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Aviation History
1996
1996 - 0020.PDF
X5M2ISAL AVJAfJ'JiJ Production MD 600N lifts off THE FIRST production model of the MD 600N helicopter had its maiden flight at the McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems (MDHS) Mesa plant in Arizona on 15 December. MDHS experimental test pilot Chan Morse flew the MD 600N for 30min, reaching a top speed of around lOOkt (185km/h) in for ward flight. The helicopter was also taken to an altitude of more than 1,000ft (300m) and was flown sidewards and backwards at speeds of up to 20kt. Morse also per formed pedal turns in and out of ground effect. The NOTAR (no tail-rotor anti- torque system)-equipped aircraft is a stretched eight-seat version of the MD 5 2 ON. It is expected to be cer tificated later in 1996. Q NEWS IN BRIEF • FIYIS APPROVAL Universal Avionics Systems' UNS-1C flight-management system (FMS) has been given type certification for use on Israel Aircraft Industries Astra SPX business jet. • MEXICAN OVERHAUL Standard Aero, of Winnipeg, Canada, and Mexican over haul company Servicios Aereos Del Centro, have won a C$1 million ($725,000) re newable yearly contract from the Mexican Government to repair and overhaul Allison 250 and Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 engines power ing the Procuraduria General de la Republica's fleet. • LATE SKYHAWKS New production Cessna Aircraft 172 Skyhawks will not be rolled off the compa ny's new $45 million manu facturing plant at the Independence, Kansas, municipal airport until De cember — about three months later than planned. Poor weather had slowed down progress. SJ30 tests make progress GRAHAM WARWICK/ATLANTA SINO SWEARINGEN Aircraft (SSAC) has completed bird- strike testing for the SJ30 light business-jet. Tests were conducted at windshield manufacturer PPG in Huntsville, Alabama, and SSAC says "...the metal cockpit structure required no repairs after the 320kt [590km/h], 41b [1.8kg] bird strikes." The first US Federal Aviation Administration certification type board meeting was conducted at SSAC's San Antonio, Texas, head quarters in late November 1995 to familiarise the FAA with the design. US certification of the SJ30 is scheduled for the first quarter of 1998, says SSAC. Final assembly and flight testing of the first four aircraft will take place at San Antonio. Production aircraftwill be assembled at SSAC's planned factory in Martinsburg, West Virginia. The company expects to select suppliers of the SJ30's wing, fuselage and tail in mid-January. SSAC intends to develop two versions concurrently, the original SJ30-1 and the increased-perfor- mance SJ30-2 Flight International, 4-10 October, 1995, P18). The $3 million SJ30-1 will be powered by two 8kN (l,8001b)-thrust Wil liams-Rolls FJ44-lAs and will have a 3,700km (2,000nm) range at Mach 0.77. Powered by lOkN FJ44-2Cs, the $3.5 million SJ30-2 will cover 5,550kmatM0.83. • Air Atlantique could save $30,000 an engine with SOOh TBO Air Atlantique extends engine life AIR ATLANTIQUE has ap plied to the UK Civil Aviation Authority for an almost 60% extension of the time between overhauls (TBO) on the Teledyne Continental GTSIO-520 piston engines powering its Cessna 404 Titans. The first of four teardown inspections required by the CAA has revealed no problems with an engine operated for 2,154h, 33% beyond Continental's recommend ed l,600h TBO. The UK operator is seeking a 2,500h TBO. As CAA regulations allow for engines to be operated 20% beyond the manufacturer's recom mended TBO, Air Atlantique is hoping for an effective 3,000h overhaul interval. This would increase operating time by more than 80% and result in cost savings of $30,000 per engine, the compa ny estimates. Approval is contin gent on satisfactory teardown reports from Continental on three further engines averaging 2,000h operating time. The TBO extension is based on Air Atlantique's preventative- maintenance programme, which includes oil changes every 50h and filter changes and compression checks every lOOh. In addition, pilots flying the Titans on aerial surveys, for Air Atlantique Group's Coventry- based Atlantic Reconnaissance division, maintain constant throttle settings where possible to reduce engine wear and tear. 3 Kaman prepares Japan's first K-MAX KAMAN AEROSPACE plans to ship the first K-MAX exter nal-lift helicopter for Japan by the end of this month. The aircraft has been sold by Japanese K-MAX dis tributor KBK to Japan Royal Heli copters and is expected to enter sendee on power-line projects fol- lowingjapanese certification. Bloomfield, Connecticut-based Kaman, meanwhile, has secured two new US customers for the K-MAX: Mountain West Heli copters of northern California and Blue Mountain Helicopters of northern Oregon. Each will take delivery of one aircraft for logging. Steve Daniels, Kaman's manager of commercial-aircraft operations, says that Mountain West and Blue Mountain are the first small US operators to purchase the $3.5 mil lion K-MAX. Kaman's customer base has shift ed significantly since the K-MAX entered service in late 1994. Of the original launch customers, only Scott Paper and Canada's Midwest Helicopters still have aircraft. Erickson Air-Crane, Louisiana- Pacific and Weyerhauser have returned their leased K-MAXes. Midwest has ordered a second air craft for February/March delivery. An aircraft has been purchased by Helog of Switzerland and another has been leased to France's Heli-Union for use in Bolivia. Daniels says that the Bolivian oper ation, in support of oil exploration, could be extended by one year. • 18 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 3 - 9 January 1996
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