Glenn Dell selected to
compete in the Red Bull
Air Race Series

South African Airways pilot and advanced aerobatics World Champion Glenn Dell humbly announced his selection to compete in the Red Bull Air Races series for 2007. Glen has recently returned from Phoenix, Arizona, where he went for flight training and selection for next year's Red Bull Air Races.

Polished aircraft for a polished pilot

A very impressive show of superb flying ability was given by Glen at Kitty Hawk Aero Estate, when he took to the sky at exactly 1000B, right on time in the Red Bull Extra 300L. Immediately after take off, he inverted the aerie and climbed away to entertain a small crowd of enthusiasts for the next 5 minutes with his superb ability. The one manouvre, a tumble, can only be decscribed as a flik flak in the sky. Awesome!

After landing, he did a full power brakes on tail lift opposite the crowd , taxied and parked the aircraft near the clubhouse. Immediately, the spectators crowded around him, and tried to have a few words with this fantastic pilot. He rushed away from the crowd past the hangars to bring his surprise out. A couple of minutes later, Glen appeared from the hangars in his new Slick 360 and parked it beside the Extra.

We were then invited into the clubhouse where Glen delivered his talk. Quiet spoken, humble and a great pilot, Glen told us about his flying past, his World Championship, and the new 230hp Slick 360. He started his talk by honouring his dad, who was a WWII pilot, which obviously fanned the flames for this gentleman's passion for flying. Glen did his PPL in about 1979, then joined the SAAF where he flew choppers. There wasn't much to be done, so he decided to get his CPL so that he could fly more. He joined the Defence Flying Club where he instructed for a few years. He joined SAA 19 years ago, but continued with GA flying, developing his skills through competition and reached the pinnacle of his flying career by winning the World Championship in 2004.

Cessna Citation Encore+ Earns FAA Certification

Wichita, Kan., Dec. 21, 2006 – Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, reported today the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted type certification (TC) to Cessna’s Citation Encore+. With more than 600 hours of flight testing, the Encore+ met Cessna’s certification timeline goal.

The seven- to eleven-passenger Encore+ succeeds the Encore, offering increased payload capability, a new integrated avionics suite, more standard equipment, and new interior styling features like LED indirect cabin lighting. Full-fuel payload will be 1,170 pounds, 340 pounds more than the Encore. Takeoff distance was certified as 3,520 feet, time to climb to 45,000 feet as 27 minutes, range (with NBAA IFR reserves) as 1,762 nautical miles, and maximum true airspeed as 428 knots (nearly 500 miles per hour).

Propulsion for the Encore+ is generated by twin Pratt & Whitney Canada PW535B engines rated at 3,400 pounds of thrust each, and managed by a dual-channel Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC).

The avionics on the Encore+ is the most advanced available on this class of business jet. The integrated Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite encompasses many of the same features as the Citation CJ3 and CJ1+ and CJ2+. The heart of the integration resides in the File Server Unit (FSU) serving as a portal to display electronic charting, graphical weather, and enhanced mapping in the cockpit.

Flight data is presented on three 8-inch by 10-inch active matrix color liquid crystal displays – two Primary Flight Displays (PFD) and one enhanced Multi-Function Display (MFD).

Other integrated avionics features include Pro Line 21 Communication, Navigation, and Surveillance (CNS) radios, and Collins FMS-3000 with performance database. The Encore+ is equipped with standard Terrain Collision Avoidance System (TCAS II), Mark VIII Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS), and XM Broadcast Graphical Weather including Next Generation Doppler Radar (NEXRAD) information, Meteorological Terminal Aviation Routine Weather Report (METARs), and textual Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF).