GENERAL AVIATION
22 | Flight International | 18-31 August 2015 flightglobal.com
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he US general aviation
community reported the high-
est rate of fatal accidents since
1998 last year, although overall ac-
cident rates were only the seventh
highest in that 17-year period.
Figures released by the US Na-
tional Transportation Safety Board
(NTSB) in early August showed
that the rate of accidents is not de-
clining, even though the number
of general aviation flight hours is
lower than it has ever been.
The overall accident rate in
general aviation rose about 7%
year-on-year to 6.74 per 100,000
flight hours in 2014, the NTSB
says. But the rate of fatal acci-
dents jumped 25% from 2013 to
2014, rising to 1.4 per 100,000
flight hours.
At the same time, the overall
number of flight hours reported
by general aviation pilots de-
clined in 2014 to a new low of
18.1 million; down by 38% sincea modern peak set in 1999 and
7% lower compared with 2013.
The accident rate for the gen-
eral aviation sector continues to
track well above that of aircraft
operated in the more heavily
regulated Part 135 category,
which reported an overall acci-
dent rate of 1.02 per 100,000
flight hours in 2014, including a
rate of 0.23 fatal accidents.
General aviation remains the
only segment in air transporta-tion that is consistently targeted
on the NTSB’s annual list of
“most wanted” safety improve-
ments – which are mainly fo-
cused on rail, roadway and ma-
rine transportation sectors.
In 2015, the NTSB highlighted
the need to reduce the number of
“loss of control” incidents in
general aviation, in which pilots
often stall at low speed while on
final approach or immediately
after take-off. ■G
erman light sport aircraft
(LSA) manufacturer Flight
Design is readying the first of
three C4 production prototypes
for its debut flight in the third
quarter, as its first certificated air-
craft advances towards European
validation and service entry in
the middle of 2016.
The proof-of-concept proto-
type made its maiden flight in
April from the company’s head-
quarters in Kamenz near Dres-
den, and the four-seat model has
since notched up around 15h, ac-
cording to Flight Design’s US
president Tom Peghiny.
“One of the three production
prototypes will be shipped to the
US for the FAA [Federal Aviation
Administration] certification pro-
gramme,” he says.
The USA is expected to account
for around 50% of C4 sales,
Peghiny says. In anticipation of
growing demand for the Continen-
tal IO-360-AF-powered aircraft,
Flight Design is planning to estab-
lish an assembly facility some-
where in the east of the country.
Flight Design already has pro-
duction facilities in Germany,
Ukraine and China, which build
its CTLS LSA for the European,
US and Asian markets. The com-
pany recently broke ground on a
second production facility in
China, which will house CTLS
and C4 production.
The high-wing, four-seat type
is one of the first aircraft to be
designed with the rewrite of the
FAA/European Aviation Safety
Agency Part/CS-23 certification
rules in mind. The refreshed
safety standards – which are
expected to be introduced next
year – are designed to streamline
and simplify airworthiness
requirements for most piston,
turboprop and light turbine air-
craft, and ultimately reduce the
development cost of new models
and equipment. ■I
talian airframer Vulcanair
hopes to complete certification
of its first piston-single, the V1.0,
by the end of the third quarter
and hand over the initial example
of the four-seat aircraft to an un-
disclosed customer by year-end.
“Certification testing is almost
complete,” says Vulcanair direc-
tor Remo De Feo. “We have just
finished testing the V1.0’s 180hp
Lycoming IO-360-M1A engine
with Mogas fuel. In September
we will conduct noise testing [the
final European certification re-
quirement] and begin deliveries
soon after approval.”
US validation of the high-wing
aircraft is expected around the
middle of 2016, opening up a po-tentially huge market for the
Casoria, Naples-based airframer.
Full-scale production of the
V1.0 was launched earlier this
year, and a number of aircraft are
now being assembled at Vulca-
nair’s facility. Priced at €233,000
($257,000), the aluminium type
fits in the market sector between
top-end light sport aircraft such as
the P2008 – developed by fellow
Italian airframer Tecnam – and
entry-level piston-singles like the
Piper Archer, says De Feo.
The V1.0 has a maximum
take-off weight of 1,160kg
(2,550lb), a maximum cruise
speed of 130kt (241km/h), a range
of 589nm (1,090km) and a
luggage capacity of 40kg. ■ANALYSIS STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASHINGTON DC
Safety problems persist for GA sector
Figures from the US NTSB for 2014 reveal a 17-year high in fatal accidents despite a 7% decline in reported flight hours
DEVELOPMENT KATE SARSFIELD LONDONVulcanair prepares V1.0
for handover by year-end
PROGRAMME KATE SARSFIELD LONDON
Full-scale production of the piston single began earlier in 2015The proof-of-concept aircraft has flown 15h since its April debut
VulcanairFlight DesignC4 prototype nears flight debut