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Aviation History
1997
1997 - 1213.PDF
A£RO <91 Historic manufacturers return SSSS? ANDRJEZ JEZIORSKI/ FRIEDRICHSHAFEN TWO FAMOUS NAMES from German aviation history staged a comeback at the Aero '97 show, with die presentation of new prototypes from Zeppelin and Junkers. The general-aviation show, in Friedrichshafen, Germany, from 23-27 April, featured the public debut of the Zeppelin New Technology (NT) airship, the LZ N07. Munich-based Junkers, meanwhile, displayed a prototype of its Ultima two-seat ultralight aircraft. The LZ N07 is a 7 5 m-long rigid airship with room for 12 passen gers and two crew, and it is due to have its maiden flight in the third quarter of this year. Zeppelin expects full German certification to FAR part 23 stan dards in late 1998. The company has preliminary contracts for five craft from three German customers and one in Switzerland. The first series-pro duced Zeppelin NT will go to newly founded Skyship Cruise in Switzerland, which will use it for tourism, advertising and promo tional work. Plans are being drawn up to build a production hangar at Friedrichshafen Airport; this should be ready for use by die end oftiiisyear. The helium-filled airship has a primary structure of aluminium and carbon-fibre composite, less than half the weight of those of pre vious rigid airships. It is powered by three swivelling, 149kW (200hp) Textron Lycoming IO- 360 piston engines, and is expected to have a maximum speed of about 70kt (130km/h) and a ceiling of 8,200ft (2,500m). Meanwhile, Junkers displayed an improved second prototype of its two-seat Ultima, which the company says will have its first flight within a month. The aircraft differs from die first prototype in having a redesigned fin and lighter carbon-fibre wings, moving away from the earlier use of canvas over a carbon-fibre com posite frame. Junkers expects the aircraft to be granted German certification within diree months, and hopes to follow diis with JAR very-light-air- craft certification for the export market. The aircraft is to be on the market from the start of 1998. The Rotax 912 -powered Ultima has an empty weight of 274kg, and a 450kg maximum take-off weight. The aircraft has a maximum speed of 135kt, with a range of about 1,100km. The company has five options for the aircraft, which has a basic DM120,000 ($70,000) price tag.Q GERMAN ENGINE manu facturer Wankel Rotary is studying the development of a multi-fuel rotary engine for air craft and helicopter applications. Wankel says that the variable installation position (VIP) engine will be be able to run on avgas, kerosene, diesel, natural gas, methanol or hydrogen, and will offer substantial weight savings over today's piston engines. The company is proposing a family of engines, ranging from the single rotor VIP-1050, generating 48kW and weighing 3 8kg drv, to the four- rotor, 192kW VIP-4200, which weighs 69kg. The company says that it does not have die funds to develop the engine on its own, but is hoping to make a start by becoming a partner in aUAV programme with its exist ing 40kW LOCR-407 SD engine, which it describes as a forerunner of the VIP family. • Diamond intends to fly the first four-seat DA 40 in July Diamond reveals four-seat Katana A USTRIAN manufacturer Diamond Aircraft Industries has displayed a mock-up of a four- seat addition to its Katana aircraft family for die first time. The DA 40 Katana is set for its maiden flight by July, and Dia mond hopes to certificate it to European JAR 23 standards by die end of 1998. Diamond says that the aircraft is "principally intended for instru ment flight rules [IFR] flight train ing". The all-composite aircraft will be available with a choice of three powerplants: the 90kW (120hp) Rotax 914, 93 kW Teledyne Continental IO-240 or 123kW Textron Lycoming IO- 360. The Rotax and Lycoming variants each have constant-speed propellers, while the Continental version is driven by a fixed-blade propeller. • FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 7 - 13 May 1997 25
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