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Aviation History
1999
1999 - 1901.PDF
GENERAL AVIATION NEWS IN BRIEF • FALCON 900C APPROVAL Dassault received French certification for its Falcon 900C business jet on lSJune. The trijet "combines the per formance value and comfort of the Falcon 900B [which it replaces] with the advanced Honeywell Primus 2000 Avionics System of the Falcon 900EX", according to Dassault. • JAPAN DISTRIBUTOR Osaka Aviation has been named the authorised New Piper Aircraft distributor in Japan. The company has charter, training and mainte nance operations. • AERO-I CHALLENGER Rockwell Collins Satellite Communications (SAT- COM) 5000 Aero-I system has been installed on a Bombardier Challenger 604 business jet. The system pro vides a full range of commu nications services, offering up to five voice/data channels over 75% of the earth's sur face and a single data channel, with global beam coverage. Europa hunts for partners to back new aircraft programme KATE SARSFIELD/LONDON EUROPA IS seeking partners to support its new two-seat, single-engined production air craft, under development at its site in Kirkbymoorside, Yorkshire, UK. An established kitplane supplier, Europa has secured over half of the finance for the project via private investment and government fund ing, but needs partners to provide further financial and manufactur ing assistance. "We need the abili ty to do the functions we can't do already, and are open to any serious offers from companies that will support our cutting edge approach," concedes Europa gen eral manager Keith Wilson. "We have a long-term ambition to create a successful production aircraft, but with a different design approach," says Wilson. Europa is emulating the production process of the automotive industry, where cars are "designed to be built from the ground upwards", says Wilson. This, he claims, eases the final The production aircraft will join Europa's successful factory and kit-built trio assembly process, and production time is reduced considerably. Wlson adds: "A Japanese saloon car, for example will take around 18h to produce [by machine], com pared with around l,800h for a hand-built Cessna 172 single. By adopting the automotive approach, we aim to produce the aircraft in less than 2 SOh, and our success will be reflected in the aircraft's price tag of around £50,000 [$79,000, around half the price of the four- seat 172]". Although the design remains sketchy at this stage, Wilson confirms that it will be "unlike any other single-engined aircraft in its class". Based on a part metal, part composite structure, it will have a tailor-made advanced avionics suite and will offer low operating and maintenance costs, with the latter also based on the cost-effec tive automotive principle. The aircraft is lined up for its first flight next year, powered by a Rotax 912 S. Europa is eyeing other engines, including diesels, which may be offered as an option. The company expects to build about 500 aircraft a year, following cert ification in about 2 002. • VulcanAir 'moves forward' with Partenavia line VULCANAIR has begun re vamping the former Part enavia aircraft line, which it acquired last year, in an effort to drive up sales and stamp its identi ty on the twin-engined models. "This is a natural evolution of the product. Partenavia had done nothing with the aircraft for some timeandthenthe company fell into bankruptcy. It is time to move for ward," says VulcanAir chief execu tive Carlo De Feo. The key initiatives from the Casoria, Naples-based company are, firstly, to build a derivative of its AP68TP-600 Viator utility air craft, which it will eventually replace. The VA300 will be 20cm wider and lm shorter than its sta- blemate and will be die launch air craft for the Zoche Aero diesel engine, under development in Germany. The Viator will provide the testbed for die engine until the VA300 is ready for flight testing in May next year. Certification is scheduled for 2 002. "As the aircraft is a derivative of the Viator, certification should be a formality. We are just waiting for the power- plant to be approved," says De Feo. VulcanAir's second project is to build a single-engined version of the Siai Marchetti SF-600A Can- guro utility aircraft, which it bought from Finmeccanica in 1997. The aircraft, the VA600W, will begin flight testing next May, powered by a 575kW (770hp) Walter M601F piston engine, although the company plans to offer a more powerful, 670kW, variant at some stage. "Although the body will remain the same, the wing will be a deriva tive of the Viator's, the nose will be redesigned to accommodate the engine and it will have new landing gear," adds De Feo. Certification is due in the third quarter of 2001. The Italian manufacturer has also designed a new interior for the P68C and P68 Observer piston twins, and will upgrade all of its air craft line with Bendix King Silver Crown avionics. "Unlike our pre decessor, we are standardising and not customising aircraft produc tion, so we can produce more air craft," says De Feo. VulcanAir is confident that the new projects, and the enhance ments to its line, will stimulate interest in its aircraft. In anticipa tion, it is shifting its maintenance base to a new 4,000m2 (43,000ft:) hangar, freeing its other hangar for production and assembly. J Raytheon steps into fractional leasing RAYTHEON IS offering frac tional ownership leasing through its Travel Air programme as an alternative method of owning a share in an aircraft. Leasing is being offered through Rhode Island-based Fleet Capital Leasing and requires no down pay ment, only fixed monthly charges over five years. At the end of that time, customers can walkaway from the deal without further obligation. The leasing rate varies, depend ing on the size of the share. For example, a one-eighth share in a Beech King Air costs $7,2 00, rising to $18,750 for a Hawker 800XP • The second prototype of Ray theon's all-composite six-seat Premier I entry level business jet had its first flight on 4 June from Beech Field in Wichita, Kansas. • 22 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 30 June - 6 July 1999
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