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Aviation History
1988
1988 - 1229.PDF
COMMUTER AIRCRAFT DIRECTORY Embraer (Brazil) B ANDEIRANTE Production of the Bande- irante continues in Brazil, although at a slower rate, with nearly 500 aircraft sold to date. The Brazilian Air Force has bought 144 Bandeirantes—122 of these being utility trans ports and 22 for maritime patrol, ten of the latter having been ordered late last year. This 18-seater has enhanced its appeal to commuter airlines with the availability of an increased-take-off-weight SFAR 41 version of both the EMB-110-P1 passenger/cargo aircraft and the P2 all-passenger version, designated P1A/41 and P2A/41 respectively. Embraer delivered a total of 11 Bandeirantes in 1987, an increase over both of the preceding years. The company quotes a selling price of US$2-5 million for this popular aircraft, and had deliv ered 469 Bandeirantes to operators in 36 coun tries at the time of writing. The first production aircraft flew in August 1972. BRASILIA Sales of the EMB-120 continue at a healthy rate, with more than 140 aircraft sold to date. The Brasilia was certificated in Brazil during May 1985, and in the United States in July 1985. The first delivery was made to Atlanta-based Atlantic Southeast Airlines in August 1985, and today the carrier has 26 aircraft in operation. DLT became the first European operator of the aircraft when it took delivery of the first of its Brasilias in January 1986. The first military customer is the Brazil ian Air Force, which has received four Brasilias and has announced its intention to procure further aircraft. Production rate for this pres surised 30-seater is four aircraft per month, rising to five per month later this year. Embraer quotes a unit price of around $5 • 8 million for the type, and has delivered over 65 aircraft to 12 operators in five countries to date. Embraer/FAMA (Brazil/Argentina) CBA-123 Embraer is developing this new 19-seat aircraft jointly with Fabrica Argentina de Materiales Aeroespaciales (FAMA) of Argentina, which is taking a one-third share in this US$300 million programme. The designa tion CBA-123 stands for "Co-operation Brazil- Argentina". The aircraft will have a shortened Brasilia fuselage, a new supercritical wing, and a T-tail. Power will be provided by two pusher Garrett TPF351-20 turboprops mounted in pods on the rear fuselage. An eight- to ten-seat corporate version is also planned. The CBA-123 will replace the Bandeirante Embraer's EMB-120 Brasilia is having wide sales success on the Embraer product line, and is to be priced in the US$4 million range. Assembly lines are to be set up in both countries, although the production split is yet to be defined, and first deliveries are expected in 1990. The partners foresee a worldwide market for the type of around 700 units, including commuter, corporate, and military variants. Fairchild Aircraft (USA) METRO III & EXPEDITER Fairchild Aircraft, now owned by GMF Investments, a California-based company, has enjoyed a revival in the fortunes of the Metro III during the past few years. The company delivered 36 Metro Ills and Expediters in 1987, compared with 34 in 1986, 30 in 1985, and 23 in 1984. Production rate is rising from 2-5 to 3-3 aircraft per month, to allow some 40 aircraft to be delivered in 1988. Besides the standard 19/20-passenger Metro III, Fairchild has intro duced an all-cargo version named the Expe diter. This model has a reinforced cabin floor and a reduced empty weight, permitting a maximum cargo payload of more than 5,0001b. In November 1985 Fairchild certificated a version of the aircraft designated the Metro IIIA, powered by Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6As. This model arose because Fairchild was experiencing some problems with early-model Garrett TPE331 engines, although this has since been rectified with the advent of the TPE331-11U used on the current Metro III. No sales of the Metro IIIA have been made. Although primarily selling to the commuter sector of the market, Fairchild has also sold several aircraft to military operators, including one to Sweden in 1987 for use as an airborne early warning test aircraft. With more than 420 sales to its credit (including over 20 Expediters), the Metro, which first appeared in 1966, is probably the most widely used US-built turboprop. At the end of 1987 there were 370 Metros in scheduled service with 50 operators worldwide. List price of the Metro III is in the region of $3-2 million, METRO IV & V Two new versions of the successful Metro commuterliner were launched last year, the Metro IV and Metro V. The former will be similar to the Metro III, but will have TPE331-12 turboprops and incorporate various engineering changes to allow certifica tion to FAR Part 23 requirements. Fairchild hopes to have this version certificated by the end of this year. The Metro V, although generally similar to the earlier aircraft, will offer many improvements. These will include a longer, redesigned fuselage, with a "stand up" cabin, a new flightdeck, improved control surfaces, and a T-tail. The Metro V will also incorporate all the Metro IV changes, including the TPE331-12 engines. Fairchild plans to have the Metro V in production by 1991. Both the Metro IV and V will offer a standard 19-seat commuter layout, and the Metro V will also be available as a corporate aircraft. A further development of the Metro V, with a new wing and higher cruise speeds, the Metro VI, may be launched in the future. The Fairchild Metro is still the most numerous of the commuters in the USA's skies FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL, 7 May 1988
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