IPTN delays maiden flight of 2nd N-250 plane

IPTN delays maiden flight of 2nd N-250 plane

JAKARTA (JP): The maiden flight of the second N-250 airplane,
designed by PT Industri Pesawat Terbang Nusantara (IPTN), will be
delayed for non-technical reasons, a company executive said
yesterday.

IPTN's senior executive vice-president and general manager
Hari Laksono told The Jakarta Post here that the second prototype
of the N-250, a 64-seat turboprop commercial passenger aircraft,
will have its maiden flight on Dec. 12.

"The rescheduling was caused by an additional requirement of
the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) of the United States on the
approval of the documentation of spare parts," he said. "We are
now waiting for approval from the FAA."

He said during a break of a hearing between State
Minister of Research and Technology J.B. Habibie and the House
Commission X for technology here that there was no technical
problem with the second prototype of the N-250.

The N-250, equipped with fly-by-wire electronics, is a
turboprop commuter airplane with a top speed of 300 nautical
miles per hour.

IPTN plans to make four prototypes, the Gatotkoco, Koconegoro,
Krincingwesi and Pututguritno. The names are taken from the
ancient Mahabarata epic.

President Soeharto inaugurated the first prototype of the
subsonic N-250 plane in November 1994 and witnessed the maiden
flight in August last year.

Engineers at IPTN complained that there was pressure to make
sure the Gatotkoco flew on schedule. This centerpiece of the
country's ambitious aerospace program is scheduled for commercial
production by late 1997.

Hari said yesterday that the development and maiden flights of
the third and fourth N-250 prototypes were likely to be on
schedule.

Auto

Habibie, president of IPTN and chairman of the Management
Board of Strategic Industries (BPIS), also said yesterday that he
would boost the development of the so-called public car, the
Maleo.

He said that the Maleo vehicle project had entered the second
stage.

"We have finished the first phase of the design development by
BPIS in cooperation with Millard Design Australia, an automotive
engineering design company," he said.

"The activities in phase two (the detailed engineering design
and testing) will be finished at the end of 1997. Some 60 units
will be ready next year," Habibie said.

"A large part of these activities will involve technical
experts from Indonesia's strategic industries," he added.

Maleo, designed as a passenger vehicle with an engine capacity
of 1,200 cc, is set for production in 1998, with a target output
of more than 100,000 units a year. The cars are likely to be sold
at Rp 25 million (US$10,697) each.

"We will set up a company to manufacture the Maleo. The
company will then offer part of its shares to local component
manufacturers."

Habibie said that Maleo, which is expected to have 60 percent
local content, will someday run on hydrogen, instead of gasoline
or diesel.

The government in February licensed PT Putra Timor Nasional to
make 'national' cars in partnership with South Korea's Kia
Motors. Putra Timor, owned by President Soeharto's youngest son,
Hutomo Mandala Putra, plans to sell the 1,600 cc Timor cars
starting next month at Rp 35 million ($14,976).

Meanwhile, a subsidiary of PT Bimantara Citra, a firm
controlled by another of Soeharto's sons, Bambang Trihatmodjo,
unveiled two new cars in cooperation with Hyundai Motors of South
Korea.

Bimantara Citra's cars, the Cakra with a 1,500cc engine, and
the Nenggala with a 1,600cc engine, are to be sold for Rp 39.9
million ($17,073) and Rp 59.5 million ($25,459) respectively.
(icn)