Newsdesk – Commercial Aviation

Without a firm in-principle commitment from the airlines, Boeing has wisely decided to place the project on the back burner till the market begins to dictate its resumption. Boeing have now cut back their 7J7 project team from a peak of 900 to less than 200 and will now concentrate on marketing the 737 and 757 twinjets as lower cost alternatives to the proptan 7J7.

CFM56-2 Engines Prove Exceptional Reliability in Operation:

A CFM56-2 engine installed on a United Airlines DC-8 Super 70 aircraft has accumulated more than 15,000 hours and 6,000 cycles without removal. The engine, installed on March 31, 1983, was used primarily on United’s domestic routes and averaged less than 2. 5 hours per cycle. (A cycle is the equivalent of one takeoff and one landing).

In addition, another CFM56-2, installed on a Delta Air Lines DC-8 Super 70, was recently removed after completing 7,450 cycles and 10,743 hours without a shop visit. The Delta engine was installed on October 13, 1983.

Dispatch reliability for the CFM56 fleet stands at 99. 85 percent, with an overall shop visit rate of 0. 13 visits per 1,000 hours of operation.

In addition to the DC-8 Super 70, applications for the CFM56-2 include the US Air Force KC-135 and French Air Force C-135FR tankers, the KE-3A tanker, the E-3A Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS), and the US Navy E-6 communications aircraft. The CFM56-3 has applications on Boeing 737-300, 737-400 and 737-500 aircraft, while the CFM56-5 has been selected to power the Airbus Industrie A320 and A340.

 Boeing Enjoys Another Big Year

Boeing has reported sales of US$15,355m and earnings of US$480m for 1987. Comparable figures for 1986 were sales of US$16,341m and earnings of US$665m.

Commercial aircraft orders of US$20. 2bn in 1987 set a record, surpassing the 1986 prior record of US$19. 8bn. Also, the 737, 757 and 767 recorded their second-highest order years in terms of number of aircraft sold. New military and space awards in 1987 continued the pace set in 1986. Significant orders in 1987 included the space station, P-3 avionics Update, Aven- ger, Peacemaker Rail Garrison, the MH-47E helicopter and E-3 Airborne Warning and Control Systems.

Based on current programs and schedules, the Company’s 1988 sales are projected to be in the US$17bn range. This increase in sales is due primarily to higher jet transport deliveries and planned increases in major military and space programs. The total commercial trans-port open market for the period 1988-2000 is estimated to be worth US$231bn expressed in 1988 dollars.

During 1987, the Company delivered 9707s, 24 737-200s, 137 737-300s, 23 7478, 40 757s, 37 767s and 29 commuter aircraft (including 26 DHC-88), for a total of 299 aircraft. Compar- able 1986 deliveries were 4 707s, 21 737-200s, 120 737-300s, 35 747s, 35 757s, 27 767s and 49 commuter aircraft (including 40 DHC-86). for a total of 291 aircraft Current schedules provide for the delivery of 7 737-200s, 159 737-300/400s, 31 747s, 49 757s, 51 767s and 43 commuter aircraft (including 34 DHC-88 during 1988, for a total of 340 aircraft.

Big Fans on A340 Unlikely:

Mounting speculation that Airbus Industrie would opt for the already in-service Rolls Royce RB211- 535E4 and Pratt & Whitney PW2041 for its A340 in preference to a developed version of the CFM56 have been discounted.

The partnership of General Electric and Snecma are developing the CFM56-5C1 to produce 30,600lb thrust which is what Al requires for the heavy gross weight version of their ultra-long-range four-engine A340. However, as all aircraft programmes tend to gain weight in their development, and once in service, both Rolls and Pratts were actively canvassing the possibility of offering their established engines to fulfil this requirement. Both engines are in the 40,000lb thrust class. The major penalty in such a move is weight as both the larger engines weigh in at around one tonne heavier than the smaller CFM56. Thus a four-tonne payload penalty would have to be paid from the outset though all three engines have very close Specific Fuel Consumption (SFC) figures and are similar in overall nacelle diameter and resultant aerodynamic drag. However, Airbus did not rule out the option at a later date of using the big fans if, firstly, the latest CFM variant does not meet its performance targets or, secondly, significantly more thrust is required to meet the performance requirement of developed A340 versions.

Rolls-Royce’s Ten Million Mile Engine:

A Rolls-Royce RB211 engine originally installed on a TWA L1011 Tristar on the Lockheed production line six years ago has completed 20,000 flight hours of uninterrupted airline operation; the equivalent of 10m air miles.

This achievement sets a new record for jet engine reliability from service entry. Since the Lockheed L1011 was delivered to TWA on 9 April, 1982, the engine has remained installed on the right wing of this -100 series L1011 trijet which has been operated on TWA’s domestic and international routes.

TWA officials describe the amount of maintenance required by this Rolls-Royce engine during its 5% year service operation as ‘routine’. The average flight duration was 3. 8 hours and included more than 5,300 takeoffs.

Overwater Use of Twins Gaining Popularity:

Followers of our regular Sales column on page six of each edition will have certainly noticed the emerging trend toward increasing sales of the long-range twinjets.

Airbus have had some measure of sales success over the past eighteen months with their A300-600R and smaller A310-300 while Boeing has opened up an entirely new international market with the two ER versions of the 767. The benefit of the Boeing twinjet is that in this case its extra large wings allow it to not only carry more fuel than the Airbus equivalent but that big wing also allows the 767 to cruise at a higher flight level, thereby burning less fuel and being less affected by adverse winds. In the past few months, both Canadian International Airlines and SAS have signed for some four dozen 767-300ERS between them to replace their DC-10s and some 747 services on the long thin routes linking Europe and North America. The use of such aircraft (plus 757s) on long overwater sectors, without an alternate within the published FAA and ICAO standards, is still a sensitive issue though many airlines, including Qantas, feel that the issue will be resolved as real time experience is logged on the engine/airframe combinations in question. Many airline observers feel that by 1992 there will be no practical restrictions on the big twins and that their being able to link up otherwise neglected low-capacity point-to-point routes will in time open up a whole new air transport market in addition to being able to bypass increasingly crowded major hubs.

For 1986 ICAO records that twinjets flew some 72,000 hours on long-range overwater operations, principally over the North Atlantic, for only three diversions, two of which were caused by engine shutdowns. Nineteen eighty indicates an in-house maintenance problem peculiar to this carrier and the Pratt & Whitney JT9D-74 engines. Qantas though, which has operated this engine on its 767-200ERs since 1985 has had no similar problems.

Obviously a lot more practical experience is required both with airframes, advanced electronic systems and engines before the carte blanche approval of long-haul overwater operations is allowed. Though as time passes and hours build, it is obvious that their operation will become the norm at some point in the future.

General Electric CF6-80c2 Engine Certified at 61,500LBS for Boeing 767-300ER and Airbus Industrie A300- 600R:

GE’s most advanced high bypass turbofan, the CF6-80C2, has been certified at 61,500lbs thrust for the Boeing 767-300ER and the Airbus Industrie A300-600R.

The newly certified CF6-80C2, the highest thrust commercial engine currently available, will enable airframe manufacturers to offer higher gross-weight aircraft with expanded payload-range capacity. This highest thrust-rated CF6-80C2 will be installed on 24 Boeing 7678, ordered by American Airlines, Qantas Airways, and Canadian Airlines International and on 26 Airbus A300-600ER aircraft for American Airlines and Emirates.

Since entering revenue service in October 1985, the CF6-80C2 has accumulated nearly 161,000 engine flight hours, with a dispatch reliability rate of 99. 8 per cent. Its reliability is comparable to mature engines that have been operating for ten years or more.

The CF6-80C2 high bypass turbofan engine has been selected by 35 customers to power 12 aircraft types: the Airbus Industrie A300-600, A300-600R, 310-200 Advanced, A310-300 and A330; Boeing 767-200ER, 767-300, 767-300ER, 747-200 (US presidential aircraft), 747-300, 747-400; and McDonnell Douglas MD-11.

An improved CF6-80C2 will be rated at 64,000 lbs thrust for the A330. Improvements that will enable GE to achieve higher thrust levels will be primarily in the areas of advanced fan technology, materials and aerodynamics.

Additional 146s for Ansett WA:

Ansett WA has ordered an additional BAe 146-200 for entry to service late this year.

Ansett WA already operates two 146s which log some 3,800 hours per annum and fly some of the world’s longest sectors serving communities from their Perth base as diverse as Broome, Darwin, Gove and even Cairns in Queensland’s far north.

Airframers Have Another Good Year:

1987 will go down in history as being fairly kind to the airframe industry as sales remained steady through a year of highs and lows.

The high notes reflected the excellent traffic growth worldwide, while the low notes were sounded by the October stock market crash which does not appear to have greatly affected traffic patterns or for that matter aircraft sales. For the record, during 1987 ATR sold 5 ATR428 (total firm sales in brackets) (124) and 12 ATR728 (17). Airbus sold 29 A300s (311). 27 A310s (150), A320 309 (58), A330 12 (12) and A340 68 (68). Boeing sold 11 707 military variants (999), 183 7378 (1925), 69 7478 (834),

The Good News & the Bad News. . .

The bad news first. As of this issue we have had to increase the cover price of Australian Aviation to $4. 90. This is our first such increase since early 1986. In that time we have had to pay continually increasing amounts for printing, government imposed taxes and charges, post-age and general expenses.

The continuing low value of the Australian dollar, particularly in relation to the European currencies, has also hit us hard as our high quality paper stock is imported directly from Scandinavia. Though every attempt is made to produce virtually all of the magazine using local resources, Australia still does not produce high quality paper stocks and so that costly components must still be imported from abroad.

The government, in its unexplained wisdom, also levies a 20% import duty on these premium papers though does not impose an import duty on completed magazines printed abroad a direct disincentive to print quality work in Australia and a major reason why many magazines and books are printed abroad.

We have also been forced to increase our subscription rates but the good news is that you can still save a considerable sum off the newsstand price by subscribing directly. For example, if you take out a three year sub you save a very useful $31. 20, a two year sub saves you $14. 80 and even a one year subscription leaves an additional $4. 40 in YOUR pocket. We can offer the lower direct subscription rates because wastage is virtually non-existent, there is no middleman and no distribution fee. And don’t forget that we can also take your subscription over the phone (or fax) using either your Bankcard, Mastercard or American Express authority. Our centerspread insert explains it all.

So if you think it more logical to pay a mere $3. 16 for this magazine instead of $4. 90, then subscribe today what have you got to lose? 46757s (240) and 57 767s (260). BAe sold 15 ATPs (20) and 32 146s (109). DHC sold 44 Dash 8s (87). Embraer sold 51 Brasilias (143). Fokker sold 13 F50s (52) and 1 F100 (86). McDonnell Douglas sold 105 MD-80s (867),31 MD-11 (93) and 4 DC-10s (386 + 60 KC-10) while Saab sold 42 3408 (132).

Twin Otter Line to Close:

De Havil- land Canada will close the DHC-6 Twin Otter line this December when the final aircraft comes off the line.

The final delivery will complete a 22 year production cycle that saw some 844 aircraft delivered to operators around the world. As at the middle of last year there were 15 Twin Otters on the Australian civil register and all will be fully catered for with the necessary spares and support for many years ahead.