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Aviation History
2003
2003 - 0299.PDF
AIR TRANSPORT PROPULSION GUY NORRIS / LOS ANGELES Test success gives boost to PW6000 P&W hopes reconfiguration will revive engine's fortunes Pratt & Whitney's attempts to get the troubled PW6000 engine back on track are being boosted by better-than-expected performance from the reconfigured engine during initial test runs at its Willgoos development and test site in Connecticut. Tests of the engine, which has been reconfigured with an MTU- designed six-stage high-pressure compressor (HPC), coincide with signs of renewed interest in the 100-seat market and the Airbus A318 for which the engine was originally designed. "We are encouraged," says P&W commercial engines president Bob Leduc. "There are 150-plus firm opportunities out there from a handful of customers," he adds. The engine maker is anxious to revive the fortunes of the PW6000 which, as conceived in 1995, was expected to enter service in 1999. After severely underperforming with its initial five-stage HPC, and suffering a subsequent 30-month slip when the decision was taken to replace the compressor, the engine's customer base has dwindled to just 30 firm orders, from America West and International Lease Finance, although the latter is thought to be cancelling its commitments. Despite the problems, and the late 2005 entry-into-service target, Leduc says: "We needed a core of that size in our portfolio and that's why we are committed to it. In ret rospect we should have done more technical homework, but we would still argue it is a state-of-the-art design." P&W says the low parts count, low-cost philosophy of the PW6000 is still relevant, despite the compressor change. The six-stage unit powerplant has 32% fewer parts than CFM International's CFM56, says Leduc, versus P&W's original 40% parts reduction target with the five-stage HPC. Flight tests on P&W's Boeing 747SP testbed are scheduled to start in the third quarter of 2003, with certification now due around October 2004. First flight of the new version on the A318 is expected around January 2005. TECHNOLOGY PAUL LEWIS / WASHINGTON DC Hunt for PW800 launch aircraft Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) is pinning its long-term hopes of finding a civil launch platform for the PW800 geared turbofan on the next generation of large regional jets or corporate aircraft, while simultaneously looking at a military application for unmanned combat air vehicles as well as a proposed PW180 turboprop derivative. P&WC had been targeting the planned Russian Regional Jet as the only real near-term civil opportunity for launching the 12,000-20,000lb thrust range (53- 89kN) engine, but Sukhoi in concert with partner Boeing are understood to have chosen the competing Snecma SM146 (Flight International, 21-27 January). The company is nonetheless continuing to invest in the engine under the Advanced Technology Fan Integration demonstration. 'We've put a lot of effort into the low spool demonstration of the geared fan. We keep investing and believe there are real opportunities and want to keep the doors open. Immediate applications are rather limited, but we're working the pro gramme for the long term," says Alain Bellemare, P&WC president and chief executive. The company is focusing the PW800 on "four or five niches", including large corporate aircraft in the class of the Bombardier Global Express or Gulfstream G550, and future follow-on 50- to 100-seat regional jets to the Bombardier CRJ series and Embraer ERJ-145. The PW800 is designed to offer improved performance and lower weight, noise and emissions compared to existing regional jet engines. BANKRUPTCY Curtain falls on Air Lib Dutch investment group Imca last week withdrew its offer to buy Air Lib after failing to get sufficiently competitive prices on the pur chase of 29 Airbus A320s, sealing the fate of France's second airline. Jean-Charles Corbet, Air Lib's chief executive, was last week required to declare to the Com mercial Court of Creteil that his company cannot pay €120 million ($129 million) of debt to the French tax, employment and avia tion authorities or repay a €30.5 million government loan, which is being investigated by European Commission anti-trust officials. Imca's decision to pull out coincided with the expiry of Air Lib's operating licence at mid night on 5 February, grounding its flights. French transport minister Gilles de Robien says he "deplores the collapse of the negotiations despite all the efforts of the past month", adding that "we did everything in our power to help the Dutch investor". Dominique Bussereau, secre tary of state for transport, places the blame for the failure squarely on Imca, saying "the government waited all night, ready to sign, but Imca did not do so because it could not reach a price agreement with Airbus." The A380 programme will potentially bring $6 billion of revenue to Goodrich CONTRACTS Goodrich seals A380 ADS deal Airbus has picked Goodrich to supply the primary and standby air data systems (ADS) for its A380 ultra-large airliner. This strength ens Goodrich's position on the project, and brings the Charlotte, North Carolina-based company's potential revenue from the A380 programme to over $6 billion. The ADSs are based on Good rich's SmartProbe air data architec ture in use on military, regional and business aircraft. The com pany will deliver the first proto type units to the Airbus integration laboratory in September. The primary and back-up sys tems will provide air data informa tion. The system incorporates integrated multifunction sensing probes, pressure sensors and a pro cessing capability. By using this philosophy, says Goodrich, "the number of discrete sensor installa tions is reduced, reliability is signif icantly improved, and overall weight and drag are lowered". Goodrich has also been selected to supply the A380's primary and secondary conventional and elec tro-hydraulic flight-control sys tems and a variable frequency elec trical power system. The A380 will be the first large commercial air craft to use variable frequency power. The system is being devel oped by Aerolec, a Goodrich/ Thales joint venture. Goodrich will also supply the cargo-handling system; the body and wing main landing gears; evacuation systems; pylon aft fair ings and rear secondary structure; and exterior lighting components, plus the centre and rear fan case sections, fuel-delivery systems and engine sensor suite for the Rolls- Royce Trent 900 engine option. 8 11-17 FEBRUARY 2003 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.fliqhtinternational.com
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