Test pilot gives thumbs up to N-250<\/p>\n
PARIS (JP): "We had a smooth flight. The plane was in top
\nshape."<\/p>\n
That was the verdict from Indonesian Air Force pilot Lt. Col.
\nSumarwoto who, along with 12 others, flew the Gatotkoco, the
\ninitial prototype of the N-250, all the way from Bandung, West
\nJava, to here for the Paris Air Show.<\/p>\n
The twin turboprop aircraft took three days to cover the
\ndistance.<\/p>\n
"We didn't encounter any major problem," Sumarwoto, who was
\nhere to also fly the N-250 at the airshow, said during a break at
\nthe PT IPTN chalet at Le Bourget airport.<\/p>\n
The N-250 is the showpiece of PT Industri Pesawat Terbang
\nNusantara (IPTN), the Indonesian state aircraft manufacturer,
\nwhich made its international debut at the recent air show.<\/p>\n
It was the first time the plane, which made its maiden flight
\nin Jakarta in August 1995 and uses the fly-by-wire system, had
\nventured outside Indonesia. By the time it reached Paris, the
\nplane had clocked more than 500 flying hours.<\/p>\n
The journey from IPTN's plant in Bandung included refueling
\nstops in Batam (Indonesia); Bangkok; Calcutta; Bombay; Muscat;
\nRiyadh; Alexandria (Egypt), and Brindisi (Italy).<\/p>\n
"The longest flight we made was four and a half hours, and it
\nwas really smooth," flight test engineer Hindawan H. said.<\/p>\n
"We did not really stretch the plane to its limits. We played
\nit safe," he said.<\/p>\n
Gatotkoco did encounter some bad weather during the journey,
\nincluding on the way to Brindisi, but Sumarwoto said each time
\nthe plane managed to detour into better climes.<\/p>\n
"We saw it on the radar, so we had enough time to avoid it,"
\nhe said. "And we had assistance from the nearest control tower
\nevery time."<\/p>\n
Ice formed on the plane's wings as it flew between Calcutta
\nand Bombay. This had never occurred in previous test flights in
\nBandung, but was bound to happen one day.<\/p>\n
"It was an opportunity to test the plane's de-icing system,"
\nHindawan said. "It worked successfully."<\/p>\n
The Gatotkoco crew's only complaint during the journey was the
\nslow handling on the ground at some of the stops. "You know,
\ncustoms clearance and administration stuff," Sumarwoto said.<\/p>\n
The return journey to Bandung was likely to take even longer
\nbecause Gatotkoco was conducting a sales promotion "roadshow" in
\n14 cities in 11 countries across Europe and Asia.<\/p>\n
The time spent at Le Bourget for Sumarwoto and Hindawan was
\nalso used to compare notes with test pilots from other countries.<\/p>\n
"There is a kind of bond between test pilots, no matter where
\nyou come from," said Sumarwoto, who has been seconded by the
\nIndonesian Air Force to work for IPTN.<\/p>\n
It was also an opportunity to view some of the more recent and
\nstate-of-the-art planes on display here.<\/p>\n
"My favorite is Sukhoi's SU-32FN," said Sumarwoto, 45, who
\nspent a lot of time flying F-5 fighter planes during his career
\nin the Air Force.<\/p>\n
"My favorite is the C-17 transport plane, which also uses the
\nfly-by-wire system," Hindawan said. (emb)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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