3 Hour Run
SAS, Jim L and 212, ( as you'll see below, your sources are very good! )
Talked to an old friend earlier today, who passed on the following re the 3 hour run, ( the one that I think was the run referred to by Nick ):
It occurred after the decision was made to install the bypass switch, and in fact the first 30 minutes of the run was done so as to met the requirements of FAR 29-927. Both pumps were running and a leak was forced on the cooler side of the bypass switch. After 5 seconds the bypass switch was thrown and the box was run with both pumps on with the oil remaining ( pressure was now much reduced due to the reduced amount of oil remaining in the box ). After the 30 minutes was up, the test was nonetheless continued to the 3 hour mark and some 30 min segments were run at higher power, looking forward to higher gross weights in the future. So this run was part of the original certification, and, while interesting background, does not seem directly connected to the tragic CHC accident.
There was some other testing done after Norsk, but I didn't ask about that because I was sure that discussion is a part of the investigation.
Thanks,
John Dixson