11 April 2003, Wichita Falls, Texas

It has been several months since the last press release and the last time the CarterCopter Technology Demonstrator (CCTD) was flying. We have been busy working on several major changes and improvements to the aircraft, most notably a new high-m rotor, and boosted, automated controls.

Flight Tests Superb - Unfortunate Ending

 Flight-testing of the CCTD began again on March 30th, 2003.  After a few days of high-speed taxi runs, making minor adjustments, and debugging, the aircraft was flown in the traffic pattern.  The new rotor worked well in the flight regimes tested.  The dual redundant boosted controls worked perfectly (better than expected) in most areas, plus the control forces were still manageable when the boost system was disengaged.  The automated controls are much improved, although some software tweaking is still needed.  During one 19-minute flight, the automated controls were engaged for about 18 minutes and in most cases could hold the rotor rpm and flapping more accurately than the pilots.  These controls reduce the pilot workload, and once perfected, will make the aircraft so easy to fly that grandmother and granddaddy might want to take up flying.  By the end of flight-testing on April 7^th we had a total of 2.9 hours of accumulated flight time showing marked improvement with the new systems.  Our longest flight was 37 minutes and our top speed was 132 mph.     

 On April 8, 2003, the flight began with a short takeoff using about 20 ft of runway.  The gear was retracted, and several high-speed passes were performed.  The day's flight regimen was intended to test the complete range of the CCTD's flight controls and it performed superbly.  At the end of its flight, the aircraft entered final at about 1500 ft, and began a nearly vertical descent to the runway.  The descent was at about 1000 fpm, and was so quiet that the aircraft could barely be heard from the ground.  Unfortunately, the pilots failed to lower the landing gear (however it was not just the pilots' fault). This was only their second gear retraction in the past 7 months as most of the test flights had been made with the gear extended. They did not realize their error until about 30 ft AGL (heard it on the radio).  The pilot in command made the decision to attempt a go-around.  He gave the aircraft full throttle and pulled back on the stick to try to climb.  Sadly, they were too low and ended up flying the aircraft into the runway at full throttle/rpm.  The impact was enough to deflect the tailbooms sufficiently for the propeller to strike the ground.  When this happened, one propeller blade broke away, leaving the driveshaft unbalanced for nearly one revolution until the second blade came off, damaging many components in the engine compartment, including the engine.  The aircraft slid on the fuselage and tailbooms for approximately two hundred feet before coming to a stop. The bottom of the wing/fuselage was ground off to the fuel tank.  Had we not located a separate fuel tank for testing in the very strong pressurized cabin, we could have had a major fire.  Repairs will add a Kevlar abrasion pad in this area for enhanced future safety. This gear-up landing also resulted in substantial damage to the engine compartment, fuselage and tailbooms. However, it is very important to note that the pilots never felt in danger and walked away from the aircraft with no injuries. 

 After examining the aircraft, we believe that it can be rebuilt and flying again within 3½ months.  This downtime provides an opportunity to make several improvements that might not have been performed until much later.  The engine will be replaced with a new, turbocharged engine.  Without the turbo installed, this engine should produce 425 HP at sea level, or 100 HP more than the current engine.  But with the turbo installed, the engine will be able to maintain that horsepower up to 25,000 feet.  The power train that was designed for the Next Generation CarterCopter (NxCC) has the capacity for 700 HP and will replace the one that was damaged in the accident.  A new scimitar propeller will be designed and built.  This propeller will sacrifice approximately 1% cruise efficiency for a 5 -10% increase in takeoff and climb performance.

Several military VIPs were visiting to observe the flight-testing and discuss possible funding for the Next Generation CarterCopter (NxCC).  They were very impressed with the performance of the CCTD, and did not appear to be discouraged by the accident.  In fact, after the flight, one of them stated that it was one of the most impressive flight demos that he had ever seen, and that he now better understood the significance of this technology.

A more detailed press release is currently being prepared. It outlines the efforts of the last 4 months and some of our future prospects.  It will also include more details about the latest round of flight-testing, more info about the accident and changes we plan to make while repairs are being made.