Michael Braukus Headquarters, Washington, D.C. July 31, 1998 (Phone: 202/358-1979) Keith Henry Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA (Phone: 757/864-6120) Lori Rachul Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, OH (Phone: 216/433-8806) Les Dorr FAA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. (Phone: 202/267-3461) RELEASE: 98-139 LIGHT PLANE TECHNOLOGIES COMING TO MARKET The government-industry effort to revitalize the U.S. light airplane industry is rapidly turning promises into accomplishments. Leaders of both the Advanced General Aviation Transport Experiment (AGATE) consortium and the NASA General Aviation Propulsion (GAP) program are reporting impressive progress, according to a senior NASA official. "These accomplishments are laying the foundation for a small aircraft transportation system that will make personal air travel for business or pleasure a safe, affordable transportation alternative," said Michael B. Mann, NASA's Deputy Associate Administrator for Aeronautics and Space Transportation Technology. "Newly developing technologies and procedures are allowing us to move from the research stage to practical use. Even the challenging task of developing a lightweight, affordable jet engine for personal airplanes is coming along quickly through NASA's GAP program," he added. Mann's comments were made at a joint NASA, FAA and U.S. industry news briefing held today at AirVenture '98, the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) annual Fly-In and Convention, Oshkosh, WI. Other briefing participants included Anne Harlan, Federal Aviation Administration's Director of the William J. Hughes Technical Center, Atlantic City, NJ. Among the accomplishments highlighted: AGATE-EQUIPPED AIRPLANES COMING TO MARKET * Cirrus SR20, Cirrus Design Corp., Duluth, MN * Lancair Columbia 300, Lancair International Inc., Redmond Bend, OR The first two production airplanes to offer extensive AGATE technology are being introduced this summer, with customer deliveries expected to begin by the end of the year. FAA flight certification is expected for both airplanes this fall. These pioneering airplanes boast of value, performance, comfort and safety. AGATE technology contributes to ease of operation through single-lever power control and multi-function display of satellite navigation and airport information. The display technology will also handle graphical display of real-time weather, terrain and digital air-to-ground communications when available in the near future. Other AGATE technologies reflected in these new airplanes include advanced lightweight and aerodynamically efficient composite materials (graphite-epoxy, for example). AGATE safety advances are seen in energy-absorbing structures and improved safety harness systems that improve crashworthiness. NEW PROCESS PROMISING UP TO $1 MILLION SAVINGS PER NEW AIRPLANE Time and costs of certifying materials for new single-engine airplane designs will be dramatically reduced with the adoption of an AGATE-developed certification process. The process promises to cut materials certification for a new design from two years to six months and from $600,000-$1,000,000 to $30,000. The National Institute for Aviation Research, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS, is conducting research to validate the overall process to meet FAA certification standards. The idea is that the AGATE consortium will pool resources to spread the costs of initial research and certification for each material of interest. The data will go into a handbook, specifying the exact process to be followed in order to receive a speedy certification from the FAA. The first two aircraft to make use of the new process are the Cirrus SR20 and Lancair Columbia 300 (see first item, above). They will be the first composite material four-seat AGATE-type airplanes to be certified in the U.S. FIRST PILOT GRADUATING FROM STREAMLINED TRAINING COURSE The first student has successfully completed a unified flight training curriculum that earned her both a visual and an instrument pilot rating. The AGATE-developed curriculum was administered by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Melbourne, FL. The curriculum simultaneously trains pilots in visual flight rules (VFR) and instrument flight rules (IFR) at significant time and cost savings over traditional methods which call for separate courses for separate ratings. The national average for receiving a basic private pilot license is approximately 72 hours of in- flight training over nine months. This is followed by instrument training of 104 hours over an additional nine months. The Embry- Riddle student completed the equivalent training with a 29 percent savings in ground and flight training, a 20 percent savings in cost and an 83 percent savings in total elapsed time. The new training curricula is supported by NASA through the AGATE program, Embry-Riddle and the FAA Flight Standards District Office, Orlando, FL. FLIGHT TESTS PROVING COCKPIT TECHNOLOGIES Results from two series of ongoing flight experiments are expected to have a major impact on the standards that will be set for operating general aviation airplanes in the future. The AGATE experiments are validating advanced navigation and communications technologies developed to revolutionize how light airplane pilots interact with real-time weather and flight data information. A Cessna T210 has been test flown since December to learn more about the display and use of real-time weather in the cockpit. Preliminary results indicate that use of advanced cockpit weather displays reduces pilot activity while increasing the pilot's ability to accurately and safely navigate around hazardous weather. A Raytheon Bonanza has been test flown since January to assess the operational capabilities of digital datalinks. Results of this powerful new cockpit tool are encouraging. Potential applications are many, including the present test and evaluation of three attitude and heading reference systems expected to significantly enhance the pilot's awareness of his or her airplane's position and flight heading. Future plans for the Bonanza test airplane include the integration and demonstration of all AGATE technologies in a single cockpit. FIRST STATEWIDE DIGITAL DATALINK PROVIDING REAL-TIME WEATHER Virginia has inaugurated the nation's first statewide application of aviation digital datalink technology, establishing a public-private partnership that will set the pace for its introduction to other states in an effort to form a national system that may someday be global. At a ceremony July 9 in the state capital, Virginia Secretary of Transportation Shirley J. Ybarra praised AGATE member ARNAV Systems Inc., Puyallup, WA, the Small Aircraft Manufacturers Association and NASA's Langley Research Center for the successful partnership. Ybarra said that extension of the AGATE technology "will provide small business with safe, efficient and secure all-weather air transportation to urban and rural communities all over the country." REDUCING THE COST OF LIGHTNING PROTECTION AGATE members are working with Lightning Technology, Inc., Pittsfield, MA, to reduce the cost of lightning protection for small airplanes from the current $5,000 per airplane to $500 or less by next year. This ambitious goal is part of the AGATE effort to make future single-engine airplanes more affordable to more people. Lightning doesn't strike small aircraft often, but when it does it can cause significant damage to non-conducting components and digital cockpit systems. The company is evaluating airplane surface treatments such as low-cost lightweight metal meshes embedded in the advanced fiberglass-epoxy composite materials increasingly used in small airplane structures. Tests have applied simulated lightning effects (up to 200,000 amperes of current) to small "coupons" representing airplane skin and structure. PROPULSION RESEARCH FILLING THE GAP Two years after NASA's Lewis Research Center unveiled the General Aviation Propulsion (GAP) program, industry teams are reporting substantial progress in developing forerunners of the next generation of general aviation light aircraft engines. Development of the engines described below is on schedule for flight demonstration at EAA's AirVenture '00. * New Piston Engine at Half the Price. An industry team led by Teledyne Continental Motors, Mobile, AL, has designed a highly advanced 200-hp compression ignition engine. The engine will use jet fuel and is designed to be priced at half the cost of current engines. Careful design consideration has been given to making this engine the smoothest and quietest piston engine to have ever flown in a general aviation aircraft. The design is now becoming reality. The first engine will be completed within the next few days, followed by a series of tests. The first aircraft installation is set for this time next year. * New Turbine Engine Promises High Performance at Competitive Price. Williams International, Walled Lake, MI, and their industry team have designed a radically new turbofan engine which will make turbine engines affordable for small general aviation aircraft. This engine, known as the FJX-2, is a high-bypass-ratio turbofan that will produce 700 lbs. of thrust while weighing less than 100 lbs. Turbine engines are known for their good performance and quiet smooth operation. However, they have only been used on the top-of-the-line general aviation aircraft because a turbine engine propulsion system can cost more than an entire airplane. The FJX-2 has been designed to maintain excellent performance while being price-competitive with piston engines. Engine component testing has progressed at a good pace. The first full engine is scheduled to be completed and ready for testing by the end of September. For more information on the NASA/FAA/Industry AGATE program check the Internet at: http://agate.larc.nasa.gov/ For more information on the NASA GAP program check the Internet at: http://www.lerc.nasa.gov/WWW/AST/GAP.htm -end-