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Aviation History
1990
1990 - 2274.PDF
TECHNICAL: GENERAL AVIATION Meyers Model 145 to take ( Ohio-based Meyers Aviation plans to restart production of its Model 145 light aircraft after a lapse of more than 40 years. The company displayed the first newly built 145 at the recent airshow at Dayton, Ohio where it hopes to begin produc tion next year. The company has raised most of the $ 1 million it says it needs to start up the line on which it intends to produce 50 145s in the first year. A nosewheel- equipped variant with a more powerful 400kW (550hp) Tele- dyne Continental engine is also in the design stage as an in tended contender for the US Air Force Enhanced Flight Screen ing programme. The existing design, built from the original tooling jigs bought from the .145 designer. Aerospace Technologies of Australia (ASTA) has paid AS70 million. ($87.5 million) for the leasehold of the 4,000- acre Avalon airfield, near Mel bourne. The state-owned com pany plans to develop a range of services at the new centre, in cluding training, research and ff again the late Allen Meyer, by com pany owner Ralph Haven, is a low-wing, all-metal, tail-drag ging monoplane with two seats and retractable undercarriage. Although powered by a 156kW (210hp) Continental IO-360 engine, the 145 can take up to four types of engine and is being adapted to take a three- bladed McCauley BlackMac pro peller. With the IO-360 engine and two-bladed McCauley propel ler, the 145's maximum speed is 162kt (300km/h), cruise speed (with 75% power) is 150kt, rate of climb l,400ft/min (7m/s) and service ceiling is 18,000ft (5,490m). Stall speed is set at 45kt, take-off run in standard atmos phere conditions is around 187m and landings can be education as well as main tenance and repair. The Australian Government's continued ownership of the company will ensure that it retains an involvement in the planning and future develop ment of the Avalon site, as part of general airfield development achieved in 182m. The 145 has a gross weight of 975kg, an empty weight of 660kg, a useful load of 320kg, and a baggage capacity of 23kg. The aircraft has a span of 9.1m, a length of 6.4m and a cabin width of slightly over lm. Meyers' Bobby Thompson says that great interest has been shown in the aircraft already and she confidently predicts that the first-year production batch will be sold out as soon as deposits are accepted. For the moment Meyers is not taking down-payments and Thompson says: "We had people [at Day ton] who were actually angry when we would not take a deposit". Haven says: "There's a market in the world today for some thing new in a top-performing light 'plane....most of the 60,000 two-seaters flying today are more than 20 years old". Only 20 145s were built im mediately after the Second World War, 17 of which are still flying.Meyers plans to restart production of its Model 145 after a 40 year lapse. • show plans in the Melbourne area. Avalon is planned to become the aerospace centre of Australia and south-east Asia. It will in clude airfreight and passenger terminals and industrial and technology parks. Ultimately, the site will be developed into a major national airport. • Loran-C fills US hiatus Navigation systems specialist Azure Technology claims to be the first Loran manufac turer to upgrade its portable navigation system, Long Ranger, to cover the new "mid-conti nent gap" Loran-C chain. The new mid-continent gap chains, SOCUS (South Central USA) and NOCUS (North Cen tral USA) are under construc tion and calibration. They will begin transmitting between De cember 1990 and June 1991, according to the US Coast Guard and Federal Aviation Ad ministration. The new chains will provide 100% Loran operation to 13 American states where Loran-C coverage is riot complete, rang ing from North Dakota to New Mexico. • Seastar gets the all-clear The Dornier Composite Air craft (DCA) Seastar am phibian has completed its struc tural test programme. DCA says that 30,000h of structural life time have been approved and "...all components under test, namely the wing, empennage and fuselage exceeded the mini mum required safety factor of 1.78 by substantial margins". DCA adds that damage toler ance "...has been proven throughout the whole life-cycle test programme", and that tests have qualified all composite structures and manufacturing processes used in the Seastar. The two-year te£t programme was conducted at the German national test centre for aeros- tructures, Industrieanlagen Be- triebsgesellschaft at Ottobrun. It included a variety of static and dynamic stress tests under ex treme climatic conditions with temperatures up to 72°C and a relative humidity of 85%. DAC now holds 48 options and letters of intent from 18 customers in 16 countries. First deliveries are planned for the third quarter of 1991. • The first of a hoped-for long line of reborn 145s appeared at the Dayton ASTA acquires Australia's Avalon airfield FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 15-21 August 1990
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