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Aviation History
1997
1997 - 0504.PDF
GENERAL AVIATION Belgian police receives first MD Explorer BELGIUM'S NATIONAL POLICE FORCE, the Gen darmerie, has taken delivery of its first McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems MD Explorer helicopter. A second will be delivered injune, and the force also has an option on a third. The Explorer will replace four ageing Sud-Aviation Alouette lis and an Aerospatiale Puma. The helicopters will be based at xMelsbroek air force base, near Brussels, where a new mainte nance unit is under construction. The Gendarmerie plans to fly each Explorer for about 600h a year. International Trade Exhibition for General Aviation 23-27,1997 Friedrichshafen, Germany Fair grounds and airport daily from 9.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. Information: Messe Friedrichshafen, Messegelande, D-88045 Friedrichshafen, Tel.++49(7541)708-0, Fax ++49(7541)708-110 April Extra investigates turboprop EA 400 ANDRZEJ JEZIORSKI/MUNICH GERMAN AIRCRAFT manu facturer Extra Flugzeugbau is investigating a turboprop version of its six-seat EA 400 tourer machine. According to Extra, the idea has attracted strong interest from potential customers, particularly in the light of the US Federal Aviation Administration's forthcoming re peal of the ban on commercial, instrument-flight-rules (1FR), operations for single-engined air craft (Flight International, 18-31 December, 1996). The company says that it has already ordered an engine from an unspecified manufacturer, which will be fitted to an EA400 for initial ground tests. The basic EA 400, powered bv a 260kW (350hp) Teledyne Con tinental Voyager TSIOL-550-A piston engine, is expected to re ceive preliminary certification by the end of April. This will not yet cover the aircraft's pressurised cabin, IFR operations, or flight in known icing conditions. To date, the company has four firm orders for pre-series aircraft, all from within Germany. The first of these will be delivered soon after preliminary certification. These early customers are buy ing their aircraft at a DM300,000 ($178,000) discount from the air- craft'sDMl.3 million list price, and will provide Extra with feedback from their operational experience. Extra is now holding discussions with other potential customers, mainly in the key North American market. Interest has also come from potential buyers in Australia, Indonesia and Japan, as well as other markets. Extra plans to produce five EA 400s this year, and expects this to increase to ten or 12 in 1998. If current talks bear fruit, this figure could increase still further. While production capacity is limited at the company's Dinslaken base, Extra says that its preferred strate gy is to keep EA 400 manufacture centralised there, and expand its production line as necessary. The all-composite aircraft, with a 2,000kg maximum take-off weight, was designed in co-opera tion with the University of Delft in the Netherlands. The first proto type had its maiden flight on 4 April, 1996. Extra said after initial flight-testing that the aircraft's low-speed performance was better than expected. Extra has doubled its production of the single-seat Extra 200 and 300 sports aircraft to four a month since January 1996. • GA voice recorders to expand FLIGHTCOM, THE Ore gon-based maker of the DVR 300i digital voice-recording clock and voice recorder, says that it is negotiating with "several groups" about making the unit standard equipment in a range of general- aviation and commercial aircraft. The new panel-mounted DVR 300i is already standard on the Piper Aircraft Malibu Mirage, Saratoga and Seneca V Flightcom is believed to be in discussion with other original-equipment manu facturers, such as Cessna and Raytheon. The company hopes to be able to announce new contracts within the next three months. The DVR 300i automatically records all headset audio, and uses a replay button which rewinds 5s for immediate playback to verify frequencies, clearances, headings and other air-traffic instructions. Each press of the replay button rewinds a further 5s. The system also has a digital notepad which records other information, such as taxi clearances. A checklist feature additionally stores up to 32 items. The system also incorporates a timekeeping function which acti vates as soon as the avionics master switch is turned on. • 30 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 26 February - 4 March 1997
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