FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
2002
2002 - 3161.PDF
BUSINESS & GENERAL AVIATION BUSINESS JETS GRAHAM WARWICK / WASHINGTON DC Adam Aircraft launches A700 development plan Seven-seat jet is based on the A500 piston twin, with certification planned for 2004 Adam Aircraft has launched devel opment of a business jet based on its first design, the A500 piston twin scheduled for certification by the middle of 2003. Powered by two l,2001b-thrust (5.3kN) Williams Int ernational FJ33s, the seven-seat A700 is planned for certification in the second half of 2004. The A700 has 80% parts com monality with the all-composite A500, sharing the same wing and twin-boom tail. The fuselage is stretched to accommodate a toilet in the aft cabin, and pressurisation is increased to handle the A700's 41,000ft (12,500m) ceiling. Introductory price for the A700 is just under $2 million, compared with 5935,000 for the six-seat A500. Standard features include an elec tronic flight instrument system with three flat-panel displays, and bleed- air de-icing. The A500 has conven tional cockpit instrumentation and optional glycol-based de-icing. Colorado-based Adam believes the A700's performance will be competitive with that of Cessna's Citation Mustang entry-level jet, while offering a larger cabin. Maximum cruise speed is 340kt (630km/h) at 38,000ft. Instrument flight-rules range is 2,035km (l,100nm). Payload at maximum range is 330kg (7251b). Outside financing is being sought to develop the A 700, although most will come from industrialist Rick Adam, who is financing the major ity of the A500 programme. Adam says the A500 is on schedule for US certification next year, leading to first deliveries in mid-2003 against a backlog of 60 orders. The company is taking $ 10,000 non-refundable deposits on the A700. The first A500 has undergone 75h of flight testing and two other certification aircraft are in assembly. The centreline-thrust aircraft is pow ered by two Teledyne Continental TSIO-550Es mounted fore and aft in the fuselage. The first of three A700 prototypes is due to fly in the second half of 2003, with first deliveries in late 2004. The twinjet A700 will follow the A500 piston twin by little more than a year DEMONSTRATOR PROGRAMME P&WC begins turbofan flight tests Pratt & Whitney Canada has begun flight testing its PW600F small tur bofan demonstrator as Cessna nears selection of an engine to power its Citation Mustang entry-level busi ness jet. A 1,5001b (6.7kN) thrust- class PW615 version of the P&WC engine is competing with the Will iams International FJ33 to power the new personal jet. Mounted on P&WC's Boeing 720 testbed, flight testing of the 2,5001b- thrust demonstrator engine began on 10 October. The first series of flights using a breadboard control system will be followed by a second phase early next year using the dual- channel full-authority digital engine control system planned for the production engine. Performance, handling and relight tests met or exceeded expec tations, says P&WC, boosting the company's bid to power the Citat ion Mustang. "This lends credibility to our proposal," says John Wright, vice-president marketing, business aviation. "This shows we have the technology ready for launch." The PW600F demonstrator pro gramme is a risk-reduction effort intended to allow the company to certificate the first member of the engine family within 36 months of launch. Cessna plans to select an engine by year-end, leading to a Mustang first flight in May 2005 and certification the following year. P&WC offered a 3,0001b-thrust version of the PW600 to power the stretched Citation CJ3, but Cessna stayed with the Williams FJ44. Wright says the company has been assured by Cessna there will be a level playing field in selecting an engine for the all-new Mustang. The company is offering a 1,5001b thrust-class engine with built-in growth and further incr eases in power requiring only minor hardware changes. "The Mustang is a new platform and will grow, so we have identified a first growth step," says Wright. STRATEGY First MD500 for China boosts hopes forMDHI MD Helicopters (MDHI) is poised to receive its first MD500 light single-engine helicopter order in China from an undis closed electricity producer. The sale will be a major boost for the Mesa, California-based manu facturer, opening the door to a lucrative market, following a downturn in its core business over the past 18 months. MDHI chief executive Henk Shaeken says: "If the sale goes ahead, the MD500 will be the first helicopter to be used for powerline inspections in China." As helicopters speed the inspec tion of powerlines, Shaeken expects more orders to follow. "This concept is entirely new within China and they could soon become an accepted and efficient alternative to the man ual inspections [currently undertaken]," he says. MDHI has been actively mar keting its helicopter range within China through operator and dis tributor Avion Pacific, and has already sold a single-engined MD600N and a twin-engined Explorer to Guangdong General Aviation. The Explorer is expected to enter service by the end of October and will be deployed for harbour pilotage. Shaeken admits MHDI has been hit by the economic slow down with delays in procurement decisions in its key markets, law enforcement and emergency medical services, mostly in Europe and the USA. Consequently, the company is widening its net to Asia and Latin America and focusing on corpo rate, offshore, military and drug enforcement markets. The company recently clinched a one-year contract from the US Department of Justice's Drug Enforcement Administration for an Explorer to be operated as an on- and off shore patrol aircraft. MDHI plans to deliver 31 aircraft this year and 40 in 2003. www.flightinternational.com FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 29 OCTOBER - 4 NOVEMBER 2002 29
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
