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05-09-2001 TESTIMONY OF ANTHONY A. DUPONT

To address the problem of runway saturation at the large metropolitan airports, the duPont Aerospace Company is developing a high performance, vertical and short field takeoff and landing (VSTOL) airplane, the DP-2. The 50-passenger aircraft has both commercial and military applications. Technology to produce this aircraft is available and well proven. Modern turbofan engines currently in worldwide airline service combined with the capabilities of new composite materials provide a vectored thrust propulsion system. A simple mechanical control system powered by the pilot's hand controls the aircraft in both hover and up and away flight. An autopilot can be clutched in to greatly reduce the pilot workload in hover or for conventional flight autopilot functions.

A highly swept wing having a supercritical airfoil section permits efficient cruise at near sonic speeds. The result is an aircraft that combines vertical take off with high cruise efficiency. The DP-2 was originally designed to deliver and retrieve troops and equipment into a hostile environment. It was designed to fly with 10,500-pound payload in and out over a 1,000 nautical mile radius at sea level, below the radar horizon. The same payload could be carried 5,000 nautical miles if the aircraft were flown at optimum cruising altitudes from 32,000 to 42,000 feet. A full-scale thrust vectoring system has been successfully tested with a 30,000-pound thrust V2500 turbofan engine.

A 53 per cent scale aircraft has been ground tested and is being prepared for hover and flight-testing under Office of Naval Research, ONR, sponsorship. The results of the full-scale and half-scale testing verify the performance predicted from testing previously conducted in the NASA Ames 7 foot by 10-foot tunnel. The DP-2 has short FAA runway requirements when operated with a conventional take off and vectored thrust to reduce the landing distance.

A 3,000-foot FAA field length permits the DP-2 to use special landing patterns at major airports saving taxi time and avoiding interference with other aircraft traffic. The runway is reduced to a pad for vertical take off operation. VTOL permits operation away from airports to service more locations and relieve traffic congestion. The aircraft can be at cruising altitude less than five minutes after a vertical take off. A sea level cabin is provided for passenger comfort.

The DP-2 cruises at over 500 knots (575 miles per hour) for minimum fuel consumption. This high cruise speed combined with fast climb and special traffic patterns makes the DP-2 block speed considerably better than current 150-seat aircraft. Higher block speed makes the 50-seat DP-2 competitive on cost (cents per seat mile) with the current larger airliners. The 50-seat capacity allows the DP-2 to operate non-stop over routes that will not support frequent non-stop service with 150- seat aircraft, such as San Diego to Washington.

Non-stop service is not only more convenient for the passenger but is also more economical for the airline. The net result is faster non-stop service at the same or lower fares. Within the Government procurement process, a prototype of the DP- 2 can be available for testing 36 months after contract funding. Prototype flight-testing would explore the full capability of the DP-2 concept and develop and evaluate new Concepts of Operations for the commercial and military users.

Estimated cost is around $160 million for a three aircraft program. Airliners or business jet versions of the DP-2 would have first delivery to customers within 3.5 years after receiving enough firm orders to justify a production program. Preliminary price estimate is about $25 million.

The DP-2 concept can be scaled up for 200 passengers, using engines currently in airline service on the Boeing 777. The 53 per cent scale airplane that duPont is currently building under ONR sponsorship could be developed into a transcontinental six place business aircraft capable of cruising at altitudes up to 55,000 feet.

Specific NASA contributions to move the DP-2 into the commercial arena are:

1. Wind tunnel testing in the National Transonic Facility.
2. Spin testing in the spin tunnel.
3. Purchase of two 53 per cent scale X aircraft with uprated Pratt and Whitney engines.
4. Flight test of these two X aircraft to establish minimum airport space required, unconventional take off and approach patterns and procedures to minimize community noise.
5. Longer range research to develop engines optimized for VTOL aircraft. These are quiet engines with a higher thrust to weight and lower fuel consumption at reduced power settings.

The estimated funding to accomplish the first four items listed is $10 million a year for three years. Development of the DP-2 and follow on aircraft will once again put the United States in the lead in aeronautics

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