The innards of the first 777 configured for flight testing is a far cry from how it will look in airline service

Newsdesk – Commercial Aviation

Joint European Sst Research

Aerospatiale, British Aerospace and Deutsche Aerospace have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on a joint research programme with a view to possibly developing a second generation supersonic transport to succeed Concorde. Called the European Supersonic Research Programme (ESRP), the study will be funded equally by the three partners and will address key technological issues such as materials, aerodynamics, systems and powerplant integration. The assessment of technical and economic viability will be carried out jointly around a common configuration comprising a cruise speed of Mach 2, a range of 5400nm (10,000km) and a passenger capacity of 250 in three classes. Current research suggests a market for 500-1000 new generation SSTs exists providing a ticket will cost passengers only slightly more than a subsonic flight.

Rollback Strikes Another 146

Instead of seating, 777 Number One’s forward and rear cabin sections are equipped with two dozen 55 US gallon (210 I) water barrels. The drums are used to move the 777’s centre of gravity or to simulate the weight of passengers, baggage and freight. Sensors onboard the aircraft will collect more than 30,000 measurements of airspeed, altitude, electrical signals, hydraulic pressure, temperature and other data during flight testing. The first 777 should take to the air during the course of this issue, and it will be joined by four more 777s in the initial phase of flight testing. The 3200 flight hours and 2300 cycles they accumulate will be the largest test effort ever involving a Boeing aircraft. A full update on the 777 appears on p35 of this issue. (Boeing)

The phenomenon known as ‘rollback’ has struck another BAe 146 jetliner in a similar manner to the incident involving an Ansett WA aircraft in 1992 when power was substantially lost on all four engines. The most recent occurrence involves a 146 operated by the Pacific East Asia Cargo (PEAC) aircraft operating on behalf of TNT Worldwide Express. The aircraft departed Singapore and entered unusually warm air near a tropical thunderstorm. This necessitated switching on the de-icing systems which operate from engine bleed air, as do the air conditioning and pressurisation systems. In circumstances very similar to those met by the Ansett aircraft, the four Lycoming LF502 engines suffered from rollback and lost power. The 146 was flying at 31,000ft when the incident occurred and was down to 2000ft before power was restored. As a result, a 25,000ft maximum operating altitude limit has been placed on 146s flying in conditions likely to produce ice until the phenomenon and its effect on the aircraft is better understood.

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