The French company GECI International and its Sky Aircraft subsidiary are developing a 19-passenger twin turboprop called the Skylander SK-105. The Skylander was formally launched in September 2008. The aircraft is powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-65B engines. Certification and service entry are planned for 2012.
The Australian company GippsAero is developing an 8-10-seat turboprop aircraft that is to be powered by a Rolls-Royce 250-B17F2 engine. The aircraft will have a maximum all-up weight of 2,155 kg (4,750 lb.). First flight of a GA10 developmental prototype is scheduled for this month. Australian type certification is planned for February 2013.
A 19-seat utility aircraft, the Y-12-II is equipped with Western avionics and Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-27 engines flat-rated to 620 shp each. The Y-12-IV has winglets, a strengthened undercarriage and redesigned seating. The Y-12E is powered by 750-shp PT6A-135 engines. Harbin is currently developing the Y-12F, which will have a substantially different design from the earlier Y-12s. The Y-12F will have a wider fuselage, retractable landing gear and increased speed, range and payload.
Beech launched the King Air series of 8-12-seat, twin-turboprop aircraft in 1963. Since then, numerous variants have appeared. Deliveries totaled were 6,526 through 2010. Hawker Beechcraft currently markets the King Air C90GTx, King Air 250 and King Air 350i. The C90GTx is powered by two Pratt & Whitney PT6A-135s producing 550 shp each, the 250 by two Pratt & Whitney PT6A-52s rated at 850 shp each, and the 350i by two 1,050-shp Pratt & Whitney PT6A-60As. Some 1,229 King Airs are expected to be produced in 2011-20.
The Irkut MS-21 is a twin-turbofan, narrowbody derivative of the defunct Yakovlev Yak-242 airliner. First flight is planned for 2014. The MS-21 family comprises the 150-seat MS-21-200, 181-seat -300 and 212-seat -400. All three are to be available in both basic and extended-range versions; the -200 is also to be available in a long-range variant. Power will be provided by Pratt & Whitney PW1400G or Aviadvigatel PD-14 engines. Service entry is targeted for 2016. Primary competition for the MS-21 is likely to come from the Boeing 737, Airbus A320 and Comac C919.
The current L-410UVP-E20 model of this 15-19-passenger, unpressurized, twin-turboprop regional/utility transport aircraft is powered by two GE M601 engines. GE is developing an improved H80 powerplant that combines the M601 design with GE-developed 3-D aerodynamic design techniques and new materials. The H80 features an extended service life of 3,600 flight hours or 6,600 cycles between overhauls and improved hot-day takeoff performance and high-altitude cruise speeds. The engine requires no recurrent fuel nozzle or hot-section inspections.
Mitsubishi formally launched the Mitsubishi Regional Jet family in March 2008. Two basic models are planned: the 78-passenger MRJ70 and 92-passenger MRJ90. Both are powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney PurePower PW1200G geared turbofans. Extended-range and long-range versions of each basic model are envisioned, while a 100-seater dubbed the MRJ100X is also being considered. First flight of the MRJ is scheduled for 2012. Service entry is planned for 2014. Some 214 MRJs are forecast for production in 2011-20.
Launched in 2007, RUAG Aerospace's Do 228NG (Next Generation) is an updated version of Dornier's original turboprop Do 228. The aircraft is powered by 776-shp TPE331-10 engines and features other improvements such as a new glass cockpit, five-blade propellers and aerodynamic changes to the wing. The first Do 228NGs were delivered in 2010 and 74 are forecast to be built in 2011-20.
The Tu-204-100 short/medium-range, narrowbody commercial transport aircraft is powered by a pair of Aviadvigatel PS-90A turbofans, while the Tu-204-120 variant has two Rolls-Royce RB211-535E4 engines. The Tu-214, also known as the Tu-204-200, has a higher maximum takeoff weight (244,155 lb.) than the Tu-204-100. It retains the PS-90A powerplants of the -100 but carries additional fuel. The Tu-204's first flight occurred in January 1989. Through 2010, 79 Tu-204s (in all versions) were produced.
Viking Air owns the manufacturing rights to a number of out-of-production de Havilland aircraft, including the DHC-6 Twin Otter non-pressurized, high-wing, twin-engine turboprop utility aircraft. In April 2007, Viking Air launched a program to restart production of the 19-passenger Twin Otter. The updated Viking Air Twin Otter Series 400 incorporates more than 800 changes to the Series 300 and is now powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-34s or optional PT6A-35s.
The MA60 twin-turboprop transport aircraft is a stretched version of the Xian Y7-200A, in turn a variation of the Antonov An-24. Accommodation can be provided for 52-60 passengers. The aircraft is powered by two 2,750-shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127J engines. Initial flight and delivery of the MA60 took place in 2000. A freighter version, called the -500, is also marketed. In May 2010, a new variant, the MA600, was awarded certification by the Civil Aviation Administration of China.
Xian is developing a twin-turboprop regional airliner dubbed the MA700. This aircraft is not an MA60 variant, but rather a clean-sheet design. Features include six-blade propellers, a T-tail and an unswept, high-mounted wing. Two versions are envisioned: with 70-plus and 90-plus seats. A dedicated freighter variant has also been considered. The MA700 effort is in the design phase, with formal launch tentatively planned by year-end. Negotiations are under way with Pratt & Whitney Canada regarding supply of an engine and may be ongoing with Rolls-Royce.
A wave of new aircraft programs is under way that will help define the next era of the global airline industry. The first of these aircraft types are entering revenue service, and will accelerate the phase-out of some iconic current-generation commercial aircraft models. Boeing in particular will look back at 2011 as a transitional year. The first Boeing 787 was finally delivered on Sept. 26 to launch customer All Nippon Airways (ANA), which is flying its initial 787-8s on short-haul routes.
The Moon might have been nudged aside by U.S. policymakers in favor of a near-Earth asteroid as the next destination for human explorers, but it remains a focus for internationally sponsored missions and entrepreneurs drawn to a deeper scientific understanding of the celestial neighborhood—as well as to the potential for profits from resources mined from the lunar surface.
Nov. 28-30—Airports Council International-Europe/Asia's 2011 Airport Exchange. Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center, United Arab Emirates. Also, Power of India: “New Horizons for Airport Commercial Revenues. Novotel, Hyderabad. See www.aci.aero Nov. 29-Dec. 1—Certification Together International Conference. Pierre Baudis Congress Center, Toulouse. See www.certification-together.com
The remarks that I have prepared are tough—they are not the remarks that I wish I could deliver, praising our successes and focused only on the future. But I hope that there will be some demonstrable benefit to my sharing a blunt assessment of where I think we stand as an aviation community.
As part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office, its director declassified troves of data on the KH-9 Hexagon, a first-of-a-kind satellite blending the resolution of 2 ft. (at the time considered high) with wide-area coverage.
I find it curious that Southwest Airlines was showcased as an “early adopter” of required navigation procedure (RNP) operations (AW&ST Oct. 17, p. 44). My employer, Alaska Airlines, has been conducting RNP approaches for years and pioneered the technology. Southwest is a Johnny-come-lately by comparison. Bellevue, Wash.
Has anyone in the Air Force or other services thought about fuel savings via replacement of the B-52's eight engines with four of the type of that power the C-17? The combined thrust would be slightly higher while conserving tons of fuel annually, and engine maintenance costs would be halved. Also, winglets could be added as is being contemplated for the C-130 and C-5, and the fuselage's tail cone could be flattened and squared off (similar to those on MD-11s and 777s) to reduce drag.
Reading “Shapely Solutions” (AW&ST Oct. 17, p. 43) brought an early equivalent invention to mind. In 1951, U.S. Patent 2,576,981 “Twisted Wingtip for Airplanes” was granted to Richard Vogt, a renowned aircraft designer.
Homaid Al Shemmari has been named chairman of the Mubadala Aerospace maintenance, repair and overhaul network, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Zurich. Other recent appointments are: Jeremy Chan executive vice chairman; James Stewart group CEO; Abdul Khalid Saeed president-Middle East and North Africa; Andre Wall, president-Europe; Abdulla Mohamed Shadid, chief commercial officer; and Pierre Steffen, chief supply officer.
Kevin Healy has been named senior VP at Campbell-Hill Aviation Group, Alexandria, Va. He was senior VP-marketing and planning at AirTran Airways. Also from AirTran is Campbell-Hill's new research manager Benjamin C. Lewis, who was a strategic planning analyst and revenue management analyst at the airline. Erik K. Ford has signed on as VP. He has held management positions at Oliver Wyman and Eclat Consulting.
Christopher Cook has been appointed global aerospace business development manager for Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings, Andover, Kan. He was director-acquisitions and business development for the automotive international division. Anthony Arzave has been named account executive for the Western U.S. Karen O'Hara moved up to global aerospace sales manager after a tenure as account executive for the automotive division original equipment interiors business.
Kevin Watassek (see photo) has been named director of engineering for Odyssey Aerospace Components, Denton, Texas. He was owner and a partner in B&D Design Services.
