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Aviation History
1994
1994 - 2347.PDF
GENERAL AVIATION US firefighters assess llyushin 11-76 SIMON ELLIOTT/LARKHILL THE US FOREST Service is evaluating Russian Ilyushin 11-76 water-bombers for combat ing bush and forest fires. Regional-aviation group man ager for the Forest Service's North-West Region, Joe Madar, says that assessment of the aircraft follows the crisis caused by eight years of severe drought in North America. In recent fires, US Air Force Lockheed C-130 Hercules have been used to to assist the Federal and State airborne fire- fighting forces. Ilyushin's containerised water- bombing system for the 11-76 is called the dischargeable aviation device (DAD). It was displayed in action to representatives from the US Forest Service earlier this month at the UK Ministry of Defence's Larkhill testing ground. A full load was dropped from the aircraft during the demonstra tion, organised by US aviation- services company Air Routing International, the regional repre sentative for the Il-76-mounted system in the USA and Mexico. Air Routing executive vice-pres ident Richard Wilkins says: "The 11-76 can bring immediate relief to massive wildfires that just cannot be easily tamed by aircraft currently used in the USA or Canada." The U-76, fitted with the sys tem, would be flown by Ilyushin's operating arm, Veteran Airlines. The DAD consists of two 21,0001itre tubular reservoirs mounted side by side in the cargo hold of any 11-76. To release the water, the rear cargo-door is opened to expose two troughs con nected to the reservoirs. The water is released by the force of gravity. A ground water supply or fire cars are used to replenish the reservoirs. The system has already been used to fight forest and ammunition-dump fires in Russia. Ilyushin says that the DAD can "...easily be installed on the air craft by crew in a period of 1.5h to 2h without additional ground- handling equipment". 11-16 could bring immediate relief to US firefighters The full load can be discharged in one or two salvos, taking a max imum of 10s. The water can be dropped from a height of 65- 320ft (2 0-100m) with an airspeed ofl50-160kt(280-300km/h). Replenishment time for the reservoirs is up to 12min. • Tridair wins single/twin approval TRIDAIR HELICOPTERS has won US approval for the operation on only one engine only of its Gemini ST. The company says that the US Federal Aviation Administration's certification of the technique makes the Gemini ST the "world's first single/twin aircraft". Under the FAA approval, the Bell Helicopter Textron 206L-1 and 206L-3 LongRanger variants can be modified to Geminis, in addition to the 206L-4 which has received type-certification. President Doug Daigle says: "This approval marks the Gemini ST as the latest approach to safer and more eco nomical operations. It is the first time that any aircraft, fixed-wing or helicopter, has been autho rised to operate as either a twin or single-engined aircraft at any time during its flight. "Our customers can elect to operate on one engine for maxi mum economy and still have the safety and performance of a twin- engined helicopter when re quired." He notes that the modification incidentally updates the LongRanger's original FAR Part 27 and CAR 6 certifications to current Part 29 standards. Tridair has begun delivering aircraft to Kawada Industries of Tokyo, and Motorflug of Baden- Baden, Germany. • Yak-54 testing continues YAKOVLEV HAS flown its two Yak-54 aerobatic machines for a total of SOh. A third aircraft was due to have been flown by the end of September. Russian certification is expected by the end of the year and series production of the type, shown over Moscow Tushino airfield, is due to start at Saratov Aviation in 1995. Piper reveals its line-up for 1995 PIPER AIRCRAFT plans to build 134 new aircraft of seven different types during 1995. The line-up of singles and twins will consist of the Warrior III, Archer III, Arrow 201, Satatoga IIHP, Seneca IV, PA44-180 Seminole, and the PA46 Malibu Mirage 3 5 OP. In 1994, Piper has produced an average of 11 aircraft a month and perceives a market drift towards new aircraft. UK and Ireland dis tributor Anglo American Automotive reports a 34% increase in enquiries for new Pipers over the last six months. • NEWS IN BRIEF • ASTRA GETS UPDATE Israel Aircraft Industries is to launch an improved Astra SPX business jet, with new AlliedSignal TFE731-40 engines, Rockwell-Collins avionics, wing improve ments and new interior. • CZECH CITATION Cessna Aircraft has delivered a refurbished Citation III business jet to Prague-based trading company Chempanol Group, following receipt of Czech certification for its Model 650 Citations. BALTIC PROMOTION Ostermans Aero, the Swedish representative of Bell Textron Helicopters,is mounting a campaign in Es tonia, Latvia and Lithuania to sell helicopters to cash- starved Government agen cies and business. The Latvian Government alone is reckoned to need 18 surveil lance helicopters for air force, police and border- guard duties, but Ostermans says that the immediate prospects appear limited to the sale of small numbers of used helicopters. 28 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 28 September - 4 October 1994
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