Just when I was comming to terms with aviation and getting comfortable with Cessna seats, here comes Thomas Frank, the aviation "expert", to tell me to "be afraid". Whats his next project? A series on brain surgery?


Todays (June 20) hit piece on Sikorsky had some major gaffes. Lets take the bird strike on the S-76. He wrongly alleges that the A/C was delivered with plastic windshields. The hawk busted the STCed acrylic windshield and drove the overhead T-handles aft,cutting off the fuel and generators. Even tho the throttles were also shoved aft, no problem. Similar to FADEC, they would have kept running, if only the fuel wasn't cut. They are built, since 1976, with very nice laminated glass windshields by PPG. They have thin gold conductor strips imbedded for defrosting. Replacement cost is $17,000 each and they are heavy. Heavy enough that if you load up a dozen 42 inch waist guys carrying little baggage, you would exceed the fwd cg limit. So about mid 1980's, a well known plastics firm STCed light, cheap acrylic windshields. The final solution was 15# of lead in the tail. But as you see, Mr Frank blames Sikorsky.


I won't bore you with the story of the engine governors on two types that the FAA mandated for certification. Hollywood could make a comedy about this, except they may wish to omit the fatalities. If any one wants to know more, PM me. Its a hoot.




Bob