FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1988
1988 - 3676.PDF
Crossair order launches stretched Saab by Peter Middleton in Zurich Reinvigorated by the long- delayed first flight of the Gripen fighter, Saab-Scariia waited less than a week before committing itself to spend $300 million developing the 50-seat Saab 2000 regional turboprop. The launch customer is Crossair, which ordered 25 plus 25 fully paid options on December 15, at a unit price of about $10-5 million. The first flight is scheduled for mid-1992, with deliveries beginning a year later. The stretched derivative of the Saab 340 emerges as a potent high-performance vehi cle with no less than 11,000 s.h.p. of installed power giving it a claimed Mach 0-6/360kt cruising speed—comparable with that of the BAe 146. Saab says that block time on a 200 n.m. sector will be identical to that of a Fokker 100, while using only the same fuel as the Fokker 50 and Dash 8, which are lOOkt slower. They drop 23min behind on a 500 n.m. route, says Saab. The direct operating costs of the Saab 2000, per seat-mile, are claimed to be 14 per cent lower than those of a jet over a 200 n.m. sector, and 5 per cent lower than those of existing 50-seat turboprops, despite the 2000's speed advantage. Over 500 n.m. jet economics are said to be 9 per cent worse than those of the 2000, while older turboprops fall 10 per cent behind because of their longer flight time. Saab says that airlines such as Crossair typi cally make only a 5 per cent profit on sales, so the cost- savings are significant. Engines are likely to be Crossair's preferred 5,500 s.h.p. General Electric GE38s, as selected for the US Navy's new Lraaca maritime patrol aircraft, but Saab is determined to give a fair hearing to Pratt & Whitney, which is offering a 4,500 s.h.p. turboprop derivative of its PW300 turbofan. A choice will be made in mid-1989, with Saab contractually committed to make Crossair a partner in the decision. Dowty-Rotol and Hamilton Standard are competing to supply the low-revving, six- bladed, "cruise optimised", low- noise propellers, which should help the flat-rated turboprops to deliver a jet-like climb of only llmin to 20,000ft, which compares with 25min for the Fokker 50, according to Saab. The company claims that cabin noise, at 76dB(A), (78dB(A) in the propeller plane), will be lower than in an MD-80, and dismisses suggestions that vibration could be a major comfort problem, saying that careful attention will be paid to airframe aeroelastic properties. The thin wing section chosen, fortuitously, at the outset of the Saab 340 programme is the key to the Saab 2000's ability to cruise lOOkt faster than current 50-seat turboprops. Its span is increased by 2-3m, to 24m (78ft) for the new aircraft, increasing wing area by 13 per cent, while the fuselage is stretched by 6 • 2m to 26m (85ft). The engines, moved outboard to reduce noise, are new, as is the undercarriage, but the rest of the airframe and systems retain high common ality with the Saab 340. The new aircraft is pitched directly at the business traveller flying hub-bypass routes, so it will incorporate full galley service (with an external service door), and plenty of carry-on baggage space, as well as provision for toilets both fore and aft. Seating in the long, thin fuselage will be wider than on an MD-80, according to Saab. Having a low wing, the 2000 will be the only 50-seat turbo prop compatible with jetways used at major airports, says Saab, but it will demand only a 4,900ft field length from regional airports. The aircraft will be able to cruise well above the weather—as high as 35,500ft—taking advantage of the high pressure differential of the existing 340 cabin. Its engine-out ceiling will be 17,500ft. Saab predicts a worldwide market for 1,400 new 40- to 50-seat regional airliners by the end of the century, and 1,300 new 30- to 40-seaters. Asked why Crossair chose turboprops when West German regional carrier DLT had opted for Canadair Regional Jets, Crossair president Moritz Suter cited the advantages of continuity and commonality. Crossair is the world's largest operator of Saab 340s, with a fleet of 20. Swiss law prevents its regionals from operating jets. The final contract between Saab and Crossair for the 2000 is unlikely to be signed before May. Six-bladed, low-noise propellers are prominent on the Saab 2000 DLT signs for Regional Jet by Ian Goold West German regional airline DLT has signed a memo randum of agreement to buy six Canadair Regional Jets. The Lufthansa subsidiary has also taken options on six more of the 48/52-seat development of the Challenger corporate jet, which is expected to be launched in the first two months of 1989. DLT says that announcing its decision ahead of the launch helps it to gain the best deal and also encourages Canadair to go ahead with the project. It has put down "a reservation fee" and expects to receive its initial aircraft in the second quarter of 1992, although this will not be the first producton aircraft. The Canadair RJ was chosen for its projected operating costs, which "more or less" match those of the Fokker 50 turboprop. DLT has not yet decided which routes will be flown with the RJ. DLT chairman Dr Liessmann cites Hamburg- Barcelona as a typical route for such an application. "It takes 2^hr by turboprop so it is incon venient for passengers. Flying by jet would mean changing at Frankfurt for Iberia or Lufthansa services." Liessmann is aiming at the high-yield business market, "for which there is not much [equipment] available". Apart from the RJ, he says, there are "only projects that would come along in 1994, '95, '96 . . . nobody knows exactly when". Current turboprop regional- aircraft manufacturers includ ing Saab and Fokker, tried unsuccessfully to seduce DLT away from buying a jet. Saab was offering its 50-seat, 360kt design based on the 340, "but this was not an altern ative". For passenger appeal, the aircraft "needs to be a 500/550kt jet," Liessmann concludes. 2 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL, 24/31 December 1988
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
