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Aviation History
1996
1996 - 0074.PDF
BCNERAL JVSJATION Belgian police pick Explorer BELGIUM'S Gendarmerie has selected die McDonnell Doug las Helicopter Systems (MDHS) MD Explorer for its air component, which operates from Melsbroek air base, near Brussels. Two aircraft will be delivered in 1996, with a third on option for 1998 delivery. They will be used for police work throughout Belgium. MDHS says that the twin-tur bine, tail-rotorless, Explorer was selected after "an extensive compe tition" between several helicopter manufacturers. Rival bidders in cluded Bell, offering its 430; Agusta, proposing its A. 109; and MBB-Kawaski, bidding with its BK.117. The deal was arranged by the company's sales representatives, Helifly of Belgium and Air Hanson of the UK. The Gendarmerie Explorers will have a forward-looking infra-red sensor, low-light television camera, personnel hoist and emergency floats for over-water flights. After delivery of the second MD900, the Gendarmerie will withdraw from service its last age ing Sud-Aviation Puma. The new MD900s will supplement die pre sent police fleet of five Sud- Aviation Alouette lis, which will be phased out by 1999. • Indian helicopter operator plans for expansion PAWAN HANS is planning to acquire ten additional heli copters this year as part of a plan to start operations in the remote north east of India and to extend commercial services in support of tourism. The Indian state-owned heli copter operator has set aside a $31 million investment to purchase the helicopters, to bolster a fleet which now consists of 20 Aerospatiale Dauphins, one Bell 206 L4 and two Robinson R44s. It also has two Mil M-172s on lease. In 1994-5, Pawan Hans posted a net profit of $11.4 million after some years of poor performance. • Honda Motor studies small turbof an in USA HONDA MOTOR is testing a small turbofan engine in the USA, under one of several company research programmes aimed at developing technology applicable to general-aviation, as well as automotive, use. The 8kN (l,8001b)-thrust, 220kg engine now undergoing altitude testing is equivalent in size to the Williams-Rolls FJ44 turbofan, which powers the Cessna Cit- ationjet light business-jet. The turbofan has been under development at Honda since 1986. The Japanese company says that it has no immediate plans for commercial production of the engine, but hopes to implement output "in the future, if possible". Honda is also working to certifi cate a car engine for light-aircraft use and, since 1986, the car manu facturer has also been researching composite materials for use in a five- to six-seat aircraft. Working in conjunction with Mississippi State University (MSU) in the USA, Honda built and flew a twin-engined research aircraft, the MH-02. It is believed that Honda and MSU are now working on a small jet-powered research aircraft. The MH-02, largely built of composites, is a high-wing monoplane with swept-forward wings. The prototype had its first flight in 1993 as an experimental aircraft, powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D turbo- fans derated to 6kN. • Iranians poised to fly Blue Bird IRANIAN AIRCRAFT builder Dorna expects to fly its Blue Bird two-seat light aircraft for the first time in the middle of this year. The Tehran-based company launched the programme in early 1994 with the original intention of flying the aircraft in 1995. A short age of funds, followed by attempts to sell the project to Iranian Government organisations caused the 12-month delay. Yaghoub Antesary, managing director of Dorna, says that the company has now secured suffi cient private funds to steer the air craft through local certification and into production. "We lost some time, but now we are on more firm ground," he says. Dorna has fallen foul of a US Government embargo on sales of equipment to Iran, and it is unclear whether the prototype Blue Bird will be fitted with the Teledyne Continental IO-240 engine as planned, or an alternative power- plant, Antesary says. The company is looking at two engines from out side the USA. The all-composite, conventional low-wing, fixed-gear light aircraft is aimed initially at the Iranian market for pilot training and private and police work. Antesary, who is also a member of several Iranian Govern ment aviation bodies, says that there is a growing domestic need, in part to replace old aircraft such as the Beech Bonanza and Cessna 172. Certification will be to JAR- VLA (very light aircraft) standards, and the company hopes to fund certification of the aircraft outside Iran from domestic sales. • Beech reaches golden Bonanza BEECH AIRCRAFT'S most successful light utility and training aircraft, the four- to six- seat Bonanza, has now undergone 50 years of flying. Since its first flight on 22 December, 1945, a total of more than 17,000 Bo nanzas has been built, and the type is still in production, with about 100 produced in 1995. The prototype Model 35 Bo nanza bore little resemblance to the aircraft first delivered to cus tomers in early 1947. This flew with a geared Lycoming engine driving a wooden fixed-pitch pro peller, and was fitted with new lam inar-flow wings, similar to those on die Nordi American Aviation P-51 Mustang fighter during the last days of the Second World War. In the end, the more conserva tively minded designers at Beech won the day, and the production Bonanza reverted to the traditional NACA 23000 wing section, with better low-speed handling charac teristics. Beech also introduced a Continental direct-drive engine and a constant speed propeller. • First flight of the first Beech Bonanza, December 22,1945 (Top), and the latest Beech Bonanza A36 20 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 10 - 16 January 1996
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