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Aviation History
1985
1985 - 1874.PDF
BUSINESS AVIATION Lear Fan collapses LOS ANGELES After six years of work dogged by continual financial, design, and engineering problems, the present owners of the Lear Fan 2100 project have finally been forced to abandon develop ment of the aircraft and have ceased trading. Two hundred staff in Reno, Nevada, and 27 employees in the company's Newtownabbey plant have been laid off. British Govern ment funding has been esti mated at £57 million. The decision was announced by the directors of Lear Fan at a recent meeting in Los Angeles, following the FAA's repeated refusal to issue a Certificate of Airworthiness owing to persistent gearbox problems. This announce ment releases both the British Government and the Saudi Arabian backed Zoysia consortium, both of which stepped in to save the project from collapse three years ago, from the funding agreements which they entered into with the restructured Fan Hold ings. Michael Jordan of Cork Gulley has been appointed receiver of Lear Fan Ltd in Northern Ireland. The Lear Fan was the brain child of Bill Lear who, during the 1970s, realised that the survival of the business aircraft industry depended on developing new-technology aircraft which could compete in an era of high fuel prices. Realising that a totally new design concept was required which could meet the require ments of lightness and strength, Lear determined to use the technology then being developed in composite mate rials. Brief discussions were held with Dr Leo Windecker, designer of the Eagle, which had already achieved FAA certification using composite materials for the first time. However, the use of composites was still in its infancy and, while the advan tages were obvious, a great deal of research into their use was still required. Tragically, this concept was born while Lear himself was dying from leukaemia, and he was unable to appreciate Windecker's deep reserva tions as to the viability of the \ x\ ^ The Lear Fan 2100 displays its revolutionary lines in happier times concept, according to Bob Adickes, who worked closely with Lear at that time. After Lear's death his widow, Moya, was determined to see his creation succeed and wide support was forthcoming from private US backers and potential customers. The first flight of the proto type occurred almost a year later than originally scheduled but, following two failures in static pressurisation tests, the aircraft had to be redesigned. Adickes, now president of rival Avtec, which is devel oping the Kevlar-based Avtec 400, had been a close friend of Lear's for 40 years. He under took to raise additional finance for R&D, certification, and production costs, under the terms of a "contingency agreement" with the Lear family. Adickes approached the British Government, pro posing a joint venture which would assist with project fund ing and in revitalising the British light-aircraft industry. He favoured building an assembly line at Bristol's Filton facility, but the British Government insisted on a deal involving Northern Ireland, in an effort to boost high- technology employment in the province. The original concept included R&D in Reno with final assembly in Belfast, and a hangar at RAF Aldergrove was made available. Adickes raised $170 million—$30 million of which came from the New York partnership of Oppen- heim—excluding the British Government's contribution. From the start the project was dogged with misfortune, and it became clear that there were major design problems in the use of carbonfibre materials. Money was wasted in applying techniques appropriate to metal construc tion, using stringers, longerons, and ribs, with composite skin riveted on in the traditional manner. The FAA insisted on titanium rivets, which were ten times more expensive than their aluminium equivalents. Problems also developed in the wing ribs, flap trans mission, and power train. For two years the project remained stalled, and customers who had paid deposits were offered the choice of having their money refunded, accepting a price increase, or taking legal action. Most opted for the refund. If Lear had lived to see the project through, everything would have been different, says Adickes. "Only Lear had the expertise to redesign the 30 original concept and change direction." Instead, the aircraft was strengthened and modified to try to overcome the problems, while costs esca lated. On top of everything came the downturn in the business-aircraft market which affected the whole industry. Gradually the setbacks with construction were overcome and the company continued to concentrate on certification, albeit restricted to unpres- surised flight. However, the excessive wear in the gearbox connecting the twin PT6 engines to the single tail-mounted propeller could not be overcome. The FAA refused a Certificate of Airworthiness after two 200hr inspections, and this final blow caused the project's backers to quit. The Lear Fan has changed the face of the business- aircraft industry. From the original idea, other designs such as the Avtek 400, Gates Piaggio 180, and Beech's Star- ship were born. With the benefit of hind sight many questions will be asked on both sides of the Atlantic. No doubt the Northern Ireland public accounts committee and the British Government will need to answer them. FLIGHT International, 8 June 1985
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