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Aviation History
2001
2001 - 2478.PDF
BUSINESS AND GENERAL AVIATION FLIGHT TESTING VLADIMIR KARNOZOV / MOSCOW AND STEWART PENNEY/ LONDON Sukhoi readies Su-38 for first flight Meanwhile, Russian manufacturer plans to boost production of sports aircraft following strong military orders Sukhoi is preparing to begin flight testing its first agricultural aircraft, the Su-38, in mid-August to coin cide with the Moscow air show. Alexander Zudilov, head of the Sukhoi flight test department and Su-38 project manager, says the first aircraft is being built and is set to arrive at Sukhoi's flight test cen tre at Zhukhovsky, near Moscow, in mid-July. A static test airframe of the Su-38, the design of which started in the early 1990s as a deriv ative of the Su-29 aerobatic aircraft, has been built and windtunnel tests completed. Sukhoi's initial aim was to use as many components as possible from the Su-29 in its bid to develop the IN BRIE DEER JET HAWKERS Deer Jet, a subsidiary of Hainan Airlines Group and China's largest air charter service, is adding three Raytheon Aircraft Hawker 800XP mid-size busi ness jets to its fleet. They will be delivered this year. The company already operates three Hawker 800XPs. Deer Jet has also placed orders for the entry-level Premier I, super-mid size Hawker Horizon and, most recently, for two AgustaWestland A109 Power helicopters. EUROCOPTER DEAL Eurocopter has clinched an order from US-based Rocky Mountain Helicopters, for 10 EC130 helicopters. The Franco-German manufacturer has also sold two EC145s to German emergency medical services operator ADAC-Luftrettung. The combined deals are worth around $20 million. The latter sale is the first international order for the EC145, launch customers for which include the French Securite Civile, which has ordered 32 helicopters, and the French Gendarmerie, with an order for eight. Su-38, Russia's first agricultural air craft. The former Soviet Union pre viously relied on Antonov An-2 Colt utility biplanes for crop spraying. An earlier survey of the Russian market indicated that the Su-29 was too large. Zudilov says: "We did not want to enter foreign mar kets straight away, so we decided to design the Su-38 for Russian customers, reducing the aircraft's size and replacing the original Voronezh M-14 radial with a LOM Praha M337 six-cylinder in-line pis ton engine." Zudilov adds that initial flight testing will concentrate on aircraft performance before a Transland spray system is fitted. Also, a small batch of Su-38s is being produced in preparation for the spraying sea son in April/May 2002. Meanwhile, Sukhoi is planning to boost production of its Su-29/31 piston-powered sport aircraft, on the back of large military orders for its Su-30MKI fighter, which has provided funding and capacity for the civil expansion. Production last year fell to two units from a peak of 21 in the early 1990s. Efforts are under way to slash the cost of a basic single-seat Su-31 from $210,000 to $140,000. The high price is a result of the amount of composite material in the airframe. Sukhoi general designer Mikhail Simonov blames the low output on the company's decision to move the production line and introduce design changes. A total of 166 Sukhoi pistons have been sold and account for nearly half of the air craft participating in major aero batic competitions, says Simonov. Sukhoi has also developed what Simonov calls "a secret weapon" for international aerobatics compe titions - a lightweight aircraft referred to as the "Super" that will be used by Russia's national team. In parallel, Sukhoi is continuing development of the Su-49 twin- seat single-piston trainer for mili tary and civil markets. Also under development is an affordable twin seater for aeroclubs. CHARTERS Bexair set up to serve Middle East from Bahrain An executive jet charter company with its own dedicated terminal facilities, will begin operations at Bahrain international Airport in the first week of October. The move follows Bahrain transport ministry authorisation earlier this year for private Saudi Arabian firm, Arabian Support and Services Company (ASASCO), to form the Bahrain Executive Air Services Company (Bexair). ASASCO executive director Mansour al-Tassan says it will ini tially operate a Cessna Citation Excel and a Bombardier Challenger 604, with a Citation X set to join the fleet in October. Cessna's Citation Excel will kick-start Bexair's charter service Bahrain was selected, says al-Tassan, "because its location enables the company to serve the corporate market throughout the region. Most of our customers will be businesses, banks and insur ance companies." Bexair is creat ing dedicated passenger handling and aircraft service facilities at the airport's old terminal building and is studying two other locations as a permanent executive terminal. IN-FLIGHT SERVICES DeCrane plans internet first with e-Cabin.Connect Passenger cabin specialist DeCrane Aircraft is developing high-speed internet services for business air craft passengers. Dubbed e-Cabin.- Connect, the system will begin flight trials on board a Bombardier Global Express this quarter and is slated for certification by the end of the year. DeCrane is aiming to be first to market with its e-Cabin high-speed internet service, ahead of Boeing's Connexion which is currently being tested on 11 business jets worldwide prior to operational ser vice next year. According to DeCrane, e-Cabin transmits digital data to the aircraft through Ku-band satellites at speeds up to 2mbit/s, while the air craft-to-ground downlink uses existing narrowband phone tech nology. The airborne Integrated cabin server/satellite receive weighs 8.2kg (181b), with the entire installed system estimated to weigh no more than 16kg. The e-Cabin system manages and controls existing and new air craft communication links and will accommodate future broadband technologies such as the Inmarsat high speed data service and ka- band satellites when they become available, says DeCrane. Prices have yet to be determined. 24 3-9 JULY 2001 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.flightinternational.com
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