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Aviation History
2000
2000-1 - 0916.PDF
EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT Last month's Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture 2000 show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, show cased the latest developments in light aircraft NIGEL HITCHMAN/OSHKOSH jets under development. Albuquerque, New first flight of the revised prototype expected Mexico-based Eclipse seems to have stolen the later this year. Scaled Technology Works is to F OR YEARS homebuilt aircraft have been lead and could be the first to reach certification build the three flight-test aircraft, with the first at the forefront of technology in general and production. First flight of the Eclipse 500 is due to fly in mid-2001. US certification is aviation, while the development of produc- set forjune 2002 and certification for June 2003. expected towards the end of 2002, with the first tion aircraft has progressed at a slower pace. The first aircraft will be built on hard tooling, deliveries in the first quarter of 2003. Arguably, homebuilders have travelled a Eight aircraft will be used in the test pro- In the background, VisionAire is continuing smoother path to creating their 'dream gramme: three flight-test aircraft, static and work on its Spirit family of personal jets. These machines'. Unlike established general aviation fatigue test specimens and three reliability single-engined aircraft will be designed around manufacturers, they have faced neither certifi- growth aircraft. The latter will be tasked with a new small turbofan and the Ames, Iowa-based cation constraints nor astronomical payouts flying 5,000 representative fleet hours before company is looking at both die Williams EJ33 resulting from product liability issues. firstdelivery.Byflyingtheaircraftastheywillbe now in development and Pratt & Whitney The annual Experimental Aircraft Associ- used in service, Eclipse hopes to deliver a Canada's proposed PW6XX powerplant. ation AirVenture show provides a forum for mature and reliable aircraft with teething prob- Another all-new design, Century Aerospace's both markets and, thanks to recent industry- lems already ironed out. CA-100 Century Jet, is targeted at the entry friendly legislation enacted by US Congress level business jet market, pitched below the and the Federal Aviation Administration's sim- VANTAGE POINT Cessna Citation CJ1 and the Raytheon Premier plification of the certification process for light VisionAire displayed a fuselage mock-up of its I. Direct operating costs are said to be only aircraft, the distinction between both burgeon- redesigned single-engined VA-10A Vantage. S3 3 5/hour - well below those of most turbo- ing sectors is becoming blurred. Technical and financial problems led to the prop or piston twins. Powered by two 1,2001b- Dominating the news at Oshkosh this year changes and work is under way with designer thrust (5.5kX)FJ3 3- Is, the Centuryjet boasts a was the Eclipse 500, one of the small personal Burt Rutan to complete the modifications, with cruise speed of 370kt (685km/h), range of 2,775km (1,500nm) and useful load of 1,3"5()kg (2,9701b). First flight is set for 2002, followed by certification a year later. At the other end of the jet spectrum is the Viperjet- a fully acrobatic kitplane with a 360kt cruise which looks like a scaled-down Northrop 1-38. Construction is of carbonfibre, with tan dem seating for two and full dual controls. Powered by a General Electric T5 8 turboshaft modified to produce 1,0001b thrust, the Viperjet has a maximum gross weight of 1,450kg, giving a useful load of 545kg. Take-off distance is only 2,800ft (856m) and best climb rate up to 23m/s (4,500ft/min). Kits are avail able and the Viperjet is expected to be cheaper to operate than the ex-military jets now becom ing popular. Another aircraft powered by modified T58s is the Maverick four-seat twiftjet. A prototype has been flying for around a year and plans call for the aircraft to be certificated and produced Aceairs Aeris 200 is a revolutionary design featuring three lifting smfaces in Poland. As well as being offered as a personal Travelling light 44 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 5 - 11 September 2000
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