China’s new MA700 regional airliner – which is to be equipped with Dowty Propellers’ R408/6-123-F/27 propeller system – made its public “debut” at this month’s Airshow China 2014 event in Zhuhai in the form of a full-scale fuselage mockup, complete with an outfitted passenger interior.
This mockup was one of the main attractions in the exhibit pavilion of aircraft manufacturer AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China), and it featured the Dowty Propellers logo among the Western suppliers’ identities highlighted on the forward fuselage.
Dowty Propellers’ R408/6-123-F/27 propeller system incorporates all-composite blades with advanced aerodynamic design for integration on the MA700’s two Pratt & Whitney PW150C turboprop engines. This powerplant/propeller system is to be installed on the aircraft’s high-lift wings that include winglets.
MA700 performance
MA700 performance data provided by AVIC at Airshow China lists the airliner’s maximum cruise speed as 637 km./hr. (at maximum takeoff weight, an altitude of 6,000 metres, and in ISA conditions), with an economical cruise speed of 550-580 km./hr.
Maximum altitude is set at 7,620 metres, with a single-engine ceiling of 5,400 metres, according to the AVIC data, which also listed a maximum airport runway altitude of 4,000 metres. With its performance capabilities, AVIC calculates that the MA700 is suitable for service at more than 95 percent of airports in China.
Weight parameters for the MA700 as detailed by AVIC are a maximum zero fuel weight of 23,600 kg., maximum takeoff weight of 26,500 kg., and maximum payload of 8,600 kg. Its standard range is stated as 1,700 km. (918 naut. mi.)
The aircraft has a nose-to-tail length of 30.5 metres, with seating capacities of 68 to 86 passengers based on cabin layouts detailed by AVIC at Airshow China.
The full-scale fuselage mock-up display at Airshow China quickly became one of the event’s most talked-about highlights.