-pilot Michael Foster, 71, both died in the crash. Five passengers taking part in a flight operated under the FAA Living History Flight Experience exemption were also killed; five other passengers and one crewmember were hurt, four of them seriously. One of the five passengers and one person on the ground suffered minor injuries.
The Collings Foundation of Stow, Massachusetts, operated the B–17G known as Nine O Nine, and suspended the Wings of Freedom Tour for the remainder of the year soon after the crash. —James Moore
AOPA News
Travel just got better
New features available in directory
AOPA has released its updated ratings and reviews feature of AOPA’s Airport Directory Online. From the airport itself to FBOs, restaurants, flight schools, and maintenance shops, pilots are encouraged to give their feedback on all aspects of an airport’s amenities and to check the experience other pilots had at those locations. The new rating functionality allows users to provide up to five-star ratings, post reviews, upload photos, and like other users’ comments. Managers and business owners can interact with customers by responding to user comments, recognizing great feedback, and addressing customer concerns that would otherwise go unanswered. For both pilots and airport businesses, the tools are designed to make traveling with general aviation aircraft better.
“AOPA’s rating and review platform is a great tool to give pilots added confidence to get out, fly, explore, and visit the thousands of great destinations that GA can take them,” said AOPA Senior Vice President of Marketing Jiri Marousek. “Crowdsourced reviews are a critical customer expectation today, and they drive every industry to get better at serving our customers and foster transparency by sharing firsthand experiences—it’s a win for pilots, airport managers, and local businesses.”
AOPA’s Airport Directory Online also has an updated and rebuilt kneeboard format. The kneeboard now displays traffic pattern altitudes in addition to FAA-reported pattern altitudes. Comments on runway conditions, noise abatement information, pilot-activated lighting details, and clearance delivery phone numbers are also available.
Users leaving reviews must be logged in to aopa.org but do not need to be an AOPA member. Airport and business managers do not need to have a paid AOPA membership in order to respond to a review but must have administrative access to their listing, which is provided at no cost.
The new additions to the Airport Directory Online combined with the newsletter;makes it easy for pilots to discover fun new places to fly and share their adventures.
Web: aopa.org/travel
