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Aviation History
1997
1997 - 0580.PDF
CORPORATE AIRCRAFT Raytheon began production of the first Premier 1 forward fuselage at the end of 1996 as a risk-sharing partner. The Horizon will have a 2.13m-diameter composite fuselage, pro duced using the automated fibre-placement technology developed for the Premier I. This process makes it relatively easy to change die fuselage for future derivatives. The first flight is scheduled for late 1999, leading to US certification in the second quar ter of 2 001. Raytheon is planning to build 2 0-2 5 aircraft a year, taking its first diree orders with- in hours of unveiling the aircraft. In 1995, Raytheon launched its new light business jet, the Premier I. Typically seating one pilot and up to seven passengers in an 11m1 cabin, the Premier I will have a range of 2,775km at long-range cruise with four passen gers. The fuselage is of composite construction. The aircraft will be equipped with Rockwell- Collins Pro Line 21 avionics as standard, widi two 200 x 250mm liquid-crystal displays. Powered by a pair of lOkN Williams-Rolls FJ44-2A turbofans, the Premier I will have a high-speed cruise of 460kt and a 41,000ft ceil ing. The aircraft is scheduled to be flown in September 1997, and certification and first deliveries are expected in late 1998. Raytheon produced the first composite-fuselage section for the Premier I in November 1996. The Premier I is sold out for the first diree years of production, and interest in die aircraft is sufficiently high for Raytheon to investigate increasing early production rates. Raytheon has indicated that it could launch the larger Premier II at the September 1997 National Business Aircraft Association show in Dallas, Texas. The aircraft will be an evolution ary growth version of the Premier I, and is expected to be aimed at die market sector occu pied at die bottom end by aircraft such as die The improved Hawker 800XP is the latest member of the ubiquitous 125family company's Beechjet 400A, and at die top end by the widebody Citation Excel and Learjet 45. • I I I'll —^—— Aerodrome de ReimsPrunay, BP 2745 Reims Cedex, F-51062. France; tel: +33 (26) 48 46 46; fax: +33 (26) 4913 60; telex: REMAVIA 830754 F Reims Aviation's F406 Caravan II twin turbo prop was launched in 1982 as a joint venture between Reims and Cessna. More dian 80 have been delivered. Based on die Cessna 400-series twin, die aircraft is manufactured and marketed exclusively by Reims, using wings supplied by Cessna. The P&WCPT6A-112-powered F406 has a quick-change interior and is intended for passenger, freight and special-mission use. Saab Aircraft AB, Unkoping S-58188, Sweden; tel: +46 (13) 18 2000; fax: +46 (13) 181801 The 50-seatSaab 2000 high-speed regional tur boprop entered service in late 1994. The air craft, available in corporate form, is powered by two 3,075kW Allison AE2100s. The first cor porate customer, General Motors, received die first of three aircraft in late 1995. The 2000 seats 36 passengers in a corporate-shuttle layout. The smaller Saab 340B is also offered for die corporate role, powered by two l,395kW GE CT7-9B turboprops. Socata, Groupe Aerospatiale, Le Terminal Bat 413 Zone d'Aviation d'Affaire, Le Bourget, France; tel: +33 (1) 49 34 69 69; fax: +33 (1) 49 34 69 71 Socata, Aerospatiale's light-aircraft subsidiary, produces a family of small single-engined light aircraft, including die Textron Lycoming IO- 540-powered TB20, and the turbocharged TB21. The company developed die single 520kW P&WC PT6-powered TBM 700 tur boprop with Mooney Aircraft. The TBM 700 was certificated in 1990. Socata had been evalu ating die development of a stretched version, but plans have now been abandoned. I I I i I — 1770 Sky Place Boulevard, San Antonio, Texas 78216, USA; tel: +1 (210) 258 3992; fax: +1 (210) 258 3973 Sino-Swearingen is developing a light business- jet range from the original Swearingen SJ30 model flown in 1991. During 1994, with the assistance of Lockheed Martin, a funding con sortium was formed, which is a 50:50 venture between Swearingen Aircraft and Taiwanese investment consortium Sino Aerospace. In 1995, plans were revealed to expand die SJ30 into a family of aircraft, with die standard aircraft (designated the -1) being joined by a stretched derivative, the SJ30-2. The standard SJ 3 0-1 (now shelved) was to be powered by two 8kW Williams-Rolls FJ44-1A turbofans, and seated five people. The definitive stretched -2 has a 1.05m stretch, increasing passenger seat ing to six. A lOkN FJ44-2C powers the larger model. Maximum altitude is to be 49,000ft. Gamesa Aeronautica of Spain is building die wing for the SJ30 under an initial contract valid for ten years. Work will be undertaken at the company's Vitoria-Gasteiz plant. Isaacman Design Associates is to design the interior. Final assembly of production aircraft will be undertaken by Sino-Swearingen in Martinsburg, West Virginia. The prototype SJ30-2, modified from the original SJ30 air frame, made its first flight from San Antonio on 8 November, 1996. Flight testing has now begun, and die aircraft is on course for US certification by die last quar ter of 1998. Customer deliveries will follow immediately. European certification is expected by mid-1999. The prototype is powered by the 8kN Williams-Rolls FJ44-1A engine, but will be re- engined with lOkN FJ44-2As when the new engine becomes available. Two more aircraft will join the test programme during 1997. Price for the SJ30-2 is $3.5 million for the first 75 aircraft. Ill ^—^•1^— 203 East 23rd St, Fort Scott, Kansas 66701, USA. Tel: +1 (316) 2231900; fax: +1 (316) 223 0006. Kansas-based StarKraft displayed its push/pull piston twin StarKraft SK-700, at the 1995 National Business Aircraft Association show. The eight-seat, proof-of-concept aircraft is powered by two 260kW Continental 500A engines. A stretched 11-seater, the SK-1100, and a twin Orenda V8-powered version could also be developed. A single-engined, fixed-gear version of the SK-700, die 700SE, has also been proposed, as well as a five-seat SK-500 single. The all-composite SK-700 was first flown in February 1995, and Star Kraft is seeking addi tional funding to develop and certificate die air craft, which had originally been targeted for 1996. Planned price is around $1.6 million. Tupolev Joint Stock Company, 17 Akademika Tupoleva, Moscow 111250, Russia; tel: +7 (095) 2612436; fax: +7 (095) 2610868 The Tupolev Tu-324, revealedatdie 1995 Paris air show, is a proposed regional jet which will have business applications. Two versions are proposed, one designed for regional operations, and the other for business use. Both versions will be powered by the Soyuz R-126-300 tur- bofan, rated at 39kN. The range of the "Regional" version, with a full passenger load, is 2,500km, with an MTOW quoted as 24,652 kg. The shorter-fuse lage "Business" version is configured as a 30- seat business jet, widi an MTOW of 25,425kg, and a range of 7,890km. Tu-414 is the designation given to a proposed BMW R-R BR710-powered long-range busi ness jet. This aircraft, which would have a range of 10,500km with eight passengers, is similar in concept to the Global Express. 42 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 5 - 11 March 1997
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