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Aviation History
2002
2002 - 3040.PDF
BUSINESS & GENERAL AVIATION PRODUCTION Bombardier starts to shut down lines Bombardier has begun the tem porary shutdown of its business- jet production lines as it imple ments urgent cost-cutting measures announced last month. Challenger production in Montreal is being slowed for four months, and Global Express assembly in Toronto will be halted for up to eight weeks beginning in mid-November. A four-month shutdown of Learjet production at Wichita, Kansas, will begin on 1 December. The production cut follows Bombardier's announce ment that it will deliver only 100 business jets in the financial year ending 31 January, down from the 140 originally planned, because of the dramatic slump in the corporate aircraft market. The cost-cutting measures, which include almost 2,000 lay offs, are expected to save C$200 million ($125 million) a year, but stopping and restarting the production lines will incur a one-time cost of C$45 million, Bombardier says. The production hiatus will avoid a build-up in unsold "white tails", the company says. "We had an urgent requirement to cut the rates. It will allow us to see how the market develops over the next four to five months and help us decide how best to bring the lines back up again." Development and entry-into- service schedules for the Challenger 300, Global 5000, and Learjet 40 and 45XR will not be affected by the measures, the company says. Bombardier's action is the most dramatic by a business jet manufacturer. Raytheon has scaled back Beechcraft and Hawker output substantially, Gulfstream has slowed GIV and GV production and Cessna has lowered its Citation delivery fore cast for next year as it works off its order backlog. Dassault, how ever, plans to continue Falcon production at around 75 a year for the next two years, citing a strong backlog. SAFETY GRAHAM WARWICK / WASHINGTON DC First recovery vindicates parachute rescue system Safe landing of certificated aircraft makes $10m investment worthwhile, says Cirrus An airframe parachute has been used "in anger" for the first time to land a Cirrus SR22 light aircraft successfully - an event the manu facturer calls a milestone in general aviation safety. There have been over 155 documented "saves" of ultralights and kitplanes, but the 3 October incident in Texas was the first of a certificated aircraft. After experiencing control diffi culties, the pilot escaped injury by triggering the aircraft's rocket- deployed recovery parachute and landing in woods. The aircraft was on its first flight following mainte nance. Cirrus Design is the only certificated aircraft manufacturer to fit an airframe parachute system, which is installed as standard on its four-seat SR20 and SR22. The company sees the incident as a vindication of its $10 million investment in the airframe para chute system. "A lot of people thought the parachute was an unnecessary expense that added weight to the aircraft. This incident proved them wrong," says Cirrus chief executive Alan Klapmeier. The system's manufacturer, Ballistic Recovery Systems (BRS), has supplied over 17,000 para chutes worldwide, most for uncer tificated ultralights and kitplanes. The company first certificated a system for retrofit to the Cessna 150. Only a few have been sold, but the programme led to develop ment of the Cirrus airframe para chute system. BRS recently certifi cated a system for retrofit to the larger Cessna 172, and has begun development of a recovery para chute for the heavier Cessna 182, says sales director Greg Ellsworth. Cirrus says the parachute can be deployed at any time. Certi fication included tests at low and high speed and in a spin. Initial deployment stalls the aircraft, which pitches nose down until the harnesses, lines and canopy are fully unfurled, after which the aircraft descends essentially wings level. At maximum gross weight, the landing speed is 26ft/s (8m/s). The recom mended minimum altitude for deployment is 1,000ft (300m). After an earlier incident in which the pilot claimed he was unable to pull hard enough to trigger the roc ket, Cirrus issued a service bulletin requiring owners to upgrade the act ivation system to ensure the force required to deploy the parachute is consistent (Flight International, 9-16 April). BRS, meanwhile, says acci dents in which pilots have decided not to deploy the parachute suggest additional training may be required. Cirrus is continuing its safety drive by offering the TKS ice-protec tion system as an option on the SR22. The first aircraft fitted with the system have been completed. The pilot walked away uninjured after his aircraft parachuted to Earth MARKETING EADS Socata sets up roadshow EADS Socata is to hold roadshows in French cities in a move to kick-start the corporate aviation market in its home country. The board is set to consider around 10 presentations on private aircraft travel this week. The presentations, which will highlight the operating economics between city pairs, will focus on the generic benefits of corporate aviation, rather than pushing Socata aircraft. The roadshows will be held in cities with industrial ties to other smaller European cities and Socata is hoping that many of the cities' airports will establish charter operations using its TBM700 single-engined turboprop. The company says it had previ ously geared its sales strategy around air shows, but "in the USA people go to shows with money in their pocket to buy aircraft. In Europe, especially in France, people come to watch aircraft flying." What is needed first is an educa tion programme, says Socata. Socata says that several air taxi operators are also interested in the TBM, once the Joint Aviation Auth orities permit public flights of sin gle-engined aircraft under instru ment flight rules, expected soon. 20 15-21 OCTOBER 2002 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.fliqhtinternational.com
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