Saturday
June 12, 1999 :
Sikorsky S-92A Helibus debuts at Paris
Paris, France ( Sikorsky Press Release ) -
Sikorsky's S-92A HELIBUS was introduced to the world aerospace community at the Paris Air Show. The utility variant on static display allows viewers to see the large cabin and rear ramp attributes that spell mission versatility.
Meanwhile, flight development of the world's most advanced medium-lift helicopter
continues to expand at the company's Development Flight Center in West Palm Beach,
Fla.
With the first three of five development aircraft now at the facility, the ground and flight
testing of the S-92 are well underway. Aircraft number 3 joined the development
program in May and will begin flying in July 1999.
The development program has achieved significant milestones. Since the Ground Test
Vehicle, Aircraft 1, first ran in August 1998, it has accumulated more then 150 hours
and is currently conducting the 200 hour FAA endurance run to certify the entire drive
system including main, intermediate and tail gearboxes.
Aircraft 2 continues to expand its flight envelope. Since first flight in December 1998,
Aircraft 2 has logged more than 60 hours in the air. The aircraft has completed the
majority of its low work and has expanded its flight envelope to the edge. Flights have
now been flown at all airspeeds up to 165 knots (Vne) and the maximum dive airspeed
has been achieved at just over 180 knots. Autorotations have been conducted at
various airspeeds, as well as maneuvers up to 45 degrees angle of bank and 1.9g's.
Flights have also been flown at maximum gross weights with various cg locations, from
full forward cg to full aft cg. Tethered hover flight, both HIGE and HOGE, was recently
completed recording 31,000 pounds of thrust generated, confirming projected
performance parameters.
The active vibration system has been tested throughout the flight development program
and reflects significant improvement over a passive system. Data flights continue with
current emphasis focusing primarily on the handling qualities of the aircraft at various
operating weights.
Aircraft 3 recently arrived in West Palm Beach to join the flight development program.
The aircraft will be painted, instrumentation installed and will begin flying during July
1999. Aircraft 3 is the closest representative to the production model, with the
GE-CT7-8 engines and Auxiliary Power Unit installed. Aircraft 3 development will be
primarily focused on power plants and automatic flight control system (AFCS) work.
Aircraft 4 will be the last aircraft to join the flight program. It will fly in July 2000.
Aircraft 5 has been developed without the flight test instrumentation package and is at
the Paris Air Show on static display. After Paris, Aircraft 5 will return to Stratford,
Conn., for installation of its instrumentation package. The aircraft will then join the flight
development program in West Palm Beach, Florida early next year. Aircraft 5 is the
only development S-92 representing the utility configuration. The helicopter's versatility
is evidenced by the large cabin and rear loading ramp. The spacious cabin can be
configured to meet any helicopter application: transport, cargo, search and rescue,
aeromedical or any other configuration possible. The aircraft is configured with 22
side-facing seats for the Paris Air Show.
The five development aircraft will be active in the flight development program from now
until certification in 2001 and will fly about 1,400 hours of flight time.
The HELIBUS is being developed by an international team of companies led by
Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation. Members of the international team are: Embraer in
Brazil, Gamesa in Spain, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Japan, Jingdezhen Helicopter
Group/CATIC of the People's Republic of China, and Aerospace Industrial
Development Corporation (AIDC) in Taiwan.
Sikorsky, based in Stratford, Connecticut, is a world leader in helicopter design and
manufacturing. Sikorsky is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation
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