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Aviation History
2004
2004-08 - 0052.PDF
Directory: civil rotorcraft GTD-350W2 turboshafts produced by WSK Rzeszow. The increased power improves climb rate and hover ceiling and allows the Mi-2plus to fly with one engine inoperative, says PZL. The Mi-2plus is offered alongside the Rolls-Royce 250-powered Kania light turbine twin. The Polish manufacturer received certification for its SW-4 five-seat turbine single in November 2002. The Polish air force plans to acquire 47 of the helicopters by 2010 for pilot training. Indonesian Aerospace is in talks on licence assembly of the SW-4 to meet a 20-aircraft Indonesian National Police requirement. The latest W-3A2 version of PZL's Sokol "medium-light" turbine twin, equipped with Smiths Aerospace four-axis autopilot, was certificated in March last year. A W-3A2 equipped with PZL-developed 1,500 litre water tank was delivered to Spanish commercial operator Helibravo in September for firefighting missions in Portugal. | ROBINSON HELICOPTERwwwrobinsonheli.com R22Betall 621kg 180kg 1/1 R44 Raven I 1,090kg 351kg 1/3 R44 Raven II 1,135kg 367kg 1/3 1 x 130hp 1 x 225hp 1 x 300hp Lycoming O-360 Lycoming O-540 Lycoming IO-540 96kt 113kt 117kt 320km+ 645km 645km 14,000ft 14,000ft 14,000ft Robinson produced more helicopters than any other manufacturer last year, delivering a record 422 new piston-single helicopters - 219 R44 Raven Ms, 75 Raven Is and 128 R22s -and expects higher sales this year. The company delivered its 5,000th helicopter in September 2003, having produced 3,480 two-seat R22s and 1,511 four-seat R44s since 1979. Torrance, California-based Robinson attributes the growth in sales to the improved US economy, weaker US dollar and to market acceptance of the higher-performance Raven II, which was introduced in mid-2002. With 11% more take-off power than the Raven I, the Raven II is also available in float-equipped, instrument flight-rules training, electronic news-gathering and airborne law-enforcement versions. In a move to further stimulate sales, Robinson has been offering free rooftop helipads to R44 buyers in Arizona and Southern California. The first 6.1 x 6.1m private helistop was installed on the roof of a Honda dealership in Santa Ana, California in mid-2003. ROSTVERTOL www.rostvertolplc.com Mi-60MAI 1,300kg 205kg Mi-2A 3,700kg 1,550kg Mi-26T 56,000kg 20,000kg 1/1 1/8 6/70 1 x 240hp 2 x 450/505shp 2x 11,400shp VAZ-426 Progress AI-450 or TM Arrius 2M1 Progress D-136 100K1 127kt 138kt - 450km 800km 17,000ft - 15,000ft Best known as producer of the world's largest helicopter, the Mi-26, Rostvertol is studying an upgrade to the Mi-2 light twin-turbine helicopter called the Mi-2A. A draft plan is to be completed by year-end, following which the Mi-2A could be certificated within 18-24 months, says the Rostov-based company. The upgraded, eight/nine-passenger helicopter would be offered with Progress AI-450 or Turbomeca Arrius 2M1 engines, giving an increased, 3,700kg gross weight. Rostvertol has been working towards certification of the Mi-60MAI two-seat light helicopter, but the programme's status is unclear. The piston-powered aircraft is offered with a Lycoming HIO-360, Russian VAZ-426 rotary engine or two Rotax 914Fs. The company continues to produce the Mi-26T, offering the heavylift helicopter for sale or lease, and is working on a two-crew cockpit upgrade. I SCHWEIZER AIRCRAFT wwwschweize 300CBi 795kg 300kg 300C 930kg 431kg 333 1,160kg 590kg r-aircraft.com 1/2 1/2 1/2-3 1 x180hp 1 x190hp 1 x 250shp Lycoming HIO-360 Lycoming HIO-360 R-R 250-C20W 80kt 86kt 105kt 355km 375km 575km 10,000ft 14,000ft 13,000ft Schweizer has begun 2004 with an order for five Model 333 light single-turbine helicopters for delivery this year to Mexico's Agenda General de Investigacion, for airborne law enforcement and surveillance missions including border patrol and drug interdiction. The Elmira, New York-based company expects to deliver eight turbine and almost 40 piston-powered helicopters this year, an increase over 2003. To increase the utility of the 333, Schweizer in January certificated an increase in the maximum 5min take-off power limit on the Rolls-Royce 250-C20W turboshaft to 280shp, from 252shp. This increases hover out-of-ground-effect ceiling by as much as 6,000ft, says Schweizer. The increased take-off rating is available as an option on new 333s and is retrofittable to most in-service aircraft. Schweizer celebrated 20 years of manufacturing former Hughes 269-series helicopters in December. The company took over production and support of the aircraft, includ ing the civil Model 300C piston-single, in 1983. The improved 300CB training helicopter was certificated in 1995, and followed in 2002 by the fuel-injected 300CBi. The Model 330 single-turbine variant was certificated in 1992, evolving into the 333 in 2001. Assembly of Schweizer helicopters in China by Shanghai Sikorsky Aircraft got under way last year. The joint venture, 51%-owned by Shanghai Little Eagle Science & Technology and 49% by Sikorsky, is assembling the 300CBi for domestic sale as the Shen2B, the 300C and as the Shen3A and the 333 as the Shen4T I SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT v S-76C+ 5,310kg S-92 11,860kg /ww.sikorsky.com 2,180kg 2/13 4,450kg 2/19-24 2 x 855shp 2 x 2,520shp TM Arriel 2GE CT7-8A 155kt 153kt 680km 825km 12,700ft 15,000ft Sikorsky saw record sales of the S-76C+ medium twin last year, booking orders for 49 helicopters plus options for 57 as corporate and offshore operators moved to re- equip their fleets. The company delivered 23 aircraft in 2003, and plans to deliver 29 this year. Offshore Logistics has ordered 15 S-76C+ helicopters for delivery over five years. Four aircraft have been delivered to Senior Taxi Aero, followed by 10 to Lider Taxi Aero - both Brazilian offshore operators. CHC Helicopters has ordered four. S-76C+ airframes are now built by Aero Vodochody in the Czech Republic and VIP aircraft completed by West Chester, Pennsylvania-based Keystone Helicopter. In February last year, Sikorsky launched the first elements of an S-76 upgrade, aiming for 2005 delivery. Improvements include Turbomeca Arriel 2S2 engines with 6% more power, quiet tailrotor and gearbox and rotor de-icing. The upgrades will be retrofittable. Deliveries of the S-92 begin this month to Petroleum Helicopters, which will place two of the 19-seaters into service in the Gulf of Mexico this year. Other offshore cus tomers include CHC, with three on order, and Nosk Helikopter, with four, for North Sea operations. Three VIP-configured S-92s are scheduled for delivery this year, with Keystone providing completions. Customers include scheduled passenger operators Copterline of Finland, Vancouver-based HeliJet Airways and Hong Kong's East Asia Airlines. The S-92 was certificated in December 2002. An enhanced version, the H-92 SuperHawk, is being developed for the military market and features 25%-uprated General Electric CT7-8C engines and fly-by-wire flight control. The VH-92 variant is being offered for the US VXX presidential transport requirement. ULAN-UDE AVIATION PLANT www.uuaz.ru Working with Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant, Ulan-Ude is upgrading the cockpit of the Mi-171 Russian-certificated version of the Mi-8/17. Deliveries of new Mi-171s continue, with 10 to be delivered to Malaysia this year for search and rescue. Efforts are under way to certificate the 26-passenger helicopter in Brazil, China, Germany and South Korea. 50 9-15 MARCH 2004 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.flightinternational.com
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