Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC
US Federal Aviation Administration officials say they are "over the learning curve" in working with the Russian authorities to certify Russian aircraft for import into the USA.
In assessing the country's aircraft certification programme, to ensure it meets international safety standards, the FAA's Small Airplane Directorate has issued the first US type certificate for a Russian design, the two-seat Ilyushin Il-103 general aviation aircraft.
It took five years to complete the Il-103's shadow certification, compared to an average of three for a similar US-made general aviation aircraft, says Michael Gallagher, manager of the Small Airplane Directorate.
"The Russians had an aircraft development system in place," he says. "We had to inspect it and compare it with ours."
This included not only scrutiny of the aircraft's design, but also Russia's system for certificating aircraft. As part of the process, FAA officials witnessed some flight tests.
Airworthiness certification of the all-metal, 156kW (210hp) Teledyne Continental IO-360ES-powered Il-103 was conducted by the FAA's Aircraft Certification Service and its Russian counterparts, the Aviation Register of the Interstate Aviation Committee and the Federal Aviation Authority of Russia.
Efforts that began in 1993 to certify both the newly-developed Il-103 and Ilyushin's Il-96T freighter have led to the signing of a Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement (BASA), with Implementation Procedures for Airworthiness (IPA). The BASA allows for reciprocal certification of each country's aircraft. It specifically covers small all-metal general aviation aircraft with up to nine seats and equipped with US-built engines, avionics and propellers.
The bilateral treaty between the USA and Russia also covers large Russian-built all-cargo aircraft with Western-made engines and avionics. It does not, however, cover the Ilyushin Il-96M passenger aircraft, even though it is powered by the same Pratt & Whitney PW2337 turbofan as the freighter.
CERTIFICATION LESSONS
The success of the piston-engined Il-103's certification yielded valuable lessons for the pending type certification of another Russian aircraft, the widebodied Ilyushin Il-96T freighter.
The FAA's Mary Cheston says the Il-96T's certification is taking longer, since it is a more complex transport-category aircraft. Cheston, manager of the agency's International Airworthiness Programs Staff, says: "The financial situation in Russia has also had an impact on Ilyushin's ability to complete the programme."
Cheston believes, however, that the Il-96T will gain a US type certificate in June or July.
Gallagher says that there were unique issues which needed to be resolved before the FAA could complete the first, so-called shadow certification. One of these was differences in configuration control, for example how Ilyushin maintained design of the Il-103 in the company's drawings. In Russia, the schematics match each aircraft, as opposed to there being a baseline design.
Gallagher says that it took the Aviation Register about nine months to develop a US-style configuration control system. He also found that Ilyushin's production quality control system and conformity testing "...were different from what we were used to.
"Ilyushin relied on military technicians to do some of the quality oversight," he says. "We had to look at that, and make sure it worked for us. We needed to establish systems as opposed to looking at individual parts and inspecting the end product."
FAA officials also had to make sure that the Russian aircraft manufacturer was in compliance with US and European noise restrictions, and that the Il-103 carried crash-worthy seats. Language was a barrier, and meetings were long, but the obstacle was breached by using interpreters, and by dealings with English-speaking engineers.
WORKING RELATIONS
No other Russian light aircraft now faces the FAA's scrutiny, but Gallagher expects future certifications to take less time "...now that we have established a working relationship with the Russians.
"They know our needs," he says. "We are over the learning curve."
Gallagher does not know if Ilyushin has hired a US sales representative for the Il-103, which is expected to cost about $150,000. Nor does he know if parts availability would be an issue, since the certification process does not address product support.
The FAA official has no reservations about recommending purchase of an Il-103. "Ilyushin is an experienced and capable aircraft maker. They produce a quality product," he says.
A deal between Russia's Myasishchev design bureau and General Aircraft USA, to assemble the piston-single M-203PW , and the single-turboprop M-101PW, M-201PW and M-202PW in the USA, has yet to bear fruit. Officials had expected prototypes of the M203PW and M101PW to be flying in the USA by late last year.
While engineering work continues on the M203PW, Russia's economic problems have slowed the project. Plans call for the Russian-designed aircraft to be assembled at Williamsburg Airport in Newport News, Virginia, but General Aircraft officials are considering a bid to shift the work to Naval Air Station Cecil Field, Jacksonville, Florida, which is seeking commercial projects.p
Heading towards the USA: Ilyushin's two-seat Il-103 general aviation aircraft is the first Russian design to gain a US type certificate. Airworthiness certification of the all-metal, Teledyne Continental IO-360ES-powered aircraft was conducted by the FAA's Aircraft Certification Service and its Russian counterparts
Source: Flight International
