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Aviation History
1999
1999 - 1795.PDF
JRffl S9B SHO W REPORT Leaving aside the crash of the Sukhoi Su-30M K, the 1999 Paris air show will probably be best remembered for Embraer's massive order tally for its regional jet family and the disarray in the ranks of Europe's aerospace elite over restructuring REPORTING BY ANDREW CHUTER, ANDREW DOYLE, ANDRZEJ JEZIORSKI, MAX KINGSLEY-JONES, PAUL LEWIS, JULIAN MOXON, GILL NORRIS, STEWART PENNEY AND GRAHAM WARWICK. PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK WAGNER. PRODUCTION BY ALEXIS RENDELL AND CHRIS THORNTON 747X Stretch plans are revived BOEING'S 747-400X Stretch plan has been boosted by signs of new interest from Asian airlines, and die company's decision to offer a more capable 777-300X. Speaking of renewed enthusi asm in trie stretch proposal, direc tor product marketingjoe Ozimek says: "Interest is coming back from Asian carriers, which are resuming fleet planning." The 747 stretch plan, and die preceding 747- 500X/600X proposals, fell victim to die downcycle, but in die case of die baseline 747X, die delay has allowed Boeing to refine the design. The result, says Ozimek, is a proposal for a lighter aircraft, but wkh better performance. Aerodynamic modifications, flight tested on an Asiana 747-400, indicate a revised design, combined with die original root insert, could fly between 15,000km (8,150nm) and 16,000km with 450-500 pas sengers. "This time we get the same Boeing 747-400X changes from 747-400 Increased thrust engines Overall structural strengthening New main landing gear Inboard wing relofted with 3.9m total span increase Increased MTOW of up to 473.5t FLIGHT GARETH BURGESS 99 range with a maximum take-off weight of 1,043,0001b [473.5t]," says Ozimek. The span is 4.6m (180in) wider overall, while wing area increases by 14% from 540m2 (5,825ft2) on the -400 to 615m2. The larger wingspan requires an extra inboard flap, while providing capacity for extra fuel in the enlarged wingbox. The wingbox is just over lm longer, while the inboard wing is "relofted", provid ing more fuel volume and better aerodynamics. While die larger wingbox stretches the fuselage by default, die bulk of die extension is made widi a 4.6m stretch to the forward Section 42, a 2m enlargement of the overwing Section 44, and a 2.7m stretch of the aft Section 46. Overall total body stretch is 9.2m. The vertical and horizontal tail surfaces are enlarged to ensure ade quate lateral stability control in cruise, as well as to improve direc tional control during landing and take-off. Boeing is to add tip exten sions designed for the 747SP, as well as a larger chord rudder. As a result of the revised perfor mance of the 777-300X, that will equate to that of the 747-400, the plan for an increased revenue pay- load, or longer range 747-400X, appears to be attracting less inter est. The strengthening needed for the -400X would provide a step towards the -400X Stretch, says Boeing. Operating cost difference between the -400 and the -400X Stretch "result in an improvement of 10% or more" in airline condi tions, says Ozimek. • Relieved Sukhoi crash pilots blame missing two minutes EXCHANGES OF blame flew after a Sukhoi Su-30MK crash ed during its display on the opening day of the show - exact ly 10 years after a MiG-29 crashed at Paris. As with the 1989 accident, the crew ejected unharmed. Sukhoi was quick to exoner ate the aircraft, and the crew controversially blamed the show organisers for cutting their display from 8min to 6min. The crash occurred when the aircraft appeared to complete a downward spiralling manoeu vre too low and too slow. The Su-30 left the manoeu vre nose high, suggesting that the pilot was trying to pull up, but there was no evidence of afterburner. The aircraft's tail struck the ground, breaking the right engine's jetpipe while the left was engulfed in flames. The Su- 30 then became airborne, but operations when it began to depart con trolled flight the crew ejected, landing back on the runway. The aircraft, a prototype for India's thrust-vectoring Su- 30MKI, came down nose first between two runways, avoid- * ing major disruption to j| 12 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 23 - 29 June 1999
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