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Aviation History
1997
1997 - 1212.PDF
GENERAL AVIATION FAA re-issues Teledyne crankshaft AD GRAHAM WARWICK/WASHINGTON DC A PROPOSED airworthiness directive (AD) requiring re placement of the crankshafts in some 10,000 Teledyne Conti nental 360-and 520-series piston engines has resurfaced, with the US Federal Aviation Admini stration citing an abnormally high failure rate. The original July 1993 notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) was strenuously opposed by the US Aircraft Owners and Pilots As sociation (AOPA) and National Air Transportation Association (NATA), which disputed FAA data showing that an improved crankshaft devel oped by Teledyne Continental had a lower failure rate. Replacement would cost around $7,000. The FAA said then that crank shafts produced using the original "airmelt" process were more prone to sub-surface fatigue cracks than those produced using an improved "vacuum-arc remelt" process. The AOPA and NATA had cited a study by the Aeronautical Repair Station Association, which had found that both crankshaft types can develop cracks at about the same rate. The FAA now says that it has new data showing an abnormally high failure rate for the airmelt crankshaft, compared with almost no failures for the improved com ponent. As a result, a supplemental NPRM was issued in April calling for crankshaft replacement at the next engine overhaul. The AOPA and NATA say that the FAA has refused to release the data on which it has based its revised NPRM. In January, the FAA scaled back a proposed AD requiring repetitive inspection of the crankshafts of certain Textron Lycoming engines. This meant that only 9,800 O-320 and O-360 Lycomings rated at 255kW(160hp) or more, instead of 46,000, were affected. To a storm of protest from oper ators and the International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations (IAOPA), the UK Civil Aviation Authority issued in 1994 an AD covering crankshaft- corrosion on a range of piston- engines built by Teledyne Continental and Textron Ly coming (Flight International, 19-26 October, 1994). • Operators alerted on Cessna-twin fire risk OPERATORS OF CESSNA turbocharged piston-twins have been urged to inspect the exhaust systems, while the US Federal Aviation Administration considers action to prevent leaks which could cause in-flight fires. The Cessna Pilots Association (CPA) has advised operators of 300- and 400-series turbocharged twins to inspect the exhaust sys tems after a crash early in April which may have resulted from a fire caused by an exhaust leak. The CPA says that at least six accidents since August 1995 have been attributed to exhaust leaks. The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has recom mended disassembly and inspec tion of the exhaust systems every lOOh, but both the CPA and the US Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association favour less-expensive on-aircraft visual inspections and pressure tests at the same interval. The CPA believes that the prob lem is a "maintenance and inspec tion" issue and that some operators "...are not aware enough of the importance of detailed, regular, inspection" of the exhaust. FAA action is believed to be imminent after a series of April meetings. The CPA has recommended the installation of a fuel shut-off valve in the crossfeed line, but the NTSB has additionally called for installa tion of a fire-detection system, increasing the potential cost of any FAA action. • Orenda picks engine site in Nova Scotia ORENDA AEROSPACE has selected Truro, Nova Scotia, as the site for an engine manufac turing and aircraft remanufactur- ing plant. The Canadian company which will produce the OE-600- series vee-8 piston engine will be known as Orenda Recip, and it will be the first private aerospace com pany at Debert Airport, a former Canadian Forces base near Truro. The Nova Scotia Economic Development and Tourism depart ment is providing C$9.3 million ($6.6 million) in funds repayable from royalties on sales, while the Canadian Department of Industry, under its Technology Partnership Canada (TPC) programme, is sup plying C$8.4 million, also in royal ty-repayable funds. Orenda will contribute C$14.4 million. Orenda forecasts a worldwide market for more than 10,000 engines, and plans to install the powerplants on candidate air frames which it hopes to remanu- facture at the Debert plant. The Orenda series will have power out puts ranging from 375kW to 560kW (500-750hp). A firm order for 140 engines and installation kits, worth C$20 million, has been received from Stevens Air of Greenville, South Carolina, for retrofit installation on Raytheon Beech King Air 90s. Orenda Recip has begun hiring staff, and plans to increase its work force from 2 6 this year to 110 with- in five years. Orenda is a subsidiary of Toron to-based Magellan Aerospace, which also owns Fleet Aerospace. Fleet, meanwhile, has received a repayable investment of C$3.25 million from Technology Partner ships Canada to secure a contract from Hyundai, of South Korea, to produce wing components for the McDonnell Douglas MD-95. • Third Global Express joins flight-test programme BOMBARDIER HAS flown the third Global Express long- range business jet. Aircraft 9003 was flown for the first time on 22 April, from the de Havilland final- assembly plant in Toronto, Canada. It is scheduled to join the first two Global Expresses at Bombardiers Wichita, Kansas, flight-test centre in early May. The 2h 40min first flight was restricted to 15,000ft (5,000m) by poor weather, but the aircraft was flown to 41,000ft on the following day during its 4h 5min second flight. Aircraft 9003 will be as signed to avionics testing. Almost 300h has been accumulated in more than 100 flights of the first two aircraft, with Aircraft 9001 assigned to handling and perfor- Tbe third Global Express will join the first two at Wichita this month mance testing and Aircraft 9002 to systems evaluation. The Global Express has been flown to Mach 0.955 and 51,000ft. Bombardier says that Aircraft 9004,9005 and 9006 are in various stages of assembly, with 9004 to be outfitted with an interior this year and used for function and reliabili ty testing. Aircraft 9005 will be the first customer Global Express and is scheduled for delivery to Bombardiers Montreal comple tion centre in December. • 24 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 7 - 13 May 1997
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