A Star From Israel

In the past three years, Schutt Aviation has scored a series of direct hits in the marketplace with clients including CRA, Bougainville Copper and Barclays Jet Charter. Schutt Aviation executives coyly reveal that 1 O firm sales have been made in Australia, but with typical close-to-the-chest firmness say they can’t publicly record the exact number now on the “booked” list.

Australian corporate leaders suffer from the same silence; but according to Schutts a brief while back, 12 Westwinds are in the Australian network or due for delivery.

Three of these are with TNT as cargo carriers; the dozen in the works include a fourth recently delivered; four more – already spoken for should be in Australia by now (one of them the winglet Westwind 2); and four Westwind 1 s and 2s are earmarked for delivery next year.

Schutts are encouraged with the apparent demand in their area (Japan, South-East Asia, New Zealand, Fiji and the general Pacific area excluding the Philippines and Thailand). It’s an open secret that IAI, which gave birth to the marque by using, developing and modifying an American product, leans heavily on US-made componentry.

Fewer than 1o per cent of all Westwinds sold to the end of last year are owned outside North America, according to AUSTRALIAN AVIATION’s information.

This comment is not meant in any pessimistic context. Schutt’s team is doing its homework in a peculiarly brilliant manner, and have gone into the syndication market with the Westwind in addition to straight corporate sales.

The results are apparently showing on the right side of the ledger and the Westwind series is proving itself in brilliant fashion across the Australasian spectrum, competing as it has to with the Learjet, Falcon, BAe 125 and others in the heavy financial sector.

So what’s the score on this Westwind – and IAI?

Israel Aircraft Industries was conceived in 1953 in the cockpit of the Middle East where it was even then all happening in terms of political and quasi-military action.

At that time there was an immediate requirement for some organisation to service the new country’s acquired Spitfires, Messerschmitt 109s, Fortresses and Mossies with which to defend themselves against other nations in the Middle East.

Two things, probably under the heading of useless information, comes to the writer’s mind when considering the Situation at that time:

• We never did find out who pinched one of our Spitfires back in the ’40s; the aircraft, used for fighter affiliation with our Operational Training Unit Wellingtons in what was then Palestine, was parked inside double barbed wire laced with Phosphorus bombs.

One bright morning we woke to a chorus of shrill cries to the effect that some expletive deleted had pinched a Spit.

Person or persons unknown had wheeled the thing out through a neatly-clipped gap in the wire.

• The other irrelevant item concerns the American landing on the Lebanese coast in the ’50s – a much-unpublicised affair, really.

This writer flew with sorties of Royal Navy Seahawks and Sea Venoms over Egyptian territory for no good reason during this period – just as an enticing move, we suspected.

Over one of our old wartime HCUs (Heavy Conversion Units) which I had last seen being used for Liberators, we saw a sight to gladden Israeli eyes – and which perhaps made the IAI wartime aircraft update program a little less urgent.

At each end of the runway were sad little heaps that had once been Egyptian-acquired MiG fighters. We speculated that they had run off the ends into the sand after power application, and thoughts of the old Lovat warcry of, “Whoa Mahomet!” also asserted themselves when we thought of a hapless pilot vainly trying to stop his charging Soviet-made steed.

Back to Al’s birth and childhood; the organisation was established in 1953 with its first Division, Bedek Aviation. It now has 15 facilities and a workforce of upwards of 19,500 scientists, engineers, technicians, production workers and one of Israel’s traditional trump-card products, managerial specialists.

What IAI calls a tri-space industry caters for Kfirs, Aravas and Westwinds, Dvora highspeed naval craft, Gabriel surface-to-surface missile systems, Dabur diesel-energised craft, the jet-powered Shapirit, RBY scout cars . . the list is impressive, taking in computer systems, electronics, plastics and hydraulics, and a host of other things still under wraps.

Little wonder that the Westwind series is a winner, no matter what your political sympathies. It’s now history that Israel won the result of an American anti-trust law with the basic Westwind concept.

Ted Smith was the real Westwind father. Founder of the Aero Design & Engineering Co in 1950 while the Israelis were busily straightening out their war surplus purchases, Smith’s immortal Aero Commander line went ahead until 1958, when Rockwell bought him.

The Aero Commander Jet 1121 was announced in 1961 and interest in the eleven-twenty-one had quickened to such an extent that by the following year at least 12 orders and a pile of letters of intent had arrived on Rockwell’s desk.

Powered initially by GE CJ-610-1 pods, the aircraft sold steadily as the Jet Commander, with an order book filling normally.

In 1967 someone said, “Oops,” while Rockwell and North American were getting together a merger deal. The US Justice Department had spotted a conflict situation that threatened to provoke a head-on with the Anti-Trust laws. The short version of a protracted court story was that the new partners were told to unload either their Sabreliner or the Jet Commander.

As the Sabreliner was already in sizeable military service, the finger was logically pointed at Ted Smith’s baby.

Jacob Shapiro was heading an Israel Aircraft Industries buying mission in the US at the time. Someone told him of the action and Shapiro began negotiations which resulted in a reported $30 US million bargain basement deal.

By 1968 the Jet Commander program’s jigs and tools had been set up at the old Lydda (now Ben Gurion, ex-Lod) airport, at Tel Aviv.

Getting over setbacks like the 1970 loss of a development Commodore Jet 1123 after a one-side flap-down situation proved uncontrollable, and production troubles during the 1973 war, IAI plugged steadily onwards until today the aircraft line and its industry are in a sound position.

What is now being marketed is the reward of astute business strategy wedded happily to the proven production of a magnificently reliable and suitable aircraft for the world’s Corporate sector.

With ten development years under its wings, !Al’s Westwind is a thoroughbred without any innovations still needing further testing or development.

Of conventional appearance, the aircraft we evaluated bore the manufacturer’s serial 314 and Australian registration of VH-IWW – a happy selection of registration letters, said Andrew Wise, Manager of marketing and Public Relations.

Wise was one of a high-powered team that offloaded itself at Sydney Airport, flown there in this $3. 8 million copy as part of a prospect-hardening and general marketing thrust.

At the front end of this Westwind were Dennis Berry, Technical Director of Schutt Aviation and its chief pilot, and John Holmes.

Dennis, with a LAME (Engines and Airframes) to add to his list of credits, heads up all pilots in Schutt’s Australian operation.

Andrew Wise is enthusiastic – as befits his position in the company- about the Westwind’s place; “Public companies are indeed awakening to the fact that a corporate aircraft is a real business tool, not just a directors’ perk,” he says.

“Not only is the Westwind and other similar types a tool of industry – we have had several firm enquiries from private owners, and our syndication arrangement with a really viable utilisation is opening new doors for companies who feel they aren’t able to carry the load alone. ”

A walk around the evaluation Westwind 1 at Sydney Airport highlighted some of the points made by Schutt’s team and the glossy brochures:

• Structural system: the Westwind’s airframe is made in three major sub-assemblies; forward fuselage, aft ditto and the straight-through wing. The wing slots through in typical Aero Commander style, aft of the passenger compartment and pressure vessel.

• The two Garrett AiResearch TFE 731-3-1 G turbofans sit high and handsome with Grumman clamshell reversers installed.

• Wings: designed to fail-safe standards and covered by a chemically-milled skin, has a cambered leading edge for greater slow-speed authority and is structured on triple aluminium web spars.

The wings’ box sections form normal fuel cells, with crossfeed capability as usual. Oil-to-fuel heat exchangers take care of any freezing hazards.

• Cabin: maximum 10 passengers, seated in genuine comfort and making full concessions to ease of movement in Aero Commander tradition thanks to the typical cross-section.

AUSTRALIAN AVIATION realises that an in-flight loo is something most operators refer to as a certified seat – and a device we have never known to be used in flight unless the occupant is in extremis; but we couldn’t for the life of us comprehend the enormous expanse of glossies’ publicity given to the fact that one can allegedly stand up in the Westwind’s bitty.

OK, so there’s 5ft 5in from deck to overhead in the place; but unless one sits down there’s still only space for a giant leprechaun to stand up in the thing . . .

• Cockpit: a thing of operating excellence once one gets in over the stretch-back pedestal.

A lot of thought has gone into human engineering – to pinch a phrase from that Other Manufacturer. Seats have 10in fore and aft travel plus four inches of rudder pedal travel, and there’s much orthopaedic research in the actual pilots’ seats.

Flight deck instrumentation on the evaluation Westwind – which boasted enough options to make the asking price for this aircraft around the $3. 8 million mark – is extensive and includes the magnificent Global GNS-500.

The GNS has automatic tuning, monitoring and interpretation of all VLF/Omega transmissions with optional features including desired track synchro, bearing-to-waypoint synchro and a distance-to-waypoint digital display. Waypoint selection is via a push-button keyboard, automatic or manual leg change, waypoint from/to display, and a station acquisition status via a call-up from its computer using what is called a quality factor mode.

All too much . . .

One can get a Litton LTN-211 if one has a mind to, an all-weather worldwide VLF radio navigation system with a probably unmatched accuracy capability.

There is also a keyboard-controlled Collins NCS-31A RNAV and frequency control unit installed in your Westwind, with comprehensive waypoint storage. Nav, Comm and ADF frequencies can be preset, stored and called up as required.

A Collins 109Z Flight Director and 105 Autopilot make up the Westwind’s FCS, designated overall as FCS-105, which is an all-talking, all-thinking black box array with multitudinous capture and maintain capabilities, in nav and air data modes.

Of course, there’s your usual colour radar by RCA Primus with a “target freeze” capability for storm cell movement study.

This makes one think that the Westwind is another electrical aeroplane; to a certain extent this is undeniably true, but in the best traditions of Space-Age aircraft trends.

The pilots in the two front seats are still the masters of any machine – and most black boxes are only as accurate as what’s been fed into their innards by the human element.

We had flight planned Westwind India Whisky Whisky (“Don’t you think it’s a happy choice, IWW?,” asked David Wise. “Israel West Wind . . . “) for a round trip Sydney-Sydney via West Maitland, Singleton, McQuoid- the usual run round the traps, at FL 350.

We had on board eight souls, plus near-full fuel in the two wing tanks – take-off weight 20,000 lb. Maximum take-off weight is carded at 22, 850 lb. The outside air was a hot +32C as we began checking pre-start drills.

Engine start on the Garretts is a straightforward gas turbine drill, with a starboard engine first for preference. As can be expected, pre- and post-start drills are checklists and a constant readout is necessary for optimum operation.

Even while taxiing, the drill continues, checking out Everything from thrust reverser buckets forward. An annunciator panel just to the right of the panel centre Double-checks the verbal checks, just in case.

On the way out, we double-checked the main panel for ease of scan. Nothing amiss here, with engine gauges reading logically down, essential flight instruments easy on the eye and electrical switching on the overhead brow, along with circuit-breakers.

With 20 degrees of flap down, our roll time was at 11. 45 EST. V1 was about 117 kts indicated for our weight, with V, and V2 coming up at a whisker over 127 indicated. Take-off run in ISA conditions was booked in the Manual at 4950 ft at gross – but with weight in hand, we bettered that handsomely and went right on up at an initial 1500 fpm which climbed to 2000 fpm as we went through 170 knots on the clock.

Minimum control speed (ground) is 88 knots, with VMCA (min control speed – air) listed as 104 kts. Gear and flaps up, the Westwind began accelerating away in typical corporate jet fashion, cabin whisper-quiet enough to hear normal conversation from the back seats.

Preliminary readout was taken as we bored up through 3000 ft at 250 kts indicated – N, 98. 6 per cent, ITT 876 degrees and N2 97. 8 per cent.

The 3700 lb/st thrust Garretts were really getting into their stride as IWW went through FL (Flight Level) 160 seven minutes after roll commencement. N1 (low-pressure rotor speed on the fan) 98 per cent, ITT (inter-stage turbine temperature) 865, N2 (high-pressure rotor speed) 97. 6 per cent, 290 kts IAS, climbing at 1600 fpm.

Other vital statistics included (via the black boxes) 49 nautical miles to West Maitland, wind 297/14 and ground speed 325 knots.

Just 13 minutes after roll commencement we sat at FL 270, having diced the original flight plan cruise height to fit in with Sydney’s requirements.

For the figureheads, N1 sat on 99. 7, ITT at 875, fuel flow coming back from 600 lb/hr and we had burnt about 600 lb getting there.

As far as the corporate passengers were concerned, they might have well been sitting in a luxurious six-pot company limousine discussing the affairs of the world. There wasn’t much difference apart from the undeniable fact that the Westwind was infinitely faster and didn’t have to buck traffic lights or indifferent roads.

It was also superbly comfortable . . . And there were little or no distractions, apart from a wonderful view of our small slice of the world, to take their minds off business en route from A to B.

Neither did they have to put up with a plane-load of assorted passengers who might have overheard their confidential conversations.

At one minute past the hour, the aircraft turned from its first waypoint, tracking for Singleton at cruise height and settings. We watched while the black boxes did their stuff with unreal accuracy. At all times the aircraft was rock-steady and when hand-flown exhibited all the flair and feel through control surfaces one would expect of at least a DC9.

A further readout as we rocketed around the traps showed N, 93. 9/91. 9, ITT 785/764, N2 93. 3, both sides, ground speed fluctuating over two readings between 418 and 407 knots, wind 191/72 and our angle of attack indicator showing 1. 3 degrees.

At the time we noted the readings the DME showed us 87 nm from Sydney.

Pressurisation was efficient enough not to have upset our cabin team’s ears, feeding in from just after take-off through two ports in each engine (one low pressure, the other high) and giving an 8. 8 differential.

Asymmetries, we asked Dennis. Comfortably controllable after the initial boot is fed in at the time of failure.

Stalls, should they ever occur? No sweat, straightforward with a buffet working its way up from the tail through the fuselage.

Before we initiated descent, we checked out the alternatives to breathing pressurised air. Drop-down oxygen masks sit above each seat-even in the capacious loo astern.

Of course, the cabin boasts a full range of hospitality essentials in a well-set-up mini-galley on board, for use while wafting through the troposphere/stratosphere.

Descent began at 1000 fpm, with Sydney asking for a greater rate. Another Westwind attribute with speed indicating 235 knots, 20 degrees of flap were fed out into the slipstream. Limiting flap extension speed to 20 degrees is a healthy 250, with full flap possible (40 degrees) at 180 indicated.

The result descent rate pegged steadily at 3800 fpm with outside air coming up to +10C as we went through FL 190.

In landing, as on take-off, the Westwind is a Good Neighbour type; even the good citizens of Botany and other “tender” Sydney suburbs couldn’t complain at a sideline EPNdb of 84. 2 for take-off and 93 for approach, well within the allowable limits.

A study of Westwind’s range summary and cruise performance graphs would make the most interesting reading if AUSTRALIAN AVIATION was a few dozen pages bigger. Suffice it to say that from a corporate owner and pilot point of view, the whole exercise makes more than just good arithmetic. It makes comparable types look to whatever laurels they might think they have.

The Westwind isn’t a show pony although the Westwind 2 with its Sigma wing and winglets, max range of at least 2900 nm, Mach limit nudging 0. 80 and an initial cruise height of 41,000 ft is definitely a star.

Westwind 1 is a fast, steady, unobtrusive yet flashing performer for any corporate or private enterprise.

We await the results coming from a combination of adroit Australasian marketing, sound Israeli aerodynamic engineering and proven US power pods. Bottom line figures at the end of another year’s enterprise, given a fair chance by the government in the investment allowance field, might just give competing marketeers a slight shock. . .