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Aviation History
1997
1997 - 0793.PDF
GENERAL AVIATION Cessna Aircraft cuts back 1997 production targets for singles DAVE HIGDON/WICHITA CESSNA AIRCRAFT has almost halved its 1997 single- engined-aircraft production plans - but the company remains opti mistic that sales in 1998 and beyond will reach their targets. Instead of delivering about 1,000 aircraft this year (made up by $150 million-worth of new 172R Skyhawks and 182S Skylanes), the Wichita-based company now says that it can deliver between 500 and 650 aircraft, valued at around $75- 100 million. Despite the reduction, Cessna still expects to catch up in 1998 and 1999, because initial sales are sig nificantly better than predicted. "Sales are ahead of expectations, and our pace is improving," says the company. "We still expect to have delivered between $350 mil lion- and $400 million-worth of single-engined aircraft by the year 2000," it adds. Despite meeting most of its ear lier targets and deadlines, starting up production, hiring staff and accelerating production has been slower than had been hoped. At the start of 1997, Cessna employed about 300 at its In dependence, Kansas, single-en gine operation, and almost an equal number making components in East Wichita. To support its 1997- 8 production plans, the company had hoped to have about 950 peo ple employedat Independence by the end of this year, with a similar number at the Pawnee compo nents production plant. Cessna has had to fight to attract and retain workers, however, as have other aviation companies in Wichita. Expansion on the Citat- ionjet and Caravan turboprop lines, as well as Cessna's return to singles production, has con tributed to internal pressures, but the real pressure has come from Boeing Wichita, which added more than 5,000 staff in 1996, while Learjet and Raytheon Air craft have also expanded. "This decision to reduce pro duction is the result of reality set ting in, and our discovery that bringing the single-engine line-up from ground zero is more chal lenging we believed. But what doesn't go out of the door this year will next year," says Cessna. • Only half the expected number of new Cessna singles will fly in 1997 Cirrus nears test SR20 completion CIRRUS DESIGN has nearly completed construction of its C-1, the test aircraft which will be used to win US Federal Aviation Administration certification of the new SR20 four-seat piston single. The C-1 's first flight is expected in mid-year, says the company, reflecting a six-month delay from earlier plans to win certification and start production by mid-1997. Sales, however, continue to grow, with more than 80 confirmed orders on the books for the $144,500 four-seater. The chan ged schedule, developed several months ago, is not believed to be a sign of problems with the pro gramme, but an indication of the influence in the certification pro cess of Jim Griswold, the engineer who designed and oversaw certifi cation of the Piper Malibu, the Questair Venture kitplane and the original Cessna Citation. He took over the Cirrus certification pro gramme in 1996 as vice-president of engineering. His top-to-bottom review of the certification plan has resulted in the new timetable. A similar review process is now under way in the production de partment by Cecil Miller, Cirrus' new vice-president of manu facturing. Miller, who retired four years ago from the top production post at Beech Aircraft, began the job in late February and will be revising the company's production plans and plant layout. • MTR bids to power new Chinese helicopter with MTR390 ANDRZEJ JEZIORSKI/MUNICH MTU TURBOMECA Rolls-Royce (MTR) is proposing its MTR390 powerplant for a new 5-5.5t helicopter concept now being studied at Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing (HAMC) in China. Although few details are avail able, Aviation Industries of China confirms that such a concept is under discussion, but stresses that no go-ahead has been given yet. According to MTR, the heli copter will be a derivative of HAMC's lighter Z-9 Haitun - a licence-built version of the Eurocopter AS365N Dauphin 2. To date, HAMC has built an initial batch of 50 Z-9s, powered by Chinese-built Turbomeca Arriel 1C turboshafts, and is producing a second batch of 30. The new helicopter will have two engines in the MTR390 class, givingit960kW(l,300hp)take-off power. Eurocopter believes that China will eventually approach European industry for co-opera tion in the programme. MTR's bid is part of a new drive to find a market for the engine beyond the Eurocopter Tiger at tack-helicopter programme. According to programme direc tor Anton Janssen, the MTR390 is also being proposed for civil and military programmes, including Korean Air Aerospace division's multi-purpose helicopter, the Jap anese Fuji advanced medium-twin helicopter, the Kawasaki Heavy Industries AH-X attack-helicopter derivative of the OH-X scout and the Hindustan Aeronautics ad vanced light helicopter. Janssen says that MTR is also pushing the engine as an alternative to the LHTEC T800-LHT-800, to power the enhanced higher-take- off-weight Agusta Al 2 9 Mangusta, and as an option for Westland Super Lynx upgrades, again in competition with the T800. MTR managing director Hans Fischer says that MTR will reach the end of its 390 development phase this year. He adds that the helicopter is to receive civil certification from the German Federal Aviation Office , which will be accepted by the US Federal Aviation Administration under an agreement between the authorities. "We be lieve we will be able to complete activities connect ed with civil certification by the middle of this year," says Fischer. • FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 26 March - 1 April 1997 25
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