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Aviation History
1972
1972 - 3316.PDF
FLIGHT International, 14 December 1972 .. .and now the Mainlander Fairey Britten-Norman proposes a Hercules-size Bristol Freighter replacement with a Trislander- type layout FAIREY BRITTEN-NORMAN is conducting a feasibility study for a short-haul, three-Dart-powered passenger/cargo transport, selling for £850,000 and aimed as a replacement for such types as the Fairchild C-119 and the Bristol Freighter. A preliminary notification of the design study was made to the FAA last week. Deliveries might be made early in 1976 if a go-ahead decision were taken in Decem ber 1973. The initial study should be complete in March or April, but the ultimate go-ahead depends on suitable government financing being made available. This would be the Belgian Government and possibly governments of any other countries which might want to participate in the programme, perhaps on a part-manufacturing basis. The British Government has not been approached for help with PRINCIPAL DATA Maximum take-off weight 62,5001b Maximum landing weight 58,0001 Maximum zero-fuel weight 55,0001 Maximum ramp weight 63,0001 Empty weight 30,1401 Standard fuel capacity 2,000 Imp gal Optional fuel capacity 3,000 Imp gal Length overall 82ft 6in Height overall 31ft 9in Span 130ft Cabin length (excluding flight deck and rear door space) 54ft Cabin width 12ft 6ln Cabin height 8ft 6in e.g. range 19% to 25% s.m.c. Wing chord 14f Wing area 1,820 sq ft Powerplant Three Rolls-Royce Dart RDa7s, driving Dowty Rotol 11ft 6in propellers Power (wet) 2,280 t.e.h.p. Power (dry) 2,020 t.e.h.p. FT ) lO M 5 0 FT . ( DISTANC E F LANDIN G •^ HARD DRY SURFACE. UNFACTORED w WEIGH T MA X f 30000 40000 50000 60000 70000 III1"-'1 AIRCRAFT WEIGHT - LB. 859 development costs and John Britten and Desmond Norman are not banking on such help. They decline to give esti mated development costs. Able to carry 100 passengers or ten tons of freight or vehicles over 250 miles at 200kt, the 62,0001b aircraft would rely on low wing loading (341b/sq ft) to achieve a balanced field length of about 800yd in typical conditions. In this respect it would fall between the performance of the Islander and that of the Trislander. Main markets are seen as under-developed countries in both civil and mili tary roles. Seat-mile costs should come out slightly better than those of the F.27. The name of Mainlander is fitting because production would be based at the Gosselies (Belgium) plant of Fairey, and it is the first Britten-Norman design to have the Fairey Britten-Norman prefix. The Gosselies factory is at present mainly concerned with Mirage subcontract work and Fairey is anxious to get work of its own into the plant. The Mainlander layout borrows wholesale from the much smaller Trislander, which has demonstrated good handling qualities and minimal pitch-trim changes with power application. The structure of the Mainlander is as simple as possible, with an unpressurised fuselage, bigger than that of a Hercules—54ft long by 12ft 6in wide (lift 9in at floor level) and 8ft 6in high, loaded through full-width rear doors. The undercarriage is fixed and has twin low- pressure tyres on each leg. The flying controls are manual (servo tabs). Desmond Norman says the first thing to be done now is to go overseas to "get a reference point" for the civil and military market. It will then be a question of seeing if the feedback sends the company back to the drawing board or
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