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Aviation History
1994
1994 - 0134.PDF
1 AIR TRANSPORT | UK computer contract for Saratov plant The main factory producing Yakovlev airliners is form ing a joint-venture company with UK computer-aided de sign and computer-aided man ufacturing specialist, Delcam. Saratov Aviation Plant, 240km (160 miles) north of Volgograd, wants to make use of Delcam's proprietary soft ware and Delcam-provided workstations to help modernise its production. Birmingham-based Delcam supplies the DUCT computer- aided design and manufactur ing (CADCAM) system used particularly for component and tooling production. Turkish Airlines has con firmed options to acquire a further three RJ100 regional jets from Avro International. The order follows a deal made in the middle of 1993 by the carrier to acquire five of the aircraft. The original order was for aircraft to be used on THTs domestic routes — replacing British Aerospace ATP turbo- props which have now been returned to the UK — but the new aircraft will be used to expand RJ100 operations on international routes between Istanbul and Athens, Cairo, Rome and Bucharest during the second quarter of this year. Avro has now delivered 13 regional jets and has an order backlog for 29 aircraft, al though this could be further expanded in the near future, It already has three other Russian joint-venture compa nies operating in non-aero space fields. Managing director Hugh Humphreys says that Saratov is initially paying $250,000 to familiarise itself with the system. The arrangement allows for Delcam to help with creating a CADCAM office and providing workstations. Humphreys notes that Delcam is also keen to assist Saratov with the mar keting of its aircraft. Saratov is a "joint-stock" company owned by its staff, including high-profile presi dent Alexander Ermishin, according to a statement made on 7 January by UK Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd during a visit to Malta Speaking in the capital Val letta, Hurd said that there was a "serious chance" the national carrier Air Malta would buy BAe regional aircraft. In an earlier statement, re leased by Air Malta on its prospects for 1994, the airline said that "...by October we should be inducting a number of regional jets" into the fleet. The statements point to a potential order for several of the RJ family for Malta — possibly the long-range devel opment of the RJ70, for which Avro president Charles Ma- sefield hinted late in 1993 that an order for the aircraft was imminent (Flight International, 8-14 December, 1993). D which has made a series of Yakovlev types, includ ing the civil Yak-40 and Yak-42 and the military vertical take-off and landing fight ers, the Yak-38 and Yak-141. Ermishin claims to have been instrumen tal in ending the fighter pro grammes and two cruise- missile projects "...which would not be profitable". The plant now produces the Yak-42 and is involved in de veloping and certificating the modernised version known as the Yak-142, due to enter pro duction in the third quarter of this year. A Saratov delegation toured UK aerospace companies from 9-16 January seeking co operative work and, in particu lar, candidate companies to General Electric is expected to begin the second phase of flight testing of its GE90 engine at its Mojave lest site in California later this month, following the successful com pletion of the initial flight-test phase on 16 December. GE says that the engine per formed "flawlessly" throughout the four flights which made up phase one and believes that the turbofan is going to meet its tar get fuel-consumption improve ment over the smaller CF6. "We are still analysing the data, but we have initial indica tions that it virtually meets our specific fuel consumption tar get, which is nearly 10% lower than that of the CF6-80C2," says GE90 programme general manager, Russ Sparks. The first phase totalled 26h 33min flying time with testing at altitudes ranging from 10,000-43,000ft (3,000- 13,100m). The engine's airstart capability was demonstrated and the operation of the booster (low-pressure compres- upgrade the in teriors of the Yak types. Mar shall Aerospace and AIM Avia tion were on the itinerary. Following Yak-142 certifi cation, Sara tov's next pri ority is the Yak-77 (for merly Yak-48) large business- jet project. Ermishin still talks of a first flight in 1997 and says that Textron Lycoming, with the LF500 series, and Allison, with the AE3000 series, are engine candidates. Ermishin also wants to gain US Federal Aviation Admini stration approval for Saratov's production plant. He says: "In Russia, not a single factory has been granted a certificate of compliance with Western stan dards. That is much more diffi cult to achieve than the Russian stale quality mark." • sor) bleed doors, compressor stators and turbine clearance- control system was optimised. The second phase, including some 15 flights between the end of January and March, will begin following the installation of Boeing Engine Build-up hardware (the environmental- conditioning system, nacelle anti-icing system and electrical generators). The testing will concentrate on lapse-rate take-off character istics, under-cowl temperature evaluation and further opera tional verification. The engine is due to be certificated at 375kN (84,7001b) thrust in November 1994 and will enter service with British Airways on the Boeing 777 at a 340kN ratingin September 1995. GE has two engines on ground test at Peebles, Ohio, where the endurance test en gine has logged ll.OOOh. A third engine is scheduled to undergo ground testing in late January. • Turkish Airlines takes more RJlOOs Ermishin: shares ambition GE prepares for new GE90 flight tests 12 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 19 - 25 January. 1994
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