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Aviation History
2004
2004-09 - 0369.PDF
HEADLINES AIR TRANSPORT GUY NORRIS / LOS ANGELES Costs rule P&W out of 7E7 contest Despite UTC's reluctance to back new engine proposal, manufacturer resolves to stay in commercial market Pratt & Whitney insists that its fail ure to win a place on the Boeing 7E7 does not signal the start of a gradual withdrawal from the civil engine market, and argues that the financial costs of participating in the new twinjet programme were unacceptable. General Electric and Rolls-Royce beat P&W in the hard-fought com petition for what is the only major new commercial programme on the horizon, despite P&W's PW-EXX bid being the only all-new engine design offered. Boeing 7E7 senior vice-president Mike Bair says the final selection was "a very close decision, but we are happy this represents the best value for everyone who is going to be involved in this aircraft". P&W's main stumbling block appears to have been the reluc tance of its owner United Tech nologies (UTC), as well as that of its partners such as MTU, to back suffi ciently the business proposal aspect of the package. Although Boeing and P&W decline to comment specifically, the engine maker says "UTC is very conservative". Pointing to the success of collab oration in the International Aero Engines V2500 and GE-P&W GP7000 programmes, P&W says: "We're going to go after commer cial programmes that we think make long-term business sense, but we won't damage the company financially to win. We may be third in the commercial business for a while. So be it." Bair says: "Technically all three had very robust offerings that met or exceeded our technical require ments," adding that the final deci sion was based on "a combination of all aspects", including technical, marketing and financial factors. Dubbed the GE GENX and the R-R Trent 1000, the engines will be certificated at 70,0001b thrust (312kN) for the heavier 7E7 models, with a derate to 53,0001b for the AIR TRANSPORT short-range version. Boeing now designates this as the 7E7-3, while the 15,730km (8,500nm) range "base" variant is the 7E7-8 and the stretch now becomes the 7E7-9. Both engines are set to run for the first time in 2006, although the order in which they will power the 7E7 depends on the launch cus tomer. Bair says talks are under way with around 50 operators, half of which could be considered "seri ous" launch candidates. "There are no prescribed requirements for launch," adds Bair, who says "even one" firm customer might be suffi cient to give it the firm go-ahead by the end of the year. GE and Rolls-Royce win with low-risk approach 7E7 winners, the General Electric GENX (left) and Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 (right) will be certificated at 70,000lb General Electric's GENX engine is a fifth-generation GE90 derivative incorporating a 2.82m (111 in)-diameter high- flow swept composite fan, possibly with as few as 20 blades compared with 22 for the GE90. "We went in with a low-risk design to Boeing, while injecting some new tech nology," says GE engineering vice-president and general manager Rick Stanley. New features include counter-rotating high- and low- pressure (HP/LP) spools; an advanced 10-stage HP com pressor based on the aerodynamics demonstrated on the latest "Core 7" development version of the GE90-94B; a single annular, twin annular pre-swirl combustor; and a low blade-count, seven-stage LP turbine. Design freeze for what is also being seen as GE's next-generation CF6 replacement is expected by early 2005 and certification in mid-2007. The Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 is the fifth member of the Trent family, and is based largely on the Trent 900 design. "We think we have the right balance of evolved Trent her itage with a significant number of new features," says civil aerospace president Mike Terrett. A key feature is the 2.85m diameter, low-speed swept fan, which will be rooted in a smaller radius hub to lower the hub/tip ratio. It will also incorporate an eight-stage intermediate pressure (IP) compressor, six-stage counter-rotating high-pressure compressor, advanced low-emissions combustor, single- stage HP and IP turbines and six-stage LP turbine. Taking advantage of the triple shaft design, power for the aircraft will be taken off the back end of the IP com pressor rather than the usual front end of the HP compressor, allowing a greater stability margin and lower flight and ground idle thrust. BUSINESS AVIATION Airbus to provide 'off the peg' VIP A380 model Airbus plans to offer a standard VIP interior for its A380 ultra-large air craft. It has issued initial concept drawings of the "Prestige" cabin to its authorised completion centres and is soliciting feedback. The aim of the Prestige concept - already offered on the A319 Cor porate Jetliner (A319CJ) - is to pro vide a ready-made luxury interior to buyers who want to avoid having to design their own. The preliminary design of the A380 Prestige features airline-style seating and office areas on the air craft's main deck with the top cabin dedicated to the VIP area. Airbus is understood to be in talks with several heads of state for the VIP A380, but has yet to sign a launch customer. Under its Prestige business model, Airbus leads the completion project, offering a semi-standardised interior, with cabin interiors outsourced to com pletion centres. The A319CJ Prestige cabin, which weighs around 5,450kg (12,0001b), has separate areas devoted to a liv ing room with large-screen televi sion, dining room, office, bedroom and bathroom, including shower. 6 13-19 APRIL 2004 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.flightinternational.com
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