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Aviation History
1981
1981 - 1532.PDF
1530 FLIGHT International, 23 Mar 1981 Gasa/Nurtanio CN.235 commuterliner details released CASA and Nurtanio have frozen their CN.235 34-38 seat commuterliner and detailed design is proceeding, reports Richard Whitaker from Madrid. The high-wing, pressurised twin-turboprop will cruise at 250kt at around 20,000ft, and will be capable of four 170 n.m. legs without refuelling when carrying 34 passengers. The schedule calls for tool manufacture starting in mid-1981, with detailed parts manufacture start ing next May. Final assembly will start in July 1983, with two proto types (one each in Spain and In donesia) being rolled out on Septem ber 1, 1983. First nights are to take place one month later, and certifica tion and first customer deliveries should follow in late 1984. Gasa and Nurtanio selected General Electric CT7-7 turboprops for the CN.235 in January. Reasons for the choice include low fuel consumption, low noise, good hot-and-high perform ance, the possibility of power increase for a larger version of the aircraft, and the fact that the core is proven in helicopters. The engine is take-off flat-rated to 1,750 s.h.p. up to 30°C, and certification is scheduled for mid- 1983. Casa views the CN.235 as a con tinuation of its successful C.212 Avio- car 19-28 seat commuter/utility air craft, and a utility role has been allowed for. The same design philo sophies have been adopted, major changes being the pressurisation and retractable undercarriage. Since its formation in 1976, Nurtanio has been collaborating with Casa, and the In donesian content of C.212 airframes assembled at Bandung is now around 70 per cent. This is to be increased to 100 per cent by next year. Casa and Nurtanio are equal part ners in the CN.235 project, with the $80 million (1980 prices) investment being found by the two governments. A joint Madrid-based company, Air- tech, has been formed, to provide overall co-ordination, but Casa and Nurtanio stress that this is Airtech's only role, and that the aircraft will not be given an Airtech designation. Design and manufacture has been split to reflect the 50/50 nature of the project, but retaining simplicity. Casa is responsible for the front fuselage (as far back as the wing trailing edges), and the wing centre- section, including the engine installa tion. Nurtanio is responsible for the rest of the aircraft—the outer wings, rear fuselage, tail and cabin interior. Each module will be assembled, fitted out and tested before shipment to the assembly lines at Seville and Ban dung. The production rate is envis aged at four aircraft a month at both of the locations. Two test specimens will be built; Nurtanio will perform the fatigue tests—a first for In donesia—while the location of the static testing has yet to be decided. Casa and Nurtanio are offering two passenger configurations—34 passen gers at 32in pitch, or 38 people at a more modest SOin.But the CN.235 also offers a substantial cargo capacity— 9,9001b in four LD-3s, five LD-2s or two 88in pallets. A movable rear bulkhead allows mixed passenger/ cargo operation with passenger seats mounted on pallets. The rear loading ramp is regarded as a major advan tage over competitive designs, since it allows flexible operations and bility (possibly up to 50-60 seats) is built in and would not require major changes. Casa/Nurtanio are using computers for aerodynamic and structural de sign, and numerically controlled machines will feature heavily in the CN.235's production. The wing is tapered outboard of the engines, with a raked wingtip not dissimilar to that of the Dornier 228. Wing cross-section is conventional. Casa and Nurtanio say that the wing is optimised for short and medium stages, where climbing performance is important. The structure will be lifed at 50,000hr with a fail-safe primary structure, and carbonfibre will be used for flaps, ailerons and some secondary structures. Unit cost of a CN.235 will be $3-8 million (1981 prices). If the joint mar ket studies (Flight, last week, page 1360) are correct, Casa/Nurtanio should be building 500-600 aircraft in the first ten years of production, not including any stretched versions. Casa CASA ,'HURTAfelO CN.83S LEASIN® CAT* tsugK 69ft 10 r. Winespan 84fi 7in Ksetghi 25ft llir. tin-', e&fein width Bit lO-rt s»* ' width; •Jft'iio Cabin volume l,«SS,ft", plus BCrfP in rear :faa«j»ag« compartment CSshic'istsgiti,dSii Bin fuel eapaeiiy 1,3S jjai fclic etuis© 250k! at ,' •00" Ssrwie© ecMing J2S,0O0ft Wm,M. »a«i tii wijii' 28,6B0lb Sfes tortsIiMff w.sight 28,2201b' tgnajpty ©peratiisg v» 1*.* 1.8,13011? (1i,i»0ii; a cargo configuration) Fv* &«ntj?r capacity, imms «lwaas4 at 'Mip. jiifch Si'(-38 at 30m: pitch) Mas ca«js capacity 9,9201b Talss-off 'ma- at sse's-tewsi .and ISA. Kbft 'atosSstste a,9S0ft J-trJ"_iifl ,SM •?; <•«» lt.«ci «-d 3«, fro>n **f* jbttae'i? ",J~OII K? * rats- ?J*-i m " 'K'V.rJ an* 8SA ?.,t«5S/min (650ft/min grs one engine) I'ovw'uiini! 'Two GE CT7-lss fiat-rateel'to 1,780 e.s.h.p. for ake-ofl (30°C) ©raise a.i.c, 0 -tV ID hr lb ft) 'S above H,i;W, 'Jvw!' M'wii'f. ratio 15:t Dry weight B76lb speedy turnrounds, and appeals to military customers. One possibility is to put baggage in a container at the rear to save turnround time. Casa/ Nurtanio say that future growth capa- and Nurtanio hope to meet the re quirements of the burgeoning com muter market and those of the ever- present light military transport mar ket with this new type. Progress for Dormer's 228 DORNIER has now flown prototypes of both the -100 and -200 versions of its 228 commuterliner. Testing to wards certification takes place in three stages: phase 1 consists of ten flights, static testing in the hangar, and ground vibration checks; phase 2 starts now and continues through the presentation of both marques at Le Bourgft in June; the final phase, leading to certification for the -100 in October and -200 in December, begins after the Paris Show. The manufac turer explains that the certification programme is proceeding quickly be cause of the extensive testing already given to the new wing on its experi mental aircraft. Dornier reveals that its new techno logy milled-skin wing is not only more efficient than any competitor, but that it is also* cheaper, because it can be built entirely by computer controlled machine.
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