FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1984
1984 - 0039.PDF
WORLD NEWS Sikorsky to fly X-wing STRATFORD Sikorsky has been awarded a $77 million Nasa contract to modify the S-72 Rotor System Research Aircraft (RSRA) for detail design, development, and flight demonstration of the X-wing concept. X-wing is sponsored jointly by Nasa and the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency. The four-blade X- wing/rotor operates like a standard helicopter rotor for hovering and low-speed flight. In forward flight, between 250kt and 300kt, the rotor is stopped and uses circulation control with compressed air blown through spanwise slots along both edges of the symmetrical airofoil to create a Coanda effect. The X-wing/rotor is made of composite materials and is completely bearingless and hingeless. In rotary-wing flight the flow of air to the blade slots is modulated by valves in the pneumodynamic (PD) system to provide cyclic (pitch and roll) and collective (lift) control. In fixed-wing flight, PD modulation provides roll control. Conversion to and from rotary/fixed-wing flight will be a major challenge, says Sikorsky. Stopping and start ing the rotor is achieved by a clutch between the engines and gearbox. To convert to fixed-wing, the clutch is disengaged, the X-wing indexed to its correct azimuth position, and locked in place. The compressed air in the two port wings is redirected from the slots of what were the blade trailing edges (now facing forward) to the "new" trailing edge. The reverse occurs during conversion from fixed- to rotary-wing flight: clutch engaged, X-wing unlocked, and bleed air swapped from fixed to rotary leading edge on the port-side blades. The compressed air is supplied by a Pratt & Whit ney axial-flow compressor driven directly by the two General Electric T58-GE-5 FLIGHT International, 14 January 1984 The first Nurtanio-built Casa/Nurtanio CN-235 made its maiden flight from Bandung on December 30, 1983. The 39-seat commuter, named Tetuko, was piloted by Nurtanio's Mr Mursanto and Casa's Mr Delgado turboshaft engines. These also provide shaft power for rotary-wing flight. Propulsion in fixed-wing flight is provided by the RSRA's two auxiliary GE TF34-400A turbofans, while the T58s continue to drive the com pressor for PD modulation. Flight control is based on a Hamilton Standard quadru- plex fly-by-wire system. PW 2037 gets its ticket EAST HARTFORD The PW2037, Pratt & Whit ney's new 37,0001b thrust turbofan for the Boeing 757, has been certificated and the first production engine has been delivered to Seattle. Flight-testing of the engine/aircraft combination begins in March, and is expected to last eight months. The PW2037 was certifi cated a few weeks later than originally planned, because the fan containment ring needed strengthening. The engine, which competes head- on with Rolls-Royce's RB.211-535E4, has been in development since 1980. First Boeing 757/PW2037 customer is Delta, which receives its initial aircraft in October. Air Portugal management dismissed LISBON The Portuguese Government has dismissed the five-man management board of TAP Air Portugal because it did not share the same manage ment philosophy as the Government. Outraged chairman Orlando Morbey Rodrigues, who has headed the State- owned airline since February 1973, argues that the dismissal is a "purely political purge". He told Portuguese reporters that he was sacked because he stiffly opposed Government intervention into the running of TAP. TAP will not make any offi cial comment, Flight under stands that Mario Soares' Socialist Government has appointed Gomes Mota as the new chairman of the Board. TAP Air Portugal is expected to announce a loss of between £26 million and £32 million for 1983. Last year Rodrigues forecast a £5 million profit, but an unexpected Government grant of £25 million was later cut back to £3 million. # TAP Air Portugal has officially reprimanded a maintenance technician after a Lockheed TriStar ran out of fuel seconds after landing in Lisbon. The punishment followed an independent investigation into the inci dent, on July 21 last year. The inquiry found that the tech nician made an incorrect conversion of 2,200 kilos of fuel into litres. Furthermore, fuel gauges were not func tioning properly and the aircraft had been delayed by adverse winds and a 22min wait to land. The flight's crew were cleared of any responsibility for the incident. Patco ordered to pay creditors WASHINGTON D.C. ~ The Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organisation has been ordered by a US court to pay off its creditors, including the airlines, with the $4.3 million strike fund it had collected in anticipation of the 1981 strike. Patco's largest creditor is the Air Transport Associ ation. The ATA obtained a $32.5 million judgement against the union after its ille gal strike, which the airlines claimed cost them hundreds of millions of dollars. 5,1
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
