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Aviation History
1996
1996 - 1600.PDF
QSNERAL AVIATION Mitsubishi to roll out Japan's first civil helicopter PAUL LEWIS/TOKYO MITSUBISHI HEAVY In dustries (MHI) expects to roll out its first prototype MH2 000 helicopter by the middle of July, and to begin flight-testing the heli copter by the fourth quarter. The MH2000 is Japan's first indigenously developed civil heli copter and, therefore, its develop ment and planned flight-test pro gramme is being closely scrutinised at all stages by the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB). A private roll-out of the ten-seat helicopter is subject to the comple tion of initial ground tests necessary for certification, says MHI manag ing director Takashi Nishioka. According to Nishioka, MHI is planning to conduct a 800h flight- test programme, employing two prototype machines. Two static air frames have already been built and are now being used for load and tie- down testing. MHI hopes to have the twin- engined MH2000 certificated by the JCAB by April 1997 and to deliver the first production series helicopter by September/October. Production of long-lead compon ents has already begun. The privately funded MH2000 programme is based onMHI's RP1 technology-demonstrator heli copter, first flown in 1994. The RP 1 was used to develop and test the MH2000's 595kW (800shp) Mit subishi MG5 turboshaft engine, gearbox and composite blades. Design criteria have focused on passenger comfort, performance, safety and low price, says Nishioka. The MH2 000 will have a maximum take-off weight of 4.5t and a maxi mum speed of 150kt (275km/h). It will have an active-noise-suppres sion system and an optional global- positioning-system-based colli sion-avoidance system. The company had hoped to sell the helicopter for less than ¥300 million ($2.77 million), but the fly away price now appears to be closer to ¥400 million a unit. MHI has set a "conservative" production target of 2 00 helicopters over ten years. G GlaStar kitplane re-engined STODDARD-HAMILTON AIRCRAFT has re-engined its GlaStar two-seat kitplane with a 120kW (160hp) Textron Lycoming O-320, replacing the original 90kW Teledyne Con tinental. Cruise speed is increased to lOOkt (185km/h), with either a Sensenich fixed- pitch or Hartzell constant-speed propeller. Take-off run is reduced and climb rate increased, says Arlington, Washington-based Stoddard-Hamilton. IAI finds new investor for Galaxy programme ARIEGOZI/TELAVIV ISRAEL AIRCRAFT Industries (LAI) is set to conclude a deal with the US family which owns the Hyatt hotel chain, to become part ners in the Galaxy business-jet programme. In return, a new com pany is being set up to replace IAI's North American marketing arm, Astra Jet, with a joint-venture organisation. Conclusion of the deal with the Prizcker family-owned company is dependent on a guarantee by the Israeli Government on the $50 million which the US family is expected to invest initially in the programme. IAI had been teamed with Russian manufac turer Yakovlev, but difficulties in its Saratov production plant forced the Israeli company to look for another partner in mid- 1995 (Flight International, 2-8 August, 1995). Yakovlev was to have manufac tured the fuselage and empen nage of the Galaxy prototypes. Since then, IAI has been looking for an alternative partner to share production and invest in the whole programme, including marketing. The exercise has delayed the project for more than a year. If the deal is finally agreed, it is expected that Astra Jet will be dis solved and a new 50:50 company, owned by the two parties, created to market and support the Galaxy and Astra in North America. IAI says that assembly of the Galaxy prototype is scheduled to begin in September. The proto type is due to begin test flights in 1997. Once the aircraft is in series production, the Galxys will be flown to the USA for completion. Roy Bergstrom unexpectedly resigned as president of Astra Jet in May, with former Learjet pres ident Brian Barents poised to take over Flight International, 15-21 May). It is unclear whether Bar ents is destined to take over as head of the new organisation. • MDHS fights to keep MD600N on track McDONNELL DOUGLAS Helicopter $ystems (MDH$) is instituting "aggressive schedul ing" to minimise the impact on the certification and delivery timetable of the crash of the sec ond MD600N prototype. Key to the recovery plan, how ever, is the findings of the board set up to investigate the 28 May accident. $hould the board rec ommend any redesigns, then the plan is expected to be drastically altered and deliveries, originally slated to start around October, will not begin until early 1997. The crash occurred when the main-rotor blade struck and par tially severed the tail boom as the pilot performed control reversals at reduced rotor RPM. The pilot began an autorotative descent, but lost rotor RPM and landed heavi ly. The pilot escaped unhurt, the skid landing-gear absorbing the impact as designed, but the air craft was destroyed by fire when nearby vegetation was set alight by the engine exhaust (Flight International, 12-18 June). MDH$ says: "The accident occurred during manoeuvres at the absolute extreme of the flight envelope. You would never nor mally be flying in those conditions on purpose and it would be almost impossible to find yourself there by accident." The first production MD600N was due to be rolled out of the company's Mesa, Arizona, site before 21 June, to undergo flight tests. The certification test ing programme on the first MD600N prototype, a stretched conversion of an MD520N, has meanwhile been accelerated. • MDH$ has delivered the first of four Explorer helicopters to Pittsburgh's Allegheny General Hospital, operator of one of the largest airborne medical services in the US. The helicopter was the eighteenth Explorer delivered since the first aircraft were shipped in December 1994. The company'holds an order backlog of "around 50". • 20 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 26 June - 2 July 1996
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