FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1985
1985 - 0696.PDF
SPACEFLIGHT British DBS hits snag LONDON Plans to establish a UK direct broadcast satellite (DBS) system using British-built spacecraft has come under threat from a company offer ing US-built satellites at much lower cost. Government-backed United Satellite (Unisat), a con sortium of British Aerospace, British Telecom, and GEC- Marconi, is quoting £79 million a year for a three- channel, three-satellite net work with a design life of eight years. However, independent company Britsat has quoted £38 • 5 million a year for a two- satellite system using space craft supplied by RCA Astro- Electronics. With a design life of 12 years, these would be capable of broadcasting ten channels. The price would be reduced to £30 million a year if the second satellite was not launched until the third year of the project. While the UK Government has granted commercial free dom to the DBS consortium formed by the BBC, ITA, and five other companies includ ing Thorn-EMI, it is aware that intense criticism would result from the use of US technology in such a visibly national programme. IUS falls short KENNEDY SC ~ First-stage performance of the Boeing inertial upper stage (IUS), which deployed a military surveillance satellite into geostationary orbit on Shuttle mission 51C in January, fell "short of perfect" and liquid-propellant thrusters were used to posi tion the IUS precisely for second-stage ignition. Although the shortfall was extremely small, it was the subject of discussion before a decision was made to go ahead with the launch of Shuttle mission 51E to deploy Nasa's TDRS 2 on another IUS. Engineers are apparently sure that a generically serious problem, such as nozzle degradation, does not exist. PROPULSION Pratt and Rolls aim for 737-100 Lite SEATTLE Rolls-Royce and Pratt & Whitney are working on versions of the Tay and JT8D turbofans for powering the proposed 100-seat Boeing 737-100 Lite. Each manu facturer has difficult decisions to make on the economics of producing suitable engines, and awaits with interest the results of Boeing's market studies this spring. United Airlines (traditionally a Pratt & Whitney customer) is so far the only airline to have shown interest in the Lite. The Boeing 737-100L is intended to compete directly with the Fokker 100, and is essentially a 737-200 with a 6ft fuselage section removed. Commonality with existing 737s will be an advantage, but Boeing may have difficulty convincing potential custom ers that the aircraft would have economics comparable with those of the F. 100. News of the Tay-powered 737-100L emerged when Boeing's commercial vice- president, Joe Sutter, visited Rolls-Royce earlier this month. The aircraft would have engines 10 per cent more powerful than those under development for the baseline Fokker F.100, which are due for delivery in spring 1987. The uprated version, produc ing 14,9001b thrust, was origi nally planned in anticipation of the Fokker 100's inevitable need for more thrust, and would not, under the original plan, have been ready until spring 1989. Assuming its market stud ies bear fruit, however, Boeing would want to be ready to meet Fokker by autumn 1988, complete with the higher- thrust Tay. Rolls-Royce says it could meet the deadline if necessary, although "several technical issues" might stand in the way. One of these is the revised installation necessary for mounting the Tays under the 737 wing instead of on struts at the rear of the fuse lage. The 737 installation, because it is so close to the wing, involves careful studies of fore-and-aft mounting points, and could mean changes in the Tay's mount ing structure. Rolls-Royce agrees that installation costs would be significant, but could Development of the baseline Tay is on schedule for certification in July 1986. The engine willproduce 12,450lb of thrust for the Gulfstream IV and 13,500lb for the Fokker F100. Growth of 10 per cent is envisaged for the Boeing 737-100L, to be achieved by a "throttle push" modification not comment on who might pay for the changes, beyond saying that it would be a "business decision". Pratt & Whitney has responded to the Boeing chal lenge with a new version of the long-running JT8D, the JT8D-400. The core is basic ally the same as that from the 200-series engine developed for the McDonnell Douglas MD80. A new fan is to be introduced, however, to be driven by the new low- pressure turbine developed for the recently certificated JT8D-219. The fan, designed from scratch and having wider-chord blades than those currently in service, will have a diameter of 45in—four inches less than the JT8D-200 fan, providing a bypass ratio of 1-5 (half that of the Tay). Despite the engine's lower bypass ratio, Pratt & Whit ney's vice-president in charge of JT8D development, Clark Smith, claims that the -400 will meet Stage 3 noise rules "and have good specifics", burning around 7 per cent less fuel than the standard JT8D which powers 737-200s. It will be capable, he says, of growth to 16,5001b thrust, making it a possible replacement for the Boeing 737-200. Smith says that, given a mid-1985 go-ahead, the JT8D could be in service in time to meet Boeing's mid-1987 dead line. Development costs of $50 million would be met inter nally. The engine will not be offered on the Fokker 100, because it is too heavy for that application. % Muse Air has ordered ten remanufactured JT8Ds for its DC-9-51s, in a contract worth $9-5 million. The airline expects to save over a million dollars a year once the engines, with 60 per cent new parts, are in service. 34 FLIGHT International, 9 March 1985
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
