Indonesia's IPTN has laid out an ambitious 1,300h flight-certification programme for the N250-100 turboprop over the next 18 months, in an effort to secure European Joint Aviation Authorities type validation.
The JAA has held its first technical meeting with IPTN, after the completion of an audit of the manufacturer's Bandung plant. The European team has also met the French DGAC aviation authority to ensure compliance of certification procedures and regulations.
Following earlier conformity problems and the decision to suspend US Federal Aviation Administration shadow certification of the N250 in favour of the European authority, IPTN is targeting DGAC and JAA type approval by March and May 1999, respectively. "Certification is progressing slowly, but surely, and in the right direction," says IPTN executive vice- president Ilham Habibie.
The JAA has agreed to the partial use of the PA2, the second N250 prototype and first full-length -100 example, to earn certification credits for aerodynamic handling and systems where conformity can be shown. It was the lack of document conformity for non-technical standard-order equipment which caused the original FAA certification to be delayed.
IPTN's revised certification programme calls for the shorter PA1 and the second aircraft to complete 350h and 450h flying, respectively. A third prototype, now in production and due to be flown by June 1998, will conduct 300h, while the planned full-validation PA4 is scheduled to join the programme in October and complete 200h of flying by May 1999.
The Indonesian company is concentrating on ironing out smaller problems with the first two test aircraft, including the electrical-distribution system and tail vibrations.
Source: Flight International
