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Aviation History
1997
1997 - 0125.PDF
r§ON FAA orders FJ44 turbine solution RAMON LOPEZ/WASHINGTON DC THE US FEDERAL Aviation Administration is requiring immediate inspection and replace ment of high-pressure turbine disks used in Williams Rolls-Royce FJ44 turbo fans which have twice failed on Cessna Citationjets. The airworthiness directive (AD) affects the early-model FJ44- 1A turbofan engines which power some Citationjets. The Directive orders immediate and recurring eddy current inspections for possi ble cracks in HPT disk blade - retention posts. It also requires eventual replacement with ad vanced design HPT disks. The action has been prompted by two non-fatal incidents involv ing twin-engined Citationjets which suffered HPT disk blade retention post separations. Wil liams International says that dam age was limited to the engine and, in one case, die nacelle. The US engine maker had already implemented an FJ44 tur bine upgrade programme designed to solve turbine-blade attachment problems in engines which incor porated the early disk design. The new design, which is now standard, reduces the level of stress by 45%, says the company. Williams International initiated a no-cost replacement programme in early November, and the 43 highest time engines in the field have been upgraded. The work takes no more than two davs. The AD calls for all FJ44s incor- poratingthe early design turbine to be upgraded by 1 July. 3 Germany to certificate Cessna 150 upgrade ANDRJEZ JEZIORSKI/MUNICH THE GERMAN aviation authority LBA is to certificate a Rotax-powered Cessna 150 upgrade with a Hoffmann con stant-speed propeller by June, says the propeller manufacturer. The upgrade is to be offered by German engineer Guido Sperl at a target price of DM50,000 ($32,000). Hoffmann says that the new engine and propeller can be installed within 40h, giving the air craft a substantial fuel efficiency boost and making it quieter. US Federal Aviation Admini stration certification to FAR part 2 3 standards is expected by the end of this year, says Hoffmann. The new powerplant is the 60kW (83hp) Rotax 912F3, built by Bombardier subsidiary Rotax in Austria. Although the 150's origi nal Continental engine was rated at 75kW, it could not generate maxi mum power on take-off. Xoise levels for the upgraded Cessna have been measured at 69.9dB(A) according to chapter VI test standards—with die aircraft at full power, 1,000ft (300m) above die test point. This is some 6dB(A) below LBA requirements. Hoffmann says that the new engine will also run on regular unleaded car fuel, whereas the older powerplant required 100 octane avgas. Sperl plans to focus on the Euro pean upgrade market before pro moting the aircraft in the USA. 3 Bond begins Shannon SAR contract BOND HELICOPTERS HAS TAKEN over the Shannon, Ireland-based search and rescue (SAR) contract operated on behalf of the Irish Marine Emergency Service. The company is operating a Sikorsky S.61N, which replaces a similar aircraft flown on the SAR contract for the last five years by Irish Helicopters. A second S.61N is used as a back-up aircraft. The helicopters are equipped with an advanced infra-red and zoom television system, and will have a new autohover system which is expected to be ready for introduction in February. FAA softens order on Lycoming crankshaft A PROPOSED airworthiness directive (AD) requiring re petitive inspection, and possible replacement, of crankshafts in cer tain Textron Lycoming engines has been modified to reduce its poten tially serious impact on operators. The AD was prompted by failures of hollow-end crankshafts caused by corrosion-induced cracking. The original notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) covered all Lycoming 23 5- and 290-seriesand certain 320- and 360-series piston engines, and required inspection of the crankshaft inner surface for corrosion and cracking. The US Federal Aviation Administration has now revised the NPRM to limit the AD's applica bility to only certain 320- and 360- series engines and to allow pitted crankshafts to remain in service as long as there is no cracking. 3 China's first local helicopter makes its maiden flight CHINA'S FIRST locally de signed and produced heli copter, the Jingdezhen Z-l 1, had its maiden flight at the end of December. The six- to seven-seat machine has been developed as a general-purpose helicopter for use by civil and military operators. Aviation Industries of China (AVIC) plans call for local airwor thiness certification and deliver 'of the first production Z-l 1 in 1999. The first prototype Z-l 1 was flown on 26 December at Jing- dezhen I Ielicopter's (formerly Changhe Aircraft) main plant in Jiangxi province. It will be followed by a further four to five test heli copters, says the company. According to local sources, the first machines will go to the army for training and light observation. Other Government agencies which are likely to take the heli copter include the police, fire and forestry departments. Superficially, the 2t-class machine resembles the Eurocopter AS350 Ecureuil. The helicopter has a diree-bladed main rotor, a conventional tail rotor, a horizon tal stabiliser, lower and upper verti cal stabilisers and a skid-type landing gear. The Z-11 is powered by a single 51 OkW (685shp) Liming WZ-8D turboshaft engine. The helicopter's specifications include a maximum design speed of 130kt (240km/h), a service ceil ing of 17,180ft (5,240m), a range of 600km (325nm) and continuous endurance of 3.9h. According to AVIC, the heli copter is intended to bridge the gap between the smaller 1.5t-class EC120, in which Chinese industry has a 24% stake, and the larger Eurocopter AS365, built under licence as the Z-9 by Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing. Development of the indige nously designed helicopter has been under study by AVIC since 1991, but is appears the Z-l 1 was not given a full go-ahead until 1994. Sikorsky is understood to have acted as a technical consultant tojingdezhen. • FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 15 - 21 January 1997 19
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