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Aviation History
1969
1969 - 1024.PDF
932 FLIGHT International, 5 June 1969 VFW claims exceptional simplicity and ease of maintenance for its semi-compound pneumatic rotor drive helicopter system. The second prototype H-3 three-seater is shown foreground) alongside the mock-up of the H-5 five seater DIAMOND JUBILEE SALON . . . is the third German company with light-twin helicopters and is showing mock-up and details of the hot-cycle Do 132. Agusta is proposing to enter the market and is showing a model of a project with the type number A.109C (2x400 h.p. Allison 250 C20s) for 7 passengers at 135kt over 335 n.m. with a 9,200ft hover OGE. In the single-engined light bracket all well established types are on show including the Bell JetRanger. FH-1100. Hughes 500. and the Sud Alouettes. Nearly ready, and on view at Paris is :he more advanced Sud/Westland SA 341. Agusta are showing the model of a new project designated A.106B (1 X Turbomeca-Agusta TAA 230) for 3 passengers over 200 n.m. at lOOkt and hover 6,000ft OGE using the engine transmission and rotors of the A. 106 single-seat ASW light attack helicopter. A prototype is being built. The only low-cost lightweight single-piston-engined general-purpose helicopter on view is the Silvercraft SH-4 from Italy which now has FAA and RAI certification and is entering full production with a bright future. CIVIL ENGINES One of the major behind-the-scenes battles going on during the period of this year's show is between General Electric. Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce to power the proposed generation of large-capacity trijets. These are now demanding take-off thrusts of 50.0001b and more, and it is leading the engine manufacturers to engineer major changes to their existing products in the 43,0001b thrust class and above. General Electric continues to set a hot pace on price since it is still a relative newcomer to the latest commercial engine business. The GE CF6-50 with additional fan stages is expected to give 50,0001b flat-rated at high temperatures by 1974 and could give up to 55,0001b later. A full-scale mock-up is on view. For the Lockheed TriStar 1011-8 (20 per cent larger wing and other increases over the basic medium-range version) Rolls-Royce has announced the 52,5001b-thrust RB.211-56 which is mechanically entirely new and some 1.06 times larger all round and a foot longer than the RB.211-22 now running for basic TriStars. This engine is for 1974 service and is being proposed for the A-300B at 49,0001b with flat-rating up to high ambient temperatures, and with the possibility of 55,0001b in -57 version by 1975. From its strong and respected position in the market Pratt & Whitney seemingly will not be drawn to promote fantastic deals. The basic JT9D at 43,5001b is being offered at 48.0001b by July '72 with higher temperatures. All-round bigger JT9Ds are offered, but P&W is inclined to believe that the cost, and therefore the price it could offer, would not be so competitive as those of its existing engine which is in full production. Problems with the development flight engines in the Boeing 747 that threaten the visit to Paris concern cracked main shafts. The design had already been modified for production although the development engines are being temporarily reshafted with replacements of the original type. Noise of the engines in tests of the 747 is higher than the FAA's proposed limits but talk of major pod changes is being discounted. GE and R-R are the companies most actively involved in inter-city STOL and VTOL research. GE is looking at high-by pass turbofans for probable use in groups of four providing induced flow over externally blown wing trailing edge flaps. GE is working with McDonnell Douglas. North American and Grumman in particular. Rolls-Royce is similarly working with de Havilland Canada and British Aircraft Corporation on research based on the basic elements of the Anglo-American XJ.99 lift-engine. Very little of this work is directly on show, but there are people in most companies very interested and willing to talk. VTOL by means of direct lift is still very much a project engineer's dream, and so far as the Paris Show is concerned, it is not getting the treatment devoted to imminent ideas. Even Hawker Siddeley/Rolls-Royce are saying nothing despite their advanced and promising feelings revealed in the recent RAeS symposium and in Flight. Dornier on its stand is showing many drawings of possible aircraft configurations for inter-city VTOL using direct lift, while the Do 31 gives actual example in the flying display. There is nothing much new in the medium-thrust brackets. R-R has blown the dust off a Trent following renewed in terest in short-range feederline jets by NAMC (mini-trijet follow-on to Y.S-11) and Hawker Siddeley (HS.141 twin-jet). The R-R/Snecma M45H for the VFW-614 is progressing well o n bench tests. There are a number of new small turbofans on show with potential for a new generation of business jets. Garrett has full details of its three-spool ATF-3 chosen for at least two re-engined business jets and more likely to follow. Snecma/ Turbomeea has the Larzac on bench tests and a handful of potential applications, and the UAC/P&W JTI5D is well advanced in development and is on show. No news yet of the possible tur.bofan version of the R-R/Turbomeca 360 turbos'haft in this seemingly important thrust class. A sur prising newcomer is a 1,5701b thrust Turbomeca Astafan made by attaching a shrouded front fan to an Astazou turbo prop and. changing the gearing. An s.f.c. of 0.63 is claimed at 375 m.p.h. at 20,000ft—facts that could spell a new genera tion of really small business jets. A mock-up Astafan is shown. There is nothing new to report on the light piston engine scene. Lycoming is not proceeding with the range of Porsche- inspired high-speed designs that were revealed tentatively at the last Hanover show. Continental is saying nothing about its future plans at this time. Turbomeca is proposing a turbofon version of the Astazou, called the Astafan which is of 1,5701b thrust. The single-spool engine has a by-pass ratio of 6.5 : I, achieved by adding a geared fan ahead of guide vanes supporting the outer duct. A mock-up is shown
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