FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1994
1994 - 0558.PDF
GENERAL AVIATION Swidnik begins light helicopter prototype BY ANDRZEJ JEZIORSKI IN MUNICH Polish helicopter manufac turer WSK-PZL Swidnik has begun construction of a prototype for a new five-seat light helicopter, the PZL SW-4, which is expected to have its first flight at the end of 1994. Swidnik believes that there is a requirement for the heli copter in export markets, as well as in Poland, including a range of police duties and med ical-services and training roles. Chief designer Krzysztof Bzowka expects production to start before the end of 1997, estimating the unit cost to be close to $600,000. Development of the SW-4 began in 1985, but design im provements have been made since the original mock-ups, says Bzowka. He adds that 20% of the airframe will be con structed of composites, using glassfibre-reinforced plastic ini tially in the prototype, but possibly introducing carbonfi- bre composites in later models. The plan to power the heli copter with a Polish 295kW (220hp) WSK-PZL Rzeszow GTD-350 turboshaft has been dropped. The prototype will be flown instead with an Allison 250-C20R, rated at 355kW for NEWS IN BRIEF SIGNATURE GROWS Signature Flight Support is to build an $11 million air craft-maintenance and serv ice centre at Bradley International Airport in Hartford, Connecticut. Em ploying around 150 staff, the centre will be the first new flight-support organisation built by Signature since the company was formed in Sep tember 1992 by the merger of Butler Aviation and Page Avjet. Hartford-based United Technologies will be the "anchor tenant" at Bradley. take-off (285kW cruising). Later models will be available with the more powerful option of a 460kW Pratt & Whitney Canada PW206. According to Bzowka, the Polish engine was judged to be outdated, weighing 60kg more than the Allison 250, which offers 25% more power with 30% lower fuel consumption. The prototype is expected to have a maximum speed of 130kt (245km/h) at 5,000ft (1,500m) and be capable of climbing at lOOft/min (0.5m/s) to 17,800ft, at 1,600kg. The helicopter's maximum take-off weight, including up to 600kg of passengers and cargo, should be around 2,600kg. The PW206 could boost that by 200kg, without loss of range. The prototype will be fitted with AlliedSignal Aerospace Bendix/King avionics, allowing operation under visual flight- rules only. Modification to instrument flight is possible. • SENECA IV SALES EXPECTED TO CLIMB Piper Aircraft expects sales of its latest twin-engined PA-34 Seneca IV to take off this year. It has already won 15 orders. A predicted growth in light-aircraft travel within an increasingly borderless Europe is one target market, says UK distributor, Anglo American Airmolive. "Piper has researched into what Seneca owners have chosen as options. Anything that was installed more than 75% of the time has been made standard," it adds. Citation X comes up to scratch Initial flight testing of Cessna's Citation X at Wic hita, Kansas, has produced "pleasing" handling character istics, says the company. "We've been very pleased by the prototype's controllability and handling characteristics in all configurations," says Cita tion X chief test pilot, Doug Hazelwood. "In our initial stall performance investigations, it behaves nicely. At cruise, the aircraft exhibits virtually no pitch transients with configura tion changes — deployment of flaps, slats or gear." Hazelwood describes acceler ation of the Allison Engines AE3007-powered aircraft as "phenomenal," and adds that the trailing-link landing gear makes touchdown "like land ing on a marshmallow". • Learjet 45 engines arrive in Wichita BY GUY NORMS IN LOS ANGELES The first two flight-test TFE731-20 engines for the Learjet 45 have been delivered by AlliedSignal Engines to the aircraft manufacturer's head quarters in Wichita, Kansas. TFE731-20 programme man ager Bill Dipple says that it has not been decided how the turbo- fans will be flight tested. The engines, which are due to power the Learjet 45 on its maiden flight in March 1995, should need few changes be fore certification, he believes. Flight-testing of the proto type engine continues on Al- liedSignal's Boeing 720 testbed, with more than 40 flight hours having been accumulated by mid-February. "We're meeting all our goals so far," says Dip ple, adding that the only changes required following flight testing involve the test equipment, not the engine. AlliedSignal is modifying the inlet of the fuselage-mounted nacelle after discovering that the wide lip of the intake, designed to accommodate the -20, -40 and slightly wider -60 fan, was generating some dis turbed flow. Test results indicate that the engine, designed to be flat rated to 15.5kN (3,5001b) thrust up to 34°C, will meet its target with a wide inter- turbine-temperature margin. AlliedSignal plans eventually to have eight dedicated test engines in the TFE731-20 pro gramme and aims to build up 6,000h of operation before cer tification. Testing is aimed par ticularly at evaluating the performance of around 60 im provements introduced into the engine, to cut fuel con sumption while increasing reli ability and maintainability. The engine maker says that, with these key changes, the -20 will bring the corporate opera tor the operational ability and maintenance standards usually reserved for airlines. Engine warranty provides full coverage for five years and 2,000h of operation, while major inspec tion intervals have been ex tended by 75%, to 2,500h, for the hot section and 5,000h for the compressor. • Northern Ireland-based Shorts has completed the first hydroform frames and ex truded stringers for the Learjet 45. The Belfast company will deliver the first fuselage to Wichita in July, where it will be mated with wings from sis ter Bombardier company, de Havilland, in August. D 28 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 2 - 8 March, 1994
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
