Flight Global - Fin Produccion Bell 222
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PARIS SHOW REVIEW FLIGHT International, 18/25 June 1977 Production Bell 222 finalised ' '^^t^Pfe'T*^- v . * - "•- '•'"•'< T HE Bell 222 at Le Bourget was the fourth of the five machines now flying. It is the first to incorporate the lft increase in rotor diameter, one of several modifications now settled for production machines. Also in evi- dence was the new forward-mounted tailplane with endplate fins. Pro- gramme manager Jim de Loach tells Flight that the original T-tail was affected by rotor slipstream during transition and caused a 40 per cent forward stick movement. Bell there- fore reluctantly replaced the T with the heavier end-plated tailplane, only to be delighted with the results. The company now believes that it has a 99 per cent chance of achieving IFR certification without a stand-by stabili- sation system. For this, the natural handling characteristics must be good enough to allow manual instrument flying after autopilot failure. Bell is adopting the slightly more powerful Lycoming LTS101-650C2 engine, largely because other LTS101 users are moving to the uprated variant, making the original engine more expensive. Nevertheless, the contingency/take-off/continuous rat- ings of 675/615/590 s.h.p. are usefully higher than the original 650/600/550. Specific fuel consumption at all three ratings is fractionally over 0-58. The C2 will be certificated this year. The gross weight of the 222 is being increased from 6,7001b to 7,2001b which absorbs some weight growth from such items as the tailplane and glass windscreen while also allowing an increase in useful load from 2,7301b to 2,9051b. Other changes include new instruments and relocation of the powered-control servo package on the pylon instead of on the nodal beam. The Bell 222 showed off its new tailplane at Paris Garrett and Sundstrand air-condition- ing units are being evaluated. The electrically heated glass windscreen will resist abrasion by the windscreen wiper. Both features are necessary for IFR operation. Certification is still expected in October 1978, with first delivery following in January 1979. Production is to be increased from six a month by the end of 1978 to nine a month by the end of 1979. The first two years' planned production of 125 machines has been sold, and the price has been held down in spite of the improvements. Bell says that the longer rotor blades, for which the original manu- facturing jigs made allowance, are aimed at improving high-altitude per- formance in low temperatures. They are to be tested on the fourth machine at Alamosa, Colorado. Swept tips were tried to improve hover charac- teristics, but were eventually aban- doned. Bell continues to watch noise and vibration. Main-rotor tip speed is 715ft/sec, compared with 835ft/see in the Bell 212. Tail-rotor tip speed is a moderate 625ft/sec. Vibration is well absorbed by the nodal beam and by the focus pylon, which con- centrates it into a central damper. Even the oil-cooler fan has been de- signed to a special low-noise specifica- tion. Bell expects important safety dividends from its crashworthy fuel cells and piping, and sees the 10 per cent weight penalty as worth paying. Guardian and Challenger take shape Falcon Jet Corporation and Dassault- Breguet have launched a major cam- paign to sell the Falcon Guardian maritime-patrol aircraft to other countries as well as to the US Coast Guard. Falcon Jet's Little Rock divi- sion will be the sole source of the aircraft, which will be closely based on the US Coast Guard UH-25A Fal- con Guardian, but Falcon Jet and Dassault-Breguet have teamed up with Garrett and Collins to provide world- wide support. Customers will evi- dently be encouraged to retain the Collins avionics package, though the Texas Instruments nose-mounted radar is Government-furnished equip- ment and customers can change it. Falcon Jet and Dassault-Breguet re- ported at Le Bourget that they had briefed 35 countries on the Guardian at the Falcon Jet centre on the air- field. System unit cost of the UH-25A to the USCG is $5 million. A retro- fitted Falcon with 5,3001b-thrust Garrett ATF3-6-2c engines is to fly in France by the end of 1977, and a Falcon F fitted with the USCG avionics package will follow it into the air in mid-1978. The engine will be certifi- cated in October or November 1978, and the first full UH-25A should emerge from Little Rock in July 1979. Asked whether the Falcon Guardian
description
END OF PRODUCTION OF BELL 222
Transcript of Flight Global - Fin Produccion Bell 222
PARIS SHOW REVIEW FLIGHT International, 18/25 June 1977
Production Bell 222 finalised
' ' ^ ^ t ^ P f e ' T * ^ - v . * - "•- '•'"•'<
THE Bell 222 at Le Bourget was the fourth of the five machines now
flying. It is the first to incorporate the lft increase in rotor diameter, one of several modifications now settled for production machines. Also in evidence was the new forward-mounted tailplane with endplate fins. Programme manager Jim de Loach tells Flight that the original T-tail was affected by rotor slipstream during transition and caused a 40 per cent forward stick movement. Bell therefore reluctantly replaced the T with the heavier end-plated tailplane, only to be delighted with the results. The company now believes that it has a 99 per cent chance of achieving IFR certification without a stand-by stabilisation system. For this, the natural handling characteristics must be good enough to allow manual instrument flying after autopilot failure.
Bell is adopting the slightly more powerful Lycoming LTS101-650C2 engine, largely because other LTS101 users are moving to the uprated variant, making the original engine more expensive. Nevertheless, the contingency/take-off/continuous ratings of 675/615/590 s.h.p. are usefully higher than the original 650/600/550. Specific fuel consumption at all three ratings is fractionally over 0-58. The C2 will be certificated this year.
The gross weight of the 222 is being increased from 6,7001b to 7,2001b which absorbs some weight growth from such items as the tailplane and glass windscreen while also allowing an increase in useful load from 2,7301b to 2,9051b. Other changes include new instruments and relocation of the powered-control servo package on the pylon instead of on the nodal beam.
The Bell 222 showed off its new tailplane at Paris
Garrett and Sundstrand air-conditioning units are being evaluated. The electrically heated glass windscreen will resist abrasion by the windscreen wiper. Both features are necessary for IFR operation. Certification is still expected in October 1978, with first delivery following in January 1979. Production is to be increased from six a month by the end of 1978 to nine a month by the end of 1979. The first two years' planned production of 125 machines has been sold, and the price has been held down in spite of the improvements.
Bell says that the longer rotor blades, for which the original manu
facturing jigs made allowance, are aimed at improving high-altitude performance in low temperatures. They are to be tested on the fourth machine at Alamosa, Colorado. Swept tips were tried to improve hover characteristics, but were eventually abandoned. Bell continues to watch noise and vibration. Main-rotor tip speed is 715ft/sec, compared with 835ft/see in the Bell 212. Tail-rotor tip speed is a moderate 625ft/sec. Vibration is well absorbed by the nodal beam and by the focus pylon, which concentrates it into a central damper. Even the oil-cooler fan has been designed to a special low-noise specification. Bell expects important safety dividends from its crashworthy fuel cells and piping, and sees the 10 per cent weight penalty as worth paying.
Guardian and Challenger take shape Falcon Jet Corporation and Dassault-Breguet have launched a major campaign to sell the Falcon Guardian maritime-patrol aircraft to other countries as well as to the US Coast Guard. Falcon Jet's Little Rock division will be the sole source of the aircraft, which will be closely based on the US Coast Guard UH-25A Falcon Guardian, but Falcon Jet and Dassault-Breguet have teamed up with Garrett and Collins to provide worldwide support. Customers will evidently be encouraged to retain the Collins avionics package, though the Texas Instruments nose-mounted radar is Government-furnished equip
ment and customers can change it. Falcon Jet and Dassault-Breguet re
ported at Le Bourget that they had briefed 35 countries on the Guardian at the Falcon Jet centre on the airfield. System unit cost of the UH-25A to the USCG is $5 million. A retrofitted Falcon with 5,3001b-thrust Garrett ATF3-6-2c engines is to fly in France by the end of 1977, and a Falcon F fitted with the USCG avionics package will follow it into the air in mid-1978. The engine will be certificated in October or November 1978, and the first full UH-25A should emerge from Little Rock in July 1979.
Asked whether the Falcon Guardian
