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Aviation History
1964
1964 - 2196.PDF
FLIGHT International, 6 August 1964 213 Flight-testing the HFB 320 AMERICAN TEST PILOT'S NOTES ON HANDLING GERMANY'S NEW EXECUTIVE JET TWIN Last month the first phase of flight testing the Hamburger Flug- zeugbau HFB 320 executive jet was completed. The German firm's test pilot responsible for the programme is an American, Loren W. Davis—a graduate of the USAF Experimental Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB, California—and the details below are from his report on the initial period. The HFB 320, incidentally, has several items of British equipment, including Sperry SP.40 autopilot, Lockheed undercarriage and Dunlop Maxaret braking. Its powerplant is the 2,850lb-thrust US General Electric CJ610-1 turbojet, civil version of the J85. THE first five flights of the HFB 320 Hansa were concentratedon proving flight-safety features and general stability andcontrol characteristics. Following the five initial flights, ten demonstration flights and 17 additional test missions were flown. Total flight time up to mid-July was 26hr 46min. Taxying control is provided by a conventional steering wheel mounted forward on the left-hand side of the cockpit. The location is quite convenient and the action of the steering wheel is linear with that of the nosewheel. There is no tendency to oversteer at any speed. Cross-wind taxying tests in wind velocities up to 32kt have shown no handling problems, even though the aircraft has a narrow- track landing gear. Landings have been made in a cross-wind of 18kt at 90°. Because of the mid-mounted, forward-swept wing, there is no difficulty in using the conventional wing-low method of correction. Stall tests have been conducted in all conventional configurations with very encouraging results. The stall speeds achieved in flight tests have been consistently 5 to 7kt below the pre-calculated values for the various configurations. As an example, the stall speed in take-off configuration with 30° flap at a weight of 16,5001b is 87kt i.a.s. Because there are no photo-theodolite installations on the fields from which the aircraft has been flying, no instrumented take-off data have been recorded. But from observations of personnel stationed along the runway, performance falls closely along the line of the engineering and wind-tunnel calculations. Initial rotation and V2 speeds were based on the precalculated stall speeds but, with the new stall speeds as found in flight tests, VR and V2 speeds can be reduced. Normal twin-engined take-off distance at near-ISA conditions have been 2,300ft at a weight of 16,5001b. With one engine cut at Vi at the same weight, the required take-off distance is 3,600ft. The neat and uncrowded flight deck has radio controls in the centre and aft of the engine levers, hydraulic and fuel system controls on sloping central panels, other switches and dials in the roof and duplicated Sperry flight director instruments With a take-off weight of 16,0001b the aircraft has climbed to 20,000ft in 6min lOsec from brake release with a total fuel con- sumption of 4201b in take-off and climb. Single-engine climb tests have been made up to 20,000ft with a take-off weight of 16,5001b. At 20,000ft a rate of climb of 300ft/min is still available. Again owing to lack of ground-observation apparatus, no accurate landing performance data have yet been recorded, but landings have been made at 15,2001b gross weight with a 5kt head- wind in a total runway distance of 1,140ft for flare and roll-out. Single-engine missed approach and go-around tests have been conducted at weights of 15,2001b and 15,8001b. At the 15,2001b weight the go-around was made with gear down and flaps at 20° throughout the climb to 500ft and a complete landing circuit. There is adequate excess thrust and control margin to accomplish this in absolute Safety. Continued on page 214
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