June 2015 - Canberra Aero-Club

AERONEWS
Newsletter of the Canberra Branch of RAeS, Australian Division Inc.
- June 2015 Introduction
June Lecture
At the regular Branch meeting in June, SQNLDR
David Hood Certification Manager for the C-27J will
talk about ADF’s acquisition of new battlefield airlift
capabilities. Details are below.
Tuesday 9 June
6.00 pm in the Military Lecture Theatre, ADFA
SQNLDR David Hood on the “C-27J Spartan:
Certification and Capabilities”
There will be no Branch meeting in July; we are
having our customary mid-winter break.
The AIR8000 Phase 2 Project Office is acquiring
ten Alenia Aermacchi C-27J Spartan aircraft, via a
Foreign Military Sales arrangement with the US
Government. The aircraft will be operated by 35
Squadron RAAF, and provide an effective air
mobility platform to bridge the gap between Army’s
rotary-wing assets and other fixed-wing transports
in RAAF service.
As usual the June lecture is open to all with an
interest in aviation; you need not be a member to
attend. RAeS holds lectures to promote the art and
science of aeronautics and although you need not
be a member to attend lectures, we encourage
everyone interested in aviation to join. RAeS has
appropriate grades for all levels of involvement and
membership includes subscription to the excellent
Aerospace magazine. Information and forms are
at http://www.raes.org.au or call me to discuss.
The acquisition includes aircraft, the training
system, support system materiel elements, and
three years of initial FMS training and support
services.
If you attend regularly but prefer not to join the
parent Society we ask that you become a “Friend”
of Canberra Branch and make a modest $25
contribution to defray costs. Ask me for details.
Also, if you do not get your own copy of this
Newsletter and would like to join the distribution list,
just ask. There’s no charge. Conversely if you get
the Newsletter but are no longer interested in it,
please tell me and I’ll stop cluttering your inbox.
Martin Aubury,
Newsletter Editor
ozaubury@homemail.com.au
Tel. 62552347
SQNLDR Hood’s presentation will explore some
significant challenges encountered by the Project
Office in certificating the C-27J for RAAF service. It
will also review basic capabilities and some of the
more unusual functionality of the aircraft.
SQNLDR Hood is C-27J Certification Manager,
AIR8000 Phase 2 Project Office. He graduated
from UNSW@ADFA in 1999 and after maintenance
postings studied for an MSc in Thermal Power (Gas
Turbine Technology) at Cranfield University, UK.
From 2005 to 2008 he was desk officer, then
Officer-In-Charge Engine Structural Integrity
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Section, Directorate General Technical
Airworthiness and also DGTA Reorganisation
Project Manager.
Weird Wide Web
There are many bizarre proposals for using drones;
e.g. to deliver pizza or books. A post-graduate
student at Delft University is developing a more
worthwhile concept for a flying defibrillator.
He was Deputy Chief Engineer, Joint Fuels and
Lubricants Agency from 2009 to 2011, and was
Group Operational Airworthiness Manager, Air
Force Training Group from 2012 until his current
appointment in August 2013.
Before the meeting please join colleagues for
refreshments in the Officers Mess. Afterwards you
can join the Committee and speaker for dinner.
Read about it at
http://www.tudelft.nl/en/current/latestnews/article/detail/ambulance-drone-tu-delftvergroot-overlevingskans-bij-hartstilstanddrastisch/. And see the video at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-rEI4bezWc
Report on May Meeting
Dates for the Diary
Dr Rik Heslehurst addressed the question “High
Performance Sailplanes - is it just
aerodynamics that makes them soar?”
Tuesday 9 June
Branch Meeting
SQNLDR David Hood on the “C-27J Battlefield
Airlifter”
He began by distinguishing between gliders and
sailplanes; the latter being able to soar on thermals,
not just glide downhill. He then outlined the history
of gliding from Hargrave, through the ME163 to the
Space Shuttle by neatly relating progress to stages
of a sailplane flight and interweaving his story with
photos and videos.
July
Turning to his main topic Rik explained how highperformance sailplanes evolved to a common
configuration of high aspect ratio wings and a
reclined pilot in a teardrop pod fuselage; alongside
illustrations of far less conventional designs.
Canberra Branch of the Royal Aeronautical
Society, Australian Division Inc.
The need for compound curves and smooth
surfaces led to early adoption of composite
materials. Fibreglass was used initially but is
increasingly replaced by carbon fibres to achieve
adequate stiffness of extremely slender wings. He
discussed manufacturing techniques and
emphasised the importance of sealing gaps around
the canopy and controls; all being prerequisites for
aerodynamic excellence. But despite the best
efforts of sailplane designers, an eagle can still outsoar a sailplane.
Chairman:
Jon Pike
Secretary:
Neville Probert
Treasurer:
Robin Stanier
No Branch Meeting
Tuesday 11 August
Branch Meeting
Airport noise management; speaker to be
confirmed.
GPO Box 1056, Canberra, ACT 2601
Committee 2015
Committee: Rick Agnew, Martin Aubury, Sue
Burdekin, Rik Heslehurst, Eugene
Holzapfel, Keirin Joyce, Tremayne
Kaseman, Robert Lee, Dilip Mathew,
Ian McIntyre, Andrew Neely, Brian
O’Keeffe and Evan Smith.
Global Website: http://www.aerosociety.com
Rik had great video clips to reinforce his points and,
as promised, everyone left smiling!
Aust. Division: http://www.raes.org.au
Safeskies 2015
The Safeskies 2015 Conference will be held on
Wednesday 23 and Thursday 24 September 2015
at Hotel Realm, Canberra; preceded on Tuesday
evening by the Sir Reginald Ansett Memorial
Lecture & Conference Dinner at Parliament House.
The Conference theme is “Training for Change”
and continues the tradition of providing delegates
with an outstanding array of authoritative speakers
on aviation safety. Details and registration are at
http://www.safeskiesconference.com.au
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