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Aviation History
2002
2002 - 3679.PDF
BUSINESS & GENERAL AVIATION SAFETY GUY NORRIS / LOS ANGELES US Forest Service grounds aircraft Ageing C-130As and PB4Ys are to be abandoned following a spate of crashes during fire-fighting operations The US Forest Service is to abandon the use of elderly Lockheed C-130A Hercules and Consolidated PB4Y Privateer airtankers and will sus pend fire mission operations by 19 government-owned Beech Barons (P-58s) and four Shorts Sherpa smoke jumper aircraft as part of a series of safety changes. The move follows the findings of a "blue ribbon panel" on aerial fire- fighting that was commissioned after a spate of crashes during last season's campaigns in California and Colorado. Three people died in June when the wings of a C-130A separated during low-level fire-fight ing operations in California, and the two-man crew of a 57-year-old PB4Y died in similar circumstances over Colorado the following month. July also saw the fatal crash in Colorado of a Aerospatiale SA315B Lama heli copter, also on fire-fighting duty. The Forest Service admits that grounding the older tankers, which provided about 10% of the fleet's water and foam-dropping capacity in 2002, when added to the other suspensions, could pose problems in the 2003 season. However, plans are in hand to use extra helicopters and military aircraft if needed. The Forest Service, together with the Bureau of Land Management, which jointly commissioned the report, says it will consult the US Federal Aviation Administration to "develop a rigorous inspection and maintenance programme before we fly another mission". The remaining 33 large airtankers, including Lock heed PV-2s and Douglas DC-6s, will undergo the inspection and mainte nance programme before they will be allowed to rejoin the fleet. The future of the Baron fleet is also uncertain, given the panel's safety findings, which say: "The safety record of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters used in wildland fire management is unacceptable." The panel called for the develop ment of a common operations plan to sort out the "mission muddle" between federal land management agencies. "Wildland fire-fighting has grown to a level of importance that warrants the attention of national leaders," it says. ENGINES SMA seals trainer deal SMA has finalised a deal with National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) of India to supply its 170kW (228hp) SR 305-230 diesel engine for the Hansa 4 civil trainer now under development. This is SMA's first deal in India and could open up the Asian market for the company. SMA says the NAL contract was assisted by fellow French powerplant builder Snecma. SMA is jointly owned by EADS, Renault and Snecma. Right testing the all-composite Hansa 4, an upgrade of the Hansa 3 trainer and NAL's first foray into the Indian civil aviation market, will begin in the first quarter of next year, leading to certification and first deliveries in 2004. SMA is seeking to increase its share of the diesel engine market through retrofit and new aircraft installations. The SR305, which received US certification earlier this year, has already been selected by Cirrus and Maule to drive their respective SR22tdi and M-7 light aircraft. Seven retrofit programmes are also under development, including the Cessna 182 Skylane and EADS Socata TB20, for which supple mental type certificates are scheduled early next year. GROUND TESTING BA609 tiltrotor flight set for early next year The first flight of the Bell/Agusta BA609 civil tiltrotor is planned for early 2003 after the start of powered ground runs on an elevated ramp. Bell says it is aiming for certification of the six- to nine-seat machine in January 2007. Bell president Glenn Hess re affirms the strategy to pace BA609 development behind that of the V-22 military tiltrotor, which is not expected to enter US Marine Corps service before 2005. The test sched ule calls for the first prototype to fly six to eight weeks after static- powered testing begins. A second machine, to join the flight-test effort next year, will focus on performance and envelope ex pansion. Two more prototypes, on which work was suspended this year, are expected to fly in 2004. Ground runs on the ramp will provide the necessary clearance for the BA609's Pratt & Whitney Can ada PT6C-67A-driven proprotors to rotate through the full conversion range. This follows an extensive check-out of the tiltrotor's hyd raulic, fuel and electrical systems. The BA609 was due to enter civil service this year, but the programme has been hit by the V-22 grounding and a squeeze on funds. Bell has spent the year replicating V-22 "triple lab" testing on the BA609, hooking up ironbird hardware with the vehicle system integration labo ratory and simulator to verify and regression-test flight software. BA609 powered ground runs are now under way IN BRIEF PREMIER APPROVAL Raytheon's Beechcraft Premier I light business jet has received certification in Denmark and Israel, and approval in Brazil, Ireland and Italy is planned by year-end. Certification in Argen tina, China, France, Guatemala, Japan, Spain, Turkey, the UK and Venezuela is planned for next year. The aircraft is on a world sales tour and Raytheon plans to increase production from 33 air craft this year to 58 in 2003. BOND PUMAS Bond Offshore Helicopters has ordered six Eurocopter AS332L Mark II Super Pumas to support BP Exploration's North Sea oper ations. The $400 million BP contract announced last week is believed to be the largest of its kind in the offshore industry. Operations will begin in 2004, coinciding with delivery of the twin-engined machines. Bond will provide crew change services for BP from Aberdeen for an initial 10 years. The service is now han dled by CHC Scotia. EC145 HANDOVER The French Gendarmerie has taken delivery of the first of eight Eurocopter EC145 helicopters. The twin-engined machines will replace ageing Aerospatiale Alouette III helicopters. www.flightinternational.com FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 17-30 DECEMBER 2002 23
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