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Old 17th Dec 2001, 22:55
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Heliport
 
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Post S-92 In Production, Moving Toward FAA Certification

Sikorsky Press Release
The Sikorsky S-92 has begun formal FAA certification flight testing and the cabin for the first production aircraft is near completion as the program gathers momentum toward 2002 certification and 2003 first deliveries.

Aircraft 4 and Aircraft 5 are engaged in busy flight test schedules at Sikorsky's Development Flight Center in West Palm Beach, Fla. Aircraft 4 is performing handling qualities flight testing to develop data for the FlightSafety Inc. pilot training simulator. Meanwhile, Aircraft 5 is completing performance flight testing to generate the information on speed, lift, and engine operating characteristics needed for FAA certification.

As work continues in the skies over Florida, on the ground Sikorsky is moving forward with S-92 production. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Inc., of Japan is nearing completion of the cabin section for Aircraft 6, the first production aircraft. Long lead time components have been ordered for production aircraft scheduled for delivery through 2004. Sikorsky is also developing the lean tooling and manufacturing methods that will increase delivery flow and decrease costs for S-92 customers.

Earlier this fall, the aircraft made separate demonstration flights for three U.S. military services. Pilots from the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S Marine Corps flew the aircraft to evaluate its performance, handling qualities and ride.

In preparation for initial deliveries, Sikorsky hosted S-92 launch customers in November at the Development Flight Center for a maintenance and logistics planning conference.

Also this fall, the H-92 made its international flying debut when it visited Ottawa in October. Sikorsky is offering the H-92, the military version of the S-92, to replace Sea King helicopters currently in service with Canadian Forces. During the three-day stay, Canadian Forces pilots flew the aircraft, while potential customers, government officials, Sikorsky business partners and industry representatives viewed it on static display.

In all, the S-92 program has accumulated 845 hours flight test through early December. Aircraft 2 has flown in excess of 380 hours. Aircraft 3 has accumulated 221 flight hours since first flying in October 1999, including flight evaluations in military mission applications. Aircraft 5, which validated the longer cabin and lower tail, joined the flight program in early 2001 and has logged more than 220 hours in the air. Aircraft 4 has 25 flight hours. The Ground Test Vehicle, Aircraft 1, completed the 200 hour FAA endurance run to certify the entire drive system including main, intermediate and tail gearboxes in 1999.

The S-92 is an advanced transport helicopter that incorporates the latest design safety features such as flaw tolerance, bird strike capability, and engine turbine burst containment. It also provides benchmark crashworthiness and emergency egress capability.

The Sikorsky S-92 is evolved from the proven S-70 BLACK HAWK and SEAHAWK aircraft and incorporates more than 50 years of Sikorsky civil and military multi-mission experience. Available in a 19-passenger commercial, a 22-troop utility and a multitude of mission specific configurations, the design offers stand-up cabin flexibility, rapid convertibility, operational suitability and a full cabin-width rear ramp.

An international team of companies led by Sikorsky is developing the S-92. Members of the international team are: Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) of Taiwan, Embraer of Brazil, Gamesa of Spain, Jingdezhen Helicopter Group/CATIC of the People's Republic of China, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of Japan. Major subcontractors include General Electric, Rockwell Collins and Hamilton Sundstrand.
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