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Aviation History
1993
1993 - 1728.PDF
Socata builds the A340's belly fairing or to form a joint venture with another manufacturer. "But first, we must consoli date our position, and show a reasonable profit," says de Raffin Dourny. "At the moment, we have no priority as to joint- venture partners. It could be anybody." He insists that, whatever Socata does, it must take advantage of the company's ability to design and build complex air craft structures. "It's what we're good at. If it is not complex, we're not competitive," de Raffin Dourny concludes. 12 front of the centre pedestal. A clear row of warning lights extends across the pilot's instruments. With the throttle and mixture levers fully forward, the fuel pump was run for a 3s prime. The engine fired immediately with the throttle open 1cm and the mixture fully lean. The mixture was then put back to full rich and the engine settled into a smooth idle. The brake release is provided by a simple rotating knob at the base of the instrument panel. In an area which was tightly packed with aircraft, the care needed to turn through a right angle in a small space is helped by the TB 200's good all-round view. Once clear, the TB 200's 1.96m wheel- base gives a well-sprung ride over an uneven exit on to the taxiway to runway 25L at Toussus Le Noble. Ten degreesof flap were selected: the electric drive runs quickly, but the posi tion indication on the small ammeter-like gauge was not smooth. With a firm pull back on the controls at 70kt (130km/h), the TB 200 lifted off into a well-trimmed climb attitude. Take off distance over a 50ft (15m) obstacle is just 475m, with take-off weight about 100kg below the 1,150kg maximum. Ini tial climb was made at 80kt, then, after flap retraction, at 90kt The rate of climb is more than 900ft/min (4.57m/s) at 90kt. The main engine-gauges on the right- hand panel are cleverly angled towards the pilot, like vertical blinds, so adjust ment of engine-boost pressure, rpm and fuel flow is not difficult. This layout is preferable to flat panels — or, even worse, to gauges set low below the flight instru ments. Cockpit vision is excellent. This had been true even in heavy rain, on an earlier flight, when I made a short trip between Tarbes and Pau, flying at 1,800ft in poor visibility and turbulence. A variety of circuits in windy and cloudy weather confirmed the ease of handling of the latest Tobago in rain squalls. Control in roll is not over sensitive, although 30° reversals of bank are easily made in under 3s. Robert took control for a moment, entered a 60° banked turn and slammed the control wheel to the other side — to bank 60° the other way in 4s. There is ample authority in roll; 17° of sideslip could be held against full rudder. Robert produced another party trick — rapid, unbanked ruddered turns. The ten dency to roll was held off easily with the control wheel. I set the fuel flow at 50litres/h for nominal cruise. The airspeed settled at around 120kt. The airspeed indicator has a simple, but valuable addition: outside air temperature is set against altitude, to drive an outer scale where true airspeed is read against indicated airspeed. The King navcom and audio controls are stacked neatly between the instrument panels. The KN62A navcom provides a read-out of ground speed when an in-line VOR/DME (VHF omni-range/distance- measuring equipment) is selected. Time and stop-watch functions operate on a liquid-crystal display set in the control- wheel boss. In economy cruise, at 24in Hg boost with 2,400 rpm, the TB 200 burns 431ft- res/h at 4,000ft; at 23in boost, consump tion is reduced by a further 6-7%. The TB 200 has a maximum range of 1,200km (650nm), with 45min reserves, using maximum fuel-economy procedures. A neat digital gauge showing litres used is located in front of the pilot. After flying for 30min using the right fuel tank, the imbalance was just noticea ble on the roll control, so the left tank was selected. The selector is simple and positive, with a detented position for off. In a 60° bank, starting from 95kt, the stall warning sounded at 87kt, just as the 360° turn was completed. Bank angle is controllable right through the stall, which is a wallow into a steadily increasing descent. Stall warning is neces sary, as there is an absence of dramatic low-speed behaviour. The TB 200's lack of vices also allows the aircraft to be flown directly out of the stall, using power and a mere easing of stick pressure. The stall-warning airspeeds for clean, 10° flap and full flap were 70kt, 60kt and 55kt respectively. Descent rate stabilised at about 700ft/min, and recovery could be made within 200ft. With full flap, the airspeed dropped to 50kt, descent being held off with fully effective ailerons. Recovery was made entirely on power, with almost no loss of height. Flap is set to half as airspeed increases. In descent at VMO (maximum permitted operating speed), 166kt, control is found to be naturally stiffer, but the agility of the TB 200 is still high. I pulled to 20° nose-up and then into a couple of gentle wing-overs, with the speed dropping down to 75kt. Robert repeated this with aggression. From over 20° nose-down, he pulled hard up, with full power, to over 30° nose-up, followed by a near stall turn with a touch of positive g. Airflow noise disappeared; only the engine was heard as the aircraft scooped over the top. Circuit procedures for runway 25L at Toussus Le Noble, dictated by local resi dents, underline the good cockpit view. Downwind at 800ft, pilots must skirt a church on a small hill and hold base leg at 600ft, until a farm has been passed. With half flap, power at 17in boost maintains 85kt in level flight; with full flap and 13in boost, 75kt is maintained in 500ft/min descent — with a good view over the nose. Landing flap takes 3s to deploy and a small amount of forward trim is then required. On the runway, braking and directional control are undemanding. Certificated landing distance of the TB 200 is 450m from 50ft. Final manoeuvring, towards the hangar between two rows of aircraft, can be carried out confidently, with less than 2m clearance each side. The TB 200, like all Socata's Carib- beans, with their characteristic forward- set rudder, is a neat design, and well- suited to personal use as for training. Excellent handling characteristics and the additional power should ensure that the aircraft has a healthy sales future, espe cially in the European market at which it is principally aimed. • FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 14 - 20 July, 1993 35
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