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Aviation History
1966
1966 - 0410.PDF
International, 17 February 1966 249 Fairchild Hitler's New FH-227 • •AKING a determined bid to stay in a leading position Ifl as builders of transport aircraft for America's local- ice carrierss Fairchild Hiller is following through seven ?Lrs' production of some 130 F-27 Friendships with the pro- duction of a bigger-capacity version—the FH-227. Backed by rders for 45 aircraft placed by one American trunk and two local-service carriers, the first FH-227 was rolled off the Hagerstown, Md, line on February 2. For the future, this revitalised company is working hard on project studies of turbofan derivatives of the FH-227—one of these designs, the 55-seat FH-327, is reputedly projected with a 7,5001b-thrust "C-5A technology" engine. This aircraft would be a close competitor of the proposed Anglo-German small short-haul jet. Although basically similar to the well-proven Friendship, the 56-seat FH-227 has a 6ft-longer fuselage (the first stretch actually made to the airframe) and numerous detail engineer- ing improvements. The Rolls-Royce Dart 7 Mk 532-7 power- plants and the higher permitted operating weights of the FH-227 are similar to those which have been offered for some time on the Fokker-built 48-seat Friendship 200. Principally, the improved FH-227 is intended as a better match for the re- engined 52/56-seat Dart Convair 600s which had threatened to meet, without opposition, the urgent local-service re-equip- ment needs. Production of FH-227s, starting at two per month, is scheduled to reach five per month by the end of this year. In the face of the re-engined aircraft threat, Fairchild Hiller are selling the new FH-227 to the US local-service operators and to overseas feederlines on a dozen or so claimed major advantages. First, the new aircraft is considered to be more in keeping with the image of modern jet regional airlines and emphasis is placed on the passenger appeal of the high wing. The purchase price of the FH-227 is said to be essentially the same as that of re-engined aircraft (but with twice the investment tax credit), and the resale value in ten years' time, it is anticipated, will be some $500,000 more per aircraft. From an engineering angle, the Dart 7s are at present operat- ing at a greater t.b.o. than the Dart 10 or the Allison 5O1-D13 fitted to converted Convairs. Coming straight from the fac- tory, all aircraft in a typical FH-227 fleet would, of course, have the same systems (not always true of older second-hand aircraft) and zero hours on all components. Also, the FH-227 warranty certainly covers the entire aircraft, while engineering service and spares support are backed by a production line, and there is complete handbook coverage. An APU is standard equipment on the FH-227 for quick turnrounds. A large door and a low cabin-floor height make for ready adaptability for mixed-traffic operations. With a normal volume allowance for baggage, the FH-227 all- economy-class seating capacity is for 52 passengers. Up to 56 passengers could be accommodated for a high-density com- muter-type service. As already noted, the FH-227 incorporates many detail engineering changes to increase serviceability. On the flaps, for instance, drive-spline realignments and extra lubrication points will reduce wear, while the surfaces themselves have thicker skins. In the airframe, some 15 magnesium castings are now made of aluminium to reduce corrosion problems; in other parts these problems have been tackled by changes in the type and method of applying finishes. Other changes include means for compensating undercarriage wear; an alu- minium instead of glass-fibre nacelle tailcone; single-point fuel and water-msthanol servicing; AC sealed unit instead of DC freon; Mallite EGB floors instead of honeycomb; AiResearch pressurisation controls; and Bendix brushless generators. FH-227 DATA . Powerplant: Two Rolls-Royce Dart 7 Mk 532-7 turboprops, rated at 2,250 e.s.h.p., driving Dowty-Rotol 4-blade propellers. Fuel capacity, 1,130 Imp gal. Dimensions: Span, 95ft 2in; length, 83ft 8in; height, 27ft 6in; wing area, 754 sq ft. Accommodation: Cabin length, 53ft; cargo volume (44-seat layout), 392 cu ft; front cargo door, 40in x 461 n; passenger door, 29in x 65in. Weights: Gross, 43,5001b; max landing, 43,0001b; zero fuel, 39,0001b; basic operat- ing, empty, 27,4001b. Performance: Max speed, 300 m.p.h.; take-off distance (ISA, s.l., gross weight), 5,450ft; landing distance (s.l., max landing weight), 4,000ft; maximum payload-range (normal reserves), 630 st. miles, with I 1,6001b payload; maximum range (normal reserves), 1,650 st miles, with 7,0001b payload. PILOTS' PROTEST AT NDB "CONFUSION" A WORKING paper drawn up by the International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations for consideration at the fifth ICAO European-Mediterranean regional air navigation meet- ing, which started in Geneva on February 1, drew attention to many anomalies existing in the transmission of identification signals from non-directional radio beacons in Europe. A sur- vey by IFALPA revealed the existence of considerable varia- tions in both speed and number of identification codes trans- mitted each minute. These range from Pisa (PIS) which is transmitted continuously at five words/min, to Casablanca (CNY) transmitted twice every 45sec at a speed of 14 words/ min. IFALPA recommend that the signals should be standard- ised throughout Europe to occur at least three times each 30sec and that they should adhere to the current ICAO specification of approximately seven words /min. The working paper said that the "variations cause confusion and frustration and unnecessary increase in cockpit workload." The ICAO meeting, attended by delegates from 35 countries, has been looking at technical problems in the EU/MED region in the light of increasing traffic densities and speeds and the steady transfer of air-carrier activities into the upper atmosphere. Particular attention has been paid to further integration and co-ordination of ATC services, secondary sur- veillance radar, automated ATC and improved meteorological services. The first FH-227 was cere- monially rolled out by Fairchild Hi//er at Hagerstown, Md, on February 2. See story on this page
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