CompositesWorld

OCT 2017

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NEWS 17 CompositesWorld.com Oshkosh 2017 Walton Process Technologies, Inc. Best Customer Service in The Industry www.autoclave s .com Mansfield TX 682-518-9002 Service/Repair Retrofit/Relocate Autoclaves Bond Presses Batch Process Controls Ovens Parts vertical takeoff and landing launch system for subor- bital space tourism, envisioned by Blue Origin's founder, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, also made its first EAA appearance. After its milestone first vertical landing on Nov. 23, 2015, the same booster made four subsequent flights in 2016. Fly-in guests could take a simulated suborbital flight in a full-scale mockup of the capsule that will eventually launch tourists aboard the spacecraft. New aircraft and prototypes included Stratos Aircraft's (Redmond, OR, US) Stratos 714 very light jet (VLJ), a four/ six-seat, 400-knot, single-engine personal jet with a 1,500- nm range and 41,000-ft service ceiling. It was launched amidst the VLJ craze more than a decade ago when 11 airframers aimed to market them, but most folded. Stratos persevered but "kept quiet for a few years," says Stratos president and CEO Michael Lemaire, and his composites- intensive jet first flew last November and concluded its first flight-test phase prior to its arrival Wittman Regional Airport. Post-EAA, Stratos will expand the flight-test enve- lope, and when ready for certification, the company will seek outside investors. Lemaire estimates the project could require "in the area of US$200 million" and take three to four years to complete. The next-generation SureFly personal helicopter, by Workhorse Group (Loveland, OH, US), made its US debut in Oshkosh, following its unveiling at the 2017 Paris Air Show. Still in development, SureFly aims to make helicopters easier, safer and less costly to fly. Constructed of carbon fiber composites, its airframe weighs less than 300 lb/136 kg. Four arms extend outward above the cabin. Each supports two motors that drive counter-rotating propellers — one above, one below — at the end of each arm. Projected top speed is 70 mph/112 kmh, with a flight ceiling of 4,000 ft/1,220m AGL, although it's capable of flying much higher. The large exhibits included a new composite five-bladed swept propeller for the Beechcraft – Textron Aviation King Air 350, produced by Raisbeck Engineering (Waco, TX, US) in partnership with Hartzell Propeller (Piqua, OH, US). The supplemental type certificate for the propeller is expected soon, with production following "very quickly," says Tony Armstrong, CEO/CFO of Raisbeck. It's the first composite swept-blade propeller developed by the two companies together. The large-diameter (2.7m) propeller reportedly maximizes thrust, increase performance, and reduce noise. Moreover, a pair weighs 47 lb/21 kg less than a pair of OEM propellers.

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