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Aviation History
1989
1989 - 1929.PDF
RJ power will be provided by the GE CF34-3A from the Challenger, which Cana dair says has more than 5,000,000 hours service behind it in the S-3A and A-10, as well as 200,000 hours of corporate flying. Its power-to-weight ratio is almost 0-4, and fuel- burn is said to be 0-3551b/h/lb. Inflight shut down in corporate flying has been 004/100,OOOh. Canadair claims to have demonstrated an The wing-to-body fairing has been modified to accommodate the 10 per cent greater chord of the RJ wing, which is also exended 3ft at each tip. To provide better airfield performance, the wing leading edge will have a pronounced drop outboard of the change in sweep. Gross area increases to 587ft , and the aspect ratio is now 8-85. The RJ adopts the basic Challenger aerofoil section. The wingbox is strengthened, of 15in-wider aisle, and the Challenger's 6ft lin headroom is retained. On the flightdeck, Canadair has redesigned the windscreen to provide increased life and easier replacement. The manufacturer has three avionic options from which to chose a standard RJ configuration: a Honeywell system derived from the current Challenger, or an advanced system with an engine indi cation and crew-alerting system (EICAS) from the same manufacturer or from Collins. The Collins system has six screens for the electronic flight instrumentation system and EICAS, and automatic-flight-control, radio- management, and centralised warning/ alerting systems. The RJ is being designed for 3,000h/year operations, with an economic repair life of 60,000h or 80,000 cycles. A full airline- standard support programme is promised by Canadair, which claims to have a substantial customer support organisation in place for the Challenger fleet, which is approaching 200 aircraft. North American operators have asked for plenty of baggage space Canadair has demonstrated an engine change in a single shift engine change in one maintenance shift, and to be able to change any line-replaceable unit in 20 minutes. What are the engineering implications for the Challenger-based design? The manu facturer has addressed at least six major areas: fuselage, wing, landing gear, systems, cabin, and flightdeck. The most obvious change is the stretched fuselage, which has two plugs—128in and 112in, fore and aft respectively—to produce a total aircraft length of 80ft, a third longer than the Challenger. A shorter stretch had been envisaged before Canadair went to the market. Extra apertures have to be made in the fuselage to provide additional emergency egress, a new right-hand service door, a cock pit escape hatch, and a larger baggage- loading door. There is also a new avionics-bay door. course, and this work, combined with landing-gear developments, is expected to feed back into future Challenger family plans. The strengthened landing gear incorpo rates improved anti-skid protection and larger tyres. The nosewheel now has twin steering units. On the systems front, Canadair has adop ted airliner-capacity air conditioning. An upgraded auxiliary power unit has been the subject of competition between Garrett and Turbomach, while air-cycle units for the envi ronmental control system are expected to be provided by Hamilton. Canadair has modified the fuel system to remove the fuse lage tanks, putting all fuel in the wings. The manufacturer has been keen to provide maximum baggage space, and expects to show a revised design on the cabin mockup at this week's Paris Show. The nominal layout of the RJ is 50 seats at 3lin pitch. There is a The current schedule calls for RJ fabri cation to be begin in late 1989, with the first flight in mid-1991. Deliveries following Canadian and US certification are slated for the second quarter of 1992. The project will also create work for Shorts, now owned by Canadair parent Bombardier, and will offset concellation of the Belfast company's own FJX regional jet project. Shorts will manufacture four fuselage sections and wing parts. Donald Lowe says that the RJ could provide 3,000 new jobs and "change the face of Canadair. "Remember, we are not launching a new jet," he says. "We are launching a new Cana dair. Challenger was the beginning and RJ just the next step. This is the beginning of a family of aircraft that is going to see Canadair become an important player in the commer cial jet aircraft business. Experience has taught us we can do it." FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 17 June 1989 51
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