C-130J Flight Test Nearing 2,000 Hours.

MARIETTA, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 27, 1997--Flight test of the new C-130J is climbing toward 2,000 hours, with more than 720 flights completed from Lockheed Martin's facility in Marietta, Ga., and from a number of deployed locations around the country.

According to C-130J Chief Test Pilot Bob Price, the most notable effort of the flight test program was the work done in solving the problem of new stall characteristics experienced on the C-130J Hercules.

Price said the aerodynamic stall characteristics stem from a change in airflow over the wings with the new propulsion system. After studying options, engineers enhanced the stall warning system and installed a stick pusher on the C-130J. The first visual stall warning indication comes at 40 knots above stall speed. At 7 percent above stall speed, pilots will get a visual indication of the stall warning on both the head-up and head-down displays, as well as an audio warning in the headset.

If these warnings are ignored and the pilot continues to decelerate the airplane, the stick pusher activates, doing what the pilot would ordinarily do by pushing the nose of the aircraft forward and thus preventing aerodynamic stall, Price said.

"Like many tactical C-130 operators, I started out as a skeptic of the stick pusher, but I'm now the biggest champion for it," said Price, who has conducted several hundred of the more than 1,200 stalls performed during the flight test. "I'm convinced the system will save lives.

"I have yet to have a customer walk away from a demonstration flight without a smile," he added.

Price said some of the information on the propulsion system airflow changes should not be misinterpreted as airflow problems around the fuselage of the aircraft that would impact air drop capability. Preliminary airdrop tests using dummy paratroopers on both the C-130J and C-130J-30 give no indication of a measurable difference in airflow around troop or cargo exits of the aircraft, he said. The company is scheduled to conduct additional airdrop demonstrations at Edwards Air Force Base early next year.

Also, the Dowty propeller is performing very well, Price said. Early in the program, the manufacturing process produced composite layup problems with the prop. Price said that process was changed and the props are living up to expectations. He added that the problem was slight, and there was never a failure during test operations.

As for deploying with the new six-blade prop, Price said tests have already been done with various loading systems to ensure the J prop can be transported in the C-130J cargo compartment.

One concern expressed by customers is that pilots with shorter sitting height may have difficulty fully using the head-up display and still fly the aircraft. Price said a number of possible solutions are being studied.

"We are aggressively investigating this concern to find a solution that will be acceptable to the FAA and to our customers," Price said, adding, "but for most pilots, this is not a problem."

The flight test program will eventually involve 11 aircraft. To date, company pilots and customer pilots from the U.S. Air Force, Royal Air Force, and Royal Australian Air Force, have flown more than 720 flights and some 1,977 hours in the J. Tests have been flown from the company facility in Marietta and from various deployed locations.

Some of the testing included tactical missions with extreme takeoff and landing profiles. Price said both the C-130J and the stretched version C-130J-30 have performed well in the tests. In fact, there is little difference in the handling qualities and performance for the C-130J and C-130J-30.

As to the extension in the certification process, Price said the scope of testing of the new aircraft increased from that originally planned. He said the complexity of software integration is unprecedented in this type of aircraft, and thus has drawn out the certification process.

"This is not a minor modification to a basic C-130," Price said of the new J. "Many of the aircraft systems changed must be recertified, and that requires developmental and pre-FAA testing prior to final FAA demonstration."

Price is confident current delivery schedules can be met. Program management has streamlined some internal processes that increase efficiency of test point accomplishments, and the company has optimized personnel assignments within the program.

"Our focus centers on ensuring the operator is confident the aircraft is safe and fully operational when delivery takes place.

"Many of us in the test program have flown Hercs for 15 to 20 years, and the new C-130J is a quantum leap for the community," Price said. "We are very excited about getting these aircraft into the hands of the users -- the men and women who perform so many critical missions around the world every day."

CONTACT: Lockheed Martin, Marietta

Doug Oliver, 770/494-6208

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