Michael Braukus
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.                     July 31, 1998
(Phone:  202/358-1979)

Keith Henry
Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA
(Phone:  757/864-6120)

Lori Rachul
Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, OH
(Phone:  216/433-8806)

Les Dorr
FAA Headquarters, Washington, D.C.
(Phone:  202/267-3461)

RELEASE:  98-139

LIGHT PLANE TECHNOLOGIES COMING TO MARKET

     The government-industry effort to revitalize the U.S. light 
airplane industry is rapidly turning promises into 
accomplishments.  Leaders of both the Advanced General Aviation 
Transport Experiment (AGATE) consortium and the NASA General 
Aviation Propulsion (GAP) program are reporting impressive 
progress, according to a senior NASA official.  

     "These accomplishments are laying the foundation for a small 
aircraft transportation system that will make personal air travel 
for business or pleasure a safe, affordable transportation 
alternative," said Michael B. Mann, NASA's Deputy Associate 
Administrator for Aeronautics and Space Transportation Technology. 

     "Newly developing technologies and procedures are allowing us 
to move from the research stage to practical use.  Even the 
challenging task of developing a lightweight, affordable jet 
engine for personal airplanes is coming along quickly through 
NASA's GAP program," he added.

     Mann's comments were made at a joint NASA, FAA and U.S. 
industry news briefing held today at AirVenture '98, the 
Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) annual Fly-In and 
Convention, Oshkosh, WI.  Other briefing participants included 
Anne Harlan, Federal Aviation Administration's Director of the 
William J. Hughes Technical Center, Atlantic City, NJ.


     Among the accomplishments highlighted:

AGATE-EQUIPPED AIRPLANES COMING TO MARKET

*  Cirrus SR20, Cirrus Design Corp., Duluth, MN
*  Lancair Columbia 300, Lancair International Inc., Redmond Bend, OR

     The first two production airplanes to offer extensive AGATE 
technology are being introduced this summer, with customer 
deliveries expected to begin by the end of the year.  FAA flight 
certification is expected for both airplanes this fall.  These 
pioneering airplanes boast of value, performance, comfort and 
safety.  AGATE technology contributes to ease of operation through 
single-lever power control and multi-function display of satellite 
navigation and airport information.  The display technology will 
also handle graphical display of real-time weather, terrain and 
digital air-to-ground communications when available in the near 
future.  Other AGATE technologies reflected in these new airplanes 
include advanced lightweight and aerodynamically efficient 
composite materials (graphite-epoxy, for example).  AGATE safety 
advances are seen in energy-absorbing structures and improved 
safety harness systems that improve crashworthiness. 

NEW PROCESS PROMISING UP TO $1 MILLION SAVINGS PER NEW AIRPLANE

     Time and costs of certifying materials for new single-engine 
airplane designs will be dramatically reduced with the adoption of 
an AGATE-developed certification process.  The process promises to 
cut materials certification for a new design from two years to six 
months and from $600,000-$1,000,000 to $30,000.  The National 
Institute for Aviation Research, Wichita State University, 
Wichita, KS, is conducting research to validate the overall 
process to meet FAA certification standards.  The idea is that the 
AGATE consortium will pool resources to spread the costs of 
initial research and certification for each material of interest.  
The data will go into a handbook, specifying the exact process to 
be followed in order to receive a speedy certification from the 
FAA.  The first two aircraft to make use of the new process are 
the Cirrus SR20 and Lancair Columbia 300 (see first item, above).  
They will be the first composite material four-seat AGATE-type 
airplanes to be certified in the U.S.    

FIRST PILOT GRADUATING FROM STREAMLINED TRAINING COURSE

       The first student has successfully completed a unified 
flight training curriculum that earned her both a visual and an 
instrument pilot rating.  The AGATE-developed curriculum was 
administered by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Melbourne, 
FL.  The curriculum simultaneously trains pilots in visual flight 
rules (VFR) and instrument flight rules (IFR) at significant time 
and cost savings over traditional methods which call for separate 
courses for separate ratings.  The national average for receiving 
a basic private pilot license is approximately 72 hours of in-
flight training over nine months.  This is followed by instrument 
training of 104 hours over an additional nine months.  The Embry-
Riddle student completed the equivalent training with a 29 percent 
savings in ground and flight training, a 20 percent savings in 
cost and an 83 percent savings in total elapsed time.  The new 
training curricula is supported by NASA through the AGATE program, 
Embry-Riddle and the FAA Flight Standards District Office, 
Orlando, FL.

FLIGHT TESTS PROVING COCKPIT TECHNOLOGIES

     Results from two series of ongoing flight experiments are 
expected to have a major impact on the standards that will be set 
for operating general aviation airplanes in the future.  The AGATE 
experiments are validating advanced navigation and communications 
technologies developed to revolutionize how light airplane pilots 
interact with real-time weather and flight data information.  A 
Cessna T210 has been test flown since December to learn more about 
the display and use of real-time weather in the cockpit.  
Preliminary results indicate that use of advanced cockpit weather 
displays reduces pilot activity while increasing the pilot's 
ability to accurately and safely navigate around hazardous 
weather.   A Raytheon Bonanza has been test flown since January to 
assess the operational capabilities of digital datalinks.  Results 
of this powerful new cockpit tool are encouraging.  Potential 
applications are many, including the present test and evaluation 
of three attitude and heading reference systems expected to 
significantly enhance the pilot's awareness of his or her 
airplane's position and flight heading.  Future plans for the 
Bonanza test airplane include the integration and demonstration of 
all AGATE technologies in a single cockpit.

FIRST STATEWIDE DIGITAL DATALINK PROVIDING REAL-TIME WEATHER  

     Virginia has inaugurated the nation's first statewide 
application of aviation digital datalink technology, establishing 
a public-private partnership that will set the pace for its 
introduction to other states in an effort to form a national 
system that may someday be global.  At a ceremony July 9 in the 
state capital, Virginia Secretary of Transportation Shirley J. 
Ybarra praised AGATE member ARNAV Systems Inc., Puyallup, WA, the 
Small Aircraft Manufacturers Association and NASA's Langley 
Research Center for the successful partnership.  Ybarra said that 
extension of the AGATE technology "will provide small business 
with safe, efficient and secure all-weather air transportation to 
urban and rural communities all over the country."

REDUCING THE COST OF LIGHTNING PROTECTION

     AGATE members are working with Lightning Technology, Inc., 
Pittsfield, MA, to reduce the cost of lightning protection for 
small airplanes from the current $5,000 per airplane to $500 or 
less by next year.  This ambitious goal is part of the AGATE 
effort to make future single-engine airplanes more affordable to 
more people.  Lightning doesn't strike small aircraft often, but 
when it does it can cause significant damage to non-conducting 
components and digital cockpit systems.  The company is evaluating 
airplane surface treatments such as low-cost lightweight metal 
meshes embedded in the advanced fiberglass-epoxy composite 
materials increasingly used in small airplane structures.  Tests 
have applied simulated lightning effects (up to 200,000 amperes of 
current) to small "coupons" representing airplane skin and 
structure.  

PROPULSION RESEARCH FILLING THE GAP

     Two years after NASA's Lewis Research Center unveiled the 
General Aviation Propulsion (GAP) program, industry teams are 
reporting substantial progress in developing forerunners of  the 
next generation of general aviation light aircraft engines.  
Development of the engines described below is on schedule for 
flight demonstration at EAA's AirVenture '00.

*  New Piston Engine at Half the Price.  An industry team led by 
Teledyne Continental Motors, Mobile, AL, has designed a highly 
advanced 200-hp compression ignition engine.  The engine will use 
jet fuel and is designed to be priced at half the cost of current 
engines.  Careful design consideration has been given to making 
this engine the smoothest and quietest piston engine to have ever 
flown in a general aviation aircraft.  The design is now becoming 
reality.  The first engine will be completed within the next few 
days, followed by a series of tests.  The first aircraft 
installation is set for this time next year.

*  New Turbine Engine Promises High Performance at Competitive 
Price.  Williams International, Walled Lake, MI, and their 
industry team have designed a radically new turbofan engine which 
will make turbine engines affordable for small general aviation 
aircraft. This engine, known as the FJX-2, is a high-bypass-ratio 
turbofan that will produce 700 lbs. of thrust while weighing less 
than 100 lbs.  Turbine engines are known for their good 
performance and quiet smooth operation.  However, they have only 
been used on the top-of-the-line general aviation aircraft because 
a turbine engine propulsion system can cost more than an entire 
airplane.  The FJX-2 has been designed to maintain excellent 
performance while being price-competitive with piston engines.  
Engine component testing has progressed at a good pace.  The first 
full engine is scheduled to be completed and ready for testing by 
the end of September.

     For more information on the NASA/FAA/Industry AGATE program 
check the Internet at:
                    http://agate.larc.nasa.gov/

     For more information on the NASA GAP program check the 
Internet at:
              http://www.lerc.nasa.gov/WWW/AST/GAP.htm

                               -end-