FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
2003
2003 - 0494.PDF
GENERAL AVIATION BORDER PATROL EMMA KELLY / PERTH Customs gets real-time data boost Australian Eye in the Sky communications/surveillance system claimed to be first of its kind in civil maritime use Australia's customs service will have all five of its Bombardier Dash 8 turboprops equipped with a high-speed satellite communica tion system capable of transmitting real-time video, still images, voice and data by the end of March. The aircraft feature the Eye in the Sky system developed by Australian specialist TC Communi cations, in conjunction with EMS Technologies, which has developed the transceiver; antenna manufac turer CMC Electronics; Inmarsat service provider Sita and Austrian company Scotty, which worked with TC to develop the application platform. Three aircraft had been equipped by mid-February: the fourth was due to undergo installa tion and testing last week and the fifth aircraft is to follow later this month as part of an A$8 million ($4.8 million) programme that includes equipment, installa tion and support, says Todd McDonnell, chief executive of TC Communications. The aircraft are fitted with a for ward-looking infrared sensor, sur face search radar and a high-defini tion television system. Video, still images, voice and data communi cations are transmitted from the aircraft in real time to the Customs National Surveillance Centre in Canberra via the Inmarsat Swift64 high-speed data service, using the Inmarsat land Earth station in Perth, Western Australia. "It is the first time this type of solution has been developed and applied to civil maritime surveil lance and border protection activ ity anywhere in the world," says McDonnell. The system is primar ily used for maritime surveillance and border protection, but was used to pinpoint hotspots in the Canberra region during the recent bushfires, with data relayed directly to the bushfire control centre. As well as maritime surveillance, TC has identified applications in mining, aerial surveillance, natural disaster response, remote education delivery, monitoring world heritage zones and deploying video commu nications. TC is negotiating with offshore interests on potential appli cations, says McDonnell. The Aus tralian military is evaluating the sys tem, while New Zealand is also looking at it, he adds. EXPANSION Cirrus targets emerging markets as it builds worldwide agent network Cirrus Design is to strengthen and expand its agent and product sup port network in the second half of the year in an effort to penetrate emerging markets and widen the appeal of its SR20/22 piston single line within more mature regions. Cirrus director of sales support Ian Bentley says: "Within North America, Western Europe, South Africa and the Antipodes our agents are highly motivated and effective. However, outside these regions we either have very little penetration or none at all." Cirrus most recently stepped up its marketing efforts in Australia and New Zealand and last month delivered the first New Zealand- based four-seat SR22 on top of the handful of Cirrus types already based in Australia. Cirrus agents are typically service centres, Bentley says, with a role to cultivate business for the Duluth, Minnesota-based manufacturer and take orders for aircraft, which are then delivered directly to the cus tomer. "Our agents are not sales people and do not offer deals on the aircraft. This approach has been successful and we don't plan to change the way things are done." Cirrus is eyeing key growth areas, Cirrus' glass cockpit SR22 could raise awareness of its piston single line notably China, Indonesia, Malaysia and South America, although Bentley admits there are "very few places in the world where you couldn't build a case for more pene tration of our aircraft". He adds: "The Pacific Rim and South America have a lot of potential and although there are a few [Cirrus] aircraft based within these regions we do not have a significant presence yet." Cirrus last year built two aircraft a day, with the SR22 accounting for two-thirds of annual deliveries. "The Duluth plant is designed to handle double the current total, but we don't know when this will happen. Production this year is expected to remain stable at around 500 aircraft," Bentley says. Meanwhile, the Cirrus SR22 has become the only aircraft in its class with a glass cockpit, following delivery last week of the first two aircraft equipped with the $24,500 option. The Avidyne flat panel pri mary flight display (PFD) replaces several instruments, including atti tude, horizontal situation, altitude, airspeed and vertical speed indica tors, says Cirrus. Around 80% of SR22 orders include the PFD. KITPLANES New designs take a bow Express Aircraft has begun flight testing a turboprop-powered, retractable-gear development of its Series 2000 high-perfor mance four-place kitplane. Meanwhile, gyroplane developer Groen Brothers Aviation has formed American Autogyro to develop designs in the kit-built and forthcoming light-sport air craft categories. The all-composite Express Series 2000RG is powered by a 410kW (550shp) Pratt & Whit ney Canada PT6A-20. Kit price is $62,500, with a completed air craft expected to cost around $200,000. There are seven kits under construction, says the Olympia, Washington-based company, which estimates there are 60 Express kitplanes flying and 80 more being built. American Autogyro's first product is a stability augmenta tion kit for the RAF 2000 single-seat autogyro. This substantially redesigns the em pennage to improve safety. Kit deliveries were expected to begin in late February. Based on this design, the company is producing the Sparrow Hawk two-seat gyro plane kit, deliveries of which are expected to begin before the end of the third quarter www.fliqhtinternational.com FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 4-10 MARCH 2003 19
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
