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Aviation History
1990
1990 - 3031.PDF
COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT OF THE WORLD aircraft is scheduled to join the flight-test programme in September 1990. FAA certifi cation of the first version, powered by three General Electric CF6-80C2 engines, is ex pected by the end of October 1990 and the Pratt & Whitney PW4460-powered aircraft should follow one month later. The MD-11 first flight took place on 10 January, 1990, from Long Beach. Design maximum level flight speed is 510kt (950km/h) at altitudes up to 43,000ft (13,100m). During a recent three-day round-trip mission from Yuma via Denver, Seattle, Alaska and five passes over the North Pole, the fourth prototype MD-11 completed the longest flight by a commercial tri-jet air craft, covering 14,615km (7,890nm) in 16h 35min. As well as testing the inertial reference navigation system displays, the flight management system was used to calculate optimum altitudes for long range and fuel conservation, up to 43,000ft. Three versions of the MD-11 are availa ble. The 320-passenger MD-11 with a range of 13,700km, a freighter with a 91t uplift and a Combi which carries both passengers and freight, capable of taking ten pallets on the main deck, with additional freight below the main deck. At 61.2m, the aircraft is 5.7m longer than the DC-10 which it succeeds. Seating capac ities on the standard aircraft range from 250 passengers in a three-class arrangement, to more than 400 in an all-economy layout. The company claims that the MD-11 pro vides more combined containerised or pal letised cargo capacity than any other air liner. The baseline MD-11 has a two-man glass cockpit and the aircraft will weigh in at some 273,300kg. Aerodynamic improve ments include winglets and a redesigned wing trailing edge, a smaller horizontal tail with integral fuel tanks and an extended tailcone, all of which are expected to reduce drag, save fuel and add range. Three powerplants are being offered, General Electric's CF6-80C2, the Pratt & Whitney PW4460 and Rolls-Royce's Trent 650. Combined launch cost of the three initial models is around $700 million. The PW4460-powered third prototype MD-11 made its maiden flight at the end of April 1990. The Rolls-Royce Trent-powered aircraft is on offer for deliveries beginning in 1993. Air Europe's order for six MD-lls in February 1989 launched the Trent on the type. The airline expects to extend its order to 18 aircraft, with deliveries from early 1993 running at six a year. Its first aircraft is expected to begin flight-testing in 1992. In May of this year, McDonnell Douglas held preliminary talks with Aeroflot in Moscow about the MD-11, as well as its other models, and will be exhibiting at the Moscow airline and airport show in September. The first aircraft is flying with CF6-80C2 engines up to certification of the airframe/ engine combination. The GE-powered sec ond and fourth aircraft will be used to test and certificate the Honeywell digital avion ics, while aircraft number three will be certificated with Pratt & Whitney PW4460 engines. The fifth MD-11 to fly will also be GE-powered. • The five flight-test aircraft will be refur bished once testing is complete, before being delivered to the first customers. Stretched versions of MD-11 are planned' as the MD-12X, with a 10.4m fuselage extension. The first will be a shorter-range, 303,500kg, higher-payload variant. The wing will be changed, having the trailing edge aft of the rear spar, redesigned and extended, with a new higher-efficiency aero foil section. New flaps and ailerons are to be incorporated and the spars and ribs will have gauge changes for additional strength. A new four-wheel centre landing gear bogie will also be needed. The engines will be as on the standard aircraft. The second MD-12 stretched model will have a completely new wing and regain the range of the original aircraft, with the increased payload. The MD-12 would probably be built at Long Beach on a common production line with the MD-11. It would cost about $15 million more than the MD-11 in mixed- class 372-seat configuration. Some way in the future is the 297,000kg, 380-seat MD-11 superstretch. The company has also talked about an MD-11 twin. Douglas now has a risk-sharing partner for the MD-12 if the rewinged aircraft project goes ahead. Mitsui of Japan plans to pay in advance for up to $1 billion-worth of MD-12s it intends to order, thus aiding the development cost, expected to be around $2 billion-plus investment in plant and tooling of a further $1 billion. Mitsui would receive its own aircraft when deliver ies start in 1995 and an agreed amount for every MD-12 delivered. British Airways and Japan Air Lines are potential launch customers for the MD-12. British Airways needs a replacement for its Lockheed TriStar fleet. JAL needs to replace its DC-lOs and also wants more capacity. American Airlines has increased its order to 15 aircraft, the largest order for the type. American is having pre-delivery modifica tions and fitting-out work done in the UK by Marshall of Cambridge. Delta Airlines has added two more MD-lls to its order and is leasing two more for earlier delivery, for two and a half years from November 1990, to inaugurate an MD-11 service from Los Angeles to Japan. Soviet and Eastern European manufacturers AVIAEXPORT USSR Ministry of Aviation Industry, 48 Ivana Franko Street, Moscow 121351, USSR. Tel: +7 417 0055; Telex: 411929/411257. The Soviet aerospace industry appears to be suffering frustration following the relax ation in East-West relations. After so many years of military build-up, manufacturers are being encouraged to turn to civil work, but complain that necessary resources are being diverted into areas other than civil ., aircraft research and development. While production of Mikoyan MiG-29s and other military types is slowing down, •factories are having problems increasing output of civil aircraft because of inefficient systems. Collaboration with the West to produce commercial aircraft is being pursued by the Soviet Union, although this remains some distance away, even in the new political climate. Both sides appear to be finding it difficult to bury their mutual suspicions. McDonnell Douglas MD-11 Aero Lloyd Air Europe Air Outre Mer Air Zaire Alitalia American Airlines CAAO . ChinaAirlines Delta" EVA Airways Federal Express Finnair Garuda GPA ILFC Japan Airlines JAT •- KLM Korean Air LTU Minerve Mitsui Nigeria Airways Singapore Airlines Swissair Thai International Varig Viasa Zambia Airways ZAS Egypt Programme status: Orders 2 6 4 2 6 15 4 4 11 14 8 4 9 8 - 10 4 10 5 3 4 5 1 5 12 4 6 2 ... -1 1 170 Options 2 12 4 - •7 35 - - 31 - 11 - 3 - - 10 1 5 - - 1 - - 15 -- - 1 •- 1 139 orders 170; options, 139; other commitments 69 (from 32 customers); delivered 0; total, 378. 'LIGHT INTERNATIONAL 3 - 9 October, 1990 67
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